We've recommended Samsung's great mid-range offerings in the A30 and A50 before, but now they're refreshing the two devices with some nice upgrades, and one major downgrade.
Samsung defied expectations when they released a slew of new budget and mid-range devices at the start of 2019 that actually offered competitive value in stark contrast to their many overpriced budget devices of the past; so much so that they maintain a spot on our guide to the best phones for every budget with their great A30 and A50 brothers (they share the same design with tweaked internals).
Well they've now decided a mid-year refresh is in order, and have just announced the sequels to those very two phones with the Appleish A30s and A50s, but while the new devices offer some nice incremental upgrades, primarily to the cameras, the A30s also features one disappointing and deal-breaking sacrifice… the resolution:
| Galaxy A30 | Galaxy A30s | Galaxy A50 | Galaxy A50s | |
| Display | 6.4″ 1080x2340p FHD+ sAMOLED with pimple notch | 6.4″ 720x1560p HD+ sAMOLED with pimple notch | 6.4″ 1080x2340p FHD+ sAMOLED with pimple notch | 6.4″ 1080x2340p FHD+ sAMOLED with pimple notch |
| Processor | 14nm Exynos 7904 (2 x 1.8Ghz A73 + 6 x 1.6Ghz A53) with Mali-G71 MP2 GPU | 14nm Exynos 7885 (2 x 1.8Ghz A73 + 6 x 1.6Ghz A53) with Mali-G71 GPU | 10nm Exynos 9610 (4 x 2.3Ghz A73 + 4 x 1.7Ghz A53) with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU | 10nm Exynos 9610 (4 x 2.3Ghz A73 + 4 x 1.7Ghz A53) with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU |
| RAM | 3/4GB LPDDR4X | 3/4GB LPDDR4X | 4/6GB LPDDR4X | 4/6GB LPDDR4X |
| ROM | 32/64 UFS2.0 with microSD up to 512GB | 32/64/128GB UFS2.0 with microSD up to 512GB | 64/128GB UFS2.0 with microSD up to 512GB | 64/128GB UFS2.0 with microSD up to 512GB |
| Rear cameras | Standard 16MP F/1.7 with PDAF Ultrawide 5MP F/2.2 Depth Up to 1080p30 video | Standard 25MP F/1.7 with PDAF Ultrawide 8MP F/2.2 Depth 5MP F/2.2 Up to 1080p30 video | Standard 25MP F/1.7 with PDAF Ultrawide 8MP F/2.2 Depth 5MP F/2.2Up to 1080p30 video | Standard 48MP F/2.0 1/2″ 0.8µm with PDAF Ultrawide 8MP F/2.2 Depth 5MP F/2.2 Up to 4k30 video |
| Front camera | 16MP F/2.0 | 16MP F/2.0 | 25MP F/1.7 | 32MP F/2.0 |
| Battery | 4000mAh with 15W USB-PD fast charging | 4000mAh with 15W USB-PD fast charging | 4000mAh with 15W USB-PD fast charging | 4000mAh with 15W USB-PD fast charging |
| Software | Samsung One UI on Android Pie | Samsung One UI on Android Pie | Samsung One UI on Android Pie | Samsung One UI on Android Pie |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, FM Radio, NFC (market dependent) | USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, FM radio, NFC (market dependent) | USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, FM radio, NFC (market dependent) | USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi AC, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, FM radio, NFC (market dependent) |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass, GPS | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, proximity, compass, GPS | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, GPS | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, GPS |
| Dimensions | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7mm or 6.24 x 2.94 x 0.30 inches | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.8mm or 6.24 x 2.94 x 0.31 inches | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7mm or 6.24 x 2.94 x 0.30 inches | 158.5 x 74.5 x 7.7mm or 6.24 x 2.94 x 0.30 inches |
| Weight | 165g or 5.82oz | 166g or 5.86oz | 166g or 5.86oz | 169g or 5.96oz |
| Colours | Black, Blue, Red | Prism Crush Black, Prism Cruch White, Prism Cruch Green, Prism Crush Violet | Black, White, Blue, Coral | Prism Crush Black, Prism Cruch White, Prism Cruch Green, Prism Crush Violet |
| Prices | $200 – 3/32GB $220 – 4/64GB | Presumably ~$250USD | $260 – 4/64GB $300 – 6/128GB | Presumably ~$300USD |
As you can see, the A50s presents a few nice incremental improvements, primarily a much larger and thus better quality primary camera sensor, though its pricing puts it up against stiff competition from the likes of the Redmi K20 aka Mi 9T.
But for the A30s we see a different story; it features the two primary improvements over the standard A30 with a potentially improved primary camera, certainly improved ultrawide sensor, an added ‘depth' camera, and an under-display fingerprint reader, but it also sports a much lower resolution display and slightly less powerful chip which unfortunately disqualifies it from the value game at the unannounced but expected price point.
Both phones also feature redesigned rear designs with angular fractal shapes and a slightly larger camera housing which give the devices a much nicer style.
So, unfortunately, the A50s is a decent phone though not of the best value, and the A30s' downgrades kill its value proposition; hopefully the ‘A51' and ‘A31' will be better.
Source: Samsung
