Samsung Galaxy A52 vs Galaxy A51: Upgrade or no?
Samsung today launched a range of new phones within its budget-conscious Galaxy A line. Like last year, the 2021 iterations offer a lot for your buck. The Samsung Galaxy A52 could be the “goldilocks” of this family – it offers the best technical data at the best price.
Last year, the Samsung Galaxy A51 caught our attention because it’s quite a package. Ultimately, we felt it was a bit overpriced when you took the weak chipset into account, but the phone still turned out to be hugely popular.
Connected: Samsung Galaxy A51 review: great screen, poor performance
With the sequel started, some Galaxy A51 owners might be curious about an upgrade. Likewise, some people who are just looking for a new phone that won’t break the bank might be interested to see what has changed from the previous year’s model. Let’s try it out!
Samsung Galaxy A52 vs Galaxy A51 specifications
| Samsung Galaxy A52 | Samsung Galaxy A51 | |
|---|---|---|
| display | 6.5 inch Super AMOLED FHD + (2,400 x 1,080) Infinity-O (display section) 407ppi 90Hz refresh rate | 6.5 inch Super AMOLED FHD + (2,400 x 1,080) Infinity-O (display section) 405ppi 60Hz refresh rate |
| processor | Unnamed octa-core CPU | Samsung Exynos 9611 |
| R.A.M. | 4, 6 or 8 GB | 4, 6 or 8 GB |
| camp | 128 or 256 GB microSD support (up to 1 TB) | 128 or 256 GB microSD support (up to 1 TB) |
| power | 4,500mAh battery 25W fast wired charging No wireless charging | 4,000mAh battery 15W fast wired charging No wireless charging |
| Cameras | Back: 1) 64MP main Optical image stabilization (OIS) Autofocus (AF) 0.8 µm, ƒ 1.8 2) 12 MP ultra wide 3) 5MP macro 3) 5MP depth sensor Front: | Back: 1) 48MP main Autofocus (AF) 0.8 µm, ƒ 2.0 2) 12 MP ultra wide 3) 5MP macro 3) 5MP depth sensor Front: |
| Audio | Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo speakers 3.5 mm headphone jack | Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo speakers 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Connectivity | LTE only (no 5G support) Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC support | LTE only (no 5G support) Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC support |
| safety | Fingerprint sensor in the display Protection class IP67 against water / dust Face release (unsafe) | Fingerprint sensor in the display No IP rating Face release (unsafe) |
| software | Android 11 One user interface 3.0 | Comes with Android 10 Android 11 update now available |
| Dimensions and weight | 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm 189 g | 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm 172 g |
| Colours | Fantastic purple, fantastic blue, fantastic white, fantastic black | Prisma Crush Black, Prisma Crush White, Prisma Crush Blue, Prisma Crush Pink |
The table above with the technical data shows that Samsung has not really changed much on the Samsung Galaxy A52 compared to last year. Obviously, specifications don’t tell the whole story. The design of the phone, for example, has been completely redesigned. However, the lack of really important updates suggests that owners of a Galaxy A51 may be able to skip this upgrade.
As far as we can tell, the biggest changes this year are a slightly better rear camera setup, a slightly larger and faster charging battery, a higher refresh rate display and the introduction of an official IP rating. These are all great upgrades, but is it enough to toss a Galaxy A51 aside?
See also: Samsung Phones Buying Guide: Everything You Need To Know
With the cameras, you get exactly the same setup as last year. Sure, the primary lens is a little better, but you still don’t get a telephoto lens. However, the introduction of optical image stabilization (OIS) is certainly a nice touch.
The larger and faster charging battery is good too, but there is still no wireless charging. That would of course be a big demand for a phone at this price point, but you’re starting to see the trend here: the Samsung Galaxy A52 is probably too similar to the Galaxy A51 to need an upgrade.
It could all depend on the price
One of our main criticisms of the Galaxy A51 was the price. With an introductory price of $ 399, it competed with the Google Pixel 4a and the 2020 iteration of the Apple iPhone SE. Given the performance issues, it was difficult to recommend that people pay more for the Galaxy A51 instead of saving $ 50 and opting for the Pixel 4a.
So far, Samsung has not announced any US prices for the Samsung Galaxy A52. However, it has been stated that the phone will cost 349 euros in Europe. This strongly suggests that the Galaxy A52 could land at $ 349 here in the US. If so, it supposedly offers better specs and subjectively better design at a lower price. That would be great news!
Connected: The best budget phones you can buy right now
That still wouldn’t change the datasheet shown above, however. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for someone to toss their Galaxy A51 aside for the Galaxy A52 as they wouldn’t be gaining too much. Therefore, based on the information we know, it seems more cautious to suggest to people who want to upgrade from a much weaker / older phone to look out for the Galaxy A52.
Stay tuned for our full review of the Galaxy A52, which allows us to provide much more specific advice to potential buyers.
