The Samsung Galaxy A72 and Galaxy A52 duo have been making waves in the market for a few months, and we’ve already put the Galaxy A52 through its paces. Now, it’s time to delve into the Galaxy A72, a phone that sits a bit higher in the price range, commanding a premium of around Rs. 7,000 over its sibling. For that extra cash, you get a slightly larger display, a more substantial battery capacity, and a telephoto camera. However, at Rs. 34,999 for the base variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (or Rs. 37,999 for the 256GB variant), the Galaxy A72 finds itself facing some formidable competition from the likes of the OnePlus 8T, Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro, and Vivo X60. And if you’re willing to stretch your budget closer to Rs. 40,000, you can even snag the Mi 11X Pro, a phone boasting the powerful Snapdragon 888 SoC. Given the stiff competition, the Galaxy A72 truly has its work cut out for it if it wants to earn a place on our recommendation list. Let’s dive in and see if it delivers the goods.
Samsung Galaxy A72 Design
The Samsung Galaxy A72 sports a fresh new design, reminiscent of what we saw with the Galaxy A52. It’s simple, elegant, and comes in a variety of alluring pastel colors. The "Awesome Violet" trim I had for testing exudes a soothing vibe, and thanks to the matte finish, frustrating fingerprints are kept at bay. While the frame and back are crafted from plastic, the phone feels relatively sturdy, although it doesn’t quite hit the premium feel expected at this price point. In the case of the Galaxy A52, an all-plastic body might be acceptable, but a glass back for the more expensive Galaxy A72 would have been a welcome upgrade. The device itself is a bit on the heavy side at 203g, but its 8.3mm thickness remains manageable.
The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display boasts a Full-HD+ resolution and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, adding to the overall responsiveness and fluidity of the user experience. It also supports HDR playback, allowing for a richer visual experience with enhanced contrast and color accuracy. The quality of the display is decent, with above-average brightness and punchy colors that pop off the screen. However, when viewing white backgrounds off-axis, there’s a noticeable blue color shift. While present, this shift doesn’t feel overly distracting. The ports and buttons on the Galaxy A72 are well-placed and easily accessible, and Samsung even includes the much-needed 3.5mm headphone jack for those who prefer wired audio. To further enhance user peace of mind, all the openings are securely weather-sealed thanks to the phone’s IP67 rating, providing protection against dust and water ingress.
The second slot in the SIM tray offers flexibility, accepting either a second Nano-SIM or a microSD card to expand storage options. Inside the box, you’ll find a 25W power adapter with a USB Type-C port, a corresponding USB cable, and the ever-useful SIM eject tool. However, you won’t find any bundled headphones or a protective case, which might be a consideration for some users.
Samsung Galaxy A72 Specifications and Software
The core specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A72 are strikingly similar to those of the Galaxy A52, a bit of a disappointment considering the price difference. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC is simply not in the same league as its own higher-end siblings, the Snapdragon 865, 870, and even the 888—all of which are found in phones priced under Rs. 40,000. The phone packs 8GB of RAM and comes in either 128GB or 256GB storage configurations. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi ac, NFC, and the standard set of sensors and satellite navigation systems.
The Galaxy A72 features an in-display fingerprint sensor, but its performance left me wanting more. I found it to be inconsistent with authentication and noticeably sluggish. Face recognition, while better, wasn’t exactly stellar either, struggling to recognize my face in low-light environments.
The software experience is powered by OneUI 3.1, identical to what we saw on the Galaxy A52. OneUI is a feature-rich software experience with a polished look and feel. It includes Samsung Pay for contactless payments at stores, a welcome addition for those who appreciate the convenience. There were no ads present in apps like Weather, but the phone comes with a rather hefty selection of pre-installed apps, a considerable portion of which felt unnecessary. Thankfully, you can uninstall these apps, offering a degree of customization. However, some of Samsung’s own apps, like the My Galaxy App, have a tendency to clutter your notification shade, and unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to stop this.
Samsung Galaxy A72 Performance and Battery Life
The Snapdragon 720G SoC, while not a powerhouse compared to the competition at this price, still manages to handle Android 11 without major hiccups. However, during my review, there were a few instances where I noticed some sluggishness during multitasking, though it wasn’t overly severe. Thanks to the high screen refresh rate, scrolling through lists in apps felt snappy. Benchmark performance was quite solid, with the Galaxy A72 achieving a respectable 3,36,261 points in AnTuTu. The physically large footprint of the phone does pose a challenge for comfortable one-handed use.
Beyond benchmarks, games ran smoothly, even demanding titles like Genshin Impact, which ran at very playable framerates with only occasional mild stuttering. The stereo speakers deliver a satisfyingly loud and clear audio experience. You can also enable Dolby Atmos for a slight boost to overall sound fidelity. During my testing, I didn’t encounter any overheating issues even when pushing the device with graphically demanding games. Watching videos was an enjoyable experience, especially HDR content, which truly showcased the capabilities of the display.
The Galaxy A72 boasts a larger 5,000mAh battery compared to the one found in the Galaxy A52, but our HD video loop test ran for about an hour less on this phone, clocking in at 16 hours and 28 minutes. The bundled 25W charger, though, managed to charge the battery from zero to about 48 percent in half an hour and up to 87 percent in an hour, a reasonably good charging speed.
Samsung Galaxy A72 Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy A72 shares a similar camera setup with the Galaxy A52, with one key difference: the depth camera has been replaced with a more practical 8-megapixel telephoto camera. This telephoto camera features an f/2.2 aperture, a 3X optical zoom range, and optical stabilisation for enhanced image stability. The remaining cameras consist of a 64-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera. For capturing selfies, there’s a 32-megapixel front-facing camera.
Photos captured by the main camera were generally above average in good lighting conditions. Landscapes boasted good detail, colors appeared natural, and dynamic range was decent. The ultra-wide camera offers a wide field of view, but it’s worth noting that objects along the edges of frames appear slightly stretched. Close-up shots looked impressive, with a pleasing level of depth and sharp details. The macro camera, though, was a bit of a let-down, with underwhelming performance as expected from this type of camera.
The telephoto camera, however, didn’t deliver quite the same level of performance. Even in good light, photos captured with it felt average at best. Details and textures weren’t as sharp as expected, even at the native zoom level, and became progressively softer as I zoomed beyond that. In fact, I often noticed the phone resorting to digitally zooming in using the primary sensor at 3X, even in decent lighting conditions.
In low light, the Galaxy A72 automatically uses a long exposure, meaning there is typically very little to no difference between a standard photo and one taken using Night mode. However, if you plan to use the ultra-wide camera, Night mode makes a substantial difference in image quality. Interestingly, the phone rarely switches to the telephoto camera at night, even when the subject is adequately illuminated. In these situations, the phone might choose to use either the main or the ultra-wide camera for low-light captures.
Selfie performance was respectable, both during the day and in low light. The selfies captured looked good, with satisfactory detail and pleasing skin tones. Night mode for selfies didn’t offer much benefit, so you’re better off employing the screen flash for better illumination in those situations.
The Galaxy A72 can record video at up to 4K 30fps with both the rear and front cameras. Video quality is impressive, both during the day and in low light. There seems to be minimal, if any, electronic stabilisation applied at 4K. However, this lack of stabilisation results in minimal jitter in low-light videos, which is a positive for steady footage while walking and shooting. The camera app allows you to seamlessly switch between the main and ultra-wide cameras while shooting at 4K.
The phone offers a plethora of shooting modes to experiment with, including Single Take, which captures multiple shots from the rear sensors and automatically applies filters, generates GIFs, and more, depending on the content of your shot. There’s also a Fun shooting mode, allowing you to apply Snapchat-like filters to your subject for playful and creative results.
Verdict
As it turns out, the Samsung Galaxy A72 doesn’t offer a significant upgrade over the Galaxy A52, which poses a considerable challenge. The telephoto camera is a nice addition but, unfortunately, its image quality proved to be only average at best. Aside from the camera, you’re essentially paying a premium for a slightly larger battery and the bundled 25W charger when compared to the Galaxy A52. It’s difficult to justify spending at least Rs. 34,999 for the Galaxy A72 when you can experience nearly identical performance and features with the Galaxy A52 for Rs. 26,499. Moreover, several phones priced under Rs. 30,000 offer even better specifications and capabilities, making the Galaxy A72’s value proposition less appealing.
While the Samsung Galaxy A72 is an aesthetically pleasing phone, so are many other options at roughly the same price point. The Mi 10T Pro and OnePlus 8T both offer superior gaming performance and camera capabilities, making them more compelling choices. Vivo’s X60 also looks promising on paper, though we haven’t had the opportunity to test it yet.
If the Samsung brand name, features like the IP rating, and the stereo speakers are the key factors drawing you towards the Galaxy A72, it would be wise to consider the Galaxy A52 instead, saving yourself some money. If you’re determined to spend more, any of the competitors mentioned above would be a more sensible and rewarding investment.
