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With the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G now available, you may be asking yourself whether it's a worthy upgrade over its predecessor – the Galaxy A51 5G. Or maybe you're planning to buy the A51 5G mid-ranger and are curious if you should instead go for the new A52 5G. In any case, you're in the right place, as we're comparing the two phones side-by-side right here.
The new Galaxy A52 5G was made official on March 17, 2021. Its price in Europe is 429 EUR, while its price in the US has been announced to be $500, to be available starting April 9.
The Galaxy A51 5G came out on April 29, 2020, also for the price of $500, although it can often be found for much less.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G vs Galaxy A51 5G design and colors
The two phones differ quite a bit in the design and finish department, even though they're both glass on the front and plastic on the back.
Galaxy A52 (left) and Galaxy A51 (right)
The new Galaxy A52 5G has a matte, soft haze finish and a generally understated, clean design on the back. There's basically nothing but a camera module and a Samsung logo there, no crazy patterns or reflections to speak of.
Galaxy A52 (left) and Galaxy A51 (right)
Galaxy A51 5G however features a glossy back with a pattern on it. Which phone looks better is up to the user's personal preferences.
And while we're on the topic of design, it might be useful to note that the A52 5G weighs just about 189 grams, while the A51 5G is 187 grams. There's no noticeable difference between the two in that regard. Also, both phones have plastic backs.
Now let's take a look at the available color options for the two phones.
The Galaxy A52 5G's front (shown here) is identical to the A51 5G
The new Galaxy A52 5G sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display. The A52 5G's screen is also super smooth, thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate. The resolution is 1080 x 2400, 407 pixels per inch. The phone also has an "Eye Comfort Shield" feature, which aims to adjust the color temperature of the display in an effort to reduce eye strain in the user.
The Galaxy A51 5G is no slouch in the display department either, similarly sporting a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display at the same resolution of 2400 x 1080. However, its refresh rate is only 60Hz.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G vs Galaxy A51 5G performance and specs
The Galaxy A52 5G sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with either 6 or 8 GB of RAM on board, depending on the region.
The A51 5G comes with Samsung's own Exynos 980 chipset with 6 GB of RAM. Both processors have 5G support.
Galaxy A52 5G specs:
64 MP main camera with OIS, 32 MP selfie camera
6.5-inch 120 Hz AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 resolution)
6.5-inch 60Hz AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 resolution)
Under-display optical fingerprint sensor
6 GB / 8 GB of RAM
Samsung Exynos 980 processor
128 GB of storage + expandable storage (microSD)
5G connectivity
4,500 mAh battery, 25W Fast Charging
NFC support
No IP rating for water and dust resistance
Has a headphone jack
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G vs Galaxy A51 5G cameras
The Galaxy A52 5G camera module
The camera is one of the main marketing focus points for the Galaxy A52 5G, suggesting that Samsung has put a lot of effort into the phone's camera experience. Below are camera specs of both phones, along with sample photos for comparison.
Galaxy A52 5G cameras:
64 MP main camera with OIS (optical image stabilization)
12 MP ultra wide camera
5 MP macro camera
5 MP depth sensor
Galaxy A51 5G cameras:
48 MP main camera
12 MP ultra wide camera
5 MP macro camera
5 MP depth sensor
< A52 selfie portraitA51 selfie portrait >
The A52 produces notably more detailed and sharper selfie portraits over the A51, with better contrast too. However, the bokeh effect is about equally good from both phones.
< A52 nighttime selfieA51 nighttime selfie >
At night, differences between how the two phones produce selfies are harder to notice. Generally, there are no major improvements on the A52 in this regard, aside from the slight brightness increase.
< A52 nighttime sample with Night ModeA51 nighttime sample with Night Mode >
Night Mode photos are significantly brighter and more colorful on the A52, while darker duller in color on the A51. However, you could argue that both are about equal in terms of sharpness.
< A52 main cameraA51 main camera >
In good lighting conditions, such as in the outdoors shot above, both phones produce similarly great results. We can see a good amount of detail and realistic color reproduction from both the A52 and A51.
< A52 wide-angle cameraA51 wide-angle >
The Galaxy A52's superior wide angle camera performance over the A51 is particularly noticeable. While the wide angle shots from the A51 appear softer and not as detailed, the A52's wide angle camera takes reasonably sharp and satisfactory photos. In addition, darker areas in this scene, such as the dog's fur, are much easier to see on the Galaxy A52 photo.
Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.
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