Key technical features:
Design
Launched just a few months after the Galaxy A52 5G, the Galaxy A52s 5G promises to raise the bar a little while taking exactly the technical sheet of the first, but with a more powerful processor. The mid-range is very important for Samsung and the manufacturer is betting a lot on this new version. It comes to compete with the Motorola edge20, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, realme GT Master Edition with which it shares the Soc. Design-wise, the Galaxy A52s 5G is a carbon copy of the Galaxy A52 5G and looks a lot like the Galaxy A72. It is however lighter than the latter with 189 grams on the scale against 203 grams. It is the same thickness as the Galaxy A72, 8.4 mm, but largely beaten by the Motorola edge20 and its 6.99 mm thickness or the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE which is only 6.81 mm in profile. The Galaxy A52s 5G is not very large and easily handled with one hand. Its shell is plastic. The back is different from the frame. The back shell is matte leaving very few fingerprints, at least on the white model loaned by the brand to carry out this test. The tower is chrome, as on the Galaxy A72.
The edges are rounded just enough to provide an excellent grip. On the back, there is the optical unit which is installed in the upper left corner. There are three sensors positioned vertically. The fourth lens is right next to it, above the flash. The symmetry is perfect and has a beautiful effect. Going around the device, we notice the classic position of the keys to wake it up and manage the sound volume, on the right profile of the device. On the upper edge, there is a microphone and the SIM and memory card drawer. The mobile can support two SIM cards simultaneously or a SIM card and a memory card in micro SD format. It's always nice to be able to expand the internal storage capacity. There is nothing on the left profile.
On the lower edge, there is an audio jack port for connecting headphones, another microphone, the USB-C connector and a grille for the loudspeaker. As on the Galaxy A72, the sound is stereo. The audio offered is correct with a fairly high power for this type of device. However, it is slightly unbalanced when listening to it in landscape mode since the right speaker is a little more powerful. However, the sound is not as good as on the Xiaomi Mi 10T, for example, a mobile that particularly surprised us for its good sound reproduction. There is a fingerprint reader installed under the screen. It's positioned just 1.6cm from the bottom of the phone which is too low for us, preferring higher positioning like on the Xiaomi Mi 11, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, for example.
If the Galaxy A72 is limited to 4G, the Galaxy A52s 5G, like the Galaxy A52 5G, benefits from access to 5G networks. There is Wi-Fi 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 5.0. It is equipped with an NFC module for contactless payment or pairing with another compatible device. Like the Galaxy A72, it is IP67 certified which makes it resistant to immersion in fresh water for several minutes. This is not the case with the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE or realme GT Master Edition while the Motorola edge20 is only IP52 certified, splash resistant, but no more. The mobile comes with a hands-free headset, a 15 watt power supply and a USB-C to USB-A cable as well as an extraction tool for the SIM card slot.
A good quality screen that can go up to 120 Hz
The screen of the Galaxy A52s 5G is quite large since it measures 6.5 inches diagonally like the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, but benefits from a frequency of 120 Hz against 90 Hz on the Chinese mobile. The realme GT Master Edition also offers the same maximum frequency (120 Hz), but the Motorola edge20 goes further since it can go up to 144 Hz, a feast for the eyes of people who like to scroll through the pages of websites. , social networks and for games. Note that the frequency on the Galaxy A52s 5G is not adaptive which means that it is blocked at 60 or 120 Hz, depending on the needs. This last configuration being the most energy-intensive.
The edges of the screen are quite thick and you can enjoy a definition of 1080x2400 pixels on an AMOLED panel offering excellent colorimetry. As usual with Samsung, you can modulate the display from the settings. It is possible to adjust the display modes of the screen between vivid or natural and to play with the white balance in order to obtain the best possible quality. However, by default, the screen is quite well calibrated and rewarding with the natural mode. As on the other smartphones of the brand, it is possible to increase the sensitivity of the screen when using a protection for the display surface.
Reduced performance
While the Galaxy A52 5G features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chip, the Galaxy A52s 5G is more efficient since it has the faster Snapdragon 778G Soc and it also benefits from 6 GB of RAM. In use, the mobile is rather fluid enough not to spoil the experience. The launch of the applications is done with a certain speed and you can switch from one to the other quite quickly without waiting too long. In terms of gaming, we are in the high average allowing us to offer a level of detail and definition that cannot reach the maximum, but which can still claim a certain playability, which is appreciable. It therefore does better than the Galaxy A72 and Galaxy A52 5G. In order to compare its raw performance with other mobiles, we subjected the mobile to several measurement tools, of which here are the main results.
On board, Android 11 with the One UI 3.1 overlay developed by Samsung
Like its contemporaries, the Galaxy A52s 5G uses Google's Android 11 system with a One UI 3.1 overlay developed by Samsung. The customization possibilities are appreciable as well as the quick access functions, in particular present at the level of the notification bar and in the sidebar, if necessary. For us, the design of the icons is always a little too "fun" and lacks a bit of seriousness, especially in the context of professional use, but we must recognize that this interface is very fluid and allows the mobile to offer a good Android experience.
As on the brand's recent mobile phones, this one offers, as soon as it is configured, the installation of several applications to choose from. Of course, there are all Google applications, but also several belonging to Microsoft, some of which are from Office, the publisher's office suite. Navigation by gesture is possible even if it is not the mode chosen by default on this mobile. The parameters are numerous and rather well organized as on the brand's other mobile phones. If you can't find a particular setting, the search module is there to show you where it is hiding.
A 4-sensor photo configuration with 3x optical zoom
For the multimedia part, know that the mobile is capable of streaming content with HD quality. To take photos, it takes advantage of the same sensors as the Galaxy A52 5G and almost as much as the Galaxy A72, unlike the ultra-wide-angle sensor of the latter which is 8 megapixels against 5 megapixels here. So no zoom here. Despite this, the Galaxy A52s 5G produced photos that we found to be relatively satisfactory, although we would have preferred to have a little more detail. The main sensor offers rather bright and well-detailed photos. We take advantage of a dedicated night mode which is appreciable delivering fairly successful shots, in our opinion. To take a selfie, you have to use the 32 megapixel sensor installed behind a punch, in the middle of the screen. It's the same one found on the Galaxy A52 5G and Galaxy A72.
The portraits are successful with great depth, lots of detail and quite satisfactory sharpness. Note that it is possible to frame wide on the front module to take several people at the same time. The application interface is quite classic in the sense that it offers the main options at the top within a banner. Several shooting modes are directly accessible such as: Fun, Single Take, Photo, Video and More. This last menu provides access to other modes: AR Dooble, Pro, Panorama, Food, Night, Macro, Portrait, Pro Video, Super Slow Motion, Slow Motion and Hyperlapse. The interface can be customized to add the modes you use most often to the main screen. Note the possibility of filming with Ultra HD definition at 30 frames per second.
Good autonomy
With its 4500 mAh battery, the mobile phone can last a little less than two days of relatively extensive use. At least that's what we managed to do with the device loaned by the brand. The Galaxy A52s 5G therefore offers good autonomy. For charging, the table is a little less flattering as with the Galaxy A72, since the mobile comes with a power supply of only 15 watts while the device can support 25 watts. It is really difficult to understand why Samsung does not offer the maximum supportable by its device. With the block delivered, we were able to go from 12% to 55% in 30 minutes, which is just fine and far from the possibilities offered on the realme GT 5G which can support 65 watts, for example.
Our opinion
In our opinion, like the Galaxy A72, the Galaxy A52s 5G is a rather versatile smartphone that offers 5G as well as a very satisfactory mobile experience served by a very beautiful screen having a high refresh rate and wide connectivity. We appreciate its waterproof character, its in-game capabilities, its fluid interface and its autonomy. It's significantly better value than the Galaxy A52 5G, in our opinion, but still takes a long time to charge.