Samsung - Galaxy A51 128GB (Unlocked)

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.

I bought this phone for my husband, was a gift, and he is love it.

I like the phone but I'm not real happy about the practice of lying about actual camera specs. Every phone maker seems to do it anymore. But there's only the cameras exposed to the API. A fuzzy smushed together high resolution image that looks worse than the regular resolution image it's not really what it's cracked up to be. Sadly it fell death to a falling piece of iron. Also Samsung holds boot locks on everything luckily since Android 11 they having less of an issue. But that's from Google not from Samsung.

I have had this phone for almost 3 years and it still feels like a new phone! It is fast, has a great camera, and a great battery. It charges super-fast! It has plenty of memory. I would definetly recommend this phone.

Good deal , this device works very good, I think it was a nice choice.

Pretty good. Easy to use. The display quality is excellent.

Good phone for the money. Durable. Nice size. Essy to use.

I broke my Galaxy S10+ and I wanted to go crazy. Prices skyrocketed for some reason and I had to go through insurance which took a while. I went and purchased this phone and I do not regret it at all. Honestly, with phones like this, there may never be a need to buy flagships again. It does only have 4gb RAM and it can be noticeable especially with the apps I pack and "multitasking" I do being a full-time student with a small business. I was able to get a replacement for my original phone, but if I hadn't I wouldn't have been mad. This phone is beautiful on the outside, and impressive on the inside. An almost comparable battery to the S10+, a decent sized screen, with the upgraded cameras, at the incredible price?! Tired of ridiculously priced phones? Want something affordable without feeling embarrassed? Buy this phone.