Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Samsung Galaxy A52: Everything you need to know about Samsung’s latest mid-rangers

Samsung just concluded its second-biggest launch event of 2021 and lifted the covers off three new Galaxy A series devices — the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and the Galaxy A72. The new mid-range phones offer significant upgrades over their predecessors in almost all aspects, right from their design to their specifications. In case you missed our previous coverage of the devices, here’s everything you need to know about the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A52 5G:

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Hands-on: A promising mid-ranger

Samsung Galaxy A52 4G Review: Exciting but far from perfect

Samsung Galaxy A52: Specifications

Specification Samsung Galaxy A52 4G Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Build
  • Plastic back
  • Plastic frame
  • Plastic back
  • Plastic frame
Dimensions & Weight
  • 75.1 x 159.9 x 8.4mm
  • 189g
  • 75.1 x 159.9 x 8.4mm
  • 189g
Display
  • 6.5-inch FHD+ SuperAMOLED (1080 x 2400)
  • 407PPI
  • 90Hz refresh rate
  • Infinity-O display (centered hole-punch cutout)
  • 800nits peak brightness
  • Eye Care Display low blue light certification
  • 6.5-inch FHD+ SuperAMOLED (1080 x 2400)
  • 407PPI
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • Infinity-O display (centered hole-punch cutout)
  • 800nits peak brightness
  • Eye Care Display low blue light certification
SoC
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
    • 2x cores @2.3GHz + 6x cores @1.8GHz
  • Adreno 618 GPU
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G
    • 2x cores @2.2GHz + 6x cores @1.8GHz
  • Adreno 619
RAM & Storage
  • 4GB + 128GB
  • 6GB + 128GB
  • 8GB + 256GB
  • 6GB + 128GB
  • 8GB + 256GB
Battery & Charging
  • 4,500mAh
  • 25W fast wired charging
  • 15W charger included
  • 4,500mAh
  • 25W fast wired charging
  • 15W charger included
Security In-display fingerprint scanner  In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)
  • Primary: 64MP Sony IMX686 f/1.8, OIS, AF, tetra-binning
  • Secondary: 12MP f/2.2, ultra-wide, FF
  • Tertiary: 5MP f/2.4, macro, FF
  • Quaternary: 5MP f/2.4, depth sensor, FF
  • Primary: 64MP IMX686 f/1.8, OIS, AF, tetra-binning
  • Secondary: 12MP f/2.2, ultra-wide, FF
  • Tertiary: 5MP f/2.4, macro, FF
  • Quaternary: 5MP f/2.4, depth sensor, FF
Front Camera(s) 32MP f/2.2, FF 32MP f/2.2, FF
Port(s)
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
Connectivity
  • LTE
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band WiFi
  • NFC
  • MST (Not available in India)
  • GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
  • 5G
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band WiFi
  • NFC
  • MST
  • GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
Software One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 One UI 3.1 based on Android 11
Other Features
  • IP 67 water and dust resistance
  • Samsung SmartThings Find
  •  IP 67 water and dust resistance
  • Samsung SmartThings Find

Design

Both the Samsung Galaxy A52 variants are identical in terms of design. They feature a large rectangular camera island in the top left corner of the back panel, an FHD+ display over on the front with a centered hole-punch cutout, and a USB Type-C port at the bottom sandwiched between a 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker grille. The power button and volume rocker can be found on the right edge, while the left edge is left blank.

Awesome Black Galaxy A52 Awesome Black Galaxy A52 5G

As far as the construction is concerned, both phones are plastic for the most part. But that was to be expected since the vanilla Galaxy S21 also has a plastic back. Nevertheless, the phones should look and feel more premium than the Galaxy A51 as they feature a new matte haze finish and a soft edge around the camera island. The phones are also IP67 rated for water and dust resistance, so that’s a bonus.


Display

While the two variants look the same, there is one major difference between them — the display. Both phones pack the same 6.5-inch Infinity-O SuperAMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution, but they offer different peak refresh rates.

Samsung Galaxy A52 4G display Samsung Galaxy A52 5G display

The regular Galaxy A52 offers a peak refresh rate of 90Hz and the 5G variant offers a peak refresh rate of 120Hz. Other than that, the displays are pretty much the same. Both phones have a peak brightness of 800nits, they are certified for low blue light emission, and they also feature an in-display fingerprint scanner.


SoC, RAM & Storage

The vanilla Galaxy A52 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC that features two big cores clocked at 2.3GHz and six little cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The SoC is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The device also features a microSD card slot that supports up to 1TB cards.

The 5G variant, on the other hand, features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chip with two big cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six little cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The SoC is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. Much like the 4G variant, it too features a microSD card slot for further expansion.


Samsung Galaxy A52: Cameras

While the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A52 5G pack different SoCs, Samsung has outfitted both phones with the same quad-camera setup. The phones feature a 64MP Sony IMX686 f/1.7 primary camera, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, a 5MP f/2.4 macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. Over on the front, both devices sport a 32MP fixed focus selfie shooter.

Awesome Violet Samsung Galaxy A52 camera island

The main 64MP shooter on both devices comes with optical image stabilization (OIS), it makes use of Samsung’s Tetrapixel (tetra-binning) technology to combine four nearby pixels into one and deliver 12MP photos with larger pixels, and it features multi-frame processing support for Night mode shots.

Samsung Galaxy A52 hole-punch display

Samsung has also bundled a couple of fun software features to help you make the most of the cameras, including a feature called My Filter that will let you create custom filters and a Fun Mode that will let you use Snapchat Lenses within the stock camera app. The devices also feature a Pro Video mode that gives you more controls while capturing video.


Battery & Charging

Both variants of the Galaxy A52 pack 4,500mAh batteries that support 25W fast charging. Sadly, the phones will come with a 15W charger in the box. Although the Galaxy A52’s battery capacity may not seem all that impressive compared with other devices in the same price range, the devices should offer decent battery life as they feature mid-range processors and FHD+ displays. Out of the two, we expect the vanilla Galaxy A52 to outperform the Galaxy A52 5G in terms of battery life, as it packs a lower refresh rate 90Hz display, a less powerful SoC, and no 5G connectivity.


Connectivity

The vanilla Galaxy A52 offers LTE support, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi. It also features NFC support for payments. The Galaxy A52 5G, on the other hand, offers Sub6 5G support, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi. It too features NFC support for payments. Both phones feature a dual SIM card tray with one dedicated SIM slot and one hybrid slot.


Software

The Samsung Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A52 5G run One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 out of the box. Therefore, the devices should launch with all the new features that Samsung introduced with One UI 3.1 earlier this year. But we haven’t had the opportunity to check them out at the moment, so we can’t say for sure if all the new features are available on the devices.

As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A52 and the 5G variant also feature a couple of additional camera features, like the My Filter feature, Fun Mode, and Pro Video Mode. Although some of these features are available on other Samsung Galaxy devices, the new Fun Mode feature is exclusive to Samsung’s Galaxy A series.

Samsung has also promised three generations of OS updates and 4 years of security updates for the devices, which is in line with the company’s recent software support commitments. This makes the new Galaxy A52 phones significantly better alternatives to similarly priced counterparts that don’t offer as many updates. In fact, the device received its April security patch update on March 31, even before Google devices could receive their update.

Samsung Galaxy A52 4G XDA Forums || Samsung Galaxy A52 5G XDA Forums


Samsung Galaxy A52: Pricing & Availability

The all-new Samsung Galaxy A52 is priced starting at €349 (~$415) in select markets, while the Galaxy A52 5G starts at €429 (~$511). The devices will be available for purchase in the UK and Europe this month and in April in the United States. Samsung will only sell the 4G variant in India, and it will be available at a starting price of ₹26,499 (~$365) for the 6GB+128GB variant. The 8GB+128GB variant will go for ₹27,999 (~$386).

Samsung Galaxy A52 colorways

Samsung is offering both devices in four matte colorways — Awesome Black, Awesome Blue, Awesome Violet, and Awesome White.

    Samsung Galaxy A52 4G
    The Galaxy A52 4G is the latest mid-ranger from Samsung, which packs features like a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 720G SoC, a 64MP quad camera setup, IP67 water and dust resistance, and more, in an easy-to-handle polycarbonate body.
    Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
    The Galaxy A52 5G is the latest mid-ranger from Samsung, bringing along features like a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 750G SoC, a 64MP quad camera setup, IP67 water and dust resistance, and more, in an easy-to-handle polycarbonate body.

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Check out the best Galaxy S21 Plus thin cases you can get for your new phone in April 2021

Bulky smartphone cases aren’t for everybody. If you’ve purchased one of the new Galaxy S21 series devices already, you’re probably going to be on the hunt for a case for your shiny new smartphone. It’s a beautiful smartphone, though expensive too, and you’ll want to protect it in some way, even if you don’t want to completely plaster over its design. We have all of the best thin cases for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, in order to help you choose which to buy!

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Official clear cover

    Crystal clear

    This is Samsung's official clear case, and it's one of the most barebones that you can get.
    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Official clear protective

    Crystal clear

    This is Samsung's official clear protective case, providing slightly more protection.
    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Official clear standing cover

    Perfect for videos

    This is Samsung's official clear standing case - great for watching videos with your phone propped up!
    Spigen Thin Fit

    Spigen's thin case

    Spigen is one of the best-known brands in cases, and this is the perfect thin fit for your smartphone.
    Ringke Air

    Clear and pretty

    The Ringke Air case is incredibly thin and light, and designed to add as little bulk and weight as possible.
    Spigen Slim Armor CS

    A case and card holder!

    The Spigen Slim Armor CS not only protects your smartphone with little-added bulk, but it has a card holder too.
    Nillkin CamShield Case

    Protect your camera

    Want something that'll protect your camera while not adding too much bulk? This case might do the trick.
    TORRAS Shockproof

    Matte black

    Thin and unobtrusive with a matte black finish means that it won't change much of your new phone's feel.
    Caseology Vault

    Super slim

    This case from Caseology is super slim, adding only 0.13-inches of thickness to your smartphone.

All of the cases above will provide basic protection to your new smartphone, without adding a ton of bulk. Some of them will let you show off the Galaxy S21 Plus’ design, while others will put a unique spin on it. Whatever you may want, there’s a case for everybody. Spigen is one of the best names in the business, while Nillkin and Ringke also make great quality cases as well. If you are looking for other options, you can check out our other recommendations on the best Galaxy S21 Plus cases.

We do agree though, the Galaxy S21 Plus is a great phone to hold without a case. While the Galaxy S21 Ultra might reign as the king when it comes to the premium range, thanks to its subtly curved screen edge, the Galaxy S21 Plus retains its own allure with the typical glass sandwich design and a growingly-rare flat display. But accidents do happen, and they rarely come with prior notice. A case might look like a burden, but these thin cases are as minimal as you can get while still retaining some semblance of protection. You can opt for skins too, but they only offer scratch protection and not drop protection, as the metallic railing of the device remains exposed.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is the middle child in the new 2021 flagship series, packing in a flagship SoC and a premium build, along with a decent display and camera setup.

Which of these Galaxy S21 thin cases did you choose from? Did you have any other options that are worth the look and money?

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Fiat 500 ‘Hey Google’ edition launched with Google Assistant built-in

Android Auto support has become increasingly popular among new car models, and Google’s deeper OS integration in the form of Android Automotive OS is also starting to make its way into more vehicles. Today, the company is announcing a new partner for its smart automotive ventures. Italian carmaker Fiat has announced the brand new Fiat 500 Hey Google family, which makes the peppy little car smarter than ever.

Fiat 500 Hey Google Edition Fiat 500 Hey Google Edition

According to Google, with My Fiat Action, which integrates Fiat’s Mopar Connect service and Google Assistant, owners will get access to new features when they aren’t driving around. Each Fiat 500 Hey Google model will also include a free Google Nest Hub as part of a Welcome Kit that can be used to access your vehicle with voice commands. For instance, you can ask the Google Assistant how much fuel the car has left right before you leave the house so you can plan your trip in advance. Worried that you didn’t lock the car while you were in a hurry? Just ask Google. To ask any question about the new Fiat 500, users will have to use the hot word “Hey Google, ask My Fiat…” followed by the request.

On top of that, the new cars will come with standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support for those who are familiar with the more intuitive in-dash smart features.

The new Hey Google edition of the Fiat 500 will be offered on the recently launched lineup with the Connect trim. It will be available with a distinguished look having the Hey Google badging and trims on the outside as well as special stitching on the seats. The Fiat 500 Family Hey Google lineup includes the Fiat 500, 500X, and 500L, which will be launching in European countries including Italy, the U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland.

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9 mobile game development courses with an extra 50% off this week

Not everyone is able to turn their passion into a career. But for gamers, there are endless opportunities. While some make it as streamers, there are more solid career paths in game development. These top courses at the XDA Developers Depot could help you land a top job — and they’re now 50% off for a limited time when you use promo code LEARNIT.

The Complete HTML5 Mobile Game Development Course

Building games with HTML5 allows you to reach every platform, including Android and iOS. This course shows how, with 10 hours of tutorials focusing on the Phaser framework, coding with JavaScript, and publishing via the Intel XDK.

Get The Complete HTML5 Mobile Game Development Course for $19.50 (reg. $199) with promo code LEARNIT

The Complete Unity Game Developer Bundle

Unity is a very popular framework with indie game developers. This collection of seven courses helps you craft your own titles, with over 200 lessons from a certified Unity expert. The training covers everything from animation to monetization.

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Zero to Hero HTML5 Game Developer Bundle

Want to take your HTML5 skills to the next level? Featuring eight top courses, this bundle combines concise tutorials and hands-on projects. You discover how to code games in various genres, with extra features written in Python and JavaScript.

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The Ultimate Unity Game Development Bundle

Featuring 44 hours of content, this bundle feels like a degree in Unity. The beginner-friendly lessons look at best practices for C# programming, helping you go from simple concepts to advanced features. You also learn about the visual aspect, with a full-length course on cinematography.

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Creating games isn’t only about coding. This bundle focuses on the creative side, showing you how to design beautiful in-game environments and interfaces from scratch. It includes seven courses in total, covering a range of skills.

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School of Game Design: Lifetime Membership

If you intend to turn pro, joining the School of Game Design is a smart move. This online training library offers 120 hours of tutorials, delivered by instructors with more than 16 years of experience. The videos cover 2D and 3D development, from coding to animation and digital artistry.

Get a School of Game Design lifetime membership for $24.50 (reg. $5,990) with promo code LEARNIT

The Comprehensive Game Development Bundle

From virtual reality to live multiplayer, this bundle of ten courses helps you build games with compelling features. You learn how to build shooter, RPG, and puzzle titles through hands-on training, with other courses looking at augmented reality and Unreal Engine.

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The Unity 2D Game Developer Bundle

Ideal for first-time developers, this bundle helps you create great 2D titles using the popular Unity framework. The line-up includes 11 courses in total, each covering new skills through a project. This means you earn real-world experience and build up a nice portfolio.

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Unity Android Game Development: Build 7 2D & 3D Games

If your focus is Android, this 30-hour Unity course is a great learning resource. The training covers all the fundamentals, showing you how to use the Java Development Kit and Android SDK. You then pick up more advanced skills through seven project titles.

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Prices subject to change 

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The Honor Band 6 brings along a big screen and accurate sleep tracking for a low price

The first thing that caught my attention as I unboxed and set up the Honor Band 6 wasn’t the fitness tracker’s design or build quality. They’re both nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Instead, the thing that made me do a double-take is that the Honor Band 6 still requires the app Huawei Health to work.

Honor, as most readers already know, is no longer a part of Huawei; the brand was sold last November as part of an attempt by the Chinese tech giant to keep its consumer business afloat despite mounting sanctions by the US government. So why is it that the Honor Band 6 is still tethered to a Huawei software service?

It turns out, the Honor Band 6 is a “transitional product,” at least that was what a representative from Honor told me. As this band was designed, manufactured, and even launched (in China) before the Honor brand sales were finalized, it remains a Huawei product. Moving forward, the representative told me, Honor products will be self-developed and will use their own ecosystem.

This makes the Band 6 one of the last of its kind — future Honor products will no longer share this Huawei lineage. This alone makes the band sort of notable, but how does it perform?

The Honor Band 6 with a 1.54-inch AMOLED screen

About this review: Honor sent us the Honor Band 6 for review. This review is after using the device for more than a week. Honor had no inputs in the contents of this review.

Honor Band 6: Design

The biggest improvement over the Honor Band 5 from 2019 is an increase in screen size from 0.95″ to 1.45″. This 194 x 368 AMOLED panel is sharp, vibrant, and easily visible even under direct sunlight. The screen fills up roughly 85% of the device’s face, so bezels are relatively slim; there’s a single physical button on the right side, and the left side has Honor’s logo etched onto the plastic frame. The actual tracker measures about half an inch in thickness so it’s thin enough to not get in the way when putting on or taking off long-sleeved shirts and jackets. Around the back is the typical heart rate sensor that can continuously track your heart rate throughout the day.

Honor Band 6 right side Honor Band 6 left side Honor Band 6 back

The band is silicone as is the case with most fitness bands, and the fit is comfortable for me thanks to a higher-than-usual number of notches that are closer together — which allows for more incremental adjustments.

Honor logo on the side of the band. The Honor Band 6 silicone strap

While my band is in an understated black, there are two other color options to add some splashes of color to the aesthetic.

Honor Band 6 Honor Band 6

Software and Features

As mentioned in the beginning of this review, pairing with the Huawei Health app is required to set up the band. I paired the band with a Huawei Mate X2 for the first two days, then switched over to the Vivo X60 Pro Plus, and both worked fine.

The Huawei Health app works well: it has an easy to navigate interface, shows me my crucial data in an easily digestible manner, and it syncs with the band far better than Fitbit’s services (I have used Fitbit products for years, and app pairing has always taken much longer than competitors). For example, if I assign a new watch face in the Huawei Health app — and there are dozens to choose from — the change is shown on the actual band within seconds. On my Fitbit Sense, this action could take 3-5 minutes.

Honor Band 6 watch faces

Notifications came through in real-time, however, these are static notifications, meaning I can just read a couple of lines worth of information. I can’t expand or respond to them. This is the case with most fitness trackers, so I suppose I can’t complain too much, but I’m used to wearing either the Fitbit Sense or Apple Watch 6 and both allow me to respond to WhatsApp or Telegram messages directly on the wrist.

The Honor Band 6 getting a WhatsApp notification Honor Band 6

Honor Band 6: Health Tracking

The Honor Band 6 can track just about all the activities one would expect from a fitness tracker: it can obviously track steps, heart rate, stairs climbed, various exercises including weightlifting and cycling, but it also adds women’s cycle tracking this year. I couldn’t track the latter, but the other metrics were all accurate.

Honor Band 6 tracking workouts

The excellent sleep tracking seen in previous Huawei/Honor devices returns here too. The Honor Band 6 can track my sleep automatically without needing me to manually prompt the device. I tend to toss around in bed a lot during sleep, and less intelligent trackers can sometimes mistake a middle-of-the-night movement as waking up — but the Honor Band 6 passes the test. All the data seems accurate to me, as far as I can tell. The sleep data doesn’t just tell me how long I’ve slept, but how well I slept, including a percentage of time spent in REM, or light sleep, etc.

Honor Band 6 tracking my steps Honor Band 6 tracking my workouts Honor Band 6 tracking my workouts Honor Band 6 tracking my sleep Honor Band 6 tracking my sleep Honor Band 6 tracking my sleep

There’s also an SpO2 sensor for blood-oxygen tracking. I tested it along with an Apple Watch 6 and the results are similar, which should imply they’re accurate.

Honor Band 6: Battery Life

As is usually the case with Huawei/Honor products, battery life is very good. The Band 6 advertises 14-day battery life on a single charge; while I haven’t used the band for that long yet, I can say that after a full week of use, I still see 61% battery left on my band right now — so the band can surely last 14 days, if not 15. Keep in mind, throughout the week I wore the band over 23 hours a day, only taking it off for showers and cooking. The band is rated 5 ATM by the way, so even if I were to wear it in the shower, it would have no issues.

Honor Band 6 tracking heart rate

Pricing and Availability

The Honor Band 6 has a suggested retail price of €50 ($58) but it’s on sale at AliExpress — which is open to US consumers too — at just $36. At this price, I can’t really complain about the Honor Band 6, even if I wish I could interact with notifications.

    The Honor Band 6 is a sleek fitness tracker with a large screen and two-week battery life.

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