Samsung Galaxy A50 review: Still one of the best budget phones

Samsung very last thirty day period announced updates to its Galaxy A collection, its loved ones of budget phones that are poised to compete against Apple’s hottest Apple iphone SE for 2020. While some styles have new features like 5G, all of them are less than $400 and have headphone jacks. One of the new phones, the Galaxy A51, is a sequel to 2019’s Galaxy A50. 

The Galaxy A50 from 2019 may well not be as fancy as the hottest Galaxy S20 phones or as awesome-seeking as the Z Flip. But at $350 at start and now discounted by Samsung even more at $three hundred, the A50 is one particular of two finest Android phones that are beneath $400 and arrived out very last yr. (For more phones beneath $five hundred, test out our roundup.) 

That other preference is the Motorola Moto G7, which initially introduced at $three hundred (£189, AU$349), but you can now get it for less costly (in the US, Motorola currently sells it for $230). For the earlier few a long time, Motorola’s G-collection has constantly ranked as our most loved budget cellular phone and the G7 proceeds this legacy as an exceptional cellular phone for its price.

All in all, we nevertheless adore the Moto G7. It really is a great, reasonably priced cellular phone, and it received our Editors’ Alternative for its affordable price, superior digicam and trusted functionality. But I do feel the Galaxy A50 is much better, even if it is really a little bit more highly-priced. For that, it much too gained by itself an Editors’ Alternative. If you have an more $70 to spare, go for the Galaxy A50 in excess of the Moto G7. Nevertheless it won’t shoot 4K online video and I am not a huge supporter of Samsung’s One UI, the A50’s outstanding digicam, sleeker style and design and extended battery existence make it the much better cellular phone.

Galaxy A50 seems much better, but has no h2o security

Nevertheless both equally phones are comparable in dimensions and style and design, there are a few information that elevate the Galaxy A50 earlier mentioned the Moto G7. For instance, the Moto G7 has a larger digicam bump on the again. Having a bump just isn’t a offer breaker, and a ton of phones have it like the Apple iphone. The Galaxy A50’s digicam is way more flushed, it seems flatter and sleeker. The on-display digicam notch for the entrance-going through digicam is also scaled-down, so it is really less obtrusive when you happen to be viewing the screen. Finally, due to the fact the Galaxy A50 has an in-display fingerprint scanner, the unit seems more seamless overall. The Moto G7, on the other hand, has a seen reader on the again which is emblazoned with the Motorola symbol (and you will find a Motorola symbol on the entrance much too, on the base bezel), which just isn’t as desirable.

In addition, the Galaxy A50 has an AMOLED screen in comparison to the Moto G7’s Liquid crystal display display. Nevertheless both equally phones have about the identical resolution and pixel density, the Galaxy A50 display is brighter and shades are a lot more vibrant. Blacks are a lot darker and inkier as nicely. When viewing both equally phones at unique angles, the coloration shift is more intense on the Moto G7 much too. That implies shades clean out dramatically and the display seems to get dimmer at specific angles.

One gain the Moto G7 does have is that it is really marginally h2o repellent. You are unable to completely submerge it underwater, but it does have a nano-coating that shields it against light-weight h2o sprinkles and splashes. Samsung did not increase h2o security to the A50.

Do not care about 4K online video? Galaxy A50’s digicam is outstanding

Each the Galaxy A50 and Moto G7 just take obvious and vibrant images when ailments are great, as in settings with a ton of even lighting. And though the Galaxy A50 can record only 1080p online video (in comparison to the Moto G7’s 4K maximum), the Galaxy A50’s digicam nevertheless pulls in advance of the Moto G7 in quite a few strategies. 

Photographs are sharper, so you can see finer information in matters like leaves and bricks. In minimal light-weight, the A50 brightens and punches up shades, though images taken with the G7 are muddier with a lot hazier and washed out shades. The A50 also has a wider dynamic array, that means scenes with unique lighting predicaments are uncovered more evenly in comparison to the Moto G7. I did see that there have been instances when the A50’s HDR influence appeared a minimal much too unrealistic, but I favored it in excess of the Moto G7 nevertheless. The Galaxy A50 has a second vast-angle digicam much too, that means you capture more content within every single frame. This is helpful when you want to capture huge landscapes and surroundings much too.