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I was looking at buying a nexus 5 for $200, and was wondering about the following...
1. General performance for gaming, social media apps, chrome ,and the UI.
2. Battery life.( Screen on time, standby etc.)
3. Anything else I should know before buying.
Thanks guys
1. its good enough for gaming, the sd800 is no slouch.
2. 3 hours is what i get, also depends how intensive your use is.
3. you should easily find it for under 200
For general usage (like gaming, browsing, texting, etc), the phone runs absolutely well. It has some great multitasking capability, most of the time you won't feel stuttering at all.
Battery life is not good nor great, it's poor to be precise. Average screen on time you'll get is 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The standby, however, with Android 6.0 is absurdly amazing (personal opinion), you can get some days on standby without charging (again, this is a personal result).
You might want to give your hope for camera if you actually use it, it's not bad but it's not decent too. The HDR+ (from Google Camera) helps a lot, tho.
Also, the built-in microphone is bad, it's just bad. There's some tweak around to fix or improve it.
- This is all I can write, most of these are personal result and some user might experience a different result. -
The N5 is still a great little powerhouse. The only knocks on it that I can attest to are: screen is slightly washed out compared to a lot of phones, battery life is average at best, and 2 of the 3 N5's I've owned have just died for no known reason. (but that's more of a personal experience and not saying you will too) Camera is average, but not bad, and the speaker could be a little louder. But performance wise, it still kicks butt. It can still keep pace with the most recent phones punch for punch.
Now it's time for you to decide.
Everything sounds good!! How would you say the N5 screen compares to the 3rd gen moto g?(I'm talking colors contrast etc, I know the nexus kills it when it comes to pixel density) because moto g's screen looked excellent to me to minus the resolution.
If you like a warm color / screen, it's not that bad actually. I actually prefer a warmer screen because they are less harsh when turned on at night. Since I've never saw the third gen Moto G, I can't really say. What I can say is, the screen has a significant (at least on my N5) yellowish tint (hence the warmness), it might irritate you but you'll get used to it after using it for some time.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the OnePlus 5, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the OnePlus 5 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
I don't feel as though I'm being asked to make unacceptable compromises for a very competitively-priced phone that has a positively screaming performance. I came into this relationship with eyes wide open (and I don't need a DSLR-quality phone camera, either). So far, I couldn't be happier with the OnePlus 5.
money well spent! Love the performance and battery life
Awesome smart phone
Best smart phone I've ever purchased.
Got frustrated with the Nexus 6p after a year and 10 months, so I decided to buy a one plus 5. Battery life is exceptional and overall performance makes using the phone a joy. R.I.P. Nexus 6P. Really liking the device so far.
Liking my OP5 so much. I can squeeze the battery to the maximum and get many screen time hours. The camera takes really good pics (not like an S8 tough, but pretty decent) and everyone can forget about the lag. As I said, really happy!
Too soon to say, but it could end up being the best phone I've owned so far. 2 major things holding me back from that decision are the inconsistent battery life and camera performance.
I can def say i've grown to like the device. The camera bugged me out at first but its getting better. Coming from a S8+, I missed the speed of stock android. touchwiz is beyond laggy. The only thing i can say that bugs me is the phone not being waterproof. And i wouldve preferred not having a physically home button.
Ok so I've received my phone week ago after using it i have to admit that the phone is literally a beast! If you are looking for a phone for "The fastest" this is one you want in your hand.
I am lucky that my op5 is not affected by the "jelly effect". The things i loved
*Speaker ( almost like stereo.., actually i am a music person i listen to music most of the time i don't really like ear/head phones)
*Speed (as i said the beast in performance. I have used galaxy s8 but don't really like the TouchWiz! Tbh TouchWiz itself feels laggy!)
*Display ( i don't really care for qhd or anything so for me fhd is good for me i don't use vr.. if you are a frequent user of vr you may not like the display)
*Camera ( ok i have to admit not the best camera phone in the market but at the sametime not the worst. I don't really like the low light pictures until now thanks to gcamera hdr+ so now i am very happy in the camera department.)
*Battery ( i am getting 6.5hr+ sot. I am a music lover told you, my 4g volte + data always turned on , i use Bluetooth to connect and listen music, 3 hrs average Calling! Standby time is very good so i am very much satisfied)
Things i hate
I dont like the microphone for the Calls it captures more background sound not like the op3! Op3 was good!
Vibration motor! Still not that much improvement! Love the iPhone vibration though!
Not water proof!
Love the phone. Solid 4.5/5.
Prior to this, I utilized a Samsung Note 3 and the performance is night and day.
This is literally the fastest phone I've used, it runs smoother than my friends S8. The battery life is amazing as well. I'd give the phone a 5/5 if it were waterproof and if it had OIS. The waterproofing isn't necessary but I live in an area where it rains quite frequently, so it would have been nice. The camera is great in regular light and the video recording is good (other than the fact that is clips the edges of the videos in order to electronically stabilize it).
I'd love for it to be priced comparably to the OP3 but it is still a good phone nonetheless and hundreds of dollars cheaper than the competition.
I'm in love with this phone, i come from an S7 edge, the interface is so much cleaner, no duplicate app, no lag, this phone is slightly larger and harder tu use in a hand but i prefer the OP5 material, the glass is too slippery and become oily. The camera of the s7 edge was a little bit better in low light, but in daylight the photo looks the same and the zoom is pretty fun to use.
I have the soft gold version and it's really gorgeous
voted 4, simply because OIS is missing, coming from the HTC 10 it's a major change and not in a positive way, the camera isn't awful by any means but OIS should have been mandatory, it's crazy that it wasn't especially seeing as they had made such noise about it.
Other than that, the phone is a monster, primarily due to the snapdragon 835, it can play pretty much any game / emulator, even ones previously unplayable, ie: PPSSPP and Gamecube games on dolphin.
Would also have been nice to see waterproofing (even though it's already been tested to have some form of protection)
overall i'm happy, it's just OIS not being there. Shame.
xBigMikex said:
Got frustrated with the Nexus 6p after a year and 10 months, so I decided to buy a one plus 5. Battery life is exceptional and overall performance makes using the phone a joy. R.I.P. Nexus 6P. Really liking the device so far.
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hello,
As a nexus 6p owner: how does the OP5 camera compares to the Nexus 6p? wich one is better in your opinion?
thx in advance,
gallegus said:
hello,
As a nexus 6p owner: how does the OP5 camera compares to the Nexus 6p? wich one is better in your opinion?
thx in advance,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one plus is the better camera, by some way. Don't get me wrong the 6P was a great phone, first and only Huawei I've ever had, my sister is still using it.
As ois is absent from both devices you're simply comparing the actual lenses and in this regard the one plus 5 smokes most phones. It's really just ois that makes the difference , stability on EIS which the one plus does have just doesn't match up to ois.
But unless you're recording a video or trying to get a perfect image whilst zooming you can live without it.
Even the iPhone 7 is without ois.
dladz said:
The one plus is the better camera, by some way. Don't get me wrong the 6P was a great phone, first and only Huawei I've ever had, my sister is still using it.
As ois is absent from both devices you're simply comparing the actual lenses and in this regard the one plus 5 smokes most phones. It's really just ois that makes the difference , stability on EIS which the one plus does have just doesn't match up to ois.
But unless you're recording a video or trying to get a perfect image whilst zooming you can live without it.
Even the iPhone 7 is without ois.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx a bunch!
gallegus said:
thx a bunch!
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Click to collapse
No worries mate. The one plus is a beast man, it surprised me and I'm quite a critic.
It was the best "shut up and take my money" I have ever faced. The feeling off the touch is good, materials are premium, extremely fast OS and touch reaction etc..
Ofc, I felt in love with the dash charge! Ok, is not as fast as oneplus claims to be .. but is really fast!
Ah! I was about to forget .. do not let your GF take a selfie using the front camera! She will have your phone occupied for the rest of its life!
Here is my oneplus 5 referral link (EU), in case someone wants a -20e discount on accessories during his oneplus 5 buy.
I am so anxious... I just bought the OPS 5 128gb... My friend is bringing to me on Sep 22nd....
Had an Xiaomi Mi 5, absolutely fantastic in every way. But the screen was too small for me. Then changed to the Mi s plus, that's a perfect one! But I sold it and bought the op5, the only issue is the portrait mode, the Mi 5s plus was better. Despite that, it's really the best smartphone for now.
Hi,
I want to buy a new Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus and have some questions.
Is screen have a gorilla glass or equivalant screen protection?
Have you got scratches easly after long use?
Are AOSP ROMs work good?
I had a Nexus 5X, and it was dead of BLOD. I like light ROMS, but ROMs will work good on xiomi?
Is the phone durable?
I will buy Mi 5s Plus from off-market, means it will not have proper warranty.
And how it feels?
Do you suggest buying it?
Thank you so so much.
I bought mine in January and still no major scratches on the screen. I do not use a screen protector. However, the back of the phone easily get scratches. The phone is pretty durable as I have dropped it many times without any damage.
Pros:
Mi 5S Plus feel very good in the hand thanks to the rounded edges and light weight.
The screen has excellent brightness and is very crisp The best IPS-screen I have ever used.
Battery life is great. You easily get 7-8 hours SOT during on day.
Very fast performance.
Cons:
The camera is not that good. Not much better than on a budget phone (e.g. Redmi Note 4X). Dual camera is a gimmick.
Me and many other 5S Plus users have problems with the touchscreen when using horizontal sliders, for instance in spotify, netflix.
Verdict:
If a good camera is not a main priority for you I can easily recommend Mi 5S Plus.
Agreed with above. I had a nexus 5x. Still works, but battery life is bad on it. Only thing I miss about it is the better camera, and the fact the speaker faced forward rather than down. Otherwise, everything I like about this phone is better. Works well with custom firmware; can't stand miui. You have to wait for Xiaomi to accept bootloader unlock request which is annoying too.
>Me and many other 5S Plus users have problems with the touchscreen when using horizontal sliders, for instance in spotify, netflix.
I don't have a problem with this. But I don't use both of the apps you mentioned, but it works good on youtube, MxPlayer etc.
I have to revise my opinion regarding the camera. I have used the google camera 2.2 hdr+ during the last week and 5S Plus now takes very good photos in both daylight and low-light. A notch below the best camera phones of course, but still very good I would say.
I have a N5x, do you recommend this phone for Aosp roms? How's battery life?
Actually, i have dropped my phone on concreate, and its screen broken just after 1 week after purchasing
I just tried for 1 week, and i like it. Even i used on stock ROM, i was waiting for miui unlock permissions to try custom Roms.
I recommend it, really good device, but is screen a bit fragile
I have the OP6 since 2 days, and I also still have my S8+ here which I'm about to sell.
In terms of speed this is hands down the fastest smartphone I have ever used. I was always happy about my S8+ but after using it again after being 2 days on the OP6 the S8+ literally feels slow and laggy. OxygenOS combined with the SD845 and 8GB of ram is really pushing the speed of android to the moon, it's simply amazing. Multitasking, heavy apps like games etc, you can't drain the power and speed of this phone, it stays so snappy, wow.
Build quality ? First impression in my early days of ownership is very good. Slick and solid design, I don't mind the notch personally, this is going to be the trend of smartphones in 2018 and maybe onwards I guess, until they find a solution for the FF camera. I'm also not too bothered with the back camera's bulging out as I'm using the nylon bumpercase. Let's see how it holds up after a few months of using.
The screen is good for a 1080p Amoled, although I do think the S8/S9 (even on 1080p mode) still are looking sharper. But you need to put them next to each other and really look close for that. It's not a dealbreaker but not gonna lie, I guess those 150'ish higher ppi density on the Samsung displays are noticeable, even on 1080p. Then again Samsung has the best screens in the smartphone game right now.
Wireless charging ? Never used it on my S8+, so I personally don't care, especially with the dash charging on the OP6 being this fast.
The camera is good, not S9+/Google Pixel 2 XL good, but good. I would say similar quality to the S8+ pictures (although the colours are a bit different and this will be subjective whichever you prefer. I personally do like the software of the picture processing of the S8) but the FF camera on the OP6 is better. More detail and better in low light. The cons on the camera right now are mainly software things which I hope they will fix in the next OxygenOS software update. Taking a snap goes slower than on my S8+ for example, and the autofocus problem is present most of the times especially if you try to take a picture up close of something.
The speaker is actually alright I think in terms of volume. However the placement is kind of bad as you can accidentally cover it up with your hand.
Vibrations could have been a bit better too, but it's not as bad as I thought having gone off from the first few reviews.
IP67/68 rating would actually have been nice if they finally added this too, but for me not a reason to not buy this phone. It will handle a casual splash of water or accidental drop in the bath tub if you get it out right after. And even with my S8+ when I was on vacation with my girlfriend last time I still used one of those pockets you can put your phone in to film while being in the pool. Better safe than sorry and works perfectly fine.
For this money, this is indeed the best package you could possibly get if you're looking for something which is 90% a flagship phone for 70% of the price of one.
I sold my 7 months old Galaxy s8 plus for Oneplus 6 and no regrets
Ordered my 8/128 and looking to sell my S8+. Samsung phones are nice, but too locked down for me and too much crap on them. I love the speed and simplicity of the OP6. It's funny cus I'm usually the "bells & whistels" kinda guy. Give me everything...which is why i've had Samsung phones for quite some time. Always good "features" thrown in. But after a while they just become "gimmicky" and not that practical.
I really wanted a simple "minimalistic" phone experience as close to Stock Android as possible (without the hefty price tag of the Pixel 2XL). This is a perfect phone for me. A few gripes here and there, but nothing that can't be addressed in software updates in the future.
Same here, sold my S8+ still under warranty for op6. No regrets. Just to be fair, I would say though S8+ does have better finish and sharper screen. But no match for OP6 when it comes down to the speed and no bloatware. I am satisfied with OP6 purchase
I switched from the S8+ to the OP6 as well and I actually feel the screen on my OP6 looks sharper than the one on my S8+. The white is also more white instead of that greenish hue on the S8+ and it's also a tad brighter. The OP6 is definitely faster and the build quality is just as good. I don't have any issues with the vibration motor as it's kind of low but not annoyingly low just like the speaker. I'll be selling the S8+ soon as well as I'm glad I'm able to unlock the bootloader and root once again. The only thing I hate is they could have found a way to get rid of the bottom chin and maybe put in a larger battery.
I sold my 11 month old S8 to get the OP6. The only thing I miss from the S8 is Samsung Pay and the sharper QHD display.
I sold my 7 month old s8+ for a one plus 6. Much happier!
I sold my S8+ too for the OP6. Software for the camera is my biggest gripe!
Anyone notice the Bluetooth's 100% louder on the OP6?
on 5t strong vibration was unable to understand..if i sit and keep the phone besides i sometimes missed many calls...but Samsung's vibration motor is very good...i thought they would improve in 6 ,did they?
Not really. Vibrations on my S8+ still better than on my OP6.
I have actually been thinking about replacing the S8+ with the OP6, what is the battery life in comparison? is the OP6 any better?
Switched from my Note 8 (Exynos) to the OnePlus 6 256GB variant. I really love my Note 8, but it never felt like it was really built for me. The camera is excellent, the pen was barely used but useful sometimes. The screen is perfect, the speaker normal and overall it should have been a perfect phone... for another person. You know... you hold your phone and know: This feels right? Never thought, it could be the OP6, because I simply was bored and ordered it.
I missed flashing. I missed some flaws to fix by myself. I miss LineageOS so much, I can't even tell. Never had a phone, that lasted on stock as long as my Note 8. Simply, because Samsung locks down everything and annoys every AOSP-dev that much, so development is rather stuck than alive. I also miss kernels and playing around to tweak the phone to my needs.
The OP6 is far from perfect, but will give some peace to my addiction. Also, it really feels good in my hands. Fingerprint is usable again (bad placement on the Note 8), unlocking via my face is blazing fast, the camera isn't that far away from the Note 8 (I know, it sounds crazy, but I don't see that much differences anymore), OxygenOS is blazing fast, vibration is decent and don't feel rugged. Overall I can say, that I never should have bought a Note 8. For me and even if I tried to hate OnePlus for several things in the past... The package I got is more than alright.
@MajorCombover: Don't have my device that long to do a perfect comparison, but compared to my Note 8: Yes, it's like day and night. OP6 wins without any doubts.
MajorCombover said:
I have actually been thinking about replacing the S8+ with the OP6, what is the battery life in comparison? is the OP6 any better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me battery life is pretty comparable (that is: comparing S8+ with Renovate Ice ROM and TGP Kernel, so an optimized setup) with stock OOS (only Magisk added) on the OP6. It seems that the S8+ has slightly better standby drain (~1.2%/h vs ~1.9%/h on the OP6) whereas the OP6 has slightly better (lower) drain during usage of the phone.
I put high hopes in this fine community to come up with great custom kernels, at least those helped a lot on my previous OP devices.
I sold my s8 after using whole 1 year n 12 days.. n yeah i got this beast so happy with op6...
MajorCombover said:
I have actually been thinking about replacing the S8+ with the OP6, what is the battery life in comparison? is the OP6 any better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My OP6 has better battery life than my S8+ Exynos (stock samsung Oreo firmware).
With the same usage pattern, same apps etc.
S8+ SOT: 4 to 5h
OP6 SOT: 6 to 7h
wtr_dhd said:
Not really. Vibrations on my S8+ still better than on my OP6.
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Click to collapse
I would say the opposite for me
wtr_dhd said:
My OP6 has better battery life than my S8+ Exynos (stock samsung Oreo firmware).
With the same usage pattern, same apps etc.
S8+ SOT: 4 to 5h
OP6 SOT: 6 to 7h
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and total overnight drain?
Muntasir Mahmud Saif said:
and total overnight drain?
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Can't tell so far. I've the habit to leave my phone in the charger overnight.
wtr_dhd said:
Can't tell so far. I've the habit to leave my phone in the charger overnight.
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Click to collapse
but when u keep the phone untouched how much it drains? can u tell me please?
Muntasir Mahmud Saif said:
but when u keep the phone untouched how much it drains? can u tell me please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Standby drain is good on the OP6. Better than my S8+, but that might be because I used AOD.
Battery life overall is just amazing on the OP6 considering it's "only" 3300mah.
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.
Bugs1. "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.
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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" ....
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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.
Bugs1. "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?