Samsung Galaxy A72

Samsung Galaxy A72 Review

The Samsung Galaxy A72, released on March 26, 2021, targets the high-price segment with a focus on a versatile camera system and a robust battery.

Design

The Galaxy A72 measures 165 mm in height, 77.4 mm in width, and 8.4 mm in depth, weighing 203 grams. It features a standard, non-foldable design with a focus on a smooth finish available in Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue, and Awesome Violet. The device includes a USB Type-C 2.0 port with OTG capabilities.

Display

The phone sports a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 394 ppi. The display boasts a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits (HBM) peak brightness. It is a 20:9 aspect ratio panel with a punch-hole notch design. While it does not feature HDR10 or Dolby Vision, the screen does offer a capacitive, multi-touch experience and scratch resistance.

Performance

The Galaxy A72 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (8 nm) chipset. The CPU is an Octa-core configuration with 2x2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold cores and 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver cores. Graphics processing is handled by the Adreno 618 GPU. The device is offered in several RAM configurations: 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, paired with 128GB or 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage. The phone does not offer an SD card slot for storage expansion. AnTuTu Benchmark v8 results are around 285000. The phone offers a variety of sensors including a fingerprint sensor located under the display, proximity, light, accelerometer, compass, gyro, Hall, and geomagnetic sensors. The device supports Dolby Atmos and features stereo speakers for enhanced audio experiences.

Camera

The camera system comprises a quad-camera setup on the rear and a single front-facing camera. The rear setup includes: a 64 MP standard camera with an f/1.8 aperture and 0.80µm pixel size, a 5 MP macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture and 1.12µm pixel size, a 12 MP wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 1.12µm pixel size and an 8 MP telephoto + portrait lens, using an Omnivision OV08A10 sensor with f/2.4 aperture and 1.00µm pixel size. The telephoto camera offers 3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom and features OIS. The rear camera also incorporates optical image stabilization (OIS) for the telephoto and main cameras. For video recording, it supports 4K@30fps with EIS, 1080p@30fps with EIS, and 1080p@60fps with EIS, alongside slow-motion video at 120 fps. The front-facing selfie camera is 32 MP with an f/2.2 aperture and 0.80 µm pixel size. The camera system offers features such as digital zoom, autofocus, touch focus, manual focus, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), continuous shooting, geotagging, panorama, HDR, face detection, and various scene and mode settings. The DXOMARK Mobile score is 92, with a photo score of 100 and video score of 78.

Battery Life

The Galaxy A72 is equipped with a 5000 mAh Li-Ion battery that is non-removable. It supports 25W fast charging. A 15W fast charger is included in the box. Wireless charging is not supported.

Software

The device launched with Android 11, with an upgrade available to Android 12.

Pricing

The phone is positioned in the high-price range. Pricing varies by region and storage configuration. Some example prices include:

• 8GB/128GB: $398.75, $789.99, $290.12
• 6GB/256GB: $465.94, $789.99, $604.96

Overall Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A72 presents a balanced set of features, including a vibrant 90Hz AMOLED display, a versatile quad-camera setup, and a sizable battery. The phone's Snapdragon 720G processor provides adequate mid-range performance. The lack of 5G is a disadvantage, but it remains a solid option for users seeking a robust multimedia and photography experience without exceeding the very high-end price points. The included stereo speakers and IP67 rating for water and dust resistance add to the appeal.