Samsung has released a bunch of new Galaxy devices this year including its flagship, Samsung S10 and S10+ in Mobile World Congress last February. As usual, its launch has caught a lot of attention around the world packing its new features and exciting innovations.
But the Korean giant doesn’t only focus on their flagships. On March 30, Samsung Philippines has finally unveiled its newest midrange offering, the Samsung Galaxy A50, that is priced at PHP17,990. The company says that it has exciting new features and boasts its premium design. With the latest releases from Vivo and OPPO in the Philippines, is it a better midrange contender? Let’s find out in our review.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S10 5G ties Huawei P30 Pro on DxOMark Best Camera Ranking
Before going one-by-one, let’s take a quick look at its specifications:
- Display: 6.4-inch FHD+ 19.5:9 sAMOLED Infinity-U display @ 1080 x 2340 px, 403ppi
- Screen: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: Octa-core Exynos 9610
- Graphics: Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
- RAM: 4GB, 6GB RAM
- Memory: 64GB, 128GB internal storage
- Rear cameras: 25MP f/1.7 AF + 5MP f/2.2 FF + 8MP f/2.2 FF triple rear cameras with LED Flash
- Front camera: 25MP f/1.7 front camera
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, Single SIM, Dual SIM (nano), WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Security: In-display Fingerprint scanner
- Connector: USB 2.0 Type-C
- OS: Samsung One UI (Android 9 Pie)
- Battery: 4000mAh Li-Po battery
- Charging: 15W Fast Charging
- Size: 5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm
- Colors: Blue, Black, White
Design and Display
One of the strongest points of Samsung on its smartphones is the design language and Samsung Galaxy A50 has no difference. The device boasts its blue gradient finish at the back that is reminiscent to Galaxy S series. It looks so sleek and minimalist. In front, you will see the notch on top of the screen that Samsung advertises as Infinity-U Display.
Surprisingly, Samsung adapted the USB Type-C technology in Galaxy A50. Volume rockers are found in the left side while the power button is located at the right. It has a headphone jack too.
In terms of the display, Samsung uses its Super AMOLED technology. It has a 6.2″ 1080p Full HD+ display. The colors are vibrant and crisp but when used under the sunlight, readability is a downer.
Read: Top 5 Features of Vivo V15 Pro making it a reliable upper midrange phone
Camera
Samsung Galaxy A50 has triple-rear cameras consisting of 25MP f/1.7 primary shooter + 8MP f/2.2 wide-angle + 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor. In front, it has a large sensor size of 25MP with f/2.0 aperture. The 25MP primary camera seems to be massive but does not impress well. Color reproduction and vibrancy are inaccurate. In lowlight, images look brighter but contrast and saturation do not blend well. Also, details are sometimes washed out.
In terms of its front-facing camera, it looks very decent in good lighting condition but when you are shooting indoor, skin tone is unnatural and beautified even if the beauty level is at 0.
Here are some of the camera samples:
DAYLIGHT
This device was able to capture enough details to highlight the images.
LOWLIGHT
Samsung Galaxy A50 has bright output but details, contrast, and saturation are softened.
SELFIES
Selfie in daylight looks warm and skin tone is almost right.
Unfortunately, Samsung Galaxy A50 doesn’t support 4K videos both in front and rear cameras.
Read: Nokia 7 Plus vs Huawei Mate 20 Pro: ZEISS and LEICA Camera Battle
Performance, Security, and Benchmarks
Samsung Galaxy A50 is powered by Exynos 9610 2.31GHz (10nm) octa-core processor with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. The performance was good enough to handle our 1-day usage. However, there were noticeable lags when you open the device.
In terms of security, what makes it disappointing is the in-display fingerprint sensor that is very slow to recognize fingerprints despite pushing the screen so hard. On the other hand, face unlocking works very well even in indoor lowlight situations.
Here are the benchmarks results:
In AnTuTu, Samsung has failed against its sister, Samsung Galaxy A7, while Huawei P20 Lite has topped both of the Samsung devices:
AnTuTu benchmark test | Scores |
Samsung Galaxy A50 | 148065 |
Samsung A7 | 149985 |
Huawei P20 Lite | 150345 |
In Geekbench, Vivo V15 Pro topped the test ahead of Samsung Galaxy A50 and Huawei Nova 3i:
Geekbench test | Single core | Multi-core |
Samsung Galaxy A50 | 1825 | 5205 |
Vivo V15 Pro | 2386 | 6643 |
Huawei Nova 3i | 1256 | 4350 |
Read: Realme 3 vs Samsung Galaxy M20 Comparison Review – Camera, Gaming, Battery Test
Battery Life
Unlike its smartphones before, Samsung has allotted a promising 4000mAh battery in Samsung Galaxy A50. It’s big enough to give you an all-day long usage. Plus, its sAMOLED screen has helped it to conserve more battery power.
Here’s our battery endurance test:
Manila Shaker Battery test | Samsung Galaxy A50 |
Battery Endurance | 35 hours |
Charging time | 30% in 30 minutes |
Charging | 15W |
Audio
Audio quality is just fine, the bass is not well-executed. But overall, it has met our expectations.
Pros
- ✓ Sleek and minimalist design
- ✓ USB Type-C port
- ✓ Super AMOLED screen for crisp and vivid colors
- ✓ Massive battery capacity
Cons
- X Sunlight readability is just average
- X Polycarbonate body
- X Loudspeaker
- X Over-all camera performance
Read: Oppo F11 Pro Review- Best Midrange with 48MP camera?
Over-all
With its premium design, Samsung Galaxy A50 was able to impress its take on the design and build. Lightweight in hand, this device feels like a flagship phone. Camera performance is just average despite having a larger sensor and triple-rear camera set up. On the other hand, over-all performance in gaming and multi-tasking is a bit above what we expected. Plus, the use of Super AMOLED and USB Type-C technologies have made Samsung Galaxy A50 stand out.
Read: Samsung Galaxy A50 vs OPPO F11 Pro: Which is the best midrange smartphone?
So does it make Samsung Galaxy A50 a real midrange contender? Not at this time, but after all, it still offers you good specifications at a very affordable price.
Samsung Galaxy A50 is priced at PHP17,990.