Samsung Galaxy A71 review: My likes and “not so” likes

The Samsung Galaxy A71 is a mid-range phone that was released early this year. I’ve gotten the Prism Crush Blue unit and used it for about a week. Here are my likes and “not so” likes about this phone. But, before that, let’s find out what comes in the box.

What’s in the box

3.5mm jack earphones, 25W fast charging brick, a type-C to type-C cable, a jelly case, SIM pin, and of course, the phone.

The phone comes with a pre-applied screen protector too.

i. Design

Likes

• Impressively slim at 7.9mm (with no sharp edges) and light too at 179g makes the phone comfortable to hold.
• The geometric design on the back looks great.
• With a 3.5 mm headphone jack, I don’t have to leave my existing earphones in a drawer.
• Having the USB Type-C charging port means I don’t have to worry about the right orientation when connecting the charging cable.
• The rectangular camera housing looks fine at the back of the phone.
• The three card slots can hold two nano SIM cards and a MicroSD card at the same time.
• It supports expandable storage of up to 512GB via a MicroSD card.

“Not so” likes

• The back comes with a plastic build, and the front is only protected by the Gorilla Glass 3.
• While the punch hole isn’t as intrusive as the huge notch. But, I would prefer it to be placed at the corner.
• No waterproof rating.
• I like that the phone comes with a case, but I don’t like that it doesn’t protect the rear camera bump.
• No LED indicators for your notifications, but it does support Always-On-Display.

ii. Display and Audio

Likes

• The 6.7-inch display is huge, and with the slim bezels, I could feel I can see much more on the display.
• The Full HD screen with 1080 x 2400 resolution is bright with vivid colors. And, if you wish, you can opt for more natural color in the display settings.
• Always on Display (AOD). And, it has the same customization options as you’d find on Samsung’s flagships.
• The in-screen fingerprint reader that works reliably enough.
• The screen remains visible in the sun.

“Not so” likes

• There’s only one speaker, and it isn’t as loud as some of the mid-rangers that I’ve compared with.

iii. Performance and battery

Likes

• Compared to the 11nm Snapdragon 675 on the previous A70, the 8nm Snapdragon 730 is slightly faster and offers better energy efficiency. And, combined with 8GB of RAM, the A71 works well in day-to-day use and can handle graphics-intensive games like PUBG and Fortnite with no issues.
• A71 comes with a massive 4,500mAh battery. On a full charge, it’s more than enough to last me a day with lots of social media, web browsing, and some gaming.
• The phone supports 25W fast charging. Although it isn’t the fastest in the market, replenishing from 0% to 100% in 1 hour 20 minutes (in my testing) is good enough for me.

“Not so” likes

• The phone lacks wireless charging.

iv. Camera:

Likes

• There are four cameras at the back, which include a primary 64MP camera, a 123-degree 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. With that, I can take photos in a variety of different scenarios.
• With the right lighting, I can get beautiful and detailed pictures.
• The 12MP ultra-wide camera takes good photos.
• As usual, the Night mode offers brighter nighttime photos and supports the ultra-wide-angle camera as well.
• The macro camera has a fixed focus. But, with an adequate distance from the subject (3cm to 5cm) and good lighting, it can give some decent shots.
• The Live Focus feature offers nice bokeh shots with good subject detection and separation, and it allows you to adjust background blur effect before and after taking the photos.
• It has a dedicated watermark option.
• The scene optimizer has the scan document function as well.
• If you like to record fun videos and take fun photos, you’ll be happy to know that the Note 10’s AR Doodle and AR Emoji are available on this phone.
• Both front and back cameras are capable of capturing UHD videos.

“Not so” likes

• No optical image stabilization (OIS) though there is a software-based Super Steady mode to reduce video shake by manipulating the video electronically.

Verdict

The Galaxy A71 is a beautiful and very capable phone that offers good battery life. It comes with a large and stunning display, versatile cameras, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the storage expansion capability. But, it isn’t the cheapest mid-range phone on the market though.