Samsung Galaxy A72 review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The Galaxy A72 was Samsung's upper-mid-range play for 2021: a 6.7-inch 90 Hz OLED, an IP67 rating almost unheard of outside flagships, and a 5,000 mAh battery. Our everyday score of 32/100 and camera score of 37/100 place it honestly in its tier — while the IP67 sealing at a $450 launch price was the quiet headline nobody else matched.

Display and design

The 6.7-inch OLED at 90 Hz and 400 nits is pleasant indoors and strained in direct sun; the 46/100 screen score records both facts. At 203 g, the IP67 rating means real dust and water protection — the differentiator that justified the price over the A52 generation and most rivals.

Performance

The Snapdragon 720G is modest silicon: everyday 32/100, gaming 4/100. This was never a speed-focused phone; it prioritizes the display, the sealing and the endurance. Apps run with patience rather than snap, and the audience it was built for did not mind.

Camera

A 64 MP main with OIS — rare at the price — plus an 8 MP ultrawide and a 12 MP telephoto that actually zooms. The 37/100 score is respectable for the tier: the stabilized main camera and the presence of any telephoto at all were the value story.

Battery and charging

The 5,000 mAh cell scores 40/100 and pairs with the frugal chip for easy two-day light use. Charging at 25 W is adequate; the phone's priorities were never speed-shaped.

Verdict

Samsung's two-year software window for this generation has run its course, and we track no meaningful secondhand supply — the honest reference is the $450 launch price for 6/128, now several years past. As a used buy it only makes sense at a steep discount; as a piece of 2021 engineering it deserves the footnote that IP67 arrived in mid-range phones here first. The newer A23 line trades the OLED for LCD but adds software runway.