Intro
The Samsung Galaxy A51 is the latest mid-range offering from the tech giant, promising a well-rounded package of design, display, performance, and camera capabilities. In this in-depth review, we'll explore whether the Galaxy A51 delivers the same value and competitiveness as last year's A-series phones.
Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A51 bears a striking resemblance to its predecessors, featuring a familiar aesthetic that aligns with Samsung's phone lineup. However, in an effort to reduce costs, the phone is constructed with plastic material. Its rainbow-like coloration, reminiscent of last year's model, is further enhanced by a new textured finish. Notably, the slim and lightweight profile of the Galaxy A51 sets it apart, offering a sleek and comfortable feel in hand.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A51 features a trademark Samsung infinity display, boasting a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED with a 1080p resolution. Despite lacking a curved design, it offers slim bezels and a punch hole for the selfie cam, providing a satisfactory viewing experience with sharpness, accurate colors, and respectable brightness.
Screen Quality
- Great viewing experience with sharpness and contrast
- Accurate color settings and respectable brightness
- Over 400 nits with a manual slider and around 613 nits in bright conditions with auto mode toggle
Additional Features
The phone also includes an Always-On Display for notifications when the phone is asleep and a reliable in-display fingerprint reader. However, the fingerprint reader may not be the fastest available in the market.
Audio
For audio, the Samsung Galaxy A51 offers a decent loudspeaker quality, although the single speaker is not extraordinary. Additionally, the presence of a 3.5mm audio jack allows for great headphone audio quality with ample volume and minimal distortion. Furthermore, expandable storage is available for users to store their favorite music and media.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy A51 comes with Samsung's latest One UI 2.0 over Android 10. This update introduces a dark mode for menus and a new set of gestures for navigation, providing users with a more customizable and intuitive user experience. The addition of edge panels allows for convenient access to shortcuts, enhancing the overall usability of the device.
Performance
At the heart of the Galaxy A51 is Samsung's new Exynos 9611 chipset. While it performs adequately for everyday tasks, it falls behind in GPU tests compared to its competitors, resulting in lower performance scores. Although it may not excel in graphics-intensive applications, the Galaxy A51 remains reliable for general usage.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy A51 is equipped with a quad-camera setup, including a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a depth sensor. In daylight, the main camera captures decent pictures with good sharpness, wide dynamic range, low noise, and balanced colors. However, the fine detail rendering may not be to everyone's liking. It also offers the option to shoot in the full 48 megapixels, but this doesn't necessarily provide significant benefits, and the file size is considerably larger. The ultra wide-angle camera delivers good sharpness and dynamic range, representing a notable upgrade from the previous model. Portraits taken with the main camera exhibit excellent subject detection and separation, along with a pleasing defocused background blur. On the other hand, the dedicated macro camera, with its fixed focus, can be challenging to use, but it can produce decent results when the subject is in focus.
Lowlight photos
Unfortunately, the lowlight photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy A51 are not exceptional, as they tend to be soft and noisy with washed-out colors. However, the dynamic range is decent in these conditions. The phone's night mode feature helps in producing sharper images with better definition in the shadows, improving the overall image quality in low-light scenarios.
Ultrawide Photos
While the Samsung Galaxy A51's ultra wide-angle camera may struggle in low-light conditions, producing soft, dark, and noisy photos, the night mode feature helps to reduce noise and improve image quality. However, despite this enhancement, the resulting photos still tend to be on the softer side.
Selfie Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A51 boasts a 32-megapixel quad-bayer selfie camera, which interestingly produces 12-megapixel photos instead of the expected 8 megapixels. Despite this anomaly, the selfies captured with this camera exhibit good quality, with pleasing colors, wide dynamic range, and ample detail. Notably, the phone also offers the unique feature of 4K video recording from the selfie camera, providing users with enhanced video capabilities.
Camera samples
The Samsung Galaxy A51's camera system offers a versatile set of capabilities, including a main camera, ultra wide-angle camera, and more. Let's take a closer look at some sample photos and videos captured by the Galaxy A51 to evaluate its imaging performance.
Main Camera Footage
- Decent colors with accurate representation
- Wide dynamic range, providing balanced exposure
- Slight over-processing, impacting natural look
Ultra Wide-Angle Camera
- Slightly washed-out colors and lower contrast
- Acceptable dynamic range with a wider field of view
- Stabilized footage for smooth ultra wide-angle captures
Low Light Performance
In low-light conditions, the Samsung Galaxy A51 struggles to maintain sharpness and clarity, resulting in soft and noisy photos with washed-out colors. However, the night mode feature helps to improve image quality and definition in such scenarios, although some softness may still persist.
Selfie Camera
- High-quality selfies with pleasing colors and ample detail
- Wide dynamic range for well-exposed self-portraits
- Unique 4K video recording capability from the selfie camera
Conclusion
After assessing the Samsung Galaxy A51's key features, it's evident that the device offers a compelling package with its lightweight build, vibrant AMOLED display, and versatile camera system. However, the phone falls short in certain areas crucial for mid-range users. While the battery life and charging speed are satisfactory, they do not stand out. Additionally, the performance of the chipset may not meet the expectations of all users. Most notably, the pricing of the Galaxy A51 is a significant factor to consider, especially in comparison to its predecessor. With the current price point, there may be more competitive options available in the mid-range segment. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A51 presents a blend of strengths and weaknesses, making it important for potential buyers to carefully consider their priorities and budget when evaluating this device.
FAQ
Here are some commonly asked questions about the Samsung Galaxy A51:
1. What is the display size of the Galaxy A51?
The Samsung Galaxy A51 features a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution, providing a satisfying viewing experience.
2. What is the main camera resolution?
The main camera of the Samsung Galaxy A51 boasts a 48-megapixel sensor, capturing decent pictures with good sharpness and wide dynamic range.
3. Does the Galaxy A51 support expandable storage?
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A51 offers expandable storage, allowing users to store their favorite music and media.
