4 Things To Know About Samsung’s New Galaxy A Phones
Samsung is launching a new series of midrange Galaxy A devices with a greater number of business-friendly features.
While Samsung has been busy enhancing its premium smartphones with business-friendly functionality, the company is now extending that approach to its midrange Galaxy A smartphones as well.
On Wednesday, the device maker unveiled five new Galaxy A models—four of which will be available through channel partners.
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The four Galaxy A devices come with business-ready security and management capabilities, but at a lower price point than the top-tier Galaxy S series devices, according to Samsung. Some of the models also feature 5G connectivity and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors for speedy performance, Samsung said.
What follows are four key things to know about Samsung’s new Galaxy A phones.
New Galaxy A Models
Among the four new Galaxy A phones that will be available through channel partners, the top-level model is the Samsung Galaxy A52.
The A52 features a 6.5-inch display along with a quad rear camera (including a 64-megapixel main camera). The smartphone also comes with an IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating, making it the first Galaxy A phone to offer IP67 durability. And, the A52 is the first Galaxy A series model to offer a 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother display experience, Samsung said.
The three other new Galaxy A models that will be available through the channel are the 6.6-inch Galaxy A42, with a three-camera system on the rear; the 6.5-inch Galaxy A32, with a quad rear camera; and the 6.5-inch Galaxy A12, with a quad rear camera.
The fifth new Galaxy A model that’s being unveiled, the 6.5-inch Galaxy A02s, is the lowest-priced model in the new series and will not be offered through channel partners, Samsung said.
Knox Platform
While it’s a standard component of Galaxy S smartphones, Samsung’s Knox security and manageability platform had only been offered on two of the Galaxy A models in the previous generation—the Galaxy A51 and A71.
Now, Samsung is expanding its Knox platform to cover a greater number of Galaxy A devices: All four of the models available through channel partners—the Galaxy A52, A42, A32 and A12—will now have the full Knox platform, Samsung said. The expansion is coming at the request of customers who’ve wanted a greater selection of midrange devices featuring Knox, according to the company.
Knox offers “multilayered defense-grade security” along with capabilities for deploying and managing devices, such as bulk device enrollment, cloud-based enterprise mobility management and deployment of firmware upgrades.
5G And Processors
Samsung is placing a major emphasis on offering high-speed 5G connectivity in its new Galaxy A series phones, with three of the devices enabled with 5G—the Galaxy A52, A42 and A32. The device maker is also touting the fact that 5G will now be offered on a Samsung phone for the first time at the sub-$300 price point, with the A32.
Previously, Samsung had offered two 5G-enabled Galaxy A devices, the Galaxy A71 and A51, but those devices were priced above $400, the company said.
The company is also upgrading the processing performance on the new Galaxy A models, particularly at the Galaxy A42 level. Both the Galaxy A52 and A42 will feature the eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G—in contrast to the Galaxy A41’s use of a lower-end MediaTek chip. The Galaxy A32 and A12 will offer MediaTek processors, Samsung said.
Pricing And Availability
Samsung said that the Galaxy A42 will be the first new phone to launch, with availability in the U.S. to begin April 8 with a starting price of $399.99.
Three other new models—the Galaxy A52, A32 and A12—will be available starting April 9 in the U.S. The Galaxy A52 will have a starting price of $499.99, while the Galaxy A32 will start at $279.99 and the Galaxy A12 will start at $179.99. The Galaxy A02s will have a starting price of $109.99 and will be available April 29.