Samsung unveiled today a few new midrange phones, the Galaxy A52, A52 5G and Galaxy A72. We already handled the first two here and now we also have a hands on video for the Galaxy A72. Mind you this is just the 4G version of the device and a 5G one hasn’t been announced yet. It’s a 6.7 inch handset, which stands out of the crowd through the fact that it has a 3X optical zoom camera. Not even the S21 has that! The device is priced at 449 euros.
Samsung Galaxy A72 packs a plastic body (acrylic glass) that weighs around 200 grams and it’s quite buff. It’s got a camera module similar to the S21 one and ditches the Bokeh camera for a telephoto 3X optical zoom one. It has the same Snapdragon 720G CPU as the Galaxy A52 4G model. I think you should visit sustainabilitystreet for more details.
Hardware
You can check out all the specs here:
- Display: 6.7 inch, Super AMOLED Plus, FHD+, 90Hz
- CPU: Snapdragon 720G
- RAM + Storage: 6/8 GB RAM + 128/256 GB storage, slot microSD (up to 1 TB)
- Selfie camera: 32 MP
- Back Camera: 64 MP (wide, OIS) + 8 MP (telephoto, OIS, 3x optical zoom) + 12 MP (ultra-wide) + 5 MP (macro)
- Security: optical fingerprint scanner in the screen
- Connectivity: 4G, WiFi ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C
- Others: audio jack, stereo speakers, IP67
- Battery: 5000 mAh, 25W charging
- Dimensions: 203 grams, 165 x 77.4 x 8.4 mm
What does the Galaxy A72 borrow from the S21?
Well I’d say that it takes the OIS, plastic back, stereo speakers and One UI 3.1 with Android 11 behind it. The camera module design is also borrowed, or better said inspired, since it’s closer to the center of the back. We also get SmartTag support, SmartThings Find, Single Take and Pro Video options. Then there’s Music Share, Screen Continuity and One UI 3.1 also brings Chat Bubbles, notification history and new lockscreen widgets.
What’s extra compared to the S21?
Well, quite a few things: audio jack, microSD card slot, 25W charged bundled and a telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom. Meanwhile the S21 and S21+ only have 1.1X optical zoom. By the way 30X is the digital zoom here.
What’s new compared to Galaxy A70 and A71?
I would say that the jump from A71 to A72 is much bigger than the one from A70 to A71. We’re getting stereo speakers, which the models before didn’t have, plus an increase of 500 mAh in battery capacity, from 4500 mAh to 5000 mAh. Then there’s the replacement of the Bokeh camera with a telephoto one, but with some trickery. It has autofocus, like iPhone 7 Plus did, being used for Portrait shots. It also bumps up the screen protection from Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 5. OIS is also new and the 90 Hz refresh rate was nowhere to be found on any Galaxy A till now.
Fun Mode with Snapchat filters is also a fresh feature, as is the IP67 certification, foreign to the Galaxy A series till now.
Conclusions
Even though the CPU isn’t exactly what we wanted or expected, the Galaxy A72 does surprise us with a 3X optical zoom, something that not even the S21 has. Then there’s the huge battery and flat, large, Super AMOLED 90 Hz screen, fit for gaming. If you’ve seen gaming on the Redmi Note 9 Pro with the same Snapdragon 720G CPU, the same should be expected here. It feels like an all rounder multimedia phone, for music listening, Netflix viewing, quality photo and video taking. One drawback may be the fact that it’s quite the massive phone, with pretty thick bezels.
You can get it here.
