Introduction
We just published our Galaxy A71 review and it’s time for the younger brother, the Galaxy A51, which is the successor of the Galaxy A50 we reviewed last year. Without further ado, this is the Samsung Galaxy A51 review!
Design
The Galaxy A51 actually looks identical to the Galaxy A71, but at a smaller size. It has a smaller Infinity-O screen with no curves on both sides of the screen. There’s also an optical in-display fingerprint sensor, the response time was okay. Similar to the A71, it doesn’t have haptic feedback too.
The volume rocker and power button are on the right side, while the SIM slot is on the left. The bottom of the phone houses the 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, and mono speaker.
The back is also made of plastic, but it has a rhythmical pattern that looks pretty unique. Like the Note10 Lite, the back is a fingerprint magnet and can get scratched quite easily since it uses a less durable material. Overall, the phone doesn’t have the premium feel as Samsung flagship devices, but you’ll use a protective case anyway, so don’t really need to bother too much on that.
Display
The A51 has a smaller 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with an Infinity-O cutout. The Infinity-O cutout doesn’t really block anything and sometimes I didn’t even notice it. It doesn’t support HDR10+ tech but it still has good color reproduction and deep blacks. The overall display quality is quite similar to its bigger brother.
Performance
Unlike the Galaxy A71, the A51 is powered by a 10nm Exynos 9611 processor with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, which is a small upgrade over its predecessor. In terms of performance, the phone handles quite well with Call of Duty: Mobile playing in middle graphics settings and high frame rate. However, it doesn’t feel as smooth as its bigger brother, the A71.
Software
The phone has the same software experience as the Galaxy A71, it runs on One UI 2.0 based on Android 10. The overall user experience is pretty similar to the Note10 Lite we reviewed before, the S Pen features are missing, though. You still get features like Edge Panels and Edge Lighting even though it now has a flat-screen.
Camera
The Galaxy A51 packs a quad-camera setup — 48MP f/2.0 main + 12MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro + 5MP depth. The main camera shoots 12MP photos by default, you’ll need to change the resolution if you wish to shoot in 48MP resolution. However, after switching to 48MP resolution, the ultra-wide camera switch will be gone, you’ll have to switch back to 12MP in order for the ultra-wide camera toggle to appear again.
You can head over to our Shutterfly page here to check out the photos.
As for the image quality, this phone shoots nice photos, just like its bigger brother, though a little bit less impressive. I really enjoy shooting photos with its ultra-wide camera, though the color temperature normally is warmer than the main camera. It also comes with a Night Mode, which captures nice low-light photos with the ultra-wide or main camera.
Battery Life
The Galaxy A51 packs a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support, same as its predecessor. Getting through a day with this phone isn’t really a big problem.
Final Words
Retailing at RM1,299, the Galaxy A51 seems to be a smaller version of the Galaxy A71. There are still some differences, though. You’ll get a different processor, which I kinda wish the company can stick with a Snapdragon processor. The main camera is now a 48MP unit, instead of a 64MP unit, but we all know the number doesn’t tell the full story. The Galaxy A51 is RM100 more expensive than its predecessor’s initial price, but it still kept the same amazing display, better cameras, good enough performance, and a better software experience than its Chinese rivals. However, at a lower price, you can get a phone with Galaxy A71’s class performance, some even offer better cameras! If only it has a lower price tag.
Yay
- Amazing display
- Decent performance
- Impressive camera
Nay
- Slow fingerprint sensor
- No haptic feedback
- Priced higher than its competitors