Samsung Galaxy A32 5G: An Impressive Budget-Friendly 5G Smartphone
If you're in the market for an affordable 5G Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G is a compelling option that combines solid performance, exceptional battery life, and a commitment to ongoing Android upgrades. Despite a few minor drawbacks, this handset offers a tremendous value proposition and has earned our Editors' Choice award for budget-friendly 5G smartphones.
**Design and Build:**
The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G boasts an attractive design with a plastic backplate and chassis that defies its budget-friendly status. Its glossy gray finish adds a touch of elegance, although it's prone to fingerprints and scratches.
While its sleek profile is a comfortable fit for the hand, the slippery finish makes it somewhat susceptible to accidental drops. However, the phone's robust construction, featuring Gorilla Glass 5 protection, ensures durability even through minor fumbles.
**Display and Design:**
Sporting a 6.5-inch LCD with a teardrop notch and minimal bezels, the Galaxy A32 5G offers a bright and vibrant display. While its resolution of 1,600 by 720 pixels isn't the highest, it still provides impressive visual quality with minimal pixelation. Despite this, it doesn't quite match the display quality of competing options like the OnePlus Nord N200 5G with its higher resolution and faster refresh rate.
**Performance and Connectivity: **
Powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G chipset and 4GB of RAM, the Galaxy A32 5G offers responsive performance, smoothly handling everyday tasks and multitasking. It supports extensive LTE and sub-6GHz 5G bands, including C-band for enhanced 5G speeds in the future. In testing on T-Mobile's 5G network, the phone delivered solid speeds, making it a dependable choice for most users.
**Battery Life and Charging: **
One of the standout features of the Galaxy A32 5G is its impressive battery life, thanks to its 5,000mAh battery. In battery drain tests, the phone lasted over 13 hours during continuous HD video streaming. Additionally, the support for 18W fast charging ensures quick refueling when needed.
**Camera Performance: **
Equipped with a capable camera setup, the Galaxy A32 5G delivers impressive photo quality in various lighting conditions. The primary 48MP lens captures detailed and vivid shots, while the ultrawide and macro lenses offer additional versatility. Even low-light photography yields satisfactory results, outperforming comparable models in its price range.
**Software and Upgrades: **
Running on Android 11 with Samsung's One UI 3.1, the Galaxy A32 5G provides an enhanced user experience with improvements like deep integration with Microsoft Office and an updated camera app. Samsung's commitment to software updates sets it apart, with a promise of two years of OS upgrades, three years of monthly security updates, and an additional year of regular security upgrades.
**Conclusion: **
While the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G may have a lower-resolution display and a few minor compromises, its excellent battery life, commendable camera performance, and commitment to ongoing upgrades make it a standout choice among budget-friendly 5G smartphones.
Its impressive value proposition, combined with its reliable performance and software support, secures its position as our top recommendation for those seeking a sub-$300 5G phone.
With the Galaxy A32 5G, Samsung delivers a winning combination of features that make it a deserving recipient of our Editors' Choice award.
