This year, the Samsung Galaxy A series has expanded its range even further. The Galaxy A10, A20, A30, A40, A50, A70, and A80 smartphones from Samsung have already been released, with an emphasis on improved AMOLED panels and superior photography capabilities. The Galaxy A50, our special visitor, has a lot to show for both.
High-end mid-rangers have traditionally made up the Galaxy A series. However, Samsung’s approach to it has undergone a number of changes.
From all-metal phones to water-resistant construction, weird experiments, and more recently, the development of cutting-edge features like notched AMOLEDs and ultra-wide-angle cameras.
A well-rounded smartphone with as many fascinating features as possible is the Galaxy A50. Start with the sleek, gradient-painted design, then go on to the 6.4″ Infinity-U Super AMOLED screen with a high-end fingerprint reader underneath.
Finally, there is a powerful Exynos CPU and a triple camera on the back. It’s also difficult to ignore the huge battery and the newest Android Pie with the minimalist One UI.
The Samsung A50 is clearly positioned between the entry-level As with HD AMOLED panels and less remarkable cameras and the higher-tier A70 and A80 with bigger screens, more potent CPUs, and even more expensive cameras.
And having the best of both worlds and cool specifications at a reduced cost is precisely what makes it so unique.
Price of Samsung A50 in Nigeria
The Samsung A50 price in Nigeria starts at NGN90,000 Naira to NGN130,000 Naira depending on the model and the vendor you’re buying from.
Price of Samsung A50 on Jumia, Nigeria
The Samsung a50 price in Nigeria on Jumia starts at NGN130,000 Naira to NGN137,000 Naira depending on the model and the vendor you’re buying from.
Price of Samsung A50 in Konga, Nigeria
The Samsung a50 price in Nigeria on Konga starts at NGN91,000 Naira to NGN130,000 Naira depending on the model and the vendor you’re buying from.
Price of Samsung A50 in Slot, Nigeria
The Samsung a50 price in Nigeria on Konga starts at NGN61,000 Naira to NGN100,000 Naira depending on the model and the vendor you’re buying from.
Design
Samsung has coined a brand-new term, 3D Glasstic, to describe the new Galaxy A phones’ design.
Although it may come out as snobbish, the A50’s body is made of both glass and plastic, and the latter really looks more like glass than plastic.
But it’s also crucial to note how gorgeous the Galaxy A50 looks thanks to its brilliant paint job.
In fact, it was nearly hard to capture the back properly because of how bright it is and how much light it reflects and refracts.
All available colours, including Black, White, Blue (our colour), and Coral, produce enormous flares when exposed to light.
And this is the purpose for which the phrase “3D Glasstic” was created. Sure, it’s hardly Gorilla Glass, but at least it got us talking, so we can call it a success.
In addition, the Galaxy A50 includes a triple camera configuration at the back. Don’t get too enthusiastic just soon; Huawei’s trifecta is still a long way off.
The A50 sports a 25MP primary camera, an 8MP secondary camera with fixed focus and a 13mm ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP depth sensor.
A LED flash is also included. Thankfully, even if the camera is humping somewhat, it doesn’t wobble when placed on a level surface.
The enormous 6.4″ Infinity-U Super AMOLED screen occupies the whole front of the A50.
The 25MP selfie camera is located in a U-shaped notch at the top of the device, and the earpiece is located above it but is incredibly narrow.
The screen is, of course, a very near match in size to the one on the S10+ with a diagonal measurement of 6.4 inches.
Additionally, it features elegant curved edges and supports HDR10+. It features a variable aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a 1080p resolution.
The dimensions of the Galaxy A50 are 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm, which are nearly comparable to the footprint of the S10+. However, at 166g, it weighs 9g less.
Like the back of the A50, the frame is composed of plastic and is similarly glossy and lustrous.
On its longer sides, it is likewise quite thin. On the left, there is a triple-card slot, while the volume and power buttons are on the right.
The solitary loudspeaker, USB-C connector, and audio ports are all located at the bottom.
In the end, we didn’t particularly dislike the Galaxy A50’s plastic frame. It’s a completely acceptable substitute for the well-known “glass sandwich” design as long as it is fairly durable.
If you’ve ever used a recent Samsung phone, holding the Galaxy A50 will feel rather comfortable.
The sides taper in a very recognizable fashion, creating a somewhat slender edge.
In spite of all the glossiness, the phone didn’t feel as slippery as it appears, which is probably a first since it is quite susceptible to fingerprints and smudges.
Display
The Super AMOLED screen has been a defining feature of all Galaxy A smartphones.
Additionally, the A50 has a big 6.4″ Super AMOLED screen with 1080p+ quality, so it isn’t a deal breaker either.
The actual pixel count is 2,340 by 1,080, which results in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 403 PPI, which is more than sufficient.
The selfie camera is located in a U-shaped notch at the top of the so-called Infinity-U display seen on the A50.
Samsung was one of the few manufacturers to avoid screen cuts for as long as possible, but it finally gave in.
We assume that Sony is now the final advocate for displays without notches.
No matter, the Super AMOLED screen is of the typical high calibre that we have come to appreciate.
With the ambient light sensor exposed to strong light, we recorded roughly 420 nits of maximum brightness in manual mode and 550 nits in automatic mode.
A fairly impressive finding was our measurement of a minimum brightness of 1.8 nits.
Depending on the content and chosen display mode, the display on the Galaxy A50 is capable of faithfully replicating various colour spaces, as we’ve come to expect from Samsung Super AMOLEDs.
The AMOLED Photo mode is optimized for Adobe RGB applications (average DeltaE of 1.8), while the AMOLED Cinema mode complies with the DCI-P3 colour space.
The Basic mode maintains sRGB accuracy (average DeltaE of 1.7). (average DeltaE of 2.0).
The default Adaptive mode, which of course does not guarantee accuracy, reports an average DeltaE of 3.3 against a DCI-P3 target and a maximum divergence of 8.8.
Battery power
Like the Redmi Note, the Galaxy A50 features a sizable 4,000mAh battery inside.
It can charge at 15W, however, because we didn’t receive a retail package, we couldn’t provide you with any charging statistics.
The Galaxy A50 performed more than well in our tests. We used our Wi-Fi web browsing script for more than 12 hours and watched looping movies in aeroplane mode for over 16 hours. Over a day of 3G conversation, time is a fantastic rating as well.
The Galaxy A50 achieved an overall Endurance rating of 98h by adding outstanding standby performance.
And we now know what to anticipate from any upcoming smartphone running on the Exynos 9610.
Speaker
One loudspeaker is included on the bottom of the Galaxy A50. In our three-pronged test, it received a “Very Good” rating for loudness, but the good news ends there.
The output is very subpar and very lacking in high frequency. The A50 offers a strong sound, but it’s not that clear or rich in terms of quality.
Sound quality
When put through its paces using an external amplifier, the Samsung Galaxy A50 performed brilliantly, with excellent loudness levels and clarity ratings.
The reproduction accuracy was significantly reduced by headphones; intermodulation distortion came in and stereo crosstalk increased noticeably.
The output was at best mediocre and the harmonic distortion reading was a little higher than typical.
Positively, the loudness was still quite high compared to the first test and undoubtedly among the finest in the mid-range market.
Performance and software
One of the first mid-range smartphones to use the brand-new One UI, which is built on Google’s most recent Android Pie, is the Galaxy A50.
It only made its debut on Galaxy S10 smartphones, but it’s a promising upgrade over the prior Samsung Experience UX.
It has a ton of new and old functionality, as expected, but is presented in a cleaner, more straightforward manner.
You should have no trouble navigating if you’ve used Samsung UX in recent years.
However, there are a few significant updates that could initially appear unusual or uncomfortable, but we believe they are for the better.
Apart from the vibrant new icons, which may not be to everyone’s taste (you can replace the default ones with another icon pack), Samsung has made a number of adjustments to make one-handed use more efficient and pleasant.
All system menus are now situated in the bottom half of the screen, where your thumb can easily access them.
This includes the drop-down menu with all the fast toggles. Although it takes some getting used to, we believe it to be a really clever approach.
However, there are still a few minor details that Samsung overlooked while discussing one-handed usability.
For instance, the program folders still appear in full-screen mode with the icons located on the upper half of the screen, making it necessary for you to access them with your other hand.
Samsung has its own method of incorporating Google’s new gesture-based navigation, just as everyone else does.
The bottom-left swipe automatically displays the recent applications menu, while the bottom-right swipe advances you one step.
They function as standard buttons. The home button still requires a single swipe from the bottom centre, however, you may switch them in the settings menu. Google Assistant will be activated if you swipe and hold.
Samsung ultimately managed to save a few pixels on the bottom, but the motions still feel underdeveloped.
The Always On Display function, though, doesn’t seem half-baked. There are numerous options available, although fewer than on Galaxy S10 phones (there is no brightness setting or wallpaper option here).
You may select multiple clock designs, text colours, the alerts that will be shown, and whether or not the AOD will appear on tap, constantly, or on a set schedule.
The default Settings menu has been updated in keeping with the rest of the UI updates.
It’s rather small, and some of the settings you were seeking may now be available elsewhere.
For instance, the Battery settings and information, storage and memory management, and security functions are now included in the Device care sub-menu.
The recognizable battery menu with settings and changes will appear when you tap on the Battery symbol.
In addition to the standard information and functions seen on pretty much every other Android phone, Samsung has also included a few new choices.
Three power-saving options are available: Optimised, Medium-power saving, and Maximum power saving.
The one with the highest performance is optimized, which is the default. You may regulate your power use more precisely thanks to a submenu in the battery menu’s top right corner.
Speaking of granularity, you have the choice to configure notifications such that they appear in a tiny window that you may interact with in the Advanced menu.
Samsung’s One UI is now part of Google’s campaign for “Digital well-being.” The Digital well-being sub-menu would provide you with information on how much time you spend on your phone and which applications you use the most frequently. Although it’s cool, the majority of people will probably never utilize it.
As previously, Samsung’s version of its own customized Android is packed with functions and pre-installed applications.
It’s challenging to go over every one of them since we are overloaded. Additionally, there are several holdovers from earlier software versions.
Users who are switching from stock Android may find the extensive customisation and pre-installed applications annoying.
You can browse images and movies using the new Samsung Gallery app for multimedia, and your music is handled effectively by Play Music.
Additionally, there is an FM radio app, a My Files app that is exclusive, a Samsung Health app, and the Bixby assistant.
We kind of like Samsung’s direction with this, despite the fact that it is far from ideal.
Since the advent of the latest generation of enormous smartphone displays, this problem has gone mostly unaddressed for a while.
The One UI is significantly more enjoyable and comfortable to use with one hand.
Oh, and a lot of people have been waiting for the Night mode, which was included.
We won’t be able to form a more impartial view until we use the phone’s user interface on a daily basis, but we like what we’ve seen so far.
Benchmarks and performance
The first smartphone we encounter that uses a Samsung Exynos 9610 processor is the Galaxy A50.
Contrary to what its model number would imply, the 9610 SoC belongs to the mid-range Exynos 7 Series, so don’t expect flagship-level performance from it.
Even so, the Exynos 9610 looks to have a lot of processing power. An octa-core CPU is available, with four A73 cores operating at 2.3GHz and four A53 cores at 1.7GHz.
Those ought to be more than adequate to manage even the most difficult jobs at hand right now.
The Mali-G72 MP3 is another option (read tri-core). Three G72 cores have already been demonstrated as part of the Helio P60 and P70 processors, and those proved to be sufficient for a balanced gaming experience on a tight budget.
Finally, depending on the region and base storage, the A50 ships with either 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM.
Back camera with three lenses
On its rear, the Samsung Galaxy A50 includes three cameras: a primary 25MP PDAF f/1.7 sensor, an 8MP fixed-focus, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP fixed-focus, f/2.2 depth camera. A single LED flash is also included.
The 5MP isn’t a stand-alone module that can be used to take actual images; rather, Samsung refers to it as a “Depth Camera” that is intended to be used for “Live Focus.”
Therefore, the main camera sports a 25MP resolution sensor and a fast f/1.7 lens with a stated 27mm focal length.
Then the 120-degree field of view 8MP sensor beneath an f/2.2 aperture lens. 13mm focal length is reported via the EXIF data.
There are extra icons in the viewfinder to control which camera is being utilized, but otherwise, the camera software is quite similar to that of any contemporary Samsung.
Three trees on the emblem represent an ultra-wide-angle camera, whereas two trees represent a conventional camera.
With side swipes to cycle between modes and an up/down movement to switch between the back and front cameras, basic functionality is standard.
A scene optimizer mode with AI should be able to identify particular sorts of scenes and adapt the settings accordingly.
We left it off because it doesn’t really make a difference and we often like to add the effects later. The displayed modes and their layout can be changed in the settings.
Naturally, since there are so many cameras and dedicated depth sensors, the live focus mode is available.
There is also a Pro mode, although it isn’t very professional; the only options are ISO (in the 100-800 range), exposure correction (-2/+2EV in 0.1EV steps), and white balance (presets, but no light temperature).
Picture calibre
The aspect settings on the Galaxy A50 allow you to modify the camera’s default resolution, which is 12MP, to 25MP (3:4H).
That is really the sole restriction while shooting at 25MP; you cannot use Auto HDR or any HDR for that matter.
Let’s begin with the high-resolution pictures. The lack of detail isn’t what you’d anticipate given the 25MP rating, but it wasn’t a surprise.
A similar lack of detail was seen in earlier Samsung mid-range devices, such as the most recent Galaxy A9.
Overall, the shots are soft, but you can tell that the processing tried to fix that by sharpening, but it was frequently done too aggressively, leaving sharpening rings in the images.
The good news is that the colours came out rather accurately, the contrast is superb, and the dynamic range is about average, which is to be anticipated considering that no HDR setting was used.
Both the 25MP and the 12MP photos we shot in broad daylight were uninspiring. You will receive one very soft image, even softer than the 25MP ones, where the Auto HDR didn’t work.
While the colours and contrast are superb and the shots are saved quickly, you should continue to shoot at 25MP throughout the day if you want more detailed pictures.
When HDR is used, the images frequently have more equal exposure and some blown highlights are saved.
But occasionally the colours are portrayed in an unnatural manner with a pronounced greenish hue.
As there is no distortion correction done, the 8MP photographs taken by the ultra-wide camera are severely deformed.
This is not much of a problem because the wide-angle camera’s goal is to pack as much information as possible into a 4:3 image, thus that is the price to be paid.
Although the pixel resolution isn’t fantastic, the colours and contrast are superb, and Auto HDR frequently increases the dynamic range without degrading the colour presentation of the detail levels.
In general, the pictures should be appreciated for what they are: cheap, exaggerated perspective photos.
The Galaxy A50’s 25MP low-light shots are a dismal jumble that lacks clarity, is noisy, soft, and a little blurry.
We believe the 25MP was never meant to be used in low light. The 12MP default choice is useful in this situation.
In low light, the camera is likely to do some pixel-binning, which results in considerably superior 12MP low-light photographs. But it’s hardly outstanding or even competitive.
The colour saturation in the 12MP images is excellent, but the highlights will be cut. Even for this price range, the degree of detail is unimpressive, and there is noticeable noise throughout.
The Galaxy A50 lacks a Night Mode, therefore it is unable to match Huawei’s low-light photography.
And the ultra-wide-angle shots, which are quite terrible without any software adjustments, are where this is most clearly visible.
After examining some real-world examples, be sure to visit our Photo comparison tool to see how the Galaxy A50 compares to our studio charts.
Portraits
With its solitary 5MP camera, the Galaxy A50 should be able to take some decent portrait photos.
These images were stored at 12MP, and they did come out impressively, especially considering that they were taken using a low-end mid-range.
The algorithm is clever enough not to be tricked by items near the face, and the separation is great with no abrupt changes.
Even while the shots aren’t flawless, flagships have performed far worse, and we really received more than we expected from a cheap mid-ranger.
Read Also: Is Samsung A50 a good phone?
Selfies
The high-resolution 25MP selfie camera that comes with the Galaxy A50 may or may not be the same as the 25MP primary camera.
You can capture some detailed images if the lighting and distance are just right. The colours are accurate as well.
Similar to the main 25MP camera, the selfie camera defaults to 12MP unless you choose 25MP. Only the 12MP mode offers Auto HDR.
Additionally, it saves blown highlights if it fires. Apart from that, the photos are really detailed and have fantastic colours.
With just one camera, portrait mode is also accessible on the selfie camera. The portraits are less sharp than standard selfies, but strangely, they nevertheless include the same exacting subject separation as in standard portrait pictures. When necessary, HDR also works here and does a great job.
Video capture
There is no 1080/60 or 4K video recording on the Galaxy A50; only 1080p at 30 frames per second.
However, there is always-on electronic stabilization available; there is no way to turn it off.
The average data rate for 1080p movies is 17Mbps, while stereo audio is captured at 256kbps.
The A50 still shines at 1080p video capture; the movies are sharp with minimal noise even when taking into account the extremely windy conditions in this area.
The colours are accurate, and the dynamic range is quite nice. The 1080p footage from the A50 is among the best we’ve ever seen, not just in their class.
Although the detail in the film from the ultra-wide camera is not award-winning, it is respectable for ultra-wide recordings.
On both conventional and wide-angle cameras, electronic stabilization is an option, and it excels.