SAMSUNG GALAXY A05s – CHEAP but with cons *** 🏐🏐 (buy it quickly)
When you think of a cheap smartphone you hardly think of the Samsung brand, which is actually among the world leaders in the sale of devices, but is it possible that those sold by the Korean brand are all top of the range? Of course not and so here we are examining one, the cheapest on the current price list, namely the Samsung Galaxy A05s which I don't want to spoil anything about and let you enjoy the surprise in this review.
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![Samsung Galaxy A05s Android Smartphone, 6.7'' Infinity-U Display, 4GB RAM, 128GB, Internal Memory Expandable up to 1 TB, 5.000 mAh Battery, Black [Italian Version]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41YWrq0HK+L._SL160_.jpg)
unboxing
If I had to judge the Galaxy A05s solely by the contents of its sales package, I wouldn't even give it 1 star, because what is offered as an unboxing experience is truly minimal. The box itself is nothing special, made with a two-piece removable cardboard structure, which we appreciate from an ecological point of view. Inside we will only find the phone, the tool for ejecting the SIM tray, a manual and the charging and data transfer cable with double USB Type-C. No power supply, no protective cover, no film pre-applied to the display, nor headphones.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
As simple as it is, Samsung's style is consistent both in the low and top ranges as well as being recognizable by the masses and this is already a plus point, also for this Galaxy A05s, which despite its economic nature does not look out of place at all if put to comparison with the top of the range brothers of the Korean brand. Completely made of polycarbonate both on the profiles and on the back, here we find a triple camera arranged vertically on the back and an LED flash, nothing else but the small protrusion of the optics compared to the body is appreciable.
Available in 4 different colors, including purple, light green, silver and black, the color that is the subject of our review, the Samsung Galaxy A05s offers good treatment against fingerprints and dirt thanks also to a slightly matte and rough surface and therefore not slippery at all, thus helping the grip with the phone.
As already mentioned, the frame is made of plastic but overall the construction was solid but at the same time the phone is not light at all, tipping the scales at 194 grams. On the other hand, we are talking about a device with dimensions of 168 x 77,8 x 8,8 mm and a 6,7 inch display, at least this one protected by glass that is not better defined but still resistant to small scratches and bumps while they are missing ad hoc certifications for dust and water, although there is a rubber gasket around the SIM tray.
Samsung Galaxy A05s offers a secondary microphone to reduce hiss on calls, 3,5 mm jack (now a rarity), main microphone, Type-C input with OTG support but no video output and a SIM slot that we hope to see on every smartphone, as it can accommodate 2 nano-format SIMs and a micro SD card with integrated memory expansion without giving up the Dual SIM function, which is also excellent because we don't find the e-SIM function.
Finally the right side of the phone houses the volume rocker and the power button, both are well positioned in height and offer decent, if not perfect, tactile feedback but the power button includes a surprise, that is, it also doubles as a fingerprint reader , not among the fastest but still precise and reliable. However, there is no LED for notifications but the work done by the brightness and proximity sensor, physical and not virtual, is excellent, ensuring that the display always turns off when brought close to the ear for calls or listening to voice notes.
CONNECTIVITY
Our Samsung Galaxy A05s performs quite well in the connectivity department, although I must point out that despite the presence of the 3.5 mm jack for wired earphones, the FM radio is absent which, although it can be installed via APK, is present at system level a block that does not enable the signal here in Italy. The same thing happens for call recording, except for a non-Google but proprietary stock dialer.
Having said that, the 4G LTE connection on both slots is excellent, allowing you to also make calls via WiFi, which in this regard is dual band while Bluetooth is 5.1. We then have the NFC sensor for mobile payments and an excellent GPS that also engages the Galileo satellites, with quick fixes and precise navigation even in streets with many buildings and trees. Finally, I would like to point out that Android Auto works very well.
As already mentioned a few lines above, the speaker is mono, positioned on the low profile of the Galaxy A05s, but the volume was high without however distorting. A generous volume also has a favorable effect on calls in hands-free mode, ideal for conversations while driving. If we adopt wired headphones we can have Dolby ATMOS sound management.
DISPLAY
One thing that I particularly appreciated about this Samsung Galaxy A05s, considering the decidedly low price, is the display because this is a panel that has a Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels), which is not a given as most of the competitors on the the same price line offers a simple HD+ instead. 6,7-inch diagonal display with 20:9 aspect ratio and 393 ppi definition. The frames are well pronounced, especially that of the chin, but they do not create any discomfort in vision.
Not particularly bright, counting on around 470 nits of brightness, but still easily readable even in strong ambient lighting conditions. HDR content is not supported but Widevine L1 DRM certification is present for high definition viewing of streaming content on all platforms, including Prime Video.
The panel is well calibrated in the chromatic fidelity of content reproduction but at a software level there is no function that allows the adjustment of the white point or the color temperature, but overall I feel like promoting the Galaxy A05s display because it allowed me to enjoy many multimedia contents without tiring the eyes and with a good depth of blacks even at high angles.
However, a mysterious aspect is that although Samsung does not make any official mention, before I updated the smartphone to Android 14, the panel returned a refresh rate of 90 Hz which cannot be set, with a decidedly good general scrolling fluidity, even if in poor conditions. when the brightness was at minimum, some ghost images and smudges were perceptible, but following the update to Android 14 the frequency was set to 60 Hz without being able to set it to other values. We hope that a future update restores not only 90 Hz but gives the user the opportunity to choose which frequency they prefer.
Image source: www.gsmarena.com
AUTONOMY
Another strong point of the Samsung Galaxy A05s is linked to the battery life, which specifically is a 5000 mAh unit. Of course, the actual duration depends on how you use the smartphone, but during my tests I always managed to get through the evening and sometimes even to the second day, managing calls, notifications, Android Auto, video streaming and even a bit of gaming. .
Charging, however, is not among the fastest, but a 25W fast charge is supported, which brings the energy to 50% in about 40 minutes while it takes 1 hour and 28 minutes to get 100% full. Not bad for a budget smartphone. Wireless charging is absent but on the other hand it's better this way, as the final cost of the device is kept low and having a slow one wouldn't have made sense.
SOFTWARE, HARDWARE AND PERFORMANCE
Some might think that when we buy a cheap smartphone, we should hope for the release of security-related updates, let alone major updates. The beauty of having bought a Samsung device lies precisely in the fact that this idea goes to hell, in fact our Galaxy A05s has poco received the new version of Google's firmware, Android 14, they update the patches in January 2024 as well as updating the proprietary graphic interface to One UI 6.0.
I can't tell you if the interface equipped on the smartphone is complete with all the features but I found abundant features related to customization, productivity and much more that I honestly don't see what else other devices can offer. Certainly some bloatware should be noted which can however be removed and some duplicate applications, such as the Samsung browser and the Google one. Here you can find the screenshot with all the news of One UI 6.0 for Samsung Galaxy A05s.
In terms of performance, the Samsung device relies on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, which we could define as old as it was launched in Q4 2021, but which in reality has been used wonderfully on this device. Also complicit in the success are the Adreno 610 GPU and 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage (be careful because some people pass them off as old 5.1 eMMCs). Without mentioning benchmarks (which I ran but prefer not to flaunt), I can say that the performance and fluidity of the system were satisfactory beyond all expectations, so much so that many games run at 60 fps, without frame drops and without overheating with consequent freezes.
I still remember when friends in the industry made fun of Samsung by renaming it LAGsung, but in reality on this Galaxy A05s I changed my mind with my tail between my legs. For goodness sake I'm not saying that you can mine bitcoins with him, but simply that despite the "heated soup" in terms of hardware components, I have never complained about "disservices", on the contrary compared to competitors such as Realme which in the price range of 150 euros offers pure garbage, the Korean smartphone has to teach.
PHOTO AND VIDEO QUALITY
A disappointing aspect is precisely linked to the quality of photos and videos, although I wouldn't have expected who knows what miracles. Let's start by saying that, net of 3 lenses on the rear, only the main one is really useful, as the other two are two 2 MP units, both f/2.4, one of which is dedicated to macro shots and the other to macro data. depth, while the main sensor is 50 MP f/1.8. Therefore, there is an absence of an ultra wide that would have given that extra plus to the photographic sector in general. Strangely, the sensors equipped on the Galaxy A05s are not Samsung branded but the main one, for example, is a Hynix hi5022 with auto focus. The selfie camera instead relies on a sensor with a 13 MP f/2.0 resolution which unfortunately has a fixed focus.
The features linked to Samsung's camera software are good, with the possibility for younger people to take shots with stickers, create personalized Avatars and much more, while for the more traditionalists there is no shortage of various presets including the Pro mode and the night mode, although supported only from the main camera and the selfie camera.
The 50 MP of the main camera is obtained through a 4 in 1 pixel binning technique, as by default the shots take place at approximately 12,5 MP resolution. In any case, the results obtained are quite rich in detail and sharpness, with natural colors and faithful to reality, but this is valid exclusively for shots in conditions of good ambient lighting, while in less favorable conditions the digital noise and graininess become a constant presence in all frames, with details that seem to "crush" with the shadows.
Shooting at 50 MP does not bring real benefits to the final quality of the photo, but strangely I noticed that the shooting action is faster at this resolution than the base one. A digital zoom is not available but the acquisition interface has a switch for 2X zoom while in terms of functions there are some goodies dedicated to younger people, such as the possibility of integrating stickers into photos or creating personalized avatars in addition to the classic panoramic shooting functions, time lapse etc..
The shots in portrait mode are pleasant, where the software makes everything very natural, with a decidedly high quality of blur. The subject is detected correctly by separating it softly from the context and this happens thanks to the dedicated depth sensor positioned on the back. Unfortunately, as already mentioned, Samsung Galaxy A05s does not offer an ultrawide camera but in its place a macro camera has been inserted which, net of a 2 MP resolution, does not work miracles and overall the shots are scarcely acceptable, as details and colors sometimes they seem mixed up. The 13 MP selfie camera seems to follow all the opinions expressed so far for the rear optics.
At the video level we can obtain recordings up to 1080p 60fps with the main camera but any form of optical or digital stabilization is absent and HEVC coding (h.265) can possibly be used to save space. The colors appear beautiful and natural and the dynamic range is surprisingly high quality but the shaking due to the absence of stabilization does not make me lean towards a totally positive opinion. The selfie camera instead records videos at 1080p 30 fps.
On offer on Amazon
PROJECTED IMPACT
Samsung Galaxy A05s is a rather cheap device and you can find it at a price around 140 euros directly from Amazon with Prime shipping and warranty. A price that is definitely in focus considering the excellent reputation of the brand which is not denied even on this low cost, especially in terms of updates. In this price range it is very difficult to find devices equipped with an FHD+ panel but above all to find a terminal that never falters in daily use. Rather complete also in connectivity, in fact we have NFC and memory expansion without giving up Dual SIM, it is certainly a smartphone to be recommended and with few certain rivals.
