For the past few months, Samsung has continuously flooded the market with A-series phones. In fact, seven A-series phone launches in the last 50 days or so have brought the total number of Galaxy phones released this year to 15. The South Korean juggernaut has already sold over 2 million A-series phones in just the first 40 days, so the strategy appears to be effective.
A quick look at Samsung Galaxy A20 review: The One UI software is very appealing, the phone is small and convenient, and the AMOLED display is stunning. The design is fantastic. The Samsung A20 is a low-cost smartphone, so as to be expected, there aren’t many compromises. The poor build quality, for instance, makes the plastic chassis vulnerable to scratches. Additionally, neither the performance nor the display quality are particularly impressive. However, it also has positive aspects.
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Table of Contents
Overview Of Samsung Galaxy A20
Pros
- Outstanding battery performance
- Low price
- Impressive live focus camera
Cons
- Lags in performance
- Plastic chassis gets scratched easily
- Poor display quality
Price And Availability Of Samsung Galaxy A20
The Galaxy A20 we reviewed was sold by T-Mobile through Metro, and it was once available for $239. In the past, the Galaxy A20 was also $250 on T-Mobile. The low-cost Samsung phone was also sold by Boost Mobile. The Galaxy A21, a newer model, has replaced the phone.
32GB of onboard storage and 3GB of RAM are the only available options for the A20 in black. A microSD card allows you to increase storage to up to 512GB.
Design Of Samsung Galaxy A20
The Samsung Galaxy A20 maintains the 2019 A-series aesthetic. A much-appreciated USB Type-C port, a premium-looking 3D “glasstic” back (a fancier way of saying glass-finish polycarbonate back), and an exceptionally solid feel all contribute to its premium appearance and feel. It is also identical to the Galaxy A30, with the exception of Samsung using a different AMOLED panel with a V cutout (a minor difference from the Infinity-U on the A30).
These are only minor details, though. Whatever the design labels (glass, 3D, curved, rounded, etc.) may claim,), we know a good design when we see one. The Galaxy A20 is sleek, seductive, and incredibly easy to hold and use. Polarized opinions have been expressed about our Red color review unit, but we kind of like it. The fingerprint sensor being a little too near the top is the only complaint we have.
Display Of Samsung Galaxy A20
Samsung equips this low-cost phone with an AMOLED screen, but the catch is that the resolution is only HD+ (which is more of a problem given that this is an OLED screen). We were worried about this going into the review, but using the phone in-person assuaged our fears.
Yes, even with HD resolution on a phone screen, our trained eyes can distinguish soft edges and fuzziness. But we can definitely live with it, so yes.
Excellent contrast, nearly neutral whites, and a choice of 4 color presets (Basic being our personal favorite) are all features of the AMOLED panel. Although the screen is not sharp enough, it is easy on the eyes, properly calibrated, and beautiful to look at. See more about Samsung Galaxy A02
Camera Of Samsung Galaxy A20
An outwardly positioned dual-camera module on the back of the Galaxy A20 houses a 13-megapixel lens with an f/1.9 aperture and a 5-megapixel wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
The A20 has a significant advantage over the similarly priced Moto G7 Power’s single rear camera because it can take depth-of-field pictures thanks to the second camera.
I’m happy with how the A20’s cameras handled this windowsill scene in our New York office. For a high-quality result, the A20 automatically balanced the ambient light. The texture slightly blurred when I zoomed in on the specifics of the plant’s leaves, but that was to be expected.
The A20’s camera excels in outdoor conditions. Bright contrast in a picture taken in Bryant Park early in the day really makes the tiny red flowers stand out. The neutral colors aren’t too warm or cool, unlike the G7 Power’s attempt, which has a blue hue.
If you enjoy the portrait mode found on many flagship phones, Samsung has carried over its more expensive devices’ Live Focus feature to the A20. In this instance, the camera automatically focuses on my coworker Hunter, allowing me to control how blurry the background is. Hunter’s clothing and hair edges aren’t as sharp as they might be on an iPhone, which costs $500 to $750 more than the Galaxy A20. Nevertheless, the outcome is still quite nice.
I was most impressed by the A20’s 8-MP selfie camera. Without oversaturating my face, the color output was strong and realistic. The depth option also blurred the background of my uninteresting office. You can judge for yourself, but I like my A20 selfie better than my G7 Power selfie.
Performance Of Samsung Galaxy A20
Samsung’s Exynos 7904 system-on-a-chip, which powers the Galaxy A20, is priced in the mid- to low-range. The A20 costs less than the Exynos 9610-powered A50 because it uses a less potent chip, but performance also suffers as a result.
Geekbench 4, a test of system performance, yielded a score of 4,174 for the A20 and 5,200 for the A50. The Moto G7 Power, which had a Snapdragon 632 processor and a Geekbench score of 4,814, outperformed the A20 as well.
The A20 can only avoid lag by running one app at a time. The A20 becomes stressed when you attempt to launch Instagram, Google Maps, WhatsApp, or any other group of daily-use apps at the same time. It will pause between apps and sluggishly each one separately.
The A20 and the majority of low-cost smartphones are not designed for gaming. For instance, the back of the phone heated up while playing Asphalt 9: Legends, which had choppy frame rates and annoying lag.
The A20’s performance is sluggish in general, not just with demanding apps. Additionally strangely slow is the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. I tended to use the face-reader biometric or manual pattern because registering my print took several seconds.
Battery Life And Charging Of Samsung Galaxy A20
The 4,000-mAh battery of the Galaxy A20 serves as a consolation prize for the device. The A20 performed admirably in the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves having the phone continuously browse the internet over T-Mobile’s LTE network until the battery runs out. The A20 lasted 13 hours and 46 minutes. The typical smartphone only lasts 10 hours before dying, for comparison. Only seven and forty-two seconds into the Nokia 7.1’s runtime, which is $100 more expensive than the A20. With a 15:35 score, the Moto G7 Power is still the budget leader, but it is bulkier than the A20 due to its larger, 5,000-mAh battery.
With the 15-watt charging capability of the Galaxy A20, you can fully charge the battery in a respectable amount of time. The A20 took less than 2 hours to charge to 100% power after 30 minutes of post-battery test charging.
Software Of Samsung Galaxy A20
The Galaxy A20 comes pre-installed with Android 9 Pie, just like the majority of Samsung phones unveiled in 2019. With its One UI interface, which places large app icons and text at the bottom of the screen, Samsung modifies that version of Android. This complements the A20’s large display well.
From an iOS user’s point of view, the gesture-based navigation is absurdly simple to understand. The screen is also kept free of extra buttons thanks to this method of navigation.
Long after the software’s release, we anticipate the A20 to get an Android Q update. The midrange A20 will likely lag behind S- and Note-series devices in terms of update priority because Samsung has never released Android updates with any urgency.
Only 15 to 20GB of the 32GB of storage on the Galaxy A20 can be used for apps and photos. Metro preloads its programs on the device, which is why that is the case. While you can remove some of them, if you want more of that storage back, you’ll need to disable others in the settings.
Security Features & Sensors Of Samsung Galaxy A20
Ever wonder how the term “smartphone” originated? Sensors allow mobile phones to move from the era of feature phones to smartphones.
These phones’ intelligence is derived from their sensors. They are employed to identify user actions or alterations to the surrounding area.
The sensor recognizes when these actions or modifications take place and sends the relevant data to the processor. then reacts appropriately on the processor.
The Samsung A20 has a significant number of sensors that are relevant to this review. These sensors include a fingerprint sensor as well as a proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, and hall sensor.
The fingerprint sensor aids in biometric authentication, enabling secure phone sign-in. Your fingerprint is registered using capacitive scanning to operate.
The face-reader and manual pattern are the other biometric authentication methods that the Samsung A20 supports. So, to unlock and log into your phone, you can use any of these techniques.
The accelerometer is helpful for switching apps from portrait to landscape and displaying your current driving speed. It functions by spotting and registering axis-based motions.
Gyro sensors are used to detect shifts in the orientation of the screen in the meantime. They can be used in tilting mechanisms and motion-sensing games.
By contrast, a magnetic field is found by the geomagnetic sensor. For compass functionality, the geomagnetic sensor is helpful.
The hall effect is used by a hall sensor to identify magnetic fields’ strength and presence. When a magnetic case is closed, it can be used to sense when the case is getting close so that the screen will automatically turn off.
The proximity sensor, which we’ll talk about next, gauges objects’ proximity to your phone without making physical contact. This applies when you place your phone near your ears to take a call; the proximity sensor notices this and turns off the backlight to save power and turn off the touchscreen.
To sum up, the Samsung A20 has a remarkable array of functional sensors. The Samsung A20 will therefore receive an eight in this review section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Samsung A20 A Reliable Smartphone?
The Samsung A20 is reasonably priced, produces detailed images in good lighting conditions, and has an impressive battery life. It is safe to say that the Samsung A20 is a good phone as a result.
The Age Of The Samsung A20.
In March 2019, Samsung unveiled the A20. As a result, the Samsung A20 was two years and six months old at the time this article was published in September 2021.
How Many Cameras Are There On The Samsung A20?
In addition to a dual-back camera, the Samsung A20 has an 8 MP front camera. According to this, the back camera has two sensors; the primary sensor is a 13 MP camera, while the secondary sensor is a 5 MP camera.
A Samsung A20’s Battery Can It Be Removed?
The battery in the Samsung A20 cannot be removed. We view this as a drawback because you cannot replace the battery if it malfunctions.
Is Samsung A20 4g?
The Samsung A20 is 4G, 3G, and 2G compatible. In my opinion, other brands ought to imitate Samsung for their impressive achievement in making the Samsung A20 compatible with a wide variety of networks.
What Is The Battery Life Of The Samsung A20?
Up to 26 hours of talk time would be provided by the 4000 mAh battery, according to the advertising. The activities carried out on the phone, however, completely determine how long the battery lasts. For instance, I continuously browsed the web over 4G during the battery test I conducted. The Samsung A20 finished the test with a runtime of 13 minutes and 46 seconds.
Is The Samsung A20 Waterproof?
The Samsung A20 isn’t waterproof, unfortunately.
Does The Samsung A20 Have Gorilla Glass?
The Samsung A20’s screen does indeed have a Corning Gorilla Glass coating that guards against cracks and scuffs.
How Can I Increase The Storage Capacity On My Samsung A20?
Internal storage for the Samsung A20 is 32 GB. However, users only have access to about 20 GB of the total storage space because the OS and preinstalled apps take up the rest. Consequently, there is a need for storage expansion, which can be completed by adding up to a 512 GB SD card.
The Samsung A20 Costs How Much?
The Samsung A20 will cost $126.99 in September 2021 when we update this article.
Conclusion
Every inexpensive smartphone has trade-offs. Although the Galaxy A20 has a limited display and noticeable performance lag, its long battery life and above-average cameras make up for these drawbacks. The biggest annoyance was how easily it scratched, but a case provides a simple solution to that problem.
You must purchase a wireless carrier if you want to purchase a Samsung Galaxy A20 since it is not sold unlocked. Thankfully, you can purchase this device from a number of different wireless carriers; AT&T appears to be the clear exception. As a result, you should be able to purchase the phone from your preferred carrier.
The Galaxy A20 falls short of a more well-made budget phone like the Moto G7 Power, but it’s still a strong rival. The battery life and camera on the Samsung A20 make it a respectable budget buy if you’re looking to save money on your next smartphone purchase and don’t mind performance lags.
We appreciate you reading.