Samsung Galaxy A20e review: One Galaxy A too many

In several markets, Samsung kept its Galaxy A devices abroad from the depression-budget segment for a long time. At present, with the J series gone, several A series devices accept prices dipping below €200. One of those has been in our pocket over the final few weeks. Read on to get to know the Galaxy A20e improve and discover out what'southward good, what's not, and whether it meets your – or anyone's – smartphone needs.

Galaxy A20e review: Design and display

If yous've seen the Milky way A40 (read our review here), y'all have basically also seen the Galaxy A20e. Visually and size-wise, both phones are nearly identical. Like the A40, the Galaxy A20e is a relatively compact phone with its v.8-inch display and narrow bezels. The body is made of plastic, but it is the solid kind that feels similar it tin handle everyday life. All hardware keys are on the right side, and easily reachable even for those who have average-sized hands.

On the back is the fingerprint scanner, which besides is inside comfy reach of your fingertips. Flip the Milky way A20e back once more, and yous will find the forepart camera sitting in a notch in the display. Samsung may accept pretended for a while that notches are giddy, only at present they are part of even the Korean OEM's budget lineup. It'due south fine, y'all become over it. Overall, the Galaxy A20e is comfortable to concord. It's not a premium device, but it feels solid and its design holds up well in twenty-four hours-to-day usage.

Every bit expert as that sounds, we now must turn to the brandish of the Galaxy A20e. And this is where our enthusiasm is quickly tempered. The phone does non accept the AMOLED display that makes so many Samsung devices look impressive. Instead, we must make do with a TFT LCD panel that is inferior in all aspects. Contrast, sunlight legibility, and color reproduction are no match compared to the Galaxy A40.

Samsung has, of course, more often saved cost by including a cheaper LCD panel in its affordable devices. Simply in this case, the difference in screen quality betwixt the A20e and the A40 is much bigger than the price gap betwixt the phones suggests. This, you will notice, is a theme we will be running into more than often over the course of this review.

It's worth pointing out that similar whatever other Galaxy this year, the A20e does not accept a notification LED. Since the phone too lacks Always On Display functionality, there is no way to come across what you missed by but looking at the front of the device. This can but be partially mitigated by the Smart Warning feature, which makes the telephone vibrate when yous pick information technology up subsequently missing calls or messages.

Galaxy A20e functioning

From the exterior of the Galaxy A20e, nosotros now move on to the device's internals. The A20e packs 3GB RAM and Samsung's Exynos 7884 processor. The latter is simply a less power-hungry variant of the tried-and-tested Exynos 7885. Samsung largely achieved ability savings by cutting back the chip's graphics capabilities.

What nosotros are left with is a phone that does most daily tasks fast enough simply should not exist considered by anyone who likes to play a game or two. The hardware simply is not fast plenty to provide a pleasant gaming experience. This is not mitigated, unfortunately, past the device'southward Hard disk drive display resolution.

At present, before you ask what nosotros look of a device in this cost range, we would in one case more like to point out: the Galaxy A40 is a scrap more powerful. Is the performance gap equally big as the price gap? Perhaps not, but add together that to the comparable upshot we described with the display, and you start to get a sense of where all this is going.

The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and authentic, ironically because it is of the 'older' capacitive type. That'south correct, with higher-spec'd Galaxy devices sporting a cutting border in-display scanner, it'south mainly at the bottom of Samsung's portfolio where the fastest, most accurate scanners are now institute. A chip ironic, don't you think?

Some other style to unlock your Galaxy A20e is provided through facial recognition. Withal, the method is flawed, insecure and does not piece of work in dark environments. Stick with the fingerprint sensor and all volition be well every bit far equally security is concerned. Telephone call quality and reception, meanwhile, proved unspectacular, and sound quality is every bit low equally the device's pricing. Merely similar any other non-flagship Galaxy, the A20e has an FM radio to help spare your information programme.

Galaxy A20e software

One area where the Galaxy A20e does not diverge all that much from its more than expensive siblings is the software. The device runs Android 9 Pie out of the box, with all the One UI celebrity that most recent Galaxy devices at present run.

The A20e has themes, a Night mode, Secure Folder, Samsung Pass, and the one-handed optimization for Samsung'due south own apps and interface. Though Samsung has been adding more than and more features over the by years, afterward a menstruum of minimization, 1 UI still presents a clean surroundings with logical menus.

Overall, the Galaxy A20e offers a complete package with lots of useful features. So, what nigh the time to come? Samsung has put the Galaxy A20e on its listing of devices that will receive new security patches every three months. Though we do non know for sure, we assume the phone volition become the regular A series treatment regarding Android upgrades. If so, the device should get an upgrade to Android Q in 2020, and to Android R in 2021.

Milky way A20e battery life

All the big devices in this year's Galaxy A series come with rather large batteries. However, the A20e is powered by a more modest 3000 mAh power pack. The A40'due south battery has a slightly bigger 3100 mAh capacity, though nosotros did not recall the Galaxy A20e does worse in terms of battery life. On the reverse, if annihilation, the toned-downward soc and the lower display resolution assist the Galaxy A20e last longer than the A40 on about days.

Overall, the A20e is non a phenomenon worker here, but the phone volition get y'all through a heavy workday without hesitation. And even if it does non, fast charging support helps height up your battery quickly. We would not become and then far as to say bombardment life is the fundamental selling betoken for the Galaxy A20e, but it will not give yous any cause for concern.

Galaxy A20e cameras

The Milky way A20e's cameras don't give any crusade for concern, either. The dual camera on the back consists of the thirteen-megapixel main sensor and a v-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Stick to well-lit environments, keep your expectations regarding particular and dynamic range modest, and you lot volition by and large be a happy camper if you mostly shoot a few pics hither and there to share on social media and the messenger services of your choice.

The Galaxy A20e's camera does back up real-time HDR but lacks Samsung'south Scene Optimization feature, which optimizes the colour and contrast for each photo depending on the type of subject existence captured. The telephone likewise lacks features like slow-move recording or AR Emoji.

The eight-megapixel forepart camera performs comparably: enough light gives y'all fine selfies, and the Live Focus feature even provides some bones blurring for your backgrounds. Yet, this is the lower end of Samsung's product portfolio, and the cameras match the pricing. However, once once more, nosotros are faced with the aforementioned event. The photographic camera of the Galaxy A20e is pretty decent. But the A40's offers quite a few more features for only a little more money.

Milky way A20e verdict

We are sure you have, by at present, caught on to the gist of this review. The Galaxy A20e is a cheap device, and information technology is non hard to spot all the concessions Samsung made in society to keep it affordable. By itself, that is simply fine, and if you practice not care almost operation or brandish quality, this compact telephone should serve you well. Bombardment life is fine, plus information technology charges quickly. Daylight photographic camera performance does non disappoint.

Notwithstanding, the A20e is outclassed on all fronts past the Galaxy A40, which in many markets only costs a fraction more. If information technology is in any way possible, nosotros suggest saving up a scrap longer to get the telephone that offers substantially more blindside for just a niggling more buck.

Perhaps when, in the next few months, the A20e's price drops, it will go a more than sensible purchase. For now, it is articulate that Samsung has not managed to avoid i take chances that comes with the launch of such an extensive A serial lineup: too piffling differentiation. With the A40 being Samsung's compact budget king this year, the A20e is a device no i really needs.

Pros	Cons
Compact pattern	LCD display, not AMOLED
Good battery life	Hardware isn't powerful
Fast and authentic quondam-fashioned fingerprint scanner	Ultra-broad camera resolution is low
Good daylight camera performance	Not much cheaper than the Galaxy A40
Feature-rich software