If you’re subscribed to my RSS feed or follow me on social media then you probably know that I just recently switched from Bell to Koodo. In that blog post I mentioned that I got a new mobile device, a Samsung Galaxy A50 to be exact. Interestingly, this is going to be the first time for me to own and use a Samsung branded cellphone.
There are already a lot of good reviews about the Galaxy A50 available on YouTube and other sites on the Internet so I’m not going to come up with a detailed review. I’m just going to share a few product photos, the basic features, and specifications as well as share some of the things that I like and dislike about the device.
PRODUCT PHOTOS:
SAMSUNG GALAXY A50 SPECIFICATIONS:
- Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE
- Dimensions: 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm (6.24 x 2.94 x 0.30 in)
- Weight: 166 g (5.86 oz)
- Build: Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, plastic frame
- SIM: Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by
- Display Type: Super AMOLED
- Display Size: 6.4 inches
- Display Resolution: 2340×1080 (FHD+)
- Display Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- OS: Android 9.0 (Pie)
- Chipset: Exynos 9610
- CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
- GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
- Memory RAM: 4 GB
- Memory Internal: 64 GB
- Memory Card Slot: up to 512 GB microSDXC
- Main Camera: 25.0 MP + 5.0 MP + 8.0 MP
- Selfie Camera: 25. MP
- Video Recording Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080)@30fps
- Earjack: 3.5mm Stereo
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth v5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbps)
- WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G+5GHz, VHT80
- Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh
- Charging: Fast charging 15W
Here are the main reasons why I like the Samsung Galaxy A50 and why I picked it over the other devices offered by Koodo as well as some of the things that stick out from my experience using this device for the last week or so.
LIKES:
- Price – I got this phone for the full retail price of $440 CAD. The Samsung Galaxy A50 belongs to the mid-range spectrum and for its price, this devices not only has a beautiful slim design and nice gradient paint job but it also packs some of the features that are available on the higher end or flagship Samsung devices like the fingerprint scanner underneath the display, a powerful Exynos chip, and a triple camera.
- Display – The Galaxy A50 has a 6.4″ Super AMOLED display that produces bright, crisp images and videos, making browsing the web, viewing photos and watching movies an enjoyable experience. The display size was also the perfect size for me as I was switching from a Google Pixel 2XL which had a 6″ display.
- Battery – With a 4,000 mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has a bigger battery than more expensive phones like the Google Pixel 3XL (3,430 mAh), Huawei P30 (3,650 mAh) or Samsung S10 (3,400 mAh).
- 3.5mm Jack – Yes, I still prefer to use my 3.5mm earphones and headphones over the wireless ones. There’s not a lot of phones these days that still have the 3.5mm jack and the Galaxy A50 is one of them.
- Memory Card Slot – Not all smartphones have dedicated memory card slots so you are stuck with whatever internal memory you have on your device. I prefer to have a memory card slot so I can expand the storage size and be able to take more photos & videos or store more files on my device. The Galaxy A50’s dedicated card slot is capable of supporting up to 512GB microSD cards.
DISLIKES:
- Fingerprint Scanner – The on-screen fingerprint scanner is new technology and looks nice design-wise however it needs a lot of work. It’s quite slow and there were times when it didn’t recognize my fingerprint at all. To get over this issue, I used the facial recognition feature instead and found it to work better and faster.
- Bloatware – If you own a Samsung device or had one before, then you know the amount of bloatware they put on their devices.
- User Interface – The Galaxy A50 comes with Samsung’s own user interface overlay called One UI 1.0. Although it has greatly improved, has some nice unique features & options, and is much better than Samsung Experience UX and TouchWiz, it still isn’t as good or as polished as stock Android. I’m waiting for the release of One UI 2.0 which is supposed to arrive soon.
Although I may experience a few hiccups and lags once in a while, overall, I’m pretty happy with the Samsung Galaxy A50. It’s lightweight, has a bright and crisp display, a good camera for taking photos & videos, and a powerful battery. It has met my expectations and fits my needs.
Anyone else owns a Samsung Galaxy A50? How has your experience been with it? Do you like it or regret getting it? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
