Together with their recently unveiled Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72, Samsung also took the covers off their new Galaxy A32. The Galaxy A32 maintains the ethos of the new Galaxy A series but looks to bring even more value. That said, it does compromise a little bit more when it comes to specs and features.
The Galaxy A32 comes with a MediaTek Helio G80 with 128GB of onboard storage and 8GB of RAM. Like its bigger siblings, the A32 also supports up to 1TB of extra memory through its microSD card slot. It will come with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rates.
Similar to the A52 and A72, it comes with a quad camera setup. It has a 64-megapixel main sensor with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). This is complemented by an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, it comes with a 20-megapixel fixed focus camera. The camera setup on the Galaxy A32 support recording 4K UHD videos at 30fps.
The A32 also comes with all the bells an whistles from the new A52 and A72. This includes KNOX integration and One UI 3.0. It has a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.
Pricing & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A32 will be available in Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue and Awesome Violet. No pricing has been officially announced just yet.
Samsung just revealed something really awesome! Their Galaxy A series is taking some notes from their successful flagships. The new A series line up brings some of the most sought features from their Galaxy S series to a more affordable price point. Samsung’s new approach is a return to their approach from the Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 of 2017.
The new Galaxy A72 and the Galaxy A52 both come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G for their 4G versions while the A52 5G comes with the Snapdragon 750G. They will be coming with 8GB of RAM with up to 256GB of internal memory which can be expanded with an additional 1TB of memory with a microSD card.
Awesome Features Come to the Galaxy A Series
The new headliners for the series are the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72. These two models bring features like IP67 water- and dust-proofing to the Galaxy A line up and even complement this with more features that make their devices so compelling. The new approach comes after Samsung’s own Galaxy A51 became one of their best selling smartphones. According to them, consumers are looking for more compelling offerings which are affordable and don’t compromise much when it comes to features.
The A52 and A72 bring a large, Super AMOLED display to the table. The former comes with a 6.5-inch display while the latter comes with a larger 6.7-inch display. Both of them come with 90Hz refresh rates while the 5G variant of the A52 comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung is claiming that even at 90Hz their A72 and A52 are able to provide a more seamless experience without too much compromise. This is particularly true when it comes to LCD panels that are commonly used in A series competitors. Samsung is also equipping the new A series with Eye Comfort Shield which lowers blue light emissions significantly for better eye health and less strain.
On the battery end of things, Samsung is equipping the Galaxy A52 with a 4,500mAh battery on both the 4G and 5G versions while the Galaxy A72 will be coming with a larger 5,000mAh battery. Samsung claims that these will allow their offerings to last for up to 2 days on a single charge.
Awesome Quad Camera Setup with up to 30x Zoom
While Space Zoom doesn’t make it to the Galaxy A series, it comes with a capable quad camera setup with slight tweaks across the line up. The main camera sensor of the Galaxy A series is a 64-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and autofocus (AF). This is complemented by a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with 123° field of view and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. The final fourth sensor is different on the Galaxy A72 and the A52. The A72 comes with a 8-megapixel telephoto sensor capable of 3x optical zoom with OIS and AF. The A52, on the other hand, comes with a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the selfie front, the two devices come with a fixed focus 32-megapixel sensor.
Hardware is only part of the story when it comes to the new Galaxy A series. Samsung is bringing features like Single Take to the series to complement the capable hardware. But, before we jump into that, Samsung has also brought tetra binning to the new A series. The camera on the A series creates a larger single pixel by binding four pixels together to allow more light and detail to reach the sensor. This improves low light performance and creates more detailed night shots.
Awesome Software to Complete the Experience
In addition to this, the new A series is coming with AI powered scene optimizer capable of automatically enhancing your photos. The scene optimizer is able to detect and optimize 30 scenes. However, if you can’t find the perfect picture in with scene optimizer, you’re able to take control with Pro mode. Once you have the perfect settings you can store them in the new “My Filter” feature which allows you to apply them to the 4K UHD videos or pictures you take down the road. You can even take 8-megapixel pictures from 4K videos with Video Snap.
Samsung is also bringing KNOX along for the ride with the new A series. While there are components of KNOX built into Android’s core. This will be the first time that Samsung is brining KNOX’s full capabilities to the series. This means that your data is encrypted and secured from the source. This comes as a part of Samsung’s One UI 3 which will be available on the A52, A52 5G and A72 at launch. Keep in mind, Samsung has also promised at least 4 years of updates for their devices to ensure device security.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy A52 & A72 will be available in Awesome Black, Awesome Violet, Awesome Blue and Awesome White with a haze (matte) finish. They are available now with prices starting at EUR€349 (MYR1,713.20) for the regular A52, EUR€429 (MYR2,105.91) for the A52 5G and EUR€449 (MYR2,204.08) for the Galaxy A72.
In Malaysia, the A52 and A72 will be available with 256GB onboard memory with 8GB of RAM. No pricing details have been announced just yet. The A52 5G isn’t available in Malaysia just yet. However, Samsung may make it available later on.
There isn’t much you can’t do with a smartphone these days, from filming content to banking online from anywhere with just a few taps. But there is always room for improvement, and Samsung Electronics is constantly seeking to make the smartphone experience more intuitive to help us do even more. This is why One UI was created.
Unveiled in November 2018, One UI improved smartphone usability for millions of users. After two years of further evolution, Samsung launched One UI 3 in December 2020, building on the design, efficiency, and user experience of the original across various devices. Now Samsung is raising the bar yet again with One UI 3.1. From February 18th, the latest One UI is bringing updates to support powerful functionality for some existing smartphones.[1]
So what kind of experience can users enjoy with One UI 3? Samsung Mobile Press sat down with the designers of One UI to ask them what we can expect.
The 4 Principles of One UI
1) Focus on the task at hand 2) Interact naturally 3) Be comfortable to view 4) Make things responsive
These four principles were established by One UI designers to give users the best experience possible.
▲ Jeonggun Choi, Principal UX Designer in the Core UX Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics
The fourth principle is a completely new principal introduced for One UI 3.1.
“From tablets to foldable phones and regular smartphones, the types of devices people are using has diversified, and the number of features and functions has also increased,” said Principal UX Designer Jeonggun Choi. “Following this trend, new principles were needed to provide the best layout for our users.” Whether an app is running on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy Tab, or the foldable Galaxy Z series, the UI is optimized for each device.
When using the Samsung Notes app on smartphones with regular sized displays, for example, users can access the app menu by pressing the navigation button at the top left side of the screen. But on the Galaxy Z Fold and Tab series, users can take advantage of the larger display by having the entire menu always in view, without having to press anything.
▲ Before (left) and after (right) views of the high contrast menu function
As part of the fourth principle, Samsung has also improved the accessibility experience by recommending features that complement the ones already in use. When someone with impaired or weakened vision has High contrast fonts turned on, for example, One UI suggests other features that improve visibility such as Bold font or Dark mode on the Recommended for you screen. One UI also reduces the hassle of having to sort through several menus by allowing users to turn off any accessibility features they are using from a single screen.
“Accessibility features are so diverse that it can often be difficult to use them to their full potential,” said Jeonggun Choi. “The ‘Recommended for you’ function increases convenience and helps users get more out of those features by identifying and recommending ones that users may need. We’ve also made it easy to use these features only when needed by allowing users to turn the features on and off while in use on one page.”
Galaxy Ecosystem Allows for Seamless Connectivity Between Devices
Another perk offered by One UI 3 is the ability to seamlessly switch between smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Taking into account the increased use of tablets and laptops spurred by a boom in remote learning and work, the new update provides a ‘connected device experience.’ This seamless ecosystem is paramount to enhancing study and work productivity.
“A new feature called ‘Continue apps on other devices’[2] has been added so that users can continue whatever they were doing on their smartphone – whether browsing a web page or working on a draft in Samsung Notes – on their tablet,” said Principal UX Designer Min-Young Chang. “Users can also copy text on their smartphone and paste it onto their tablet.”
In addition, users can connect their Book Cover Keyboard to both their tablet and smartphone with the Wireless keyboard sharing feature. The new Auto Switch feature also automatically connects Galaxy Buds to whichever device is playing media, so that users can seamlessly switch between their smartphones and tablets.
Connected device experiences are not only available with mobile devices, they are also available on home appliances such as TVs. Starting with One UI 3, users can use Smart View to enjoy multimedia content from their smartphone on their TV alongside the camera feed from their smartphone. This is especially beneficial for users who work out at home, allowing them to compare their movements with those of their virtual instructor.
“Starting with the One UI 3.1 update, users can cast their Google Duo video calls onto their TV with one just click,” said Jeonggun Choi. “With an increasing number of people connecting with their family via video calls and conducting virtual work meetings, this is an especially useful feature.”
A Customizable Galaxy Experience to Suit Your Needs
Smartphones are no longer just a tool that gives users the power to do various tasks—they’ve become a means of self-expression. Perhaps the best example is decorating the Galaxy Z Flip with stickers to create your own unique phone. But there are many ways to create a custom smartphone experience with the latest updates. “We have implemented a diverse array of features to let users use their smartphone as a form of self-expression,” said Jeonggun Choi. “Users can enjoy a customized Galaxy experience by choosing a video as the incoming and outgoing call screen or changing the wallpaper in the Messages app.”
▲ Before (left) and after (right) views of the quick panel. The design has been simplified and the most commonly used icons have been placed to speed up the search process. Users can add other icons by clicking the ‘See more’ button in the top right corner.
“We first analyzed the usage for each feature available in previous models,” said Min-Young Chang. “After ranking the features based on their popularity, we placed the most used features at the top while hiding the least used features to simplify the panel.”
Saving Your Time, Even if it’s Only 1 Second
▲ Min-Young Chang, Principal UX Designer in the UX Design 2 Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics
Another updated feature available through One UI 3.1 is the integration of the Clock app with Digital Wellbeing’s Bedtime mode.[3] After opening the Clock app, users can tap See More, then tap Set bedtime to set their sleep and wake-up times. Users no longer have to switch between two apps, making setting a daily sleep schedule easier and faster.
“Users might not be aware of all of the One UI design updates that have been made but these improvements combined help users recognize and react to various features quicker and in a more direct manner. Even if it saves 1 to 2 seconds of user’s time, I think it would have been worth the effort,” said Jeonggun Choi. “The One UI designers are going to continue coming up with designs that elevate our users’ happiness and satisfaction with Galaxy devices.”
[1] Features of One UI 3.1 may vary by device model. Updates may vary by carrier, country, and model. [2] Both connected devices need to be running One UI 3.1 or above, have Bluetooth turned on, be signed into the same Samsung account, and be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. [3] The feature allows users to change the background to grayscale and mute incoming notifications in order to help them sleep better.
Samsung has always been a big player in the smartphone market. In fact, they’ve risen to be one of the top players when the world moved into the smartphone era. With the launch of the new S20 line up, the S10 series celebrates one year in the market. However, in a move very unlike Samsung, the company has announced a new addition to their S10 series; a scaled-down version of its flagship S10 – the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite.
I wonder how the new naming scheme will turn out cause it’s getting a little confusing. You’d think that with the launch of the S20 Series, we would see a successor to the S10e Series instead.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite comes with the same design frame as the S10 series but with a chunkier camera on the top left corner instead of the cameras going across horizontally. The back of the body is made of plastic but it comes with a really nice colour similar to the other S10s.
In Prism White, it gives out a very colorful gradient of colours when light refracts off it; mimicking the characteristics of the mother of pearl. Also available in the market are two more colours to choose from which are Prism Black and Prism Blue. That said, the black and blue do not seem to have the same refractive patterns in their design.
The size is about the same as a Galaxy Note 10+ which is a little too big for my liking. This is primarily because it is difficult to reach across the screen with just one hand. Holding it with two hands is just nice as both thumbs can easily reach all essential usage areas.
The phone seems to lack stereo speakers; it has one really loudspeaker at the bottom of the phone. This compromise isn’t too bad, as the speaker is able to get the job done just fine. It is loud and clear but lacks the immersive experience that stereo speakers provide.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite also lacks a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It is too much of a disappointment at this point. Rather, it is very unexpected as the rest of the S10 Series still had the headphone jack. The same goes for the newly launched Galaxy M31 and Galaxy A71.
Hardware
Specifications
Just like the other S10 Series, the S10 Lite runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor which is last year’s top of the line processor. Even though it is not using the latest processor, it is not an issue as it still performs relatively well.
The Snapdragon 855 is paired with with 8GB of RAM, which is plentiful. This is complemented by 128GB of internal storage. Of course, just like most of Samsung’s phones it boasts its expandable storage via micro SD card. You can add up to 1TB of additional memory. There are also two other variations holding a smaller 6GB RAM and the same 128GB storage and another with 8GB RAM with a bigger 512GB storage. However, these variants are not officially available in Malaysia.
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System (OS)
Android 10 One UI 2
Display
Super AMOLED+ capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours 6.7 inches 87.8% screen to body ratio
One UI is a whole new world yet it retains that familiarity that makes a Samsung device a Samsung device. The interface is easy to use. In fact, you can get used to it within a few hours of using the phone. With the launch of One UI 2, Samsung has really up its optimization for user convenience and improving the user experience.
One of the many conveniences that come with the S10 Lite’s software is its pop up when you kick Bluetooth on. This came in pretty handy when I got into my car.
I personally like to use the personal assistant that pops up as a ball that you can move around. Some find it annoying as it takes up space and disrupts your viewing experience. However, for me it was really convenient. It’s convenience is increased that to the customisations that it allows. The controls range from locking your screen, taking screenshots, volume control, Bixby and even an emergency SOS button.
The Gallery app has a suggestion feature that will suggest optimisations or layouts for pictures that you have taken using the phone. These suggestions include a picture collage or even GIFs by combining pictures that were taken in succession.
Samsung’s optimisations for user convenience don’t just end with home screen and gallery app, it extends even to the camera interface of the device. By default, there are already presets camera modes such as photo, video, panorama, time lapse etc. in the camera mode tray. You get the idea. But, when you open the menu for more camera options, you can actually drag and drop the camera mode that you use most frequently into the camera mode tray.
Performance
The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is commendable. There was little to no lags, it was mostly smooth running. Even with two different apps running at the same time in a split-screen view or pop up view, the smartphone still worked smoothly without much issue.
Benchmarks
Call quality and connectivity
Calls were loud and clear. In fact, it could be a little too loud when the volume is maxed. This is impressive considering the size of the earpiece. However, this could be a boon to older people who are hard of hearing.
When it comes to using the loud speaker during calls, however, it’s another story. The sound quality wasn’t really good. The speaker wasn’t loud enough and the mic could not catch my voice. This was partially due to the distance from the phone. In my particular case, I was driving with music in the background. However, you’d think that it would at least be able to be audible enough.
Gaming
Gaming performance is excellent, when playing games such as PUBG. The gaming experience is immersive and smooth. The large screen lends itself to a much more immersive visual experience; It gives you a good view of your game with enough space to allow the on screen controls to not get in the way of game play. This was particularly pronounced with games such as first-person shooters and racing games.
That said, the audio experience of the S10 Lite wasn’t as alluring. The sole speaker on the phone tends to be blocked by your palm when gaming in landscape mode. This was particularly annoying as it would rip you out of your game. In my opinion, users will need to invest in a pair of Bluetooth earphones for the best gaming experience on the Galaxy S10 Lite.
The Galaxy S10 Lite doesn’t really heat up easily. However, after heavy gaming, the device did get noticeably warm. In fact, I could feel the heat and it was getting my hands sweaty, but, then again, I sweat easily anyway.
Security and Privacy
Samsung’s S10 Lite comes with Knox. If you’ve been using Samsung phones, you should already be familiar with this feature. In fact, any Android user using Android 8.0 (Oreo) devices or later, you’ve had a taste of Samsung’s Knox. In Samsung devices, Knox has two roles; it stores your biometric and Samsung Pay data and it also allows you to safely store away your work in a separate, secured profile. For the S10 Lite, the most basic application for Knox is the many options it has for biometrics to unlock the device.
The fingerprint sensor on the S10 Lite is now under the display. It uses an optical sensor which scans an image of your fingerprint to unlock the phone. The fingerprint sensor works fine but it is not perfect. It took a few tries to read my fingerprint. This flaw was especially pronounced when my palms were sweaty or when there was water on the screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is also able to use face unlock. It seems to work a lot better than the fingerprint sensor. The initial setup requires you to scan your face with and without your spectacles. Holy moly is it a lot faster! The S10 Lite was even able to recognise my face before I could even lift it to the front of my face.
Battery life
The battery on the Galaxy S10 Lite was pretty good. I still had some charge to spare after about 9 hours of use. The phone was able to last from 100% to 20% in about 9 hours with my usage. However, with just that 20% of juice, I could easily last an additional 6 hours with moderate usage. Fast charging on the S10 Lite is a lifesaver; the phone could be charged from 5% to about 20% in just 10 minutes.
The S10 Lite has a larger battery capacity of 4,500 mAh which lasted me about two days during my review. However, the phone itself lacks wireless charging capabilities. The lack of which is a little disappointing as some other brands are able to include the feature while keeping their prices even lower.
Display
The Super AMOLED+ screen of the S10 Lite is pretty crisp and clear. In fact, it has one of the best blacks on the market when it comes to devices in the price range. During my review, I was amazed by how the room went pitch black during the loading screen of LEGO Star Wars in the dark. I also like how Samsung tweaked the One UI to have the punch hole disappear into a black bar when apps kick into full screen. This was especially appreciated while gaming. It doesn’t work on all games though, the punch hole was still visible when I was playing PUBG.
The phone also has really thin bezels. It’s a good thing considering you’re getting more screen real estate. The S10 Lite has a screen to body ration of about 87.8% which essentially means you see more screen on the front of the device. However, the thin bezels can get annoying at times. Since I was not using a case, I was constantly touching the edge of the screen which interrupted my scrolling, video watching, and gaming. It happened way too often that it became really annoying.
Adaptive brightness adjust the brightness great even in sudden changes and retains the same comfort brightness even in different lighting settings. The most noticeable moment you can experience the change is the change from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. It takes a second to adjust itself but it gets it right every time.
Camera(s)
Finally the time has come for the cameras. The Galaxy S10 Lite has really stepped up its game in the camera specifications of the S10 line-up. Instead of the 12-megapixel main camera that has been on the S10+ and Note 10+ but a higher resolution 48-megapixel camera. Surprisingly, the new Galaxy S20 and S20+ still retained the lower resolution 12-megapixel as the main camera. However, they do come with a 64 megapixel telephoto lens which should perform better when taking zoomed pictures. So, technically the S10 Lite will take better pictures up close.
The S10 Lite also comes with a triple camera system. The main camera such as mentioned above is a wide angle lens followed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and lastly a 5-megapixel macro lens. The S10 Lite can record 4K UHD resolution at either 60 frames per second or 30 frames per second. The phone also can record 1080p at 30, 60 or 240 frames per second.
The selfie camera is also a higher resolution sensor compared to the other devices in the S10 series. Instead of the 10-megapixel sensor, the S10 Lite comes with a 32-megapixel sensor. The only drawback it has compared to the other S10 Series is that the S10 Lite only can record at 1080p at 30 frames per second while the other S10+ and Note10+ can record on 4K UHD at 30 frames per second.
Affordability
Last but not least, the price of the phone makes it the most affordable device in the S10 line up. The retail price of MYR 2,699 is almost half of what the other devices in the S10 series used to be. However, the smartphone retains most of the performance that the S10 series is known for. Well, you do miss out on some goodies such as the headphone jack, stereo speakers, AKG tuned audio, wireless charging, and a more dated USB 2.0 (Type-C) instead of 3.1 Type-C connector. But for what you are paying, I personally think it is really comparable to flagship phones made by some Chinese manufacturers.
The phone is mostly targeted to young adults who just made it into the working world. Realistically, it is not achievable for someone who is getting an average pay of MYR 2,800 to make a hefty purchase for just a phone which takes up almost their entire paycheck. Even if you do an installment for a year, it is still MYR 225 a month. The monthly seems small but after deducting expenses including the phone monthly installment, you are going to be left with nothing.
It goes without saying that there are more affordable options out there. For that, the S10 lite is scoring a little lower on the affordability scale.
An Entry Level Flagship that Doesn’t Bring Enough Value to Stand Out
Is this the ultimate “entry-level” flagship smartphone? Yes and No.
Yes; if you are trying to get into the Samsung flagship family. It has all the performance that you need. Gaming smoothly without any issues and a battery that lasts an entire day. A better camera with better software optimizations to give you breathtaking picture quality. It even comes in a similar size to the other Galaxy S Series and a newer aesthetics to the new Galaxy S20 Series line up.
No; if you are considering other manufacturer phones as well. If you are not picky about the brand, paranoid on used phones and do not want to spend a fortune on a new flagship. At a slightly lower priced than the S10 Lite, you can get a used S10+ or Note10+ and get all the luxury goodies such as the wireless charger, stereo speakers and etc that are absent on the S10 Lite. I would call it a Luxury goodie as you do not actually need it, but it is really nice and convenient to have it.
At the end of the day, the most important question is, “Would I get it?”. Frankly, I would not. I find that the phone is too expensive for what it has to offer. Other phone manufacturers are able to provide extremely similar specifications for a lower price. As for the premium features that I will be missing out on, well I can live without it and it is not a huge deal that it would inconvenience my life.
Would I recommend it? Maybe. You should definitely consider it as it still does give great performance with some of Samsung’s optimisations. If you have the dough to get yourself a new phone, then why not? New phones do give you an oddly satisfying box opening experience and giving you peace of mind that the phone has not tampered with.
