Introduction
Is 4 more than 5? It's a pressing question if you're looking at the Samsung Galaxy A32 in 4G spec and its 5G counterpart. We have the LTE version over for review and will try to answer that question in the absence of the A32 5G, but we'll revisit if the handset with next-gen connectivity support arrives at our door.
Before we proceed with the A32, let's mention the key differences between the two versions that share little more than a name.
Samsung Galaxy A32 • Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
You get entirely different displays for starters, and the 4G's is a lot better - a 90Hz 1080p AMOLED vs. the 5G's 60Hz 720p LCD. The LTE version also snatches a couple of wins in the camera department with high-res main and selfie cameras. The A32 5G counters with a chipset that's not only 5G capable, but also more powerful thanks to its newer cores.
That last bit is perhaps where the Galaxy A32 will face the biggest challenge against competitors in its just-under-€300 price bracket - you can have a lot better than the Helio G80. The phone's imaging system isn't too shabby, however, with a 64MP primary unit joined by an 8MP ultrawide, and a 20MP selfie camera. But it's the display that is among the most compelling bits about the Galaxy A32 - on paper and (spoiler alert!) in practice, too.
Samsung Galaxy A32 specs at a glance:
- Body: 158.9x73.6x8.4mm, 184g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5).
- Display: 6.40" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 411ppi.
- Chipset: Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm): Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G52 MC2.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, One UI 3.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 5 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 15W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); 3.5mm jack.
Some smaller things that are easier to overlook but still set the A32 4G apart from its more forward-thinking brother include the under-display fingerprint sensor and dedicated microSD slot (the A32 5G's is hybrid). Meanwhile, a shared attribute is the choice of battery - a 5,000mAh power pack that Samsung seems to have settled on as the optimal capacity for the bulk of its phones.
Samsung Galaxy A12 unboxing
Another familiar sight is the Galaxy A32's retail package - a plain cardboard box inside a sleeve, with a likeness of the phone printed on top. The adapter inside is an old acquaintance too - the 15W Adaptive Fast Charging unit has been around since... 2014, was it? The only difference from back then is the cable, as it now has USB-C on the phone's end.
You won't find a headset inside this Galaxy's box, but the phone does have a 3.5mm jack where you can plug in existing headphones. More about what's where on the A32 - on the next page.
Design
The Galaxy A32 is relatively unusual in its design language, particularly when it comes to the camera area. Three separate modules stick out each on its own from an entirely flat back panel.
It's sort of a shared aesthetic with the higher-end A-series models like the A52 and A72, only those do have a raised area of the back around the cameras, and the A32 doesn't.
Our review unit is in the Awesome Black colorway with a few other Awesome options available - White, Blue, and Violet. This particular one we have reminds us of the original Galaxy S20 Ultra, and not in a good way - it's among the drabbest paint jobs you can find. On the other hand, if you'd rather have your handset understated - this is the one.
The panel on the back is plastic. Earlier reports suggested it's Gorilla Glass 5, but we spoke to Samsung about it, and they confirmed it is, indeed, plastic. No big deal all in itself, as plastic is less prone to shattering and is lighter, it's just that it doesn't feel as premium.
This particular panel is as good at picking up fingerprints as glass so keep a cloth handy if you'll be taking pictures of your A32's rear. The Galaxy A52 we just reviewed is treated to a frosted matte finish and is nicer to the touch while also a lot less prone to smudges.
The frame of the A32 is plastic as well, and is treated to a high-gloss shine.
Since we're on the frame already and we promised a tour, here it goes. The power button and volume rocker are on the right, in what Samsung has settled on as the default Galaxy control layout. Both buttons are plastic and click positively.
On the opposite side is where you'll find the card slot. It's the best implementation that lets you use a couple of nano SIMs and a microSD card, all at the same time.
Physical buttons on the right • Card slot on the left • Triple-card tray
No surprises await along the remaining two edges. The packed bottom houses the USB-C port, the headphone jack, loudspeaker and primary mic, while the secondary mic is up at the top.
Loudspeaker, USB-C port, mic, and headphone jack on the bottom • Mic #2 up top
Over on the front, the 90Hz AMOLED is the centerpiece. A 6.4-incher, like any other at a passing glance, it doesn't fail to impress the more you look at it. And look at it we shall, on the next page.
It's an Infinity-U type of display, with the U being the shape of the selfie camera cutout. The bezel situation isn't as glamorous as the display itself, with a relatively thick border surrounding the shining pixels.
If you're the type that complains about shrinking bezels messing up the handling, you'll like the A32. If you enjoy thin bezels and associate them with high-end devices - well, you won't get them here. To be fair, that's pretty much the norm in the A32's class, so it's not any worse than its competitors.
The Galaxy A32, thanks to its AMOLED display, gets an under-display fingerprint sensor. It's the optical variety, unlike the ultrasonic ones that Samsung fits on high-end handsets. We weren't thrilled with our experience with the unit on the A32. Much like on the A52, we found it slower than what we're used to. And, unlike on the A52, this one would give us failed attempts unusually often.
The Galaxy A32 measures 158.9x73.6x8.4mm and weighs 184g. As far as the immediate competition goes, this Samsung is in the middle in terms of weight - the Vivo V20 (171g) and the Realme 8 Pro (176g) are lighter, while the Redmi Note 10 Pro is heavier (193g), but none is as heavy as the Poco X3 Pro (215g). The A32 is the most compact of the bunch, however, though the Poco and the Redmi do have 6.67-inch displays to show for their size.
90Hz FullHD Super AMOLED is a welcome sight
The Galaxy A32 (non-5G) is equipped with a properly nice Super AMOLED display with 1080x2400px resolution. Perhaps more importantly, the display supports a (moderately) high refresh rate and can operate at up to 90Hz. All of this is in stark contrast to the Galaxy A32 5G, which gets a notably inferior 60Hz 720p LCD.
It's indeed one of the better AMOLEDs Samsung has to offer, particularly for the price point. Maximum brightness, for example, was an excellent 814nits in Adaptive mode with the phone under direct bright light, while operating the slider manually in less extreme conditions will get you close to 400nits - a fairly standard number which even the company's top-end model gravitate around. Mind you, even with the Adaptive toggle disabled, the phone will crank up the brightness if you're out in the sun to enable the High Brightness Mode.
This being an AMOLED panel, there's no illumination when displaying black, hence the contrast is essentially infinite (if not strictly mathematically correct). Minimum brightness, meanwhile, was measured at 1.8nits so you're guaranteed comfortable light levels even in very dark environments.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 393 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 814 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 386 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 794 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 423 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 635 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 395 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 570 | ∞ | |
| 0.292 | 398 | 1363:1 | |
| 0.349 | 472 | 1352:1 | |
| 0 | 457 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 725 | ∞ | |
| 0.304 | 440 | 1447:1 | |
| 0 | 459 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 585 | ∞ | |
| 0.348 | 476 | 1368:1 | |
| 0.455 | 596 | 1310:1 | |
| 0 | 438 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 621 | ∞ | |
| 0.337 | 413 | 1226:1 | |
| 0.412 | 471 | 1143:1 | |
The color modes on the Galaxy A32 are the same as most other Samsungs that aren't the absolute most affordable ones. You get the Vivid and Natural presets with Vivid covering a wide color gamut and Natural tuned for sRGB content. In our testing, Natural mode was indeed super accurate at rendering our sRGB test swatches, while Vivid (the one out of the box) was okay to good in displaying DCI-P3 content. A bump of the Cool-to-Warm slider in Vivid mode lets you almost completely cancel out the faint blue tint of the white point without much sacrifices elsewhere.
Samsung makes no claims for HDR capabilities on the A32's display, and indeed we didn't get HDR streams in any of the popular apps we check - Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and not even YouTube.
This being a 90Hz display, you get to pick whether to run it at its max refresh rate or the standard 60Hz. In the latter mode, everything everywhere gets 60Hz. In 90Hz mode, you get the high refresh rate across the UI, as well as in social media apps and browsers, plus video playback apps - there's no smart downswitching to 60Hz even for video playback. The phone will switch down to 60Hz for the camera viewfinder or for apps that explicitly require it - such as Google Maps.
Samsung Galaxy A32 battery life
The Galaxy A32 has a 5,000mAh battery inside, a fairly common capacity for midrangers of the day - Samsung's own A-series has a ton of phones with that big of a powerpack. This particular model does have a 90Hz display, and it's FullHD, too, so it's perhaps one of the more taxing panels, though the relatively modest chipset should help offset that.
Indeed, the Galaxy A32 posted excellent results for battery life. Running the phone in 90Hz mode, we measured 16 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing, and 18 hours of offline video playback. With 33+ hours of voice calls and decent standby numbers, the Galaxy A32 posted an Endurance rating of 119h.
Switch the phone to the standard 60Hz refresh rate, and you stand to gain an hour of Wi-Fi web browsing or about an hour and a half of looping videos. It seems like too small a benefit to sacrifice the 90Hz smoothness for.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Samsung Galaxy A32 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Charging speed
As most lower-end Samsungs, the Galaxy A32 ships with a 15W adapter that has Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging stamped on it, a name (and technology) that dates some 6-7 years back. Using it, the A32 charges from flat to full in 2:19h, with 25% showing in the battery indicator half an hour into the process. It's slower than most in the class, but at least it's faster to top up than lesser Galaxies like the A02s and A12, if that counts for something.
30min charging test (from 0%)
- vivo V20
66% - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
65% - Realme 7
58% - Realme 7 5G
57% - Poco X3 NFC
55% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Motorola Moto G 5G
36% - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
36% - Samsung Galaxy A02s
30% - Samsung Galaxy A31
30% - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
27% - Samsung Galaxy A32
25% - Samsung Galaxy A12
20%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
- OnePlus Nord N10 5G
0:52h - vivo V20
0:59h - Realme 7
1:05h - Realme 7 5G
1:06h - Poco X3 NFC
1:15h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
1:55h - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
2:01h - Motorola Moto G 5G
2:11h - Samsung Galaxy A32
2:19h - Samsung Galaxy A02s
2:36h - Samsung Galaxy A31
2:48h - Samsung Galaxy A12
3:03h
Speaker test
Like most other non-flagship Samsungs, the Galaxy A32 has a single loudspeaker placed on the bottom of the phone. And, like most other non-flagship Samsungs, it's relatively quiet - the A32 earned a 'Below Average' rating for loudness in our 7-track test. Virtually all competitors put out more decibels, and some have stereo speakers too (Redmi Note 10 Pro and Poco X3).
As for sound quality, there's little of note on the Galaxy A32 - it's a basic speaker that's not great, but not evidently flawed either and will do fine for watching videos and the like.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 11 and OneUI 3.1, all of the updates
The Galaxy A32 is launching with the latest One UI 3.1 and Android 11 combo out-of-the-box - the same treatment as the A52. Like most other recent Samsungs, the A32 should get 3 major OS updates, as well as 4 years of security patches. Theoretically, your Galaxy A32 should get Android 14 in 2023. That's a great commitment to support if we've ever seen one.
To be fair, visually, One UI 3.1 hardly represents a major leap forward compared to 3.0 and even 2.5. Still, there are some subtle differences worth going over. For example, the default lock screen shortcuts - dialer and camera, are now monochrome - they used to match the respective apps' colors. Oddly enough, if you pick different apps, they will keep their colors - it's not a first-party vs. third-party type of differentiation either.
Among the functional changes on the lock screen is the added wellbeing widget - you can now keep track of how much time you've spent on your phone without even unlocking it. Meanwhile, the always-on display settings have been simplified.
Lock screen
Unlocking the phone is best done using the fingerprint reader embedded in the display. The option is there if you want to use face unlock. It can be more convenient in certain situations, but it generally is less secure since it's just based on the selfie camera. Iris scanners are sadly a thing of the past now, not that an A32 would have gotten one.
Biometrics and security
Another notable change is that pulling the notification shade covers the entire screen underneath, even if there's just one notification card or none at all. Previously, the portion of the screen below the last notification would remain visible but darkened.
While we're here, the quick toggles can now be edited directly from the plus button at the end of the list instead of going into the menu.
Coming courtesy of Android 11, there is now Notification history, too. It's accessed from the Settings menu, so it's not within immediate reach, but it's there for those occasions when you dismissed a notification too quickly, and you can't seem to find what it was about. Just make sure to enable it because it's Off by default.
All of the standard layout adjustments and toggles for the quick panel and taskbar are accounted for. Android 11 has a new way of handling notifications for instant messenger apps called Bubbles, and One UI 3 adopts it, too. That's in addition to a previously available similar feature offered by Samsung by the name of Smart pop-up view. You'll find these settings under the 'Floating notifications' submenu, where you can alternatively turn both of them off and opt for the old-school cards only interface.
Bubbles is an extension of the Conversations feature, another new development. You tap on an icon in the initial incoming message notification. It turns into a conversation that you can then minimize to a bubble, or what was known as a 'chat head' - originally Facebook Messenger's default way of dealing with chats.
Notifications and quick toggles
Introduced with Google's latest OS version, the new media controls have been implemented in One UI as well. You get a stack of the active audio playback apps right below the quick toggles and swiping to the side switches between the apps.
The Media screen was already available on One UI 2.5 pre-Android 11, and it offers similar functionality for picking the output device or using Samsung's Music share feature. The volume control panel has gotten a makeover too, and now the four sliders are vertical instead of the horizontal ones of One UIs past.
Media controls
Yet another of the native Android 11 improvements that Samsung also includes in One UI 3 is the ability to pin apps to the top of the sheet with Share options. It's one of those things that make you wonder how come it had to wait until v11 for us to get there. Things are much better now, but still, we'd like to be able to remove some of the options, too, because that list could sure use some decluttering.
One more thing that Google tweaked in this year's release is the permission handling, and Samsung's implemented it in One UI 3. With this version, you will now see a new prompt for permissions every time an app requests it, letting you deny permission, allow it only while using the app, or just for this one time. If an app requires constant access to permission, you also get a fourth option that takes you to a setting page where you can provide it. This is done to prevent the user from accidentally selecting this option while blazing through the permission dialogs.
Share options pinning • Permissions handling
The settings menu has seen a subtle but meaningful makeover. Subcategories are made more legible by using a dot separator and extra intervals, while recent searches are now shown as bubbles instead of a list. Additionally, there's a newly added feature to search settings by hashtags - for conceptually related things found in different places in the menu.
The dialer comes with a bunch of cosmetic changes itself. You get to pick one of two layouts for the in-call screen. You can also set up a background image or video for that screen, though it's going to be all the same for all of your calls - you can't have a different one on a per-person basis.
Settings UI • Samsung dialer
There are plenty of other smaller visual changes scattered all throughout One UI 3.1. Samsung's excellent theme support and rich online selection are present, as well. The same goes for the system navigation options, with a few tweaks and layouts available for gestures, as well as old-school button controls, even the really-old original style, with the back button on the right side.
Similarly to the A52, the Galaxy A32 has a rich selection of additional Samsung software features. Things like the Edge panels interface, Bixby and full integration of the SmartThings platform. There is also Game launcher, the hub for all your games, which also provides options for limiting distraction when gaming is here to stay as well.
Samsung still elected not to include some of its more advanced features on the Galaxy A32, most notably Dex. Even in its absence, though, you can still get a lot of its functionality through the Link to Windows feature that has been implemented in cooperation with Microsoft.
Synthetic benchmarks
The Galaxy A32 has the Mediatek Helio G80 chip inside, an okay performer but one that's going to have a hard time competing with rival offerings in this price bracket. It features an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. A number of RAM and storage options are available, ranging from 4GB/64GB all the way to 8GB/128GB. Our review unit is the 4GB/128GB variant.
The CPU does have two Cortex-A75 cores that can put out decent numbers for more demanding operations, but most competitors use designs based on the newer A76, and they're often clocked higher than the 2.0GHz in the G80 chipset. So the Galaxy A32 results are showing it's not quite up there with rivals' results in GeekBench. It's an insignificantly small improvement over the Galaxy A31 and notably behind the A52 and most other phones you can get for the money.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
2196 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
2009 - Motorola Moto G 5G
1980 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
1910 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
1848 - Realme 7 Pro
1811 - Realme 7 5G
1794 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780 - Poco X3 NFC
1777 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
1775 - vivo V20
1686 - Realme 7
1681 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
1666 - Samsung Galaxy A52
1577 - Motorola Moto G Pro
1385 - Realme 6i
1349 - Realme Narzo 20
1328 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1277 - Samsung Galaxy A31
1216 - Samsung Galaxy A12
1034
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
661 - Motorola Moto G 5G
659 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
643 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
608 - Realme 7 5G
598 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
595 - Realme 7 Pro
576 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569 - Poco X3 NFC
568 - vivo V20
554 - Realme 7
536 - Samsung Galaxy A52
525 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
522 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
517 - Realme 6i
388 - Realme Narzo 20
385 - Samsung Galaxy A32
361 - Samsung Galaxy A31
352 - Motorola Moto G Pro
311 - Samsung Galaxy A12
169
The Antutu results largely mirror the CPU-only GeekBench ones. The A32 is significantly more powerful than the A12, but it's no match for the Snapdragon 720s or the Dimensity 800s of this world.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
324686 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
318882 - Realme 7 5G
318535 - Motorola Moto G 5G
312461 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
295562 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442 - Realme 7
292828 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
291407 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
288732 - Poco X3 NFC
283750 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
279579 - Realme 7 Pro
278414 - vivo V20
276006 - Samsung Galaxy A52
261282 - Realme 6i
202275 - Realme Narzo 20
193912 - Samsung Galaxy A32
174332 - Motorola Moto G Pro
173611 - Samsung Galaxy A31
151815 - Samsung Galaxy A12
107189
The Galaxy A32's GPU is struggling a bit with the high-res display, as evidenced by the results in GFXBench.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme 7 5G
35 - Realme 7
34 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
34 - Motorola Moto G 5G
34 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
34 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
33 - Poco X3 NFC
33 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
33 - vivo V20
31 - Realme 7 Pro
30 - Samsung Galaxy A52
29 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
26 - Realme 6i
16 - Realme Narzo 20
16 - Samsung Galaxy A32
15 - Samsung Galaxy A31
13 - Motorola Moto G Pro
13 - Samsung Galaxy A12
7.7
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
56 - Realme Narzo 20
32 - Realme 6i
31 - Realme 7 5G
31 - Motorola Moto G 5G
30 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
29 - Realme 7
28 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
28 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
28 - Poco X3 NFC
27 - vivo V20
27 - Samsung Galaxy A52
26 - Realme 7 Pro
25 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
23 - Samsung Galaxy A32
13 - Samsung Galaxy A12
13 - Samsung Galaxy A31
12 - Motorola Moto G Pro
12
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme 7
20 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
20 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
20 - Realme 7 5G
20 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
19 - Poco X3 NFC
19 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
19 - Motorola Moto G 5G
19 - Realme 7 Pro
18 - vivo V20
18 - Samsung Galaxy A52
17 - Realme Narzo 20
16 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
14 - Realme 6i
9.4 - Samsung Galaxy A32
9.3 - Samsung Galaxy A31
8 - Motorola Moto G Pro
7.1 - Samsung Galaxy A12
3.3
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
33 - Realme Narzo 20
18 - Realme 6i
17 - Realme 7
17 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
17 - Motorola Moto G 5G
17 - Realme 7 5G
17 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
16 - Poco X3 NFC
16 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
16
16
15
15
14
13
8.1
7
6.6
5
The uphill battle continues in 3DMark, where the majority of competitors score 2x higher than the Galaxy A32.
3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
3308 - Realme 7 5G
3163 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
3147 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
2819 - Motorola Moto G 5G
2810 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
2789 - Realme 7
2709 - Poco X3 NFC
2689 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
2683 - vivo V20
2593 - Realme 7 Pro
2541 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2529 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
2166 - Realme Narzo 20
1400 - Realme 6i
1363 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1323 - Samsung Galaxy A31
1150 - Motorola Moto G Pro
1127 - Samsung Galaxy A12
365
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
3180 - Realme 7 5G
3028 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
3003 - Realme 7
2772 - Realme Narzo 20 Pro
2735 - Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
2609 - Motorola Moto G 5G
2608 - Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
2595 - Poco X3 NFC
2495 - vivo V20
2451 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2406 - Realme 7 Pro
2358 - OnePlus Nord N10 5G
2012 - Realme Narzo 20
1382 - Samsung Galaxy A32
1371 - Realme 6i
1347 - Motorola Moto G Pro
1125 - Samsung Galaxy A31
894 - Samsung Galaxy A12
612
The benchmark scores confirm what we already expected - the Galaxy A32's chipset isn't competitive. The phone isn't slow, strictly speaking, and the 90Hz refresh rate does make for a mostly fluid experience. However, there are occasional hiccups when shuffling through the UI, the unlocking is on the slow side of the spectrum, Night mode processing takes a while and introduces crashes more often than we'd like - overall, the phone would have benefited from a better SoC, but there's only so much you can fit in a certain budget.
Quad-camera system of the 2+2 variety
A rather classic 2+2 camera system is what you can find on the back of the Galaxy A32. What we mean by that is there are two real cameras and two more just to get the number up to four. Okay, perhaps in the A32's case we're being a bit too harsh. Yes, it does have a 'macro' and a 'depth' camera, but at least they are 5MP each as opposed to just 2MP.
The primary camera uses a Samsung GW3 64MP sensor (S5KGW3). It's a Tetrapixel design (used to be called Tetracell in Samsung speak, Sony calls them Quad Bayer) and it's one of the newer models with 0.7µm pixels - the same 1/1.97" imager is found in the Moto G30 we reviewed recently. It does the usual 4-to-1 binning and outputs 16MP images by default. The lens has a 25mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.8 aperture.
The 8MP ultrawide camera of the Galaxy A32 is the nearly perfect middle ground between the ones on the A12 (5MP) and the A52 (13MP). It uses a 1/4" sensor with 1.0µm pixels and an f/2.2 aperture lens that covers a 123-degree field of view. There's no software distortion correction on this one, just like there wasn't on the A12 - the A52 does have it, though.
For selfies, there's an 20MP camera in the notch of the display that uses an SK Hynix sensor with a Quad Bayer filter array and 1.0µm pixels. The lens here has a reported equivalent focal length of 25mm and an f/2.2 aperture.
The camera app on the A32 is the latest one you get with OneUI 3.1, the biggest improvement being the relocation of the video resolution to the viewfinder. Other than that, it's the same as on any other Samsung pre-OneUI 3.1, which is a good thing since it's straightforward and easy to use.
The basics are as usual - swiping left, and right will switch between available modes, and there's an option to re-arrange, add or remove some of the modes from the viewfinder. Vertical swipes in either direction will switch between front and rear cameras.
The familiar tree designation for zoom control is here too, and with no telephoto on board, you get three trees for ultra-wide and two trees for the main cam. You could zoom in with a pinch gesture, at which point additional preset zoom levels appear at 2x, 4x, and 10x.
The viewfinder has the standard set of icons with the settings cog wheel located in the upper left corner of the screen. The usual stuff like grid lines, location data, etc., can be found in the menu.
There's a Pro mode, but it's the very basic implementation that only lets you pick ISO (100-800) and white balance (by light temperature with icons for common light sources), as well dial in exposure compensation (-2EV to +2EV in 0.1EV increments). A metering mode selector also made the cut (center-weighted, matrix and spot). There's no manual focusing option, sadly.
Camera UI
Daylight image quality
Daylight photos from the Galaxy A32 are good overall. The 16MP resolution ensures ample detail, though it's not the sharpest rendition of that detail when viewed up close - particularly off-center. There's little to no noise in these shots, usually a characteristic trait of Samsung processing, but one we've seen a lot of recent Galaxies deviate from.
Colors are slightly more restrained than what is normally Samsung's way, but they're not dull by any means and there are no weird color casts. Dynamic range, too, is respectable, though not quite as wide as on higher-end models.
Daylight samples, main cam (1x)
The tonal extremes will be lost in 64MP mode - HDR isn't available there. The detail benefits of this particular implementation of full-res capture on Tetrapixel sensor are questionable - we're struggling to see more detail in real-world samples. On the flipside, noise is definitely a lot more pronounced when shooting this way. Ultimately, we'd say there's not much use in the A32's 64MP mode.
Daylight samples, main cam (1x), 64MP
That's not to say you shouldn't explore the digital zoom that comes out of that 64MP sensor. At 2x level you'll get good enough images for social sharing, with the same global properties as 1x. If you insist on 1:1 examination, you'll see some sharpening halos along contrasting edges and aliasing for diagonal lines, as well as reduced pex-pixel detail.
Daylight samples, main cam (2x)
The lack of software distortion correction on the ultrawide camera is two-fold - you get extra wide coverage, but with prominently warped corners and straight lines along the edges. That last bit could be of use for creative purposes, but we'd still prefer to have the option to enable correction in software.
That aside, the modest 8MP shooter delivers decent images. There's a fair bit of noise in these if you zoom in, but detail is okay for the hardware. Dynamic range, too, isn't half bad for a mid-range ultrawide. Color saturation is lower than on the main camera, bordering on what we'd call muted.
Daylight samples, ultra wide cam
Galaxy A32 vs. Galaxy A52 camera comparison
We happened to have the Galaxy A52 at the same time, so we did a quick comparison. We're seeing better sharpness in the A52's shots, hand in hand with more noise than on the A32's (to prove the point in the opening paragraph). The A52 has overall more vibrant colors and warmer yellows and greens.
Comparison, main cam (1x): Galaxy A32 • Galaxy A52
Zooming in, the differences remain the same - not a surprise since these are crops from the same cameras.
Comparison, main cam (2x): Galaxy A32 • Galaxy A52
In full-res mode, a more significant gap opens up in exposure handling and dynamic range or at least its allocation. The Galaxy A52 exposes darker so it salvages a lot more of the highlights, lost in the A32's images. At the same time, we wouldn't say its shadows are too dark.
Comparison, main cam, 64MP: Galaxy A32 • Galaxy A52
Comparing the ultrawides, the A32 loses hands-down. The A52 has the advantage in resolution and detail, plus the software distortion correction.
Comparison, ultrawide cam: Galaxy A32 • Galaxy A52
Low-light image quality
Low-light photos are unimpressive coming out of the Galaxy A32's main camera. They are generally soft and noisy, while dynamic range is relatively narrow and you'll end up with dark shadows missing detail. The A32 does do a remarkable job with white balance in warmly lit scenes where a lot of phones are prone to failure into an orange cast.
Low-light samples, main cam
Night mode on the Galaxy A32, in the state that we reviewed it in, turned out problematic. More often than not, the camera app would freeze after taking a night mode shot. Restarting the app brings it back to life (you don't need to reboot the phone, which we've also encountered in the past), while going into the gallery you could see that an image has been captured, only it's not the image you expect from a Night mode. These are very noisy and actually have narrower dynamic range than the regular Photo mode ones - clearly something went wrong in the process.
However, if the stars align and the app doesn't crash, you'd be looking at improved sharpness throughout the image. You'd also get better development of shadow detail, though that's at the expense of highlight rendition - effectively, the A32's night mode exposes brighter, but does so for the entire frame, as opposed to selectively. It's not quite like Night modes should work, the way we see it. Perhaps a firmware update will address these oddities.
Low-light samples, main cam, Night mode
Predictably, the ultrawide cam doesn't enjoy the darkness. At dusk it will take barely usable shots, with noise evident even at fit to screen magnification. At night, it can't expose bright enough to develop any shadows and has narrow dynamic range so your highlights will be blown out as well.
Low-light samples, ultra wide cam
On a positive note, Night mode worked without any hiccups here, and delivered much more logical and, by extension, likeable results than what the main cam was capable of. On the ultrawide we're getting the improved tonal development at both ends of the spectrum (lifted shadows, contained highlights), complete with extra detail in the dark.
Low-light samples, ultra wide cam, Night mode
Portrait mode
Portrait mode on the Galaxy A32 works okay for the most part, without doing blunders like clipped ears or jawlines, though messy hair is the usual suspect behind iffy subject detection. However, the really problematic bit is the lack of HDR in Portrait mode.
Live focus (Portrait mode) samples
Close-ups
The 5MP 'macro' camera of the Galaxy A32 takes some of the better close-ups in the budget segment, in no small part thanks to the resolution advantage against the bulk of 2MP units. You still need to get the subject distance within a fairly tight range due to the lack of autofocus.
Close-up samples
Selfies
The 20MP front-facing camera of the Galaxy A32 takes okay selfies. It saves them in 12MP by default, so it's doing some unorthodox demosaicking of that Quad Bayer sensor. Detail isn't quite 12MP-grade on account of that, but it's still easily good enough. We're liking the colors - saturation is on point and skin tones are unusually warm and... human for a Samsung selfie cam. Dynamic range is really wide thanks to the HDR, though that can result in some false color as the algorithms try to restore highlights in backlit scenes - a fairly minor issue.
Selfie samples
There's no HDR in the full-res 20MP mode and we'd prefer the occasional blue cloud over that. In ideal conditions, you stand to gain some extra detail shooting in 20MP mode, but even a minor drop in light will result in drop in quality.
Selfie samples, 20MP
Portrait mode for selfies does retain the HDR advantage, a welcome if unexpected development given that rear-cam portrait mode doesn't get it. Expect the usual mishaps around untidy hairlines, but also a slightly irritating thin strip of sharpness where clothes in the foreground meet background.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
Video recording
Lower-end Galaxies don't support 4K video capture and that's that - if you're looking for high-res recording capability, it starts at the Galaxy A52 level (or last year's A42 5G). Here things max out at 1080p 30fps (not even 1080p 60fps), but at least there's EIS unlike on the A12.
Video quality from the main cam in 1080p is virtually identical to that of the Galaxy A12, and that's not overly flattering for the roughly twice as expensive A32. We're talking some heavy-handed sharpening and below average detail, but also little to no noise. Dynamic range is reasonably wide, however, and colors are on point, perhaps a fraction more saturated than on the A12.
The ultrawide camera of the Galaxy A32 captures video with a different look than the A12's, though not strictly better quality. It's appears slightly sharper and more detailed, but it's notably more 'processed' and that's where the perception for sharpness comes from. Again, it might have been acceptable on the A12, but on a phone that costs just under €300 it's more of a letdown.
EIS is present, and that's a good thing, but it's not the best of implementations. It does stay planted if you point the phone in a single direction and pans are done without abrupt shift. However, walking still introduces noticeable shake, which in turn triggers focus hunting to a combined annoying effect.
As for the ultrawide, stabilization is technically available - the toggle in settings is active, and the field of view gets has a noticeable crop compared to the one with EIS turned off. But in practice, it's as good as non-existent.
Competition
The Galaxy A32 in 4G spec is in a weird spot in the lineup. It obviously has no support for 5G connectivity but it has the 90Hz Super AMOLED and the 64MP camera as the key selling points, with the great battery life coming as a bonus. What else can you get at its price point of €280/£250/INR22000?
Turns out - a lot. Take, for example, the Xiaomi Redmi Note10 Pro (known as the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max in India). It one ups the Galaxy's display by offering a 120Hz refresh rate and does so with a minimal hit to battery endurance, not to mention it charges much faster. Much faster is the Redmi's chipset too, its camera is better (complete with 4K capture), and it has stereo speakers (loud ones too). The Indian version is cheaper than the Galaxy, but even if it were at a slight premium, we reckon it'll still be well worth it. Price and availability for the global model are still murky, but we can't imagine it going for over €300.
Moving on, the just-announced Realme 8 Pro starts at €280/£280/INR18000, and it's arguably a more compelling package than the Galaxy. You'd get a beefier chipset and nicer camera (4K recording, too), plus quicker charging. Here, the Galaxy wins for display, however, with its 90Hz OLED being superior than the Realme's conventional 60Hz one. Additionally, we can speculate with relative confidence that the Realme will be no match for the A32's battery life.
Another brand new release, the Poco X3 Pro, is also an alluring alternative. At €250 for a 6GB/128GB configuration, it's cheaper than the Galaxy, and comes with a flagship-grade Snapdragon 860 chipset that will run circles around the A32's lower-end Mediatek. A stereo speaker setup and a modest but appreciated IP53 rating are both in its favor too, while the 120Hz LCD vs. 90Hz OLED is an entirely personal preference. Hardly a photographer's dream, the Poco is about tied with the Galaxy for taking pictures (but does record 4K video).
If you're in India, you could also look at the very popular Vivo V20 for about the A32's asking price. The Galaxy has the better display (90Hz vs. 60Hz, brighter) and longer battery life, while the Vivo wins for charging speed and camera performance (image quality, 4K recording, AF on the ultrawide).
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro Max • Realme 8 Pro • Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro • vivo V20
Verdict
Despite the undeniably superb results in some areas, the Galaxy A32 has flaws that can be considered dealbreakers. The chipset is perhaps the worst offender, being too slow for the money. Likely related, the buggy Night mode can be really disappointing, and the phone underdelivers on the video recording front.
So what you're left then is great endurance, an awesome display, and the Samsung badge. Can these make a strong enough case for the Galaxy A32? Typically, they could, but at the price that Samsung charges for this one, you can get so much more phone by giving up on the Galaxy name that we feel it's not worth fixating on brand loyalty in this particular case.
Pros
- Wonderful 90Hz Super AMOLED display.
- Excellent battery life.
- Latest Android and OneUI, bright software future.
Cons
- Underpowered chipset.
- Slow fingerprint reader experience.
- Buggy Night mode on the main camera.
- No 4K video recording, poor stabilization on the ultrawide camera.
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