What is it?
A rather basic Samsung smartphone. It runs off the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor with 3GB of Ram and is on Android 10 straight out of the box.
You get a measly 19.5GB of storage after bloatware nabs a chunk out of the advertised 32GB. This can be extended with a micro-SD card though.
It has a large 6.5-inch LCD screen and big 5000mAh battery.
There are four cameras in total. The three on the rear include a 13Mp wide, 2Mp macro and 2Mp depth lens, and you get a 5Mp wide lens on the front.
Features include near-field-communication (NFC) for making payments with your phone, a face scanner for unlocking it and a headphone jack.
What’s it like to use?
There are a few issues here. Getting set up isn’t too tricky, thanks to the quick start guide and manual that pops in the browser, though it’s a shame you can’t adjust any settings from here.
The menu flows nicely, but navigating around is slow as the processor just doesn’t have enough heft to power basic tasks seamlessly.
The touchscreen is quite slow to respond, making typing out a text or opening apps more frustrating than it needs to be.
There’s a good amount of brightness on the display, though it’s rather low resolution, with a bluish tint and restricted readability from the sides.
Unlike other Samsung phones there’s no fingerprint sensor, only a face scanner. It works well for the most part, but it can struggle when you’re wearing glasses.
The call clarity is just about good enough in a quiet room, but in background noise it’s very hard for your caller to hear you properly.
How long does the battery last?
Most of Samsung’s cheaper phones wow on battery life and this model is no different. You get 38 hours on full brightness, or 46.5 hours if you’re conservative with the brightness settings.
It does take a shockingly long three-and-a-half hours to charge though. And if you can only plug in for 15 minutes you’re left with five to six hours of runtime.
How good are the cameras?
Not great. The rear lenses take a decent portrait, and the flash helps to make colours pop, though in daylight they look washed out and lose all their detail. The zoom leaves photos blurry too.
Selfies are disappointing – too bright in daylight, too cold in low light, and with an artificial-looking separation between your face and the background.
Videos don’t have any image stabilisation, so you’ll see shakes and jerks from the shooter’s hands. Rear camera clips look hard and unnatural, whereas front camera videos come out much too bright.
Is there anything else I should know?
The speaker makes music sound too sharp and thin, so it wouldn’t exactly fill a room with your favourite tracks.
It should be a durable phone. It doesn’t scratch easily and if you accidentally get it caught in the rain it will work fine (once the speaker and mic have dried off).
Should I buy it?
Probably not. Spending just a little more gets you a much better phone.
