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Samsung Galaxy A52 vs Galaxy A51: Worth the upgrade?
In March 2021, Samsung launched a bunch of new phones within its budget-conscious Galaxy A-line. As with the 2020 lineup, the 2021 iterations offer plenty of bang for your buck. The Samsung Galaxy A52 might be the “Goldilocks” of that family — offering the best specs at the best price.
Last year, the Samsung Galaxy A51 caught our attention for being quite a package. Ultimately, we felt it was a tad overpriced when you factored in its weak chipset, but the phone still proved to be very popular.
Related: Samsung Galaxy A51 review: Great screen, bad performance
With the launch of the sequel, some Galaxy A51 owners might be curious about upgrading. Likewise, some folks just looking for a new phone that won’t break the bank might be interested to see what’s changed as compared to last year’s model. Let’s check it out!
Samsung Galaxy A52 vs Galaxy A51 specs
| Samsung Galaxy A52 | Samsung Galaxy A51 | |
|---|---|---|
Display | Samsung Galaxy A52 6.5-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080) Infinity-O (display cutout) 407ppi 90Hz refresh rate | Samsung Galaxy A51 6.5-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080) Infinity-O (display cutout) 405ppi 60Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Samsung Galaxy A52 Unnamed octa-core CPU | Samsung Galaxy A51 Samsung Exynos 9611 |
RAM | Samsung Galaxy A52 4, 6, or 8GB | Samsung Galaxy A51 4, 6, or 8GB |
Storage | Samsung Galaxy A52 128 or 256GB microSD support (up to 1TB) | Samsung Galaxy A51 128 or 256GB microSD support (up to 1TB) |
Power | Samsung Galaxy A52 4,500mAh battery 25W fast wired charging No wireless charging | Samsung Galaxy A51 4,000mAh battery 15W fast wired charging No wireless charging |
Cameras | Samsung Galaxy A52 Rear: 1) 64MP main Optical image stabilization (OIS) Auto-focus (AF) 0.8µm, ƒ1.8 2) 12MP ultra-wide Fixed focus (FF) 1.12µm, ƒ2.2 3) 5MP macro 1.12µm, ƒ2.4, FF 3) 5MP depth sensor 1.12µm, ƒ2.4, FF Front: 1) 32MP main 0.8µm, ƒ2.2, FF | Samsung Galaxy A51 Rear: 1) 48MP main Auto-focus (AF) 0.8µm, ƒ2.0 2) 12MP ultra-wide ƒ2.2 3) 5MP macro ƒ2.4 3) 5MP depth sensor ƒ2.2 Front: 1) 32MP main 0.8µm, ƒ2.2, FF |
Audio | Samsung Galaxy A52 Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack | Samsung Galaxy A51 Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack |
Connectivity | Samsung Galaxy A52 LTE only (no 5G support) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC support | Samsung Galaxy A51 LTE only (no 5G support) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 NFC support |
Security | Samsung Galaxy A52 In-display fingerprint sensor IP67-rated against water/dust Face unlock (insecure) | Samsung Galaxy A51 In-display fingerprint sensor No IP rating Face unlock (insecure) |
Software | Samsung Galaxy A52 Android 11 One UI 3.0 | Samsung Galaxy A51 Ships with Android 10 Android 11 update available now |
Dimensions and weight | Samsung Galaxy A52 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4mm 189g | Samsung Galaxy A51 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9mm 172g |
Colors | Samsung Galaxy A52 Awesome Violet, Awesome Blue, Awesome White, Awesome Black | Samsung Galaxy A51 Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Blue, Prism Crush Pink |
The specs table above proves that Samsung didn’t really change too much about the Samsung Galaxy A52 as compared to last year. Obviously, specs don’t tell the whole story. The design of the phone, for example, is totally revamped. However, the lack of any truly significant updates suggests Galaxy A51 owners might be OK skipping this upgrade.
As far as we can tell, the biggest changes this year are a slightly better rear camera setup, a slightly bigger and faster-charging battery, a higher refresh rate display, and the introduction of an official IP rating. Those are all great upgrades for sure, but is it enough to toss aside a Galaxy A51?
See also: Samsung phones buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know
In the case of the cameras, you’re getting the exact same setup as last year. Sure, the primary lens is a bit better but you still don’t get a telephoto lens. The introduction of optical image stabilization (OIS) is certainly a nice touch, though.
The larger and faster-charging battery is also good, but there’s still no wireless charging. That would be a huge ask for a phone at this price point, sure, but you’re starting to see the trend here: the Samsung Galaxy A52 is probably too similar to the Galaxy A51 to necessitate an upgrade.
It might all come down to price
One of our chief criticisms of the Galaxy A51 was its price. At a $399 launch price, it competed with the likes of the Google Pixel 4a and the 2020 iteration of the Apple iPhone SE. Considering the performance issues, it was hard to recommend folks pay more for the Galaxy A51 instead of saving $50 and going with the Pixel 4a.
So far, it doesn’t appear Samsung will bring the 4G version of the Samsung Galaxy A52 to the US (the more expensive 5G version is here, though). However, the phone costs €349 (~$415) in Europe. That’s €20 less than the Galaxy A51, which is nice to see.
However, that still doesn’t change the specs sheet you see above. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for someone to toss their Galaxy A51 aside for the Galaxy A52. They wouldn’t stand to gain too much. Instead, based on the info we know, it seems more prudent to suggest folks looking to upgrade from a much weaker/older phone might want to be on the lookout for the Galaxy A52.
If you’re interested in what we have to say about the 5G version of this phone, check out our full review.