
Customers love the Galaxy A51 for its great camera, fair price, and long battery life. They appreciate that it is easy to use and has plenty of storage. However, some customers have mentioned that it is slower than other Samsung models, lacks wireless charging, and can be expensive.
I bought the Galaxy A51 after my Galaxy S5 Active all of the sudden died (after at least 5 years). I did not want to pay $1K for one of the flagship Samsung phones, so I bought the Galaxy A51 outright (AT&T). I was back & forth between the Galaxy A51 and the Google Pixel 4a (same price $349). After looking at both, I went with the Samsung - the Pixel 4a doesn't allow for a MicroSD card, and per reviews doesn't have a dedicated "back" button. Also, there's an obvious size difference. Pros: - Supports a MicroSD card (the Pixel 4a does not) and the phone comes with a SIM/MicroSD card slot tool, for replacement. Which was a nice touch, not having to dig for a paper clip or thumb tack. - Battery life -- I've seen some reviews critical of the battery life, but to me the battery has been exceptional. I get at least 24 hours on my battery (screen brightness at 30% which is well enough for me & have the "dark theme/mode" enabled, I also am not utilizing Samsung apps: Bixby/Free/Edge). And I'm on Twitter/Email/Slack constantly. - Camera -- Great main camera... great resolution on regular pics & excellent zoom, great panoramic pics, decent resolution on videos. The front facing (selfie) camera is also good - good resolution & has easy selfie picture function. - It does have an earphone jack (as does the Pixel 4a), which is a must for me. More on that below. Cons: - No "hard" buttons at the bottom for: apps/home/back, like my previous Galaxy S5 Active had. For me personally, the soft/touch screen buttons will take some getting used to, but for others it's probably not a big deal. Just my personal preference. (To note: I've read reviews where the Pixel 4a does not have a back button, you have to swipe) - The default wallpaper and icons (phone/text/camera/pics) are quite "cartoonish" or childish looking (pictures attached). The app icons looked nothing like my 5 year old Galaxy S5 icons & wallpaper. There are free themes/wallpapers/icons you can download, but out of the box it's a disappointment. But, for a budget phone I can live with it. Other observations: - Obviously, it comes preloaded with all of the Google apps, some Microsoft Office apps, which I use. And of course some of the Samsung bloatware apps, but that hasn't been a problem for my usage or battery life. I had to set Chrome as the default browser, instead of Samsung's native browser. - On phone calls, unless you hold the phone close to your ear/face in "just the right way"... the touchscreen will re-engage - which could have the potential for your cheek to hang up on the call. It hasn't happened to me yet, but I've noticed it's very particular about how you hold the phone while on a call. - The earphone jack is located on the bottom (versus at the top for my previous Galaxy S5 & the Pixel 4a). First phone I've had that had it at the bottom... but after some usage, I'm getting used to it - if you have headphones wired in & put your phone in your pocket "top down" it makes sense. - I've already dropped the phone onto concrete from about 2 feet high, luckily no damage. I have the $20 UAG case from Best Buy, which is more firm rubber than the $30 UAG case. The $20 UAG case makes it a bit harder to press the volume & 'action' buttons on the side, so consider the $30 UAG case which is softer & should allow for easier pressing of the side buttons. All in all, this is an excellent phone for the money. I would definitely buy again, and recommend to anyone not wanting to drop $1K on a phone.
Posted by Gus4200
Bought in 21, doing this review with it. Great phone! My husband has been through 2 since I got this one. I am just now looking for a new phone, which is going to be hard beings this phone takes amazing photos also! The photos attached are pictures i took with this phone!
Posted by KimW
I bought this phone for my husband, was a gift, and he is love it.
Posted by JOJO
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