A few years ago Samsung led the Spanish market with ease, facing brands such as Huawei, LG or Sony. Much has happened since then and today it is firms such as Xiaomi, OPPO or realme that present the most difficulties in the mid-range.
That is why we saw the strategy of the Korean company change with its Galaxy A, making them terminals with good features and with adjusted prices, at least for what we had seen in Samsung.
East Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is a great example, a terminal that can be bought for around 300 euros and that rivals well with models from other brands.
Buy Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
Fashion trends are visible in almost every aspect of the economy and consumer electronics is no exception. Throughout 2020 we have seen how the vast majority of manufacturers bet on screens with contained edges and with perforations for the front camera.
They were moving away, and not only in the high range, of the notches that until not so long ago were normal.
Samsung has done something strange with the Samsung Galaxy A42 by betting on a notch and not by a perforation in the panel as we have seen in models of this same family. It seems like a concession to design to differentiate the more expensive terminals.
In the back we have a new quad camera module and a double finish, although in the case of the white model that they have given us, the lower visual finish did not differ much.
It is smooth on all sides to the touch, and the finish of both the back and the frames makes it comfortable to the touch but also very slippery. On more than one occasion we have feared that the mobile would be thrown out of our hand.
The rear is made of plastic and, while this is not a problem, we would have liked a less glossy finish and something more matte.
As for the frames, it should be noted that we do not have a dual SIM tray, although we do have a memory card tray. We also do not have an infrared sensor or double speaker, and the latter does seem like something to improve.
After having tested the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, the move to this Galaxy S42 has been pleasant when talking about performance. This mobile also bets on a processor with 5G, something that Samsung has placed great emphasis on.
Specifically, we have a Snapdragon 750G, a processor that has allowed us to play all the titles we have wanted without the mobile being jerky or having problems.
Of course, the company’s decision to put 4 GB of RAM is a mobile that costs 300 euros seems wrong to us. The management of it is acceptable and it seems that it does not close many apps in the background, or at least not as many as we feared. Despite that, in this price range the 6 GB should already be a reality. In fact, on some specific occasion the system has taken a long time to draw the icons on the desktop.
As for storage memory, 128 GB is the appropriate figure since aspiring to 256 GB in the mid-range is still far from being something viable, although there is a model for sale that has it.
The connectivity of the A42 is pretty decent, without any craziness. The connection speed in Wifi is high and stable, in mobility we have 4G and also 5G (if it is something that matters to you) and of course we can make payments with NFC.
But the surprise comes when we see that we have FM Radio, something that every time surprises us more that it is incorporated.
A section in which the Korean firm usually stands out, and a lot, is on the screens. In this case we have a 6.6-inch AMOLED panel with a good image quality in terms of color representation and with good sensitivity.
The problem is that Samsung has decided that the HD + resolution it is enough for a mobile of more than 300 euros. And it is not. No kidding.
Using this terminal to play and read I must admit that I have not noticed anything, but when I put the first video I realized that the image quality left much to be desired. The density of dots per inch of the panel, with a generous diagonal, is very low for a mid-range terminal.
It is true that the colors, the brightness, the absence of reflections, the blacks … everything pointed to the fact that the screen would be one of the best in its price range, but the drop in resolution has subtracted points.
Of course, the fingerprint sensor of this model, although it is on the screen, is not one of the most effective that we have been able to use. Sometimes it is slow and although this would be a lesser evil to have facial unlocking, we complain. The reason is that this face unlock is also somewhat slow.
Samsung can boast of being one of the manufacturers that best processes photos, especially for a few years. The way it does it is different from Google or Apple, but the results are still very good.
The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is a mid-range terminal, so we are not going to ask for the same results as a Galaxy S.
That is why although sometimes we have a very good and even consistent photographic quality when we change from normal to wide angle, in others it is not so. There are some images with too high a contrast, an improvable dynamic range, as you can see in the gallery.
Despite that, most of the time we have very good photographs, especially in portraits, both in good light and in low light.
At night we liked to see that there is not much noise in the photos and how points of light, such as streetlights, are well represented even at wide angle.
As for the macro and depth sensor, little to say, they are not widely used cameras, and we would have loved to see a zoom of at least two times.
What has not convinced us so much is the video. With the front camera we have an adequate video when the light accompanies but at night the quality is low and the stability leaves much to be desired, especially if we record when we move.
With the rear cameras we do have better stabilization, both during the day and at night, but the rudeness in low light is too high.
The positive part that this terminal has a low resolution screen is, without a doubt, the autonomy.
In the first battery test we have been using mobile mostly indoors. We have played, used social apps, and configured various apps. Outdoors we have used it little but we have taken some photos and recorded a couple of videos. We have reached 8 hours of screen with 30 hours of autonomy.
In the second battery test we have made a similar use although we have played somewhat less. The autonomy has been equally surprising. We have far exceeded 8 hours of screen with 40 hours of autonomy.
In the third battery test we have taken some photos, we have spoken on the phone more than in previous tests, we have played and used messaging apps. We have reached 8 hours of screen with 32 hours of autonomy.
Samsung has started shipping some high-end Android 11 models but there are still many to update. This A42 is one of them.
Samsung’s interface continues to fulfill options, with a multitude of functions that allow you to personalize the phone and use many standard features, such as radio or NFC for payments.
In addition, the speed of the animations, the response of the apps and other aspects are among the best, perhaps because the screen has a lower resolution and the graphic load of the system is lower.
We miss Google’s Discover, but we know that it is something that will come with One UI 3.1, the version that we have tested in the Galaxy S21.
The feeling I have had with this terminal has not been homogeneous. The first few days I was in awe of the autonomy, but afterwards the jug of cold water that the resolution of the screen poured over me made me warm a bit.
Despite that, I must admit that I have enjoyed the week that I have had this terminal as my main mobile, playing and using it in all tasks. Even in the photographic section (not video) it has left a good taste in my mouth, although the differences here with the high range are noticeable.
Is it a mobile that we would recommend? The truth is that yes, especially if the poor screen resolution It is not a problem for you and you value the 5G and the autonomy.
Buy Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
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The entry Analysis Samsung Galaxy A42: an effective but peculiar mobile appears first in The Free Android.
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