It seems like Samsung is planning to go big on its mid-range phones, as tweets from two tipsters with a good track record, OnLeaks, and Ice Universe imply that the upcoming Galaxy A90 can very well be the company’s first affordable handset will flagship level specifications.
Apparently, there will be two variants of the Galaxy A90, a 5G model codenamed SM-A908 and an LTE variant called SM-A905. Both the versions will reportedly be fueled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, the same chipset that powers various premium handsets in the market.
Both the phones are also expected to sport a massive 6.7-inch display with an in-display fingerprint scanner in tow. Again, most mid-tier phones in the market come with a physical fingerprint reader, so this alleged feature will undoubtedly make the Galaxy A90 stand out.
The two models are tipped to come with a rear triple camera setup, with slightly different specifications. The 4G variant will apparently have one 48MP sensor, one 12MP camera, and a 5MP unit. Additionally, it will also reportedly come with something called Tilt OIS, a feature which will presumably make pictures less shaky.
The 5G-ready Galaxy A90, on the other hand, is expected to swap out the middle 12MP sensor for a lower resolution 8MP sensor, perhaps in a bid to offset the additional cost that will be incurred to give it 5G connectivity.
According to a previous report, the 5G variant of the Galaxy A90 will also support 45W fast charging, making it Samsung’s first phone to support the technology. Currently, the best that the South Korean giant offers is the 25W Super Fast Charging that is offered with the Galaxy S10 5G and the Galaxy A70.
Other rumors suggest that the phone might embrace the all-screen design of the Galaxy A80, which comes with a triple lens rotating camera. Such a setup allows the phone to use the camera setup for both selfies and regular photos.
If these rumors have any weight to them, the Galaxy A90 will be a flagship level mid-range handset, and it will easily take on devices from Chinese manufacturers such as the OnePlus 7 Pro and ASUS Zenfone 6. Moreover, the fact that it will most likely be the first affordable phone on the market to offer 5G connectivity is also going to attract a lot of buyers, especially budget-conscious consumers who want to try out 5G.
As is common knowledge by now, the smartphone market is a little sluggish these days, and it has been in this state since quite long. One of the reasons behind the slowdown is that consumers are holding onto their devices for longer.
5G is expected to boost the industry, but since flagship 5G devices like the Galaxy S10 5G are out of the reach of an average consumer, the adoption rate is expected to be slow. That’s where affordable 5G devices like the purported Galaxy A90 can play a role, and entice more consumers to jump in on the 5G bandwagon.
Earlier, Huawei’s subsidiary Honor had also announced plans to release an affordable 5G handset, but given the current circumstances, that seems rather unlikely. Huawei and Honor offer a good mix of high end and inexpensive devices, and apparently, Samsung has now adopted that strategy and can end up emerging as the biggest beneficiary of the U.S.-China trade wars by scooping up Huawei’s market share.