Samsung A32 Review: Average Performer with a Top-Notch Design

Samsung Galaxy A32 is a mid-range phone which comes as an upgrade to the Galaxy A31.

The A32 is priced at Rs. 31,999 and unlike its predecessors, it brings a high refresh rate display and a 64MP camera.

So, is this mid-ranger any good? Find out in this review of the Samsung A32.

Samsung A32 Review

Fresh Design

• 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm
• 189 g
• Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Unlike the A52 and A72, Samsung has gone for a glossy finish on the A32. The camera module is also slightly different as there is no camera bump on the rear.

The rear panel is made up of plastic but it feels premium to touch. It does catch fingerprints easily though. It also doesn’t get the IP67 certification that is available on the A52 and A72.

LATEST: POCO X3 Pro with Snapdragon 860 to Launch Soon in Nepal

On the front, it gets an Infinity-U notch that we have seen on plenty of affordable Galaxy phones. I would have liked it better if they had gone with the Infinity-O display. The fingerprint sensor is also embedded inside the display and it is better than previous iterations but still shares some problems.

90Hz Super AMOLED Display

• 6.4-inches sAMOLED
• 90Hz refresh rate
• 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution
• 800 nits peak

Samsung has gone for the 6.4 inches FHD+ Super AMOLED panel on the A32 with a 90Hz refresh rate.

The 90Hz display provides smooth scrolling and supports 90Hz in most of the major apps such as Facebook. Interestingly, it does not drop down to 60Hz even when watching YouTube videos. The display drops to 60Hz only in the camera app.

And, the display itself is a good one with vivid colors and deep blacks. It is certainly one of the best displays in this segment.

Helio G80 Chipset

• Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm)
• Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
• Mali-G52 MC2
• 128GB 6GB RAM

Samsung is using the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset on the Galaxy A32. And, it is completely underwhelming for a phone of this range.

Helio G80 has Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) CPU and Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. It is a good chipset but I expected a better chipset on the A32. Well, it can keep things smooth during normal tasks such as UI navigation, app opening, and multitasking.

ALSO READ: Huawei Band 6 with AMOLED Display & SpO2 Sensor Now Available in Nepal

For gaming, you don’t get extreme and max fps on PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile. It can run PUBG mobile on low graphics and ultra fps settings. Similarly, COD Mobile also runs well on low graphics settings. But you will get occasional frame drops on both games.

A32 also doesn’t have a heating problem. The temperature remains under 40 even after an hour of gaming. However, its gaming performance is average for its price tag.

Familiar Camera Setup

• Rear Camera: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF
  • 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
  • 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
  • 5 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
  • Video: 1080p@30/120fps
• Front Camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps

Samsung has employed a quad-camera setup on the A32. It uses a 64MP sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor.

ALSO READ: Samsung A72 Review: A Solid Premium Mid-Range Smartphone

Similarly, it has a 20MP sensor on the front for selfies.

NORMAL PHOTOS

Images have good details, the colors look saturated as ever and the dynamic range looks decent. The exposure is mostly balanced but some photos might turn out slightly oversaturated.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

LOW-LIGHT PHOTOS

Low light photography of the A32 is just average. The photos have low detail and the pictures look soft.

Night photos look noisy too but the built-in Night mode doesn’t help to reduce this problem. Night mode helps to bring more brightness but the overall quality doesn’t get much improvement.

ULTRAWIDE

Similarly, the 8MP ultrawide angle camera looks decent. The color profile is similar to that of the main sensor and has a nice field of view. Well, you can notice noise even on daylight photos but the ultrawide camera on A32 is pretty good.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

PORTRAIT & MACRO

The 5MP depth sensor enables portrait mode on the A32. And, it produces decent portrait photos. The edge detection is not perfect but background blur is convincing. Also, the HDR helps to keep highlights under control.

A 5MP macro sensor for the price is really good but the quality is only average.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

SELFIE

On to the front camera, A32 can capture a fair amount of details with good skin tones. Outdoor selfies have adequate sharpness but the photos do not look as sharp indoors. Similarly, portrait selfies are also quite good.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Video

Likewise, A32 can capture only up to 1080p 30fps videos. Well, it does get EIS but Samsung should have given 4k video at this price tag.

Decent Battery

• Non-removable Li-Po 5000mAh battery
• Fast charging 15W

Samsung A32 has a 5000mAh battery and is claiming up to 2 days of battery life. But, I was only getting more than a day of usage which is pretty good.

In the box, it comes with a 15W charger that takes 2 hours and 15 mins to go from 0 to 100%.

Software

• Android 11
• One UI 3.1

A32 runs on One UI 3.1 on top of Android 11.

The overall software experience is similar to that of the A52 and A72.

It also gets swipe right to Google news which is standard on all of the latest Samsung phones. However, Samsung has excluded some of the features like Dex on the A32. Likewise, it also doesn’t get the Link to Windows feature.

Should You Buy Samsung A32?

So, Samsung Galaxy A32 is a decent budget phone with a high refresh rate display.

ALSO READ: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal: Features and Specs

A32’s design feels fresh compared to the A52/A72 and it has a good camera setup along with a big battery. However, the Helio G80 on the A32 feels underwhelming. Phones like POCO X3, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max provide much better performance for the price.

If you do not need top-notch gaming performance then you can definitely go for this. But, if you are a heavy gamer, then you should look elsewhere.

Hope you like our Samsung Galaxy A32 review. If you have any queries regarding the device, let us know in the comments below!