The Galaxy A51’s 6.5-inch display screen will not wash out in direct daylight.
Juan Garzon/CNET
How good can a $400 telephone actually be? When the system in query is the Samsung Galaxy A51, the reply is straightforward: good. In reality, Samsung’s finances telephone (£329 within the UK and AU$599 in Australia) greater than holds its personal towards Apple’s iPhone SE (which begins at $399, £419 and AU$749). Screen measurement and readability, telephone options, digital camera high quality and efficiency — it delivers in each key means however one.
Like6.5-inch display screen is detailed and brilliantWide-angle digital camera choiceHeadphone jack
Don’t LikeProcessor pace dragsNo water resistance
As the primary actual consultant of the Galaxy A household within the US, the A51 is a convincing effort that proves that Samsung could make a superb midprice telephone that individuals will wish to purchase. And they need to. By the way in which, the Galaxy A51 is bought at Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Amazon and as a part of a bundle bundle at Samsung.com. It’s the pace of its Samsung-made Exynos 9611 processor that is the Galaxy A51’s Achilles’ heel. Performance feels sluggish dealing with day-to-day actions resembling ready for a web site to load or for apps to refresh. Benchmarking assessments assist that real-world remark.
Camera efficiency between these two rivals is nearer than you would possibly suppose.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
The Galaxy A51 actually lags in comparison with top-tier telephones such because the Galaxy S20, but additionally when held up towards the A51’s primary rival. That’s as a result of Apple gave the iPhone SE the identical A13 Bionic chipset as its most costly iPhone 11, so Apple’s finances system strikes quick. The iPhone SE additionally leapfrogs the A51 with regards to water resistance and wi-fi charging, each options that Samsung’s cheaper telephone lacks. (For a full comparability of the Galaxy A51 and iPhone SE’s specs, see the desk on the finish of this evaluate.)But the Galaxy A51 has its personal charms. It doubles the iPhone SE’s on-board storage for the SE’s beginning value, supplying you with 128GB out of the gate in comparison with the SE’s 64GB for its least expensive mannequin — and it helps exterior storage, too. The Samsung display screen is way bigger, with slim bezels that make the telephone really feel trendy and dedicated to little wasted area. Battery life can be on par between the 2 telephones. Both come to round 16 hours in a looping video take a look at in airplane mode, with extra lab assessments on their means. The Galaxy A51 lasted about 20 minutes longer than the SE on this take a look at.The Galaxy A51 additionally stands its floor on the digital camera entrance within the typical ways in which Samsung telephones and iPhones evaluate: Galaxy photographs are extra saturated in comparison with the iPhone’s extra pure tones. The iPhone SE advantages from optical picture stabilization, however the A51’s 4 cameras additionally provide you with extra capturing choices than the iPhone SE. Wide-angle lens is the one I care about most, which is absent from the SE. But in all different respects, photograph high quality is pretty shut, with one edging the opposite on this or that situation. For extra, my colleague, Lexy Savvides, created this great and in-depth Galaxy A51 versus iPhone SE digital camera comparability.
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iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 telephone cameras
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Galaxy A51 vs. Galaxy S20Take away the iPhone SE from the equation and the A51 is akin to the Galaxy S20 Plus for a 3rd of the worth. Considering the A51 is considerably cheaper than any telephone within the Galaxy S20 household, it is a formidable total bundle.Side by facet it is laborious to inform the 2 massive telephones aside at first look, besides that the A51’s front-facing digital camera is extra apparent and the A51 makes use of an optical in-screen fingerprint reader. Incidentally, the fingerprint reader’s been extra correct than the Galaxy S20’s ultrasonic sensor for me. The A51 is barely lighter, too, because it has a plastic backing moderately than a glass one. When I put the 2 facet by facet and watched the identical Netflix present on the identical body, the A51’s display screen was nearly as brilliant, detailed and richly coloured because the Galaxy S20 Plus. Outdoor legibility within the midday solar was additionally fairly even.The Galaxy A51 did a ravishing job photographing this iris, shot open air in pure mild.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Photos and movies look a lot better on the Galaxy S20, largely as a result of photograph decision is sharper on the pricier mannequin, and since it has OIS, which makes for smoother, steadier photos and video. You can make the most of core Samsung software program on the Galaxy A51’s digital camera, together with night time mode, and the telephone has settings resembling macro and HDR. You can shoot a 48-megapixel photograph by choosing the digital camera setting. When I evaluate the identical zoomed-in photographs taken with each telephones on my laptop computer display screen, it is simple to see the place the Galaxy S20 is superior. In different photographs, footage of native flowers alongside my stroll or the dinner I made look simply pretty much as good.I admire that the Galaxy A51 has macro images the place the Galaxy S20 blurs out while you get too shut. In some instances, it was too straightforward to get an out of focus macro with the A51. Selfies are a lot better on the Galaxy S20 however completely usable on the A51. Plus, you need to use portrait mode and sweetness mode to melt the scene.The 5-megapixel macro lens captured this shot.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
It’s disappointing that the Galaxy A51 lacks water resistance. Most trendy telephones have it, although it is typical for finances units to haven’t any waterproofing or just be “splash resistant.” The A51’s all-day battery life takes it from morning to nighttime, and it lasted a mean of 16 hours, 10 minutes after three looping video assessments in airplane mode. I’ll replace this evaluate with the outcomes of our steaming lab assessments over Wi-Fi after they’re full. Luckily, the A51 additionally features a 15-watt quick charger within the field, however in contrast to the Galaxy S20 telephones, you may want to produce your individual headphones and any USB-C to USB-C cables you might have considered trying. It does include a USB-A to USB-C twine, nonetheless.Although telephone releases have slowed down, the Galaxy A51 is one among at the very least 16 telephones popping out in 2020. Samsung has additionally confirmed plans to make one other foldable telephone.Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE
Samsung Galaxy A51 (4G)
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
Display measurement, decision
6.5-inch FHD AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels
4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels
Pixel density
405ppi
326ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.24×2.90×0.31 inches
5.45×2.65×0.29 inches
Dimensions (Millimeters)
158.5×73.6×7.9 mm
138.4×67.3×7.3 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
6.07 oz; 172g
5.22 oz; 148g
Mobile software program
Android 10
iOS 13
Camera
48-megapizel (normal), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth sensing)
12-megapixel
Front-facing digital camera
32-megapixel
7-megapixel
Video seize
4K
4K
Processor
Samsung Exynos 9611 processor (Octa-core)
Apple A13 Bionic
Storage
128GB
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
RAM
4GB
Not disclosed
Expandable storage
Up to 512GB
No
Battery
4,000 mAh
Not disclosed, however Apple claims it has the identical battery life as iPhone 8
Fingerprint sensor
In-screen optical reader
Home button
Connector
USB-C
Lightning
Headphone jack
Yes
No
Special options
15W quick charging
Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wi-fi charging
Price off-contract (USD)
$400
$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)
Price (GBP)
£329
£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)
Price (AUD)
AU$599
AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)
First printed on May 6