Tested Samsung Galaxy A32

Gateway drug

Hoping to sit at Samsung’s table but lack the bank to play with the big boys? The Galaxy A32 is a good place to start

from R5 500 / samsung.com/za

■ Budget smartphones are hugely competitive (see p91), with everyone and his cousin fighting it out for that profitable bottom end of the market. By comparison, flagships get along rather well. Samsung’s Galaxy A32 is out to steal someone’s lunch, with an excellent display, better-thanaverage camera and attractive good looks packed into an affordable frame.

■ The 6.4in Super AMOLED display runs at up to 90Hz, MediaTek’s Helio G80 and 4GB of RAM speak more to a mid-range demographic and the camera arrangement (see inset) is better than expected. It helps that Samsung makes most of the bits it’s using here, as that keeps the price down.

■ Samsung’s One UI 3.1 is present and just as nippy – though there’s a slight lag if you’re used to the company’s best handsets. But there’s a surprising inclusion here, of an under-display fingerprint reader. The placement could be better, as it’s a little low down, but it’s perfectly willing to speedily unlock at the touch of a digit.

■ There’s a lot of phone here for very little money (comparatively) but there’s one feature missing: 5G. There is a 5G version of the handset, actually, but you’ll find that the screen and some other specs take a knock in favour of speedier internet access.

Sensor-ble choice Samsung’s budget device somehow manages to include a nippy in-screen fingerprint sensor at the base of its AMOLED display.

Hertz a little The Galaxy A32’s 6.4in display defaults to 60Hz but you can enable a smooth 90Hz in the settings. It’ll dent your battery, though.

Tech specs

Screen 6.4in Super AMOLED (90Hz) Processor MediaTek Helio G80 RAM 4GB Cameras Rear 64MP/ 8MP/5MP(depth) 5MP(macro) Front 20MP Battery 5000mAh OS Android 11 (One UI 3.1) Storage 128GB Dimensions 164.2x76.1x9.1mm ■ Watch your back

The Galaxy A32’s rear panel talks a good game but get up close and personal and that premium glasslooking section proves to be mere plastic. Attractive plastic, to be sure, but it’s still plastic. Still, look at the price. ■ Electric eyes

Looking vaguely like a sinister traffic light, the A32’s rear camera arrangement comprises four sensors, plus an LED flash. The 64MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide and dual 5MP lenses (macro, depth) spit out decent snaps.

STUFF SAYS Budget doesn’t have to be boring, as Samsung’s proved here ★★★★★

Samsung’s entry into the battle of the brands

The Galaxy A32 is the youngest of a family of A-series devices for 2021 but it’s by no means the least attractive. Available in several shades and aimed at the younger market segment (seriously, check out the mental advertising campaigns), they’re visually pleasing slices of tech that won’t look out of place next to Samsung’s R20k+ devices. As an entry point into the world of higher end pocket computing, you could do a whole lot worse.