Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: An incredible value

Our Verdict

The Galaxy A32 5G is an excellent budget 5G selection, especially in the The states. It directly challenges the OnePlus Nord N200 for the best cheap 5G crown. Only don't be fooled — the A32 withal has major shortcomings to account for.

For

Very low price
Four years of security patches
Great battery life
90Hz refresh rate

Against

Subpar Hard disk drive+ display
Bulky
Mediocre functioning

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Milky way A32 5G is an splendid budget 5G option, especially in the US. It directly challenges the OnePlus Nord N200 for the best inexpensive 5G crown. But don't be fooled — the A32 still has major shortcomings to account for.

Pros

+
Very low toll
+
Four years of security patches
+
Bully battery life
+
90Hz refresh rate

Cons

-
Subpar HD+ brandish
-
Bulky
-
Mediocre functioning

Galaxy A32 5G: Specs

OS: Android 11 / I UI iii.1
Display: 6.5-inch LCD (1600 x 720)
Refresh rate: 90Hz
CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 720
RAM: 4GB
Storage / Expandable: 64GB / Aye
Rear cameras: 48MP (f/i.viii) main, 8MP (f/two.2) ultrawide, 5MP (f/2.4) macro, 2MP (f/ii.34) depth
Front photographic camera: 13MP (f/ii.two)
Video: Up to 4K at xxx fps
Battery: v,000mAh
Battery life (Hrs:Mins): xi:39 (adaptive), 12:22 (60hz)
Charging: 15W
Colors: Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue, Awesome Violet
Size: six.46 10 iii.00 10 0.36 inches
Weight: 7.23 ounces

5G has become more prevalent recently, and then it's no surprise to meet 5G support actualization in less expensive phones. Samsung's midrange A models now include 5G, and the cheapest of the lot — the Galaxy A32 5G — lets you savor faster networking speeds for $280. That's a major deal, even with some serious shortcomings.

As you lot'd expect for $280, there's nothing loftier-end about the Galaxy A32. The 720p display isn't good, the performance is mediocre at the all-time of times, and it'due south a rather large device that might be hard to manage for some people. Still, the Galaxy A32 5G packs incredibly impressive battery numbers, a 90Hz refresh rate on the TFT LCD panel, and Samsung's promise of three years of platform updates and 4 years of security patches.

US shoppers will encounter similarities between the Galaxy A32 and the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, which I called the all-time inexpensive 5G telephone when I reviewed it a month ago. At $40 less than the A32, the Nord N200 does a lot of things right, sporting a notably better brandish and similar operation. However, Samsung wins out in the camera department, as you'll encounter beneath. And with much longer support, the A32 is a safer bet long-term, making it i of the best cheap phones you can buy.

Our Galaxy A32 5G review volition walk you lot through exactly what this phone does well and where it's defective. If you want 5G under $300, this is a telephone you must consider.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Price and availability

The Milky way A32 5G has the do good of being available basically anywhere. It has the total weight of Samsung behind it, and y'all tin can purchase it through a diversity of wireless carriers, too every bit Samsung itself and Best Buy. Information technology'll run you $279.99 outright for 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, though you lot can probably find a skillful deal around with a merchandise-in and/or same-twenty-four hours activation.

The A32 doesn't support mmWave 5G, but information technology does come with C-Band support (which is important for some of AT&T's and Verizon's time to come 5G expansion plans). The lack of mmWave on the Galaxy A32 5G isn't surprising — it's a premium feature that's often seen equally a luxury these days.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Design

At first glance, the Galaxy A32 5G looks very nice. The three vertical camera lenses, coupled with the macro photographic camera and flash, make for a subtle camera module on the back of the phone. With a glossy plastic torso, the A32 actually attracts fingerprints, which requires frequent cleaning to keep it looking sharp.

galaxy a32 review — (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

The brandish takes up most of the Milky way A32's front end. The mesomorphic bottom and meridian bezels, even so, muddle any illusion that this is an edge-to-edge screen. The front photographic camera is housed in a teardrop notch upwards elevation, non the hole-dial cutout nosotros meet on other phones, similar the Nord N200 5G.

The A32's power button also houses the fingerprint sensor, which worked well enough in my testing. I did have trouble with proper placement with my left alphabetize finger sometimes, but the phone recognized my right pollex pretty much every time.

At $280, it should surprise no one that the Galaxy A32 5G feels cheap. The buttons band hollow and loud. Yous do get a headphone jack, something you don't find on the much more expensive flagships.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Display

We don't meet a lot of phones with TFT LCDs anymore, but Samsung went with this option to keep the Galaxy A32 5G's toll down. It'southward definitely a far cry from the company'southward Super AMOLED panels and at 720p, the screen's sharpness won't knock your socks off. It'southward a middling 6.five-inch display that struggles with crushed blacks, so-so brightness, and washed out colors.

Watching videos on the Galaxy A32 isn't the best experience, whereas the OnePlus Nord N200 5G had a decent display that did a much better job with colors, viewing angles, and deeper blacks. Belongings both phones adjacent to each other shows the visible differences betwixt TFT and IPS LCD panels. (The latest Nord features the latter.)

The displays on both phones can go upwards to 90Hz, though, which is really squeamish to see for devices that cost less than $300. That higher frame rate means that scrolling will be smoother. Games that support loftier refresh rates will also theoretically await improve, as well, if the Galaxy A32 could muster the power it would need for such a task.

I watched my favorite scene in the later on parts of Blade Runner 2049 with its farthermost orange colour palette. On most phones, this scene looks rich and draws you lot in with the strangeness and mystery of it. On the Milky way A32 5G, information technology looked washed out and bland.

Looking at the display lab results shows off more differences betwixt the A32 and Nord N200. The A32 produced 96.ane% of the sRGB and only 68.ane% of the DCI-P3 gamuts. The Nord N200 managed 160.vii% of the sRGB spectrum and 113.viii% of the DCI-P3. The A32'due south Delta-East score, where 0 is perfect, is pretty loftier at 0.35, too. Compare that to the Nord N200, with its 0.25 Delta-Eastward score.

As for effulgence, the Galaxy A32 hit a max of 485 nits in our testing (with the Nord N200 seeing a lower 415 nits). Seeing such a mediocre display from Samsung is quite surprising, particularly since OnePlus offers a superior screen on a telephone that's $40 cheaper.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Cameras

The Galaxy A32 5G employs 4 cameras: the 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Equally y'all might wait only the master and ultrawide cameras are worthwhile — the latter 2 don't seem to add together annihilation.

Overall, the A32 does an admirable job for a phone that's less than $300. It certainly fares better than the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, which I used for the following camera comparisons. Samsung likes to oversaturate on its more expensive phones, but that tendency is not every bit readily credible on the A32's photos. This could be because the processor doesn't take the horsepower to do all the post-processing that higher-end Milky way phones do.

Starting off outdoors, the Galaxy A32 5G shot a well-balanced picture of these flowers. The colors are rich, the exposure is good considering how sunny the scene was, and the image altogether feels more alive. This is especially truthful when you lot await at the Nord N200's epitome, which is flat, bland, dull, and mostly lifeless. Information technology'due south an awful picture.

For this 2d outdoor shot, the Milky way A32 didn't practice too every bit before, only however fared amend than the Nord N200. This scene involved directly sunlight, and both phones struggled. Withal, the A32 did a better job with toning down the exposure and still showing off some of the flower colors. The Nord N200 couldn't business relationship for the dominicus or flowers, producing a diddled out image that I wouldn't dare post anywhere but here.

Inside, the Galaxy A32 one time again beats the Nord N200. The photo of Merida is vibrant with her red hair, blue wearing apparel, and the little details therein. The Nord N200's image is flat and dull, with washed out colors and poor detail capture. Both phones struggled with soft focus, making the final images look blurry in some spots. I wouldn't call either shot good, but the A32 clearly wins this one.

Where the Galaxy A32 5G had trouble was with portraits. Information technology struggled not only with the light coming in off to the right of the image, but also with color accuracy. The blur radius, however, is quite artistic, and then I'm left to wonder if the effect here was just with the A32's disability to handle poorer lighting conditions. Compare the image to the Nord N200'due south portrait shot which, while more than zoomed in with a weaker bokeh upshot, looks more colour accurate with a stronger focus on me.

Samsung includes a night mode on the Galaxy A32 5G, and it's corking. Unfortunately, it's not skillful, either, far from the likes of Google's Night Sight on the Pixel 4a. However, it'south not as bad equally the Nord N200'south night shot. Compared to the OnePlus phone, the Galaxy A32 produced a much brighter prototype of the smoker. Details remain scarce, but at to the lowest degree you lot can see the darn affair. The Nord N200 just shows a void of black.

Finally, the Galaxy A32 5G has a 13MP forepart-facing camera. It's not astonishing, merely it did produce a much amend selfie than the Nord N200 did. The A32's image is crisper with richer details, showing the ruddiness in my face and beard and the blue of eyes much improve. The Nord N200 applied as well much face smoothing and information technology's not a selfie I'd ultimately be willing to mail anywhere.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Video

The Galaxy A32 5G can tape video up to 4K at xxx frames per second. That's a lot of pixels for a phone nether $300, though I'd wager well-nigh people will want to become with 1080p at 60 fps for a smoother video.

Video recording on the A32 wasn't astonishing. Samsung'south phone ran into noticeable trouble correcting for the bounce and sway in my steps. It likewise struggled with background noise, with the final video existence very loud with wild animals and cars providing a lot of distraction. The mic quality wasn't the best, either, with my voice sounding hollow and far away.

For a $280 phone, the Milky way A32 5G can record decent video, but don't expect besides much out of it. If you're only trying to grab a cute moment with your pets or a detail event with your children, it'll get the job done.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Functioning

MediaTek-powered phones aren't that mutual in the Usa, so seeing one from Samsung of all places was a scrap of a shock. The Milky way A32 5G uses the Dimensity 720 organisation-on-flake paired with 4GB of RAM. Information technology'south not a powerhouse, only this chip lines up well with some of Qualcomm's lower-tier offerings similar the Snapdragon 480 5G institute in the OnePlus Nord N200 5G. In day-to-day use, the Dimensity 720 does well enough, but annihilation more than intensive than browsing social media and checking your letters is where you'll notice slowdown.

Gaming can be a job sometimes on the A32, especially if y'all need to drop graphics settings to go any sort of reasonable performance. Lighter games volition exist fine, but annihilation that requires heavy lifting like Genshin Bear upon will make the phone noticeably struggle. That'south non surprising.

In Geekbench 5, the Galaxy A32 5G scored 1,642 in multicore. The OnePlus Nord N200 5G managed 1,602 in the same exam, so the phones are pretty close to one some other. In the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited graphics benchmark, the A32 managed an average of 7.3 frames per second. The Nord N200 scored a lower v.viii FPS.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Battery life and charging

One of the Galaxy A32 5G's greatest strengths is its battery life. With a 5,000mAh battery, the phone lasts an impressively long time considering its 90Hz refresh rate. I like to encounter phones last longer than 10 hours, which we would consider almost boilerplate for smartphones nowadays. But the A32'due south numbers might just earn it a spot on our listing of the best telephone battery life.

To test batteries, we chore phones to endlessly reload pages on a cellular connexion at 150 nits of brightness until they die. In the adaptive mode, where the brandish clocks up and down depending on the content you're consuming, the A32 went for eleven hours and 39 minutes. And in the 60Hz mode, the phone lasted for a longer 12 hours and 22 minutes.

The OnePlus Nord N200 5G didn't fare as well, seeing 10 hours and 28 minutes in its 90Hz mode and x hours and 36 minutes in its 60Hz mode. So the A32 lasted considerably longer, despite having the same size battery as the Nord N200.

Nosotros also tested the recharge times for the Milky way A32 5G, with the phone recharging from 0% to 14% in 15 minutes and to 27% in 30 minutes. That'south pretty inline with the Nord N200, which recharged to 32% subsequently half-an-hour.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Software

Some other plus for the Milky way A32 5G, the software on this telephone is practically the aforementioned equally you'll observe on the Galaxy S21. And to proceed with that, Samsung has promised three years of Android updates and four years of security patches. That destroys anything else in this product category, certainly the OnePlus Nord N200 5G with its paltry 1-year/2-yr promise.

Samsung's Ane UI 3.1 looks very different from Google's vision, but you lot might detect it to your liking. Samsung even gives you the option of choosing which bloatware y'all desire to install during setup, which is a great thing to see. You lot selection and cull what you lot desire, or deselect them all.

The software on the A32 doesn't have much else going on, which is fine. Samsung has done a good job with making One UI very easy to use with slick animations, pretty transitions, and plenty of things tucked away in the settings.

Buying the Galaxy A32 5G is a better decision long-term over the Nord N200, since Samsung will support the telephone for much longer than OnePlus volition update the Nord N200.

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G review: Verdict

The Galaxy A32 5G is a great telephone for the price. It has notable drawbacks, like the brandish and performance, but it impressed me with its battery life. The cameras are pretty good for $280, but for $70 more, you lot can get the excellent Pixel 4a and its incredible camera. Granted, you lose 5G, but you also get a noticeably better display, too.

And with Samsung's dandy software update policy, the Milky way A32 will final you for a few years earlier information technology hits cease-of-life. There'due south a lot to be said for that, and it helps brand the A32 an easy recommendation for 5G on the cheap.

The Galaxy A32 5G is good enough at most things and it packs a punch. That's all y'all can ask for sometimes.

Hashemite kingdom of jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom'south Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written about phones for over 5 years and plans to continue for a long while to come. He loves nothing more than than relaxing in his abode with a volume, game, or his latest personal writing projection. Jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Hashemite kingdom of jordan tends to lurk on social media, but you lot tin all-time reach him on Twitter.