The Galaxy A series is all about packing good performance, good camera and good battery in a mid-range smartphone. But with its recent launches like Galaxy A01, the A-series have also entered into the budget segment. Galaxy A21s is the best example that I have already gotten my hands into.
The specification and camera seem to be just right in this device for the price tag it bears. If you don’t know much about the phone’s specification then do check out our article on “How to Read Phone’s Specification.” With no furthermore to do, let me share my experience of Samsung Galaxy A21s Hands-on review to you.
What I liked | What I did not like |
Good Battery | Gaming goes choppy sometimes |
One-hand Usability | LCD Display instead of AMOLED |
Good Design | Old Exynos 850 chipset |
Punch-hole HD+ Infinito-O display | Slow camera shutter speed |
Good Camera performance |
Check-Out: Samsung Mobile Price in Nepal | Latest 2024 Update
Samsung Galaxy A21s Review
Infinity -O Display and Design
Well, the Samsung Galaxy A21s flaunts a 6.5-inch TFT LCD Infinity-O display. It is disappointing because everyone expects even just an AMOLED display from the company. The display is of low Hz and scrolling through apps, gallery or other interfaces isn’t that much fun. A small compromise for the price.
Even though the screen is TFT LCD, it does a good job not just indoors but outdoors also. The brightness is good and so are the colours it projects. The top left side confined single punch-hole feels modern to flex with. If you watch Netflix, Movies, or consume content a lot in a smartphone than this display will get the job right, don’t worry.
When it comes to design, it is similar to its successor Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71. From buttons placement to camera module and ports placing, everything is similar. Typical Samsung design to say. I got my hands-on to White colour finished one, which was really nice. Even though the whole body and frame of the device is plastic built, the company knows how to make it look nice.
There’s no glass protection or IP certification. Bezels at the front are really thin and overall the device looks and feels great. It is comfortable to hold and One-hand usability is what I found cool. The device gives a modern touch and is very shinny yet glossy and eye-pleasing.
The dedicated Power button and volume rockers are placed in the right edge, Hybrid SIM tray at the left and Type-C port, Single speaker grill, and 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. A rectangular camera module is featured at the top left rear side of the device. Whereas Finger-print scanning mount is in the middle and below it in the bottom middle is the company logo. Overall the display and design of this phone are simple and basic yet so good and modern.
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Well Balanced 48MP Camera
The company has used a 48MP main camera sensor, 8 MP Ultra-Wide sensor, 2 MP Macro Sensor, and 2 MP Depth Field Sensor. This setup is supported by a single LED flash. All these are fitted inside the rectangular camera module. This setup is also capable of shooting videos in 1080p at 30fps.
The Quad camera setup of this device is capable of snapping good photos. The boring stuff is that the shutter speed is relatively slow. You get all camera modes like Pro, Ultra-Wide, Macro, Food, etc but there is no Night Mode. Inclusion of decent Night Mode could have been great and the bar of this quad-camera setup would have been raised quite higher.
The photo from Standard mode is quite clear and looks of high quality at first glance. But the colour saturation and contrast aren’t great as it as been on Samsung’s other devices. The details in a photo snapped on Ultra-Wide Mode and Macro Mode is quite good but lacks on Low light conditions. During daylight and good light scenarios, this camera setup is just what you need.
At the front, you get a 13MP camera sensor housed inside the punch-hole for shooting selfies. This sensor also shoots 1080p videos at 30fps. The colour in selfies feels kind of washed but the detail is there. The Samsung software does a good job of beautification while preserving the detail. You can control the beautification intensity, Skin Whitening, and other beauty improving options. This setup worths the price.
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Mammoth 5,000mAh Battery and Performance
The Galaxy A21s comes with a massive sized 5,000mAh battery (Same size as Realme 6i). This battery is also one of the highlights and selling points of the device. You can use the device from morning to night in a single charge. I played PUBG in HD graphics and High Frame Rate straight for 4 hours and battery went from 100% to 56%.
The battery backup was impressive plus, 15W Fast charging support via Type-C Reversible connector came useful to fill juice real quick when drained. Kudos to the combination of battery backup and its fast charging support.
Exynos 850 chipset, Octa-core processor, Mali-G52 GPU, and 4GB RAM are featured inside the device to ensure the performance. All this hardware runs on the latest Android 10 out of the box on top of OneUI 2.0. The combination of hardware and software does all the job. But because of the old chipset, gaming sometimes felt a bit choppy. While playing PUBG, I experienced slow response and dropping of Frame Rates.
Multitasking and switching between apps feel smooth though. Overall the performance of this device is good for its price but isn’t made for gaming. 64GB storage is available which can be further expanded via microSDXC slot. So, keeping large files shouldn’t be a problem.
The device also comes with stereo speakers which sounds good. The good part is, it has support for NFC along with Bluetooth 5.0 and USB 2.0. Because of this, Samsung Pay and other wireless paying methods and other features should be compatible with the device. 4G Network is supported in this phone while no 5G Network as it isn’t available everywhere.
Samsung Galaxy A21s Price and Value
Samsung Galaxy A21s price in Nepal is just Rs. 23,999 for 4GB/64GB variant. This variant is the only variant launched in Nepal. It is available in Official Samsung Showrooms and Retail stores. Black, Red, Blue, and White are the finishes you can choose from.
A phone for Rs. 23,999 with Modern Punch-hole design, Great finish, 48MP camera, and 5,000mAh battery; the deal sounds good to me. It may have compromised on Night mode, old Exynos 850 chipset, and low Hz display but still feels legit.
Night mode isn’t as important people think, Chipset can do good if you don’t game heavy and even if the display is of low Hz, the viewing experience is just good as it should be. Galaxy A21s is a good bargain. If you don’t want to consider this phone then check out our list on “Best Phones Under Rs. 30,000 in Nepal”.
Samsung Galaxy M21 also comes in a similar price range as Galaxy A21s. But in Galaxy M21 you will get an sAMOLED Panel, 6000mAh battery, Exynos 9611 chipset, 20MP selfie shooter, and more. All hardware is better than of Galaxy A21s. But you will get a Triple camera setup with a 48MP main sensor but in Galaxy A21s you will get Quad camera setup with the same main sensor. Both phones are a good deal in this price range.