The Samsung Galaxy A71 is a mid-range smartphone that could make you feel like it delivers more than you bargained for.
For a company that usually makes headlines for its flagship models, like the recent Galaxy S20 line, Samsung has paid renewed attention to its mid-range devices. Last year’s Galaxy A line was a solid step in redefining its direction and purpose for handsets in this range. This year, the Galaxy A71 is paired with the A51 I got to test both separately, and there are some distinct differences between them. For this review, I’m focusing on the Galaxy A71.
Design
Samsung is also getting better at how it interprets what a mid-range phone should look and feel like. There are certain elements about the Galaxy A71 that lend it some credibility to being something more. Put this phone next to the Galaxy S20 lineup and it wouldn’t feel out of place. Naturally, they aren’t the same once you break down the various components between them, but this isn’t a dull phone.
The “Glasstic” build is back, and in melding glass with plastic together, Samsung arguably achieved the desired effect better this time around. Maybe it’s just me, but this phone felt a little more premium to me than last year’s model did.
It doesn’t hurt that the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display is really vibrant and eye-catching. Granted, its lower resolution is no match for the premium models, but it’s on par with what a mid-ranger should have. The size alone is the same as the Galaxy S20 Plus, so this is a big screen by any reasonable standard.
On the inside, specs walk the same line. The Snapdragon 730 processor is good for a phone like this, and the RAM is also decent. Internal storage ranges between the 64GB and 128GB models, though a microSD card slot can expand that further. You even get a headphone jack for your troubles, in case that’s useful to you.
The rear camera array has no less than four different lenses, anchored by the main 64-megapixel image sensor that should be capable of taking great photos. More on that later. On the front is a 32-megapixel camera that aims to improve selfies, though I found it had a better impact on video calls.
Performance and software
Samsung’s One UI 2.0 took what was already a well-intentioned software rethink and improved it further. It’s a nice carryover from Samsung’s other phones, especially because its cleaner look and arrangement suits a phone like the Galaxy A71.
It took a while, but Samsung finally realized how critical hardware-software synergy truly is. And it’s one reason why mid-range handsets tend to follow the flagships. While I would hesitate to say the experience is at the same level as the Galaxy S20 models I tested, I had a few problems doing what I wanted on this phone.
I could check email, browse a few sites, check out Twitter, and then play music or stream video without a second thought. At no point did I notice anything slow down or lag along the way. For more intensive apps, like Adobe Lightroom or Snapseed, it managed well, though I made sure not to have too many other apps open. Playing games followed a similar pattern, where anything casual or reasonably graphics-intensive performed well. The more demanding the game, however, the greater the chance of a performance hit.
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