As we head into the last few weeks of 2020, leaks pertaining to Samsung’s 2021 Galaxy A lineup have started to come thick and fast. Last week we saw several high-quality CAD-based renders of the Galaxy A32 5G leak online for the first time. Now, we have our first look at the Galaxy A52 5G, courtesy of the same source.
The Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A51 were among the most selling Android smartphones globally in 2019 and 2020 respectively. They both offered excellent value for money, with a great balance between cost, features, and design. Samsung unsurprisingly isn’t looking to change a winning formula in 2021.
First major Galaxy A52 5G leak reveals key specs and design
The Galaxy A52 5G sports a design identical to its predecessor Galaxy A51. It features a 6.5-inch display with a centered punch-hole cutout and minimal bezels. The back panel is made of Glasstic, the same material found on the back of most Galaxy A phones. It’s not actual glass, but a plastic material that is made to look and feel like glass.
The phone gets a metal frame, which is what you find on the 5G variant of the Galaxy A51. The original, 4G LTE-only Galaxy A51 has a plastic frame. Another subtle difference you’d notice here is that the back panel on the Galaxy A52 doesn’t wrap around the left and right edges of the phone like it does on the Galaxy A51.
The rectangular camera bump on the back houses a total of four image sensors along with an LED flash. Spec details of both front and rear camera sensors are not known yet.
The Galaxy A52 5G has the physical power and volume control buttons on the right side. A 3.5mm headphone jack resides on the bottom edge alongside a USB Type-C port, a single down-firing speaker, and a microphone. A secondary microphone can be seen at the top edge. Samsung has also moved the SIM tray to the top. So the left side of the phone should be free of any buttons or ports.
This phone measures 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4mm. But with the camera bump, the thickness increases to nearly 10mm. The Galaxy A52 5G also gets an optical under-display fingerprint sensor, a similar sensor you’ll find inside this year’s model.
Price and availability
Samsung recently launched the entry-level Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A02s as the first two members of the Galaxy A (2021) lineup. These devices will go on sale in select European markets starting in January next year. In the meantime, the company is preparing to launch the flagship Galaxy S21 series early next year.
But for the Galaxy A52 5G, or even the recently-leaked Galaxy A32 5G, there’s no indication when these devices might launch. The Galaxy A51 had arrived in the market in December 2019 itself, but it’s 5G variant did not arrive until April. Samsung should not delay the Galaxy A52 5G until April though.
For pricing, the upcoming phone should cost just about the same as its predecessor. The Galaxy A51 5G debuted with a price tag of $499. Since 5G phones are getting more and more affordable, its successor should launch at a similar price point, if not lesser. We’ll keep you posted as and when we have more information to share.
