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[Q] Which has the best cam?

Hi! I'm searching for a substitute of my S Advance.. I love photography and i miss my old Nokia N82... I've seen some Android phones and i don't know which of them has the best cam..can you suggest a rank of them??
Galaxy K Zoom
Sony Z2
Sony Z3
Vivo Xshot
Meizu MX4

If you unlist k zoom, then xshot should be the best. It has ois, biggest appeture, the only phone that have dedicated camera button.
If you still consider k zoom, then k zoom has advantage in zoom factor. Buy xshot still the best in front facing camera for selfie, even for wefie. And xsot also still has biggerappeture than k zoom. And not to mention xshot has very slim body
Sent from my Lenovo P780_ROW using XDA Free mobile app

Recently picked up the XShot (2GB Elite version) because I wanted a better camera for pictures of my children. I'm coming from an iPhone 5s and also have a OnePlus One and Note 4 (daily driver) so these are my comparison devices.
OPO camera is decent but not great. It's better in ColorOS but I still struggled with blurry shots and noise. I used to miss shots because it's 5.5 inches and really needs two hands to operate. Plus it's a bit slow to focus and shoot. Great price for spec, though.
I loved the 5s. Quick to snap a shot and because it was small, I'd generally miss fewer shots. I underestimated this aspect too much. Problem is the phone is small for other tasks (trading, movies, etc.) and the battery want great.
Next is the Note 4. Good camera with OIS but a bit slow to open and shoot. That and it being 5.7 inches means it's quite cumbersome to take out of the pocket quickly and, although shots were decent, I'd miss too many opportunities from fumbling around. The rest of the phone (media, browsing) is mostly excellent, though.
So in steps the XShot - my 'compromise' device. Which actually isn't much of a compromise I've found.
First the non-camera aspects: still as smooth in day-to-day tasks as the Note and OPO despite being about 10 to 15% lower in synthetic benchmarks. I guess I don't need the extra grunt for my usage. If you do, there's an 'Ultimate' 3GB / 32gb model with 801AC (slightly faster) to get OPO 47k Antutu scores. In my experience, unless you 3D game, the Elite model is more than enough. Software wise, is running 4.4.2 with a heavily customised ROM (Funtouch 2). Lollipop might be a while away yet but, the camera is my primary concern. Those wanting Lollipop should look elsewhere.
Screen size of 5.2 inches and ergonomics are excellent. I can comfortably one-hand this way easier than the OPO and Note but it's still large enough to be fine for media and reading. The curved back and smaller screen combination work really well. It tapers to very slim edges so feels much thinner than it might appear in pictures or on the spec sheet. Build quality is solid - not cheap feeling at all. Great audio is a bonus. I think 5.2 is as big as I'd go in future as it has the best all-round feel.
And then there's the camera. This is a big step up for so many situations. Dedicated 2-step sheet button. Way better aperture so it focuses and snaps instantly so I miss fewer shots and far more are in focus. Part of this is the size: I can grab it from my pocket quicker and, with the dedicated button, already have the camera app open by the time I've raised it to shoot (holding down the dedicated button opens the camera from a locked state). Plenty of options for advanced shooters, too.
So, despite thinking it a 'compromise' choice, I've found it anything but. Yes, it's 9 months old now and may be superseded in 3-4 months, but Vivo may just make the screen unnecessarily larger or change something else. Hopefully they'll keep similar dimensions and just make things even better.
from my XShot

Camera Quality

Hi everyone,
So I've been looking at the mate 8 as my next purchase, and Some reviews state the camera quality isn't good due to software/firmware issues. Other reviews state the camera quality is really good. I was wondering what owners opinions are? If it does have exposure and focus issues, are they sorted if you use a different camera app? I don't know if different apps can alter issues that might be related to firmware?
Thanks
Ian

I wouldn't consider myself a power user but I'm very happy with the camera so far. I would mostly be taking pictures of friends and family etc and quality is just fine for me

I'm the same, mainly I'll be taking pictures of the family and scenery, that kinda thing. I'm not what you'd call a professional photographer by any means. But it is said the best camera you have is the one on you at the time, so I just want to make sure it's a relatively good one
Thanks
Ian

Camera was bad with the first update
But with latest update it became better
But if you are seeking for great camera go for lg or sam
If you wanna a power horse phablet go for mate 8

That's the thing, I've had both Samsung and LG phones before, and while the cameras were good I wasn't keen on the phones themselves. I've had a G3, a Note 4, an S6 and a Oneplus One. I was half considering a Oneplus 2, but only because of the price. £249 is cheap for a high spec phone. I'm not keen on the nexus line of phones either. I know they are popular, and you probably think I'm mad. But they are just a bog standard android phone. If I'm paying more than £400 for a phone I want it to do more than the straight forward stuff, straight out the box. Other wise id just get an iPhone. Half the stuff on the Mate 8 I'll probably never use I admit, but the fact its there is what I like. Does that make sense?
Has anybody tried a different camera app from the play store to see if that improves the pictures, or isn't it as simple as that? I'm not sure how apps, firmware, API's and hardware all tie in together, so I apologise in advance if that was a stupid question.
Thanks
Ian

The camera is a so and so in my eyes. It's ok, but very soft, in daytime but I wouldn't pick it to take pictures of kids indoor. Right now the best all around camera I have is the Nexus 6P, mostly because it will do really good indoors and most of my pics are indoors. I read that there will be a upgrade for the camera after 162 firmwarewize. Otherwise, it's a really good phone. Apps doesn't do better than stock camera.
Skickat från min HUAWEI NXT-L29 via Tapatalk

The camera is fine. It's not the best camera out there in terms of image quality when you zoom in on the pictures but it does the job. It has good colors and good exposure. It's fun to shoot with. I think quality should be able to be fixed with software update. I find that some indoor night shots almost have the same amount of detail as some of the ones shoot in daylight. The processing seems to heavy creating artefacts in images taken even in daylight.
The Mate 8 is pretty much the perfect phone in every way except the camera is not top notch. Excellent screen that is more clear and has better contrast than the screen on my iPhone 6S Plus. The battery life is the best you can get on any phone now. The build quality is fantastic. Audio quality in headphones is top notch, best I've every heard in any phone the dynamic range and clarity is amazing. Even better than my Meizu Pro 5 that has an internal DAC and amplifiers in it. It is super fast and has a very smooth and responsive UI.

Thank you for your input. You guys have confirmed the fact that the mate 8 will be my next phone just got to wait for it to come into stock again now!
Thanks
Ian

http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-8/general/post-camera-picture-t3303629
next time just use ForumSearch

Mi4c newb questions

Hi all.
This looks like a great community and I wanted to look for your advice.
I'm a longtime iPhone user looking for a way into Android.
I wanted a cost effective, smallish, good battery, dual sim of decent quality. The 4C looks like a good choice.
I want to know how difficult it would be to flash it to run native android the same way the Nexus phones do. I don't want all the bloatware, and since I'm buying online I want a clean install. (No malware)
Is there anything you like about MIUI that I should consider keeping it?
What results should I expect? Will everything work? No dead camera or weird glitches?
Can I do the flash on my Mac?
Any recommendations on where to source my tools?
Sorry for such a basic Q, but I haven't seen it asked in this detail.
I'd like to know what I'm getting into, but definitely want to get off iOS. It's been good but I don't want to carry two phones anymore.

brndnryn said:
Hi all.
This looks like a great community and I wanted to look for your advice.
I'm a longtime iPhone user looking for a way into Android.
I wanted a cost effective, smallish, good battery, dual sim of decent quality. The 4C looks like a good choice.
I want to know how difficult it would be to flash it to run native android the same way the Nexus phones do. I don't want all the bloatware, and since I'm buying online I want a clean install. (No malware)
Is there anything you like about MIUI that I should consider keeping it?
What results should I expect? Will everything work? No dead camera or weird glitches?
Can I do the flash on my Mac?
Any recommendations on where to source my tools?
Sorry for such a basic Q, but I haven't seen it asked in this detail.
I'd like to know what I'm getting into, but definitely want to get off iOS. It's been good but I don't want to carry two phones anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xioami MI 4c seems like a good fit for you. My iPhone-centric friend said that my phone (the Mi4c) is the Android phone he hates the least
It is very easy to flash an AOSP based ROM (what you called "Native Android") such as CyanogenMod 13 on the Mi 4c. However, it might not be necessary as there are good debloated ROMs available based on MIUI and MIUI has a lot of nice unique features. There are instructions on how to do this on each thread, but message me if you have problems.
MIUI (and ROMs based on it) has far superior camera quality than anything else available for this phone. It also has a lot of manual features (manual focus, exposure, sharpening, saturation, focus tacking, numerous filters), though its long exposure is limited to 2 seconds and focus bracketing can't be manually adjusted. However, audio performance out of the auxiliary port is much better in AOSP based ROMs (MIUI has some audio processing that messes up the audio). Keep in mind that in general the phone feels more snappy on AOSP based ROMs, but in both cases there are very little to complain about.
My recommendation is that you try the MIUI ROM from this site (it is clean, debloated, and properly translated) for a week:
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/6-9-8-9.34062/
then switch to CM13 (the nexus-fy version on this site) and decide for yourself which you like better.
I didn't find any bugs in these ROMs, but you'll have to read the respective threads to see if there are problems and if they have been fixed (and how to fix them if it isn't already). Luckily it's very easy to switch ROMs if you encounter problems.
All the tools necessary can be found on this site, but you might need to install "Flashify" from the play store in order to get a custom recovery on your phone if the conventional methods fail (ADB tools).
Things to keep in mind:
- The back cover is nice to touch but scratches easily, so either get a cover or keep in mind you can replace it if you have to.
- The front glass may be vulnerable (no official protected glass is disclaimed), get a tempered glass screen protector.
- The volume and power buttons are plastic
- Battery life is decent but not great (about a days usage, 5h screen on time)
- Camera is great in medium to good light, average in low light - feel free to ask samples
- Audio is great out of the port, and good from the speaker
- Display has stellar contrast, good colour, average brightness and is a bit difficult to read under direct sunlight
- Performance is generally good (there are some hiccups), but by far the best for the price
- The 16GB model is half the price of the 32GB model($110 vs $220 ), check Kimovil to get the best deal (I've used Geekbuying reliably through the years)
- Build quality is good otherwise (barring the above issues). I've used this phone brutally without a cover and it never gave me any problems.
- If size doesn't bother you too much, the Redmi Note 3 Pro is a great alternative. It costs $150, has better performance, awesome battery life, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage and a micro-SD slots. Its cons are you lose out on the camera and audio quality, and the display's contrast isn't as good (1000:1 vs 1600:1). It also gets lots more love from Xda and already have an Android 7.0 Nougat ROM.

Probably the wrong time to buy mi4c as there are better budget phones such as the Lenovo Zuk Z2, great specs for the price. Rom development is another matter though

I got the Mi4s and I'm quite impressed of it. as Mi4s and mi4c is basically the same phone (without fingerprint, mi4s case is in higher quality) I'd recommend you the smiui rom, there you can choose what bloatware/mods you want/don't want and with viper4android the sound is very nice (like on a computer or even better). Also the camera is like in original miui (for me). I get about 1.5 days of normal usage (network always on, 2 sims, whatsapp, y music, telegram, browser, google books...) with smiui rom.

OP6 or LG V30

Hope you're not going to hate me for this question, but I'm torn and really could use some advice. Where I live I can get the OP6 or LG V30 for a similar price.
OP6: I really like the design of the device (even the notch) and I like OP's take on Android (the skin; additional features such as more options when taking screenshots or the reading mode). The mute slider seems cool. From what I could read, OP releases software updates more frequently and faster than LG, which would be important to me. The camera for the most part is praised in the reviews. It's a newer phone, so better processor, more RAM, but I doubt it will matter much if I mostly use my phone for browsing the web, Spotify, Netflix and taking pictures on the go.
LG V30: I like the idea of having a wide-angle camera and better audio quality on headphones. Also, the SD card slot will make transferring data from my current Galaxy S7 easier (and I won't have to ever worry about running low on space). The camera seems to be attracting quite a lot of criticism, however, and I want my phone to just work out of the box - I don't want to have to install the Gcam to take good pictures. Don't care about the video capabilities - never shoot videos. Don't take a ton of selfies, but if the front facing camera is as bad as they say, that would be a real bummer.
What's your opinion guys?

i would say go for OP6. You already has listed pros of OP6 + it has latest hardware + hell of XDA support. Most importantly OP is in the 2 place when it comes to delivering updates!!

I have both. I've had the v30 since launch and have tried to switch to other phones and just can't see to like another phone enough to leave it. I have the OP6 right now and as I use it I'm wanting to switch back to the V30...but promised myself I'd give it until the weekend. it is snappier/faster but the v30 is just such a great phone all around and I love the wide angle lense.
here are some photo comparisons in auto mode. I prefer the v30 in most shots.
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=MWxlc052bFJVcTNIVjlKd0I1SDBPaE1tbEZmSHl3

Another thing to ask your self is if you have interest in running custom ROMS. You are on this forum so I will say that you may at least have an interest in doing so or possibly desire for root. If I am not mistaken, to-date, the only version of the V30 that is capable of being unlocked and rooted is the LGUS998 which is LGs carrier free Unlocked version. No carrier version has been able to be unlocked and rooted as of yet. Thus you will be limited to what updates LG provides and any apps that don't require root.
That said, the LG V30 is indeed a nice phone. I contemplated buying this myself but I absolutely need root. Was going to get the unlocked version however, I believe with the difficulty / not being able to unlock any other model, development support has been low. Thus lost interest in it personally. Also, price was kind of high at the time with mediocre performance in comparison to other phones (S8, S9, OP5T, etc). To me if the price is the same for both OP6 and LG V30, then it's a no brainer and go with OP6. However, if you can get the V30 for at least $100 cheaper, then I might steer to the V30 as it's a nice phone. However for same price. OP6 all the way.

I like the OP6 more than the V30 so far. The OS on the OP6 has a lot more customization and is more stock. It's a little faster feeling. If your headphones are "normal" headphones you probably won't notice a huge quality difference. If I were to rate the audio quality on recent devices it would go like this:
Exynos S7 Edge < Pixel 1 < Pixel 2 dongle < OP6 < V30. The OP6 sounds really good to me.
That's with 1More dual driver IEM's, Sony XBA-A3, Audeze iSine 20. I can't speak to trying to drive full size or higher impedance headphones.
I like the camera quality better from the OP6 in my environment, and the camera app performance is much better than the V30. The low viewfinder framerate on the V30 made framing stuff annoying. Right now, you have the option to use GCam on the V30 and it works decently. Currently there isn't a working port for the OP6.

bitwiser said:
I have both. I've had the v30 since launch and have tried to switch to other phones and just can't see to like another phone enough to leave it. I have the OP6 right now and as I use it I'm wanting to switch back to the V30...but promised myself I'd give it until the weekend. it is snappier/faster but the v30 is just such a great phone all around and I love the wide angle lense.
here are some photo comparisons in auto mode. I prefer the v30 in most shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I saw your pics in another thread and was also surprised to like the V30 photos better (surprised because of all the criticism that V30 is getting for stills performance). What is it that you like about the V30 so much that you find yourself going back to the device? What worries me is that here on Xda, V30 seems to have rather low ratings in the "Real Reviews" section, so clearly many people are not in love with the phone.
cstark27 said:
I like the OP6 more than the V30 so far. The OS on the OP6 has a lot more customization and is more stock. It's a little faster feeling. If your headphones are "normal" headphones you probably won't notice a huge quality difference. If I were to rate the audio quality on recent devices it would go like this:
Exynos S7 Edge < Pixel 1 < Pixel 2 dongle < OP6 < V30. The OP6 sounds really good to me.
That's with 1More dual driver IEM's, Sony XBA-A3, Audeze iSine 20. I can't speak to trying to drive full size or higher impedance headphones.
I like the camera quality better from the OP6 in my environment, and the camera app performance is much better than the V30. The low viewfinder framerate on the V30 made framing stuff annoying. Right now, you have the option to use GCam on the V30 and it works decently. Currently there isn't a working port for the OP6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I use A-Jays for headphones, which are supposed to be good, but not audiophile headphones for sure. I am happy to hear that you're satisfied with the audio output quality on the OP6. Judging by software tours on YouTube, I was also leaning more towards the OP6. Choices, choices!

jaqubp said:
Thanks! I use A-Jays for headphones, which are supposed to be good, but not audiophile headphones for sure. I am happy to hear that you're satisfied with the audio output quality on the OP6. Judging by software tours on YouTube, I was also leaning more towards the OP6. Choices, choices!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, more than satisfied with the headphone jack quality! I was contemplating getting one of those new LG Q7+ because it would be cheap and has the Quad DAC - I'd just leave it at work as a dedicated player. But I would have no desire to do that now with the OP6. It closed the gap between the Pixel 2 dongle and the V30 a pretty good amount. I do miss GCam though.

jaqubp said:
Thank you! I saw your pics in another thread and was also surprised to like the V30 photos better (surprised because of all the criticism that V30 is getting for stills performance). What is it that you like about the V30 so much that you find yourself going back to the device? What worries me is that here on Xda, V30 seems to have rather low ratings in the "Real Reviews" section, so clearly many people are not in love with the phone.
The main thing for me is the wide angle lens. I can't tell you how many times I use it in a week. I could maybe get by without it but it would be inconvenient. I really don't see why LG is the only one doing this with the second camera. Google has proved you can do portrait mode with one lens and a 2x zoom is really nothing/pointless. Second is the screen to body ratio. It is the best feeling phone in my hands with the largest possible screen. I also love the power button and FP sensor in one of the back but I know LG is changing that and many others don't like it. I just think the less buttons you put on the sides the better. I can tell you I never accidentally press the volume button when going to power off (or vice versa) like I have on so many other phones. LG also has always on display and I just prefer how they display their clock better than any one else (I use it by my bed at night). Wireless charging and IP67 is a big plus as well.
On the downside (keeps me looking at others). Speed of the phone and updates. It is not a slow phone by any means but when you use the OP6 you notice a feeling of speed between screens. V30 won't be getting "P" this year OP 6 will. Selfie camera on V30 is bad. I don't take many selfies.
So for me the cons outweigh the pros on the v30 more than any other phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks guys for all your comments and suggestions. Really appreciate it.
In case anyone is interested what I've decided and why, I went ahead with the LG V30, figuring that if I hate it, it will be easier to return. Also, the wide-angle camera and SD card support were important factors. I already have a 128GB SD card from my old Galaxy S7, so switching to V30 was a breeze.
In addition, living in a non-euro country, I would have effectively paid 50 euros more for the 256GB OP6 than for the 64GB LG V30, because of the fees that PayPal/banks are charging when translating currencies. And with V30, 64GB is enough, because of the SD card I already have. So that's that.
But so far so good. V30 seems like a good phone with its own share of nice little features (especially like the quick controls in always on-display - don't know if that's LG or standard Android).

General Brutally Honest Review of the A52 4G

Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are some things I wasn't satisfied with but I needed a phone quickly and for my budget and availability, I thought I'd give Samsung a chance.
Pros​
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty powerful especially for those coming from an older midrange device. However, it's not as fast and instantaneous as stock Android or OxygenOS. Also, you will face lots of stutters and bugs if you enable animation to .5x. At default 1x, animations are too damn slow.
3. Stereo speakers. Sound quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It's nice of Samsung to bring this feature to a midrange device.
5. The macro camera can be useful for taking pictures of very small items like coins. The selfie camera seems alright.
6. The display, despite having kind of inaccurate colors is actually a lot better looking than most Chinese brand (OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, etc) phone displays. Most Chinese brand displays tend to have a washed out, pale look to them despite having high refresh rates.
7. Battery life is pretty decent. If you don't use it much, it'll last a couple days easily. Of course, battery will degrade over time so a few years later, you might need to change the battery or the phone itself.
Cons​
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bad. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for decent audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very inaccurate and kind of pale. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Also, the amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. It would be better if Samsung didn't provide this crappy 15 watt charger and made the phone cheaper so I could buy a 25 watt charger myself. I don't see the logic in this. The phone supports 25 watt charging but Samsung includes a 15 watt charger in the box.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera are not very good for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Especially after you take a picture, if you zoom in on a person's face for example, the details are just not there. Also, the colors are inaccurate and not life like. Hopefully, someone can make a good GCAM for this phone. Otherwise, expect to live with an average camera.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions. EDIT: Luckily, it stopped doing this.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. Even the A51 has narrower bezels on the side. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further. I find myself having to put the phone down on a table or bed to use it. I can't hold it in the air for long due to its weight.
Bugs​1. "Force dark mode" option in developer settings automatically turns itself off whenever you restart your device.
2. If you set animation to .5x instead of the default 1x, and cycle through your recent apps, there's a weird stutter.
Conclusion​
If you can live with Samsung's annoying OneUI stutters or slow animations, this isn't a bad phone especially if you can get it for around $300 USD. I'd call this a good phone for moms/dads and grandmas/grandpas. If you're a young millennial trying to live on the cutting edge, I'd pass on this one and get something that's a little faster, maybe the new Nord CE (it has a more washed out display than the A52 though).

Well! My phone have just arrived. I'm switching from an S7 edge that I've been using for the last 4 years. So far I find that the screen is pretty good! Better than the S7E. The speed is excellent and of course, the ONE UI 3.1 is superb. I've already uninstalled some unwanted apps. As regards the camera, haven't tested it yet. But obviously, the GCAM will make it better.

LanguageSoez said:
Well! My phone have just arrived. I'm switching from an S7 edge that I've been using for the last 4 years. So far I find that the screen is pretty good! Better than the S7E. The speed is excellent and of course, the ONE UI 3.1 is superb. I've already uninstalled some unwanted apps. As regards the camera, haven't tested it yet. But obviously, the GCAM will make it better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it'll be better than a 4 year old phone lol. If you think one UI is superb, try using stock android or oxygenos, you will be blown away.

I got A72 and the picture quality coming out from the stabilized Sony IMX 686 sensor with pixel binned 16 MP pictures is superior to Samsung HM2 108 MP giving just 12MP images ... So is A52, I don't believe your "honest review" ....

neoxcool said:
I got A72 and the picture quality coming out from the stabilized Sony IMX 686 sensor with pixel binned 16 MP pictures is superior to Samsung HM2 108 MP giving just 12MP images ... So is A52, I don't believe your "honest review" ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A72 is not A52. Specs are one thing, software is another. You don't have to believe anything. As I said in my review, you should experience the phones in person preferably from friends who bought it and then make a decision.

The OP is obviously a satisfied customer
Griping about it being water resistant is really picking at nits. It adds little cost and help to seal out dust, extending the usable service life of the device.
Charging a phone while using isn't a good idea and it should charge slow whilst using regardless of the wattage capacity of the charger brick being used.

NiceGuyIncel said:
Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are a lot of things I wasn't satisfied with but for my budget and availability, this was one of the better ones.
Pros:
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty smooth especially for those coming from an older midrange device. It's not as fast and instantaneous as stock android or oxygenos but this is probably the fastest that Samsung OneUI has ever been.
3. Stereo speakers. Quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It can be useful if you like to take your phone to the bathroom or live in a rainy area but I feel this feature is more suitable for flagship phones. The 4G version of the A52 really don't need this feature and it would be better if the device was slightly cheaper instead.
Cons:
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bland. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for quality audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very boring and washed out. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Hopefully, the xda community will do something about this, maybe a graphics engine or some app that can tinker with the display settings more finely.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. So I really don't know why Samsung pulled an Apple with the charger.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera really sucks for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Luckily, some people have already started working on gcam for this device and from what I've heard the results are much better than Samsung's default camera app.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further.
9. The amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
Conclusion: That wraps up my brutally honest review of the A52 4G. I hope you enjoyed the fact that I didn't jump up and down and say this is the best phone ever like most YouTube "reviewers". They say that whenever a new phone comes out. Of course the people who are gonna upgrade from a 5 year old phone will also say this is the best phone they ever used. From their perspective, it makes sense but I believe you should thoroughly research the market and only buy what YOU like the most. I was moving to another country where phones are quite expensive so I just grabbed this cause I was in a hurry. If you have the time, research other phones and try to use them in person. That way you will know for sure what you're getting because specs can be misleading. I'd suggest you look into Poco F3, OnePlus Nord, Moto G100, Moto G60 and other similarly priced devices before going for the A52. Don't assume that just because it's a Samsung, it's gonna be a great phone. Samsung intentionally nerfed this phone so there is more incentive for people to go for the more expensive S series phones.
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I appreciate your feedback. I'm certain most of those who are still undecided will as well.
To be frank, this device has received overwhelming amounts of good press, which, as a consumer, is a good thing.
That said, constructive criticism is a key component towards improving upon future A series models and/or polishing the current user experience.

AHE_XDA said:
I appreciate your feedback. I'm certain most of those who are still undecided will as well.
To be frank, this device has received overwhelming amounts of good press, which, as a consumer, is a good thing.
That said, constructive criticism is a key component towards improving upon future A series models and/or polishing the current user experience.
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Paid press is always good press...
The Samsung Fold series always get rave reviews but they're expensive, fragile and limited devices. Worse I'm being kind in my criticism.

6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions.
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Weird, I have never encountered this.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. So I really don't know why Samsung pulled an Apple with the charger
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I don't mind this at all since it's already proven that fast charging does hurt your battery longevity.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very boring and washed out. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Hopefully, the xda community will do something about this, maybe a graphics engine or some app that can tinker with the display settings more finely.
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I agree with this, although I prefer it for the occasional media consumption. For general usage, it might lead to some eye strain for some people which includes me.
The build despite plastic is decent enough considering the trade-offs with its other specs at this price point and an IP6X is always welcome. The camera is nothing spectacular but not bad, given that it's harder to quantify the expected degrees of quality per $ at this price range. Performance is fine for the majority of the time but there are occasional stutters or lag you will encounter. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. It's also worth noting that warranty and software support tend to get overlooked when looking at the price.
I was considering Poco F3 as an alternative before getting my A52 however, I didn't go through with the Poco F3 because of various issues and concerns that I can't be arsed to list.

This phone is on my list to upgrade from my Essential PH-1. Keeping an eye on ROM development and Gcam development. I can get it for around $354 depending on the COP to USD conversion rate in Colombia. Anyone know better deals out in the wild?

NiceGuyIncel said:
Hi guys. I bought an A52 4G for myself a few weeks ago and here is my brutally honest review. As you will see, there are some things I wasn't satisfied with but I needed a phone quickly and for my budget and availability, I thought I'd give Samsung a chance.
Pros​
1. Lots of QoL services by Samsung like always on display and apps like Gallery by Samsung can be more useful than Photos by Google. I also mapped the double tap power button to start the flashlight.
2. The 720G chipset along with a 90hz display feels plenty powerful especially for those coming from an older midrange device. However, it's not as fast and instantaneous as stock Android or OxygenOS. Also, you will face lots of stutters and bugs if you enable animation to .5x. At default 1x, animations are too damn slow.
3. Stereo speakers. Sound quality is average though. I don't use it much so I don't care.
4. Water resistance. It's nice of Samsung to bring this feature to a midrange device.
5. The macro camera can be useful for taking pictures of very small items like coins. The selfie camera seems alright.
6. The display, despite having kind of inaccurate colors is actually a lot better looking than most Chinese brand (OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, etc) phone displays. Most Chinese brand displays tend to have a washed out, pale look to them despite having high refresh rates.
7. Battery life is pretty decent. If you don't use it much, it'll last a couple days easily. Of course, battery will degrade over time so a few years later, you might need to change the battery or the phone itself.
Cons​
1. Sound quality output through the 3.5mm jack is very bad. My previous phone (Moto G5s Plus) had a much better built-in DAC. But at least the jack is there so I guess it's better than nothing but I'd suggest you get a good type-c to 3.5mm converter and use that instead if you're looking for decent audio.
2. The display isn't bad (the 90hz is definitely an upgrade over 60hz) but the color calibration out of the box by Samsung is very inaccurate and kind of pale. You can switch to "vibrant" mode but it over saturates everything. The saturation is so off the charts that you have no choice but to go back to the pale "natural" mode. Also, the amoled screen can be fatiguing to your eyes. Not everyone faces this but personally I have this problem.
3. The charger provided is really weak. Sometimes I like to use my phone while it's charging. Sadly this charger is too weak to do that and can't keep up. I did have a faster charger from my previous budget moto phone and it does a much better job charging the A52. It would be better if Samsung didn't provide this crappy 15 watt charger and made the phone cheaper so I could buy a 25 watt charger myself. I don't see the logic in this. The phone supports 25 watt charging but Samsung includes a 15 watt charger in the box.
4. The lightly colored matte plastic back looks awesome in the beginning but with some mild use, the colors are already starting to fade and become yellowish. So put a case or skin on it if you wanna preserve that awesome color.
5. The colors and details of the main camera are not very good for an upper midrange device in 2021. I saw some reviews on YouTube with review units provided by Samsung that showed much better camera quality than what I'm getting with my retail unit. Especially after you take a picture, if you zoom in on a person's face for example, the details are just not there. Also, the colors are inaccurate and not life like. Hopefully, someone can make a good GCAM for this phone. Otherwise, expect to live with an average camera.
6. Random spammy apps like Dailyhunt get automatically installed every few days. I set all settings to not update anything automatically but it still does that. I even contacted customer care about this and they couldn't provide any solutions. EDIT: Luckily, it stopped doing this.
7. If the bezels were a bit narrower especially the sides and top, it would have quite a flagship killer look. Even the A51 has narrower bezels on the side. But I know Samsung did this on purpose so their more expensive S series phones would look more special than the A series.
8. It's a bit on the heavier side if you compare it to the A51. Putting a case and tempered glass on it will only increase the weight further. I find myself having to put the phone down on a table or bed to use it. I can't hold it in the air for long due to its weight.
Bugs​1. "Force dark mode" option in developer settings automatically turns itself off whenever you restart your device.
2. If you set animation to .5x instead of the default 1x, and cycle through your recent apps, there's a weird stutter.
Conclusion​
If you can live with Samsung's annoying OneUI stutters or slow animations, this isn't a bad phone especially if you can get it for around $300 USD. I'd call this a good phone for moms/dads and grandmas/grandpas. If you're a young millennial trying to live on the cutting edge, I'd pass on this one and get something that's a little faster, maybe the new Nord CE (it has a more washed out display than the A52 though).
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Well, I will answer this from the perspective of an Indian Millenial coming from Mi A2 (and having only used crappy Micromax and Redmi phones in the past, this is something which I think most Indian youth can relate to). Let's go point by point :
1. UI
Having used stock android and MIUI, I can confidently say that OneUI is definitely a bit clumsy, but it is easy to get used to compared to FuncTouch and MIUI. Also, *there is no Google dialer*, meaning you can safely do call recording. Also OneUI has "Link to Windows" baked right into it, which is a huge boon in my opinion as it kinda compensates for the lack of DeX support, I think this is one of the most underrated feature of Samsung phones.
2. Ads and Bloatware scene
Now this maybe specific to India only. I set the device up using GeekyRanjit's guide on "How to setup Samssung devices" on YT, and so far (1 month later) I have got no ads except wallpaper services message when I swipe from right on lock screen. Also, all bloatware can be either disabled or uninstalled (unlike MIUI and ColourOS), so no problem there. Overall it is much much better than Redmi, Poco and Realme offerings. Though here Oneplus NORD maybe better.
3. Camera
TBH I bought this phone for the camera, and consider the competition it did not let me down, sure there is a bit of over sharpening going on in most images and indoor/low light photos and videos have a ton of noise but considering the competition in 15k-25k INR, it is definitely better. I use Gcam 7.3.018 by Urynx05, and it does improve video stabilisation a lot thanks to OIS (only Oneplus NORD has OIS in this price). For night mode, stock night mode is better than night sight (much brighter and well balanced). Daylight pics, it is a mixed bag, macro camera is good but could have been better,but considering how rarely it is used, it is fine.
4. Display
Most Indian milllenials like me are currently upgrading from LCD to Amoled. I having never used an Amoled, am satisfied with the display. But yeah you are right Amoled displays do cause more eye fatigue than LCD.
5. Availability and Customer support
This is where this phone shines! Here in India, this phone is available like everywhere, in most mobile shop in any market no matter, how small or rural the area, this unfortunately is not the case for OnePlus and Redmi, POCO (infamous for flash sales and black-marketing)etc., thus Galaxy A52's actual competitors are phones from Vivo and Oppo, which are usually more pricey. Also, Samsung customer services is next to Apple.
Set your priorities before buying a phone and you won't be disappointed, my suggestion, if you want good camera hardware and reliable phone go for it, but if you want to do gaming I would suggest you to look elsewhere say iQOO Z3 for 20k INR.

I am trying to get either this phone or s10? I was leaning more towards a52 since it could get up to android 14 opposed to 12 on s10.
Which one should i get?