Samsung Galaxy A52 5G vs A72 in the Philippines, Which PHP 23,990 Smartphone Is Right For You?

On Wednesday - March 17, 2021, Korean tech giant Samsung officially announced four new Galaxy A-Series Android smartphones in the Philippines to further reinforce their strong offerings in the midrange category.

I will talk about each of those models here in TechPinas in the coming days -- but for now, allow me to compare two of them which - interestingly enough - don the exact same suggested retail price.

If your budget for a new phone is PHP 23,990 (or more or less that amount) and you only trust Samsung because of your previous experience in using their handsets, then you currently have these two models to choose from: Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and Samsung Galaxy A72.

As shown in the image above and in the side-by-side-technical specifications comparison table below, these two smartphones share more than a handful of similarities, including their design language and build, IP67 Dust and Water Resistance, colorway options, RAM and ROM combo, operating system and user interface upon launch, as well as security and privacy features.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specifications Comparison Table
	Samsung Galaxy A52 5G SM-A526BZKHXTC	Samsung Galaxy A72 SM-A725FZKHXTC
Dimensions	159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm	165 x 77.4 x 8.4 mm
Weight	189 grams	203 grams
Display	6.5-inch FullHD+ 1080 x 2400 pixels SuperAMOLED, Infinity O Notch, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 120Hz Refresh Rate 800 Nits of Brightness	6.7-inch Full HD+ 1080 x 2400 pixels SuperAMOLED, Infinity O Notch, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 120Hz Refresh Rate 800 Nits of Brightness
Screen to Body Ratio	84.9%	84.9%
5G Connectivity	Yes	No
Front Selfie Camera	32 MegaPixels, f/2.2, 1/2.8", 0.8µm, HDR	32 MegaPixels, f/2.2, 1/2.8", 0.8µm, HDR
Quad Rear Camera	64 MegaPixels, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm (Wide Field of View), 1/1.7X" Sensor Size, 0.8µm, Phase Detection AutoFocus, Optical Image Stabilization 12 MegaPixels, f/2.2, 123˚ (Ultrawide), 1.12µm 5 MegaPixels, f/2.4, (Macro) 5 MegaPixels, f/2.4, (Depth Sensor)	64 MegaPixels, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm (Wide Field of View), 1/1.7X" Sensor Size, 0.8µm, Phase Detection AutoFocus, Optical Image Stabilization 12 MegaPixels, f/2.2, 123˚ Ultrawide, 1.12µm 8 MegaPixels, f/2.4, (Telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x Lossless Zoom 5 MegaPixels, f/2.4, (Macro)
Video Recorder	Rear - 4K 30fps, FullHD 1080p 30/120fps Front - 4K 30fps, FullHD 1080p 30fps	Rear - 4K 30fps, FullHD 1080p 30/120fps Front - 4K 30fps, FullHD 1080p 30fps
User Interface	One UI 3.1	One UI 3.1
Operating System Upon Launch	Android 11	Android 11
Chipset	8nm 2.2GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G	8nm 2.3GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G
GPU	Adreno 619	Adreno 618
RAM	8GB	8GB
ROM	256GB	256GB
microSD Card Slot	Yes, via Hybrid Secondary nanoSIM Card Slot	Yes, via Hybrid Secondary nanoSIM Card Slot
Battery	Non-removable 4,500 mAh Li-Po battery 25W Fast Charging, 50% in 30 Minutes	Non-removable 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery 25W Fast Charging
Charging Port	USB Type C	USB Type C
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
4G LTE	Yes, 4G LTE-A	Yes, 4G LTE-A
Dual SIM Capability	Yes, Dual nanoSIM	Yes, Dual nanoSIM
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Fingerprint Scanner	In-Display Optical Fingerprint Scanner	In-Display Optical Fingerprint Scanner
Facial Recognition	Yes	Yes
Protection Against The Elements	IP67 Dust and Water Resistant	IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
Launch Freebie	Samsung Galaxy Buds+	None
Colors	Awesome Blue, Awesome White, Awesome Black, Awesome Violet	Awesome Blue, Awesome White, Awesome Black, Awesome Violet
Build	Polycarbonate Back, Glass Front	Polycarbonate Back, Glass Front
Official Announcement Date in the Philippines	March 17, 2021	March 17, 2021
Official Suggested Retail Price in the Philippines	PHP 23,990	PHP 23,990

Nevertheless, the two models also have these six notable differences:

1. As its name suggests, Samsung Galaxy A52 5G supports the latest generation mobile connectivity standard that can deliver up to 1GBps download and upload speeds, which is 5G. In the Philippines, however, many tests show that 5G download speeds are typically in the area of 50MBps to 100MBps.

With Samsung Galaxy A72, you will only enjoy up to 4G LTE-A speeds. Insiders say there will be a more expensive 5G version of this one, though, which has yet to be announced.

2. Samsung Galaxy A72 has a larger 6.7-inch diplay compared to the 6.5-inch screen of the A52 5G. However, both are SuperAMOLED panels with FullHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 800 nits brightness support, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

3. The main and ultra-wide rear cameras as well as the front-facing camera of the Galaxy A52 5G and A72 are essentially the same. However, I think Samsung Galaxy A72 offers slightly superior imaging prowess with its 8 MegaPixel Telephoto camera at the back which enables up to 3X lossless zoom.

4. Samsung Galaxy A72 also has a higher capacity 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery compared to the 4,500 mAh pack of the A52 5G. Nonetheless, both phones feature 25W Fast Charging.

5. Because of its larger screen and bigger battery, Samsung Galaxy A72 also has more sizeable dimensions and greater heft than the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. Hence, more users should find the latter easier to keep in the pocket or to carry around in a purse.

6. Based on Samsung Philippines' consumer website, buyers of Samsung Galaxy A52 5G will get a free pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds+ wireless earbuds upon purchase. Samsung Galaxy A72 doesn't come with this promo, which I believe is a limited time offer.

7. Although it's smaller, Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has more updated internal hardware compared to A72. The former is powered by 8nm 2.2GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G processor and Adreno 619 GPU versus 8nm 2.3GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G and Adreno 618 on the latter.

So which 2021 PHP 23,990 Galaxy A-Series model should you choose?

Well, I think it depends on what you value on a new handset.

If you want to future-proof it with 5G support and slightly more powerful innards, the choice should be very easy. You will also get that free pair of Buds+ earphones if you go with the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G.

But if you prefer a new smartphone with larger screen, telephoto camera with up to 3X lossless zoom,  and potentially longer battery life - which truly matter in daily use, then by all means, pick the Samsung Galaxy A72.

Personally, though, I would choose the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G for this amount. Yes, it's smaller but I just find the above-mentioned value-added features very attractive. Just my opinion. Let me know yours in the comment section below. Feel free to also message me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Let's talk. Cheers!