Samsung struck an enticing mix between affordability, features, and sensible sacrifices with the Galaxy A52 5G. It joins the almost half-dozen phones from Motorola, OnePlus, and TCL as the newest good sub-$500 5G phone. The Galaxy A52 5G costs $500 (or £399 in the UK), which equates to AU$740 in Australia. That's on the higher end of the inexpensive phone spectrum. The A52 5G likewise crosses the line between a good, inexpensive 5G phone and one that is exceptional. The iPhone SE, which doesn't have 5G, and the Google Pixel 4A 5G, which is over a year old, are the only two sub-$500 phones that can accomplish that.
The Galaxy A52 5G looks the part in terms of design, yet closer scrutiny reveals that it isn't nearly as well-equipped as the Galaxy S21. It comes in four colors: "Awesome Violet," "Awesome Black," "Awesome White," and "Awesome Blue." It includes a soft-textured plastic back, a small camera housing, and a gleaming aluminum frame. The latter was provided to me for review. Awesome. Although it lacks the Galaxy A51's brilliant multi-colored iridescent coating and softly curved sides, it nevertheless has a stylish appearance. With a basic hole-punch notch in the top-centre area of the screen and somewhat substantial bezels on all four sides, the phone's face is also quite plain. The presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the screen, as well as a 3.5mm headphone socket adjacent to the phone's USB-C connector and speaker grille, is a welcome addition. Another plus is that the A52 5G is water and dust resistant to IP67 standards.
On the A52 5G, Samsung has added a headphone port, which is wonderful for those who still use wired headphones. That also helps to highlight the A52 5G's excellent stereo speaker setup. Even in the calmer passages of BLACKPINK "Kill This Love" the cords, guitar, and voices of the emotion came through clearly. The mix stayed well-balanced even when the dissonant melody intensified (and I raised the volume). The Galaxy A52 5G has some remarkable features, especially considering its price. Stereo speakers are occasionally available on phones in this price range; for example, the Pixel 4a 5G has them. In comparison, the sound quality from both phones' speakers is comparable, but the mix is different. The Pixel has a considerably more treble-forward sound, which is wonderful whether you're listening to spoken word or a typical piece of music. Listeners that prefer thundering bass or a flatter tone, on the other hand, will prefer the A52's system.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max also excels in terms of battery life, offering real multi-day battery life for the first time in iPhone history. When compared to the Android competitors, it's still slow to charge, but at 27W, it's decent. Is it, however, the iPhone we'd recommend to the majority of people? Most likely not. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is a large phone, with more thickness and heaviness than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and a rather wide (by Android standards) 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes it more difficult to operate one-handed than the iPhone 13 Pro. That, along with the fact that the iPhone 13 Pro delivers the same basic enhancements as the Pro Max at a £100/$100 reduction, makes it difficult to recommend the iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, if you're like me and enjoy a large screen and good battery life, this is one to consider.