After using the Samsung Galaxy S20 for a while, I was a bit surprised when I took the new A72 out of the box and saw the size difference. Yes, the A72 has a 6.7-inch display that's just 0.1-inch smaller than that of the S21 Ultra. If you've used the A71 this is nothing new.
What's new, though, is that Samsung ditched the curved displays for the A-Series this time around, similar to the S21 and S21 + that were released earlier this year (the S21 Ultra kept the curved edge).
In some ways, the flatter screen edge makes the display feel a lot bigger, which is pleasing to the eyes. While I was using the A72, I was also less likely to accidentally touch the screen.
The A72 has an FHD + Super AMOLED display that was bright and vibrant. Interestingly, even more than my S20, even though both are set to Vivid and toggle about the same brightness. If I had to choose what looks better, I would easily pick the A72's screen.
The vibrant and bright display of the A72.
Behind
We received the device in the pretty Awesome Violet, which is almost like a powdery purple. It is not reflective, thanks to its plastic back, it is purely matt. It looked nice, but it definitely sounded cheap when you tapped it with your fingers.
Actually, I don't mind the plastic back as I don't plan on dropping the phone anytime soon and it would be reasonable to opt for at least a clear case to protect the pretty back.
Thanks to the plastic, the phone weighs only 203g, although it is heavier than the S21, which weighs only 171g. I would say the weight makes it feel as solid as it can be with its plastic back, and it's not really hard to pull your pants down anyway.
A rather minimalist look.
One of the most noticeable changes this time around was the camera body. It's a seamless design with no gaps that goes perfectly with the quad camera setup. There is a shiny metal band around the edges of the phone.
I have to say that I also prefer the layout of the A72's cameras, which, oddly enough, look a lot more balanced than even the S21 Ultra's. Of course, these are all just cosmetic preferences.
Look through the lenses
The A72 has 64 MP wide, 8 MP telephoto, 12 MP ultrawide and 5 MP macro cameras. To my amateur eyes, photos I took of random spots from the same position didn't look much different between when the S20 and A72 were shot.
A subtle tracking shot, thank God.
I can confidently say that the A72's images were still crisp and vivid after optical image stabilization (OIS) started. Anyway, I'll be testing their cameras more closely in a full test soon, especially since they have 30x the room zoom that was only introduced into the S series last year.
What is inside
Equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery and a quick charge of 25 W, the battery is no joke. Based on my brief tests with multiple apps running and the brightness almost half higher, I would say the battery drain is decent and not worrying.
I haven't tested it for gaming yet and I'd also like to see how it can compete with its Snapdragon 720G processor. During my occasional uses such as watching videos and scrolling social media, I have not yet noticed any issues with the A72's heating.
Well am I impressed?
Based on my first impressions, I have to say yes. I've picked up a variety of Samsung phones, from the Ultras to the Notes, but this is my first time using an A-Series phone.
Of course, I didn't spend enough time to really get to know the shortcomings, but at the moment I can say that I am very satisfied. While the price is still unknown in Malaysia, many estimate it to be around RM2,205 based on the price in euros.
That is reasonable for me. All fancy numbers and feature names mean little to me, so my judgment is purely from my own experience. So far the A72 is definitely impressing, and I'm glad to see that it includes some of the cooler features of the S20 and even the S21 series.
They seem to be mostly quality of life improvements, but as they say, it's the little things that matter in life … or something like that.
Publisher's Note: We will update this article with the Malaysia price and start date as soon as the details are posted.
- You can find more information about the Samsung Galaxy A72 here.
- More articles on Samsung can be found here.
