Samsung Galaxy A32 review - a beautiful but not outstanding smartphone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Stylish and durable, not all features work as expected.

In early March, sales of Samsung Galaxy A32 started in Russia. The version with 64 GB of memory costs 19,990 rubles, for 128 GB they ask for 21,990. The 30th series of South Korean smartphones has always been inferior in popularity to the more expensive 50th. Will the novelty be able to get out of the shadow of the "big brother"? Let's find out.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design and ergonomics
• Display
• Iron
• Sound and vibration
• Operating system
• Cameras
• Autonomy
• Outcomes

Specifications

Operating system	Android 11, One UI 3.1
Screen	Super AMOLED, 6.4 inches, 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 411 ppi, 90 Hz
CPU	Helio G80 (8 cores)
RAM	4 GB
Built-in memory	64/128 GB, microSD support up to 1 TB
Cameras	Main - 64 + 8 + 5 + 5 Mp, front - 20 Mp
SIM cards	2 × nanoSIM
Connectors	USB Type ‑ C, 3.5mm
Communication standards	2G, 3G, LTE, 5G (not available in the version supplied to Russia)
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Battery	5000 mAh, charging - 15 W
Dimensions (edit)	159, 3 × 73, 1 × 8, 6 mm
The weight	184 g
Additionally	NFC chip, fingerprint scanner

Design and ergonomics

The case of the Samsung Galaxy A32 is made of glossy plastic, which looks very similar to glass. The material and excellent build quality make the device look cheap. Customers are offered a choice of three colors: purple (this is what we got), blue and black.

The front panel is made of Gorilla Glass 5. The frame is minimal, slightly wider at the bottom than on the other sides. There is a selfie camera in the semicircular cutout at the top.

On the left side of the smartphone is a slot for two SIM cards and microSD. Below are the headphone and USB jacks, as well as the microphone and speaker. On the right are the power and volume buttons. An additional microphone is located on top.

The rear panel houses a block of four cameras and a flash. There is no protrusion underneath, unlike the more expensive models A52 and A72. This design decision looks interesting, but controversial from the point of view of ergonomics. For example, it makes the smartphone harder to wipe clean.

In general, the device looks good, fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, does not slip and does not feel heavy. However, it is impossible to use the device exclusively with one hand due to its large size. It is also worth noting that, unlike the older model, the gadget is not protected from water.

Display

Like its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy A31, the new product has a Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 6.4 inches and a resolution of 2,400 × 1,080 pixels (aspect ratio 20: 9). The image is pleasing and sharp, with rich colors and deep blacks.

The refresh rate of the screen has increased from 60 to 90 Hz. It can be lowered to save power. In this case, the smoothness is reduced, for example, when switching between tabs or scrolling a page. Although the difference cannot be called significant, we decided to please the eye and opted for the 90 Hz option.

The maximum screen brightness is 800 nits versus 600 for the previous generation of the device. In most cases, this is sufficient, although readability is noticeably impaired in direct sunlight.

In the settings, you can set the automatic brightness change depending on the light level, choose between saturated and calmer natural colors, set the white balance and adjust a number of other parameters. In our opinion, in the adaptive brightness mode, the screen is dull, and saturated colors look much better. We chose not to touch the white balance.

You can also activate the Always on Display function there. In this mode, the smartphone screen always shows the date and time, battery level, and notification icons.

In addition, in the settings, you can enable screen unlocking using a face scanner or fingerprint. Oddly enough, the first function worked better for us than the second. The face was read quickly, including in the dark. It was not possible to deceive the gadget with a photo or unlock the display while wearing a medical mask. The headgear did not interfere with the scanner. But glasses - sunglasses and ordinary ones - must be removed before scanning, otherwise recognition will not work.

From time to time problems arose with the fingerprint scanner: the gadget reads them slowly and does not always recognize the owner's fingers.

Iron

The device is equipped with a 12-nanometer 8-core Helio G80 processor. It includes two 2 GHz Cortex ‑ A75 cores and six 1.8 GHz Cortex ‑ A55 cores. Responsible for the graphics accelerator ARM Mali-G52 MC2. This is middle-class hardware designed for low-cost smartphones.

RAM - 4 GB. In 2021, the developers could have delivered more, but for the Internet surfing, watching videos, listening to music, communicating in social networks and instant messengers, this is quite enough. But heavy modern games like Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG Mobile can slow down and warm up the case, although in general you can play at medium settings. However, this situation is typical for smartphones of this class.

The Samsung Galaxy A32 comes with 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. If necessary, it can be expanded with a microSD card up to 1 TB.

We have no complaints about the quality of communication over a mobile network and Wi-Fi. The built-in Bluetooth module did not cause any complaints either: it was possible to connect the smartphone with a selfie stick almost immediately. The NFC chip, which is used for contactless payment, also works fine.

It is upsetting that a version of the smartphone without 5G support is being shipped to Russia. On the other hand, given the sad fate of new generation networks in our country, the loss will most likely go unnoticed.

Sound and vibration

The smartphone produces decent clear sound both through the speaker and in the headphones, although there is no stereo in the device. The gadget is very loud: the music playing on it was perfectly audible even from the next room through the closed door.

The smartphone has an equalizer that allows you to correct certain parts of the sound spectrum, for example, add or decrease bass. Not to say that its settings greatly affect the overall impression of the music, but the difference is still noticeable.

In the settings, you can adjust the vibration intensity and select its type for both calls and notifications.

Operating system

The device comes with Android 11 operating system in the One UI 3.1 shell from Samsung. The same combination of software received, for example, Galaxy A52 and a number of other devices from the South Korean company.

In general, the interface is pleasant and user-friendly. At the same time, compared to One UI 3.0, which came to Samsung smartphones in January, the changes are purely cosmetic. For example, you can turn on the Comfort for the eyes mode, which changes the colors to warmer, or adjust the sensitivity of the screen when using gestures.

Swiping to the right now replaces Samsung's news feed with news from Google. In addition, One UI 3.1 expands the possibilities for smart home control. Data from SmartThings can now be copied to Google Home.

However, not all the features of the new shell apply to the A32. For example, you cannot set a background image on the call screen. Although this is definitely a minor drawback.

Cameras

The maximum resolution of the main camera is 64 megapixels, which is more than the predecessor Samsung Galaxy A31. The rest of the modules are identical: ultra-wide-angle - 8 Mp, portrait and depth sensor - 5 Mp, front camera - 20 Mp.

In standard mode, the smartphone takes photos in 17 megapixel resolution, if the aspect ratio is 4: 3. To take 64-megapixel frames, you need to enable the corresponding function in the shooting settings.

We liked the quality of photos taken with the main camera in natural daylight: accurate color reproduction, high definition, no noticeable noise.

Filming with the main camera in natural light. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

Shooting under artificial lighting was less pleasing: frames are often grainy, which is especially noticeable when viewed on a large monitor screen.

Filming with the main camera under artificial lighting. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

For capturing people, the Samsung Galaxy A32 has a portrait mode. The Saturation slider adjusts the amount of background blur. In our experience, it is best to set it to the minimum value, otherwise the camera may smear hair or the edges of the face.

Portrait mode when shooting faces is no better than the standard one. For comparison: here are portrait shots.

Shooting people in portrait mode. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

But the usual ones. Do you feel the difference? We're not really.

Shooting people as usual. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

Roughly the same can be said about night photography. For this price range of smartphones, the photos come out pretty good.

Night shooting in night mode. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

But no better than standard mode. Moreover, it is even easier to shoot in it at night, since you do not have to hold the device motionless for 2 seconds.

Night shooting in normal mode. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

There is no optical zoom in the smartphone - only digital zoom up to 10 times. With a 2x zoom, you can shoot an acceptable frame, but with a higher zoom - how lucky. Compare yourself. Here are photos of the same subject taken at 2x and 4x zoom.

Shooting close-up. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

The gadget takes decent panoramic shots. You do not need any special skills for this.

Panoramas. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

Also, the smartphone has a wide-angle shooting function. To activate it, you need to select the mode × 0, 5 in the zoom settings. The maximum resolution of such photos is 8 megapixels with all that it implies in the form of low detail.

Wide angle shooting. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

A camera designed for macro photography has a similar resolution. Objects in this mode should be shot from a distance of 3-5 cm.

We liked the quality of selfies (except for night ones). The 20-megapixel front camera has the same modes as the main camera.

Selfie. Photo: Dmitry Troyanovsky / Lifehacker

With the shooting of video, the Samsung A32 is doing much worse than with the photo. The maximum quality is 1,920 × 1,080 pixels at 30 frames per second for both the main and front cameras. Unfortunately, even when recording in this format, the result is poor. On the screen of the gadget, the video still looks decent, but when viewed on a computer, it immediately becomes noticeable that the picture jerks violently, especially if the camera or objects in the frame are actively moving.

Autonomy

The smartphone has a 5000 mAh battery, a power supply unit and a USB Type ‑ C cable are included. With fairly active use - photographing, shooting and watching videos, listening to music, surfing the web, communicating in social networks, the Always on Display mode on - this is enough for about a day and a half. Demanding games consume the charge at a rate of about 15% per hour. Recharging the battery from zero to 100 takes a little less than three hours.

Outcomes

The Samsung Galaxy A32 makes a double impression. On the one hand, there is a nice design, a good screen and a capacious battery. On the other hand, the processor is not the most powerful in its class, the cameras are far from perfect and the problems with the fingerprint scanner.

A52 seems to be a more balanced solution, but it also costs more - 27-33 thousand rubles. Therefore, if you want to save money and not get out of the budget, you can take a closer look at the A51 model. Now it costs the same as the A32, but surpasses the device in a number of indicators, including the quality of photo and video shooting.

Among smartphones from competitors, it is worth paying attention to the Poco X3 NFC released in 2020 or the fresh Poco X3 Pro. The first one, at a price of 20 thousand rubles, offers 6 GB of RAM, a more powerful processor, fast charging as much as 33 W, a screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. True, the display is built on an IPS-matrix, and the smartphone itself is very heavy - 215 g. The Pro version has an even faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset, which is complemented by up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of internal memory. However, such a gadget is more expensive - from 23 thousand rubles.