Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G Review | Seriously, best mid-range smartphone?

If you want yourself a super-premium, feature-stuffed smartphone for around £400, the good news is there’s shag-loads of choice right now: the OnePlus Nord 2, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G—just far too many to list. Samsung is hoping to leap to the top of that pile with this fresh blower here, the Galaxy A52s 5G: an upgraded version of the excellent A52 with impressive power, reassuring battery life, a slick 120 Hz AMOLED screen and some proper-good camera tech. You can grab the Galaxy A52s 5G right now direct from Samsung for just £409—roughly half the price of those mega-expensive S21 flagship blowers. I’ve been using it as my full-time smartphone for the past week or so; here’s my in-depth Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G review.

Design & durability

One of the things I appreciate about the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G is the simple design, available in a small selection of very different colours. My personal favourite is this Awesome Mint model. It is a plastic back and therefore susceptible to scratching, but thankfully it’s still in good nick one week on despite being shoved in pockets with other phones and generally abused. While you don’t have a pre-installed screen protector, that Gorilla Glass 5 coating on the display seems to be doing its job; my naked peepers couldn’t detect a single tiny scratch on the panel. The Galaxy A52s 5G is even IP67 water- and dust-resistant, so you can give it a proper dunking—drop it in the sink, no worries whatsoever—a feature that’s really rare at this mid-range price point.

Software & security

Samsung doesn’t skimp when it comes to software on its cheaper handsets. Android 11 is smothered here in a hearty squirt of One UI, complete with all the usual tasty treats. If you use Samsung services like SmartThings, Samsung Pay and Samsung Health, they’re all on board, as is Knox security to keep noisy porks from having a shufty at your private bits. You’re guaranteed four years of security updates on top of three years of OS updates—generous versus the likes of Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo.

The in-display optical fingerprint sensor is another win, rarely failing to recognise my digits even when caked in crud, and you have face recognition as a backup—though it won’t accept you if you’re wearing shades or a face mask.

Storage & display

You get 128 GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD up to a further 1 TB. The 6.5-inch AMOLED panel lacks HDR streaming support, but serves up crisp contrast with deep blacks and full-HD+ resolution. The display tops out at 120 Hz, so flipping around the desktop is smoother than a freshly shorn scrotum. Visibility outdoors is spot-on thanks to an 800-nit peak brightness.

Audio

Stereo speakers are clear enough for YouTube, but to enjoy proper Dolby Atmos you’ll want to plug decent cans into the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Bluetooth streaming is solid even in busy areas like London Bridge at rush hour.

Performance & gaming

The big upgrade for this “s” model is the Snapdragon 778G chipset backed by 6 GB of RAM. I didn’t see much slowdown; the camera app can be a touch lethargic when swapping modes rapidly, but otherwise it handles life well. Gamers should be satisfied: Genshin Impact runs at a nice playable frame rate on medium settings with no thermal throttling.

Battery life

The 4,500 mAh battery easily lasts a day of intensive use—camera sessions, media streaming, plenty of screen-on time—without dipping into battery-saver mode. A 25 W charger is bundled, though the phone doesn’t actually charge at 25 W.

Cameras

Rear shooters

The 64 MP main sensor with OIS captures bright, detail-packed photos with natural colours. Portrait mode adds gorgeous bokeh, and even restless subjects rarely blur. Night shots are respectable on auto. Single Take mode spits out filtered stills and clips that are endlessly entertaining. The 12 MP ultra-wide does fine in good light but struggles at night. The 5 MP macro lens is fun for bugs, while a 5 MP depth sensor assists portraits.

Video

You can shoot 4K at 30 fps or Full HD at 30/60 fps. Audio is directional and wind-resistant, and stabilisation is solid, though night footage turns grainy.

Selfies

The 32 MP front camera delivers crisp daylight shots with background blur, but low-light selfies are grainy and best avoided.

Verdict

I’m really impressed. The Galaxy A52s 5G is a brilliant all-rounder—about as close to the perfect mid-range mobile as you can get. Just find a way to disable Bixby and you’re golden.