Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Review: Affordable 5G Phone
January 19, 2021Samsung A42 5G finds itself in a tough market, especially that isn’t ready for 5G, yet
Performance: Snapdragon 750, 4,GB RAM
Display: 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED (720 x 1600)
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Features: 1080p, 4K video recording
Rear Camera: 48MP Wide,8MP ultra-wide, 5MP Macro, 5MP Depth
Front Camera: 20MP
Rating: 7/10
Price: RM1,599
Samsung’s 2020 was a lot more memorable than we initially anticipated. The year brought about some interesting phones, which included the Galaxy S20 FE, an oddball device that seemed irrelevant in a market teeming with capable mid-range devices. But first hand experience with the device proved the contrary to be true.
The same can be said of the Galaxy A42 5G. Aside from the unique three tone design of its rear panel, the device doesn’t have a particular ‘stand-out’ feature that makes it a worthy prospect. It has a 6.6” inch 720p, raindrop panel, which feels dated. Most devices at its price point and slightly cheaper, offer a punch hole display. This includes phones from Samsung’s own line.
The Display
The A51, M51, and A71, all feature better AMOLED displays and resolution. Chinese brands like Xiaomi and OPPO manage to offer more for the same price. This begs the question, why does the A42 exist? It is irrelevant even when compared to Samsung’s own devices, so why bother? Well, despite our misgivings about the rationale, the A42 5G has a reason to exist.
It’s the product of a balancing act between cost and features. Firstly, the exterior design is unlike anything you’d find in this section of the market. The cascading colour tones give it a youthful vibe. And you’d be doing it a disservice by slapping on a silicone case. Especially if you’ve purchased the Prism Dot White version.
Second, it supports 5G. That’s difficult to come by, at its price point, which means that it’s future proof. Our telecommunication infrastructure isn’t ready for 5G yet, so we can’t test the performance. But it’s good to know that once it does become available, there’d be no need to upgrade.
Then there’s the display. It isn’t something to write home about, but the 6.6” screen is large enough to accomplish just about any task. The AMOLED display is bright and vibrant, which compensates for its less than stellar 720p resolution. As a result, it is difficult to notice the low resolution. Most phones with 720P screens have individual pixels that are easily noticeable. This one isn’t like that.
How Does It Perform?
In the performance department the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 does its job really well. Despite our test unit having a meager 4GB RAM, we didn’t notice any stuttering, crashes or overall performance issues. That said, we would advise against getting this particular model and hope you opt for the 8GB variant instead. It’s less likely to offer performance issues later on.
Overall, this phone should be able to handle just about any task without skipping a beat. However, high end mobile gaming may pose an issue for its mid-range hardware. It’s equipped with an Adreno 619, and that performs well for simple to moderate gaming. Just don’t expect too much of it.
The A42 5G has a 5,000mAh battery, which is really good. Moderate to heavy usage should net you about more than a day’s worth of usage. This is due in part to the Snapdragon 750, which does a stand up job of frugally consuming battery power. But it’s nice to see manufacturers continue to offer bigger battery capacities despite improvements in efficiency.
The Camera
This mid-range phone comes with mid-range cameras, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They do a decent job of capturing pictures and video with a good amount of detail and contrast. Close up shots are just as good because the sensors do an adequate job differentiating the foreground from the background. This also allows them to keep the subject in focus for most of the time.
The same is true of night time photography. Colors and exposures are decent, but not great. You could get away with taking some half decent shots with minimal effort. But don’t get your hopes up though, it falls well short of the mark when compared to the A71. As good as the A42’s cameras are, they are no match for our mid-range favourite of 2020.
The A42 is capable of 4K video recording and the footage is acceptable, but the hardware limitations prevent it from reaching its true potential. If you’re looking to capture 4K footage often, then spend the extra money on a device with better camera sensors and screen resolution. This phone is only meant for casual photography.
Upfront, there’s a 20MP selfie camera that takes mediocre shots. At times, selfies look a little under saturated and less sharp. There seems to be a noticeable amount of visual softening taking place. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a better balance in post-processing would have made a big difference. That said, selfie shots still look decent in good lighting conditions.
Should I Buy One?
Samsung’s A42 5G is a tough sell especially at this point in time. It’s low end screen isn’t doing it any favours considering that the competition is able to offer 1080p screens with 120Hz refresh rates. It’s only saving grace are its 5G antennas. It’s future proof, but the competition isn’t. This includes those from within, such as the M51 and A71.
The latter is due for a refresh soon, which we hope include support for 5G. If that does happen, and soon, then the A42 5G will fade into relative obscurity. But for now, it’s one of the cheapest 5G capable phones out there and is a good looking one, at that.
In my personal opinion, I would choose the M51 over everything else. It was our favourite mid-range phone of 2020 and is still able to blitz everything else in its segment sans 120Hz displays. But the A42 5G isn’t a bad choice, provided that you can look past its 720p display. It’s got a decent camera array, good battery life and decent mid-range hardware.
This is the phone for people who want an affordable 5Gdevice with decent specifications. It isn’t for those who are looking for devices with eye watering displays or sophisticated GPU performance. Within reason, the A42 5G should be able to handle just about any task and win over people with frugal expectations.
