Samsung Galaxy A52 review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The Samsung Galaxy A52 is a 2021 upper mid-ranger on the Snapdragon 720G, with a 6.5-inch 90 Hz OLED, a 4500 mAh battery with 25 W charging, and an IP67 body at 189 grams. Our catalog scores it 50 on screen and 33 on camera, with the 4/64 GB trim listed new near $350 and a single used example around $160. A 64-megapixel stabilized main camera is joined by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 5-megapixel telephoto-like auxiliary, recording 4K30 video. The Samsung Galaxy A72 is the larger sibling, and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is the modern mid-ranger of the line.

Display and design

The 6.5-inch Super AMOLED-class panel refreshes at 90 Hz with peak brightness listed at 800 nits in our records, genuinely usable outdoors. The IP67 dust-and-water seal was a standout for a mid-ranger of 2021, and the 189-gram matte body carried the slim bezels Samsung reserved for this tier. Our compactness score of 86 marks a comfortable large phone; a flat display keeps repairs simple.

Performance

The Snapdragon 720G earns an everyday axis of 32 and a gaming axis of 4 in our model: everyday apps and media run acceptably on the 90 Hz panel, while heavy apps and 3D gaming sit outside its envelope. Tracked trims span 4 to 8 GB of RAM. Our records show the software window already closed by three years, the main caution for a used purchase.

Camera

A 64-megapixel main sensor with optical stabilization leads the rear, joined by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 5-megapixel close-range auxiliary, recording up to 4K30. The camera axis of 33 was upper-tier for 2021 mid-rangers: stabilized daylight shots and a genuinely useful ultrawide made it one of the more versatile cameras of its class, while night performance and zoom reach are dated today.

Battery and charging

The 4500 mAh battery scores 30 on our battery axis, a full day of light-to-moderate use that leans short under heavy screen time, and the 25 W charger scores 7 in our records, meaning refills of roughly an hour and a half. Endurance and refill are the weakest axes of an otherwise rounded package. A mid-day top-up is often needed.

Verdict

The Galaxy A52 is the sealed, bright OLED mid-ranger of 2021 at about $160 used per our single tracked listing, a quarter of its launch price: the IP67 rating, the 800-nit OLED and the stabilized versatile camera remain its arguments. The modest platform, the short-leaning battery and the closed software window are the trade. It suits light users wanting a dependable Samsung, with the Galaxy A56 5G as the modern replacement.