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amazon SAMSUNG GALAXY A71 reviews
The biggest highlight in this year from Galaxy A series is the perforated screen design inherited from the high-end Galaxy S and Note series. In addition, Galaxy A71 is also upgraded in terms of processing power with the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 730 chip in the mid-range segment, the rear camera set with 64MP main camera, the highest 5MP macro camera at the moment and the Latest Android 10 software. The device continues to inherit the large 4500 mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging as previous generations (Galaxy A70 / A70s).
However, the price of the Galaxy A71 is currently quite high, nearly 10.49 million, equally to the high-end segment. At this price, the product will have to compete with many Samsung smartphone lines such as Galaxy A80 (last year) and other brands like Xiaomi Mi 9, Oppo Reno and Reno2.
Design: Perforated screen like Galaxy S / Note, plastic body, thin and light
Galaxy A71 has the same overall design as the Galaxy A51. On the front, the biggest change in these two Galaxy A phones is the perforated screen containing the front camera, a detail inherited from the high-end Galaxy S and Note series. On the back, the obvious change is the L-shaped camera set. Perhaps this will be the general design language of this year from Galaxy A series.
With a perforated screen, the front of the Galaxy A71 is much more airy. The screen-to-front ratio of 87.2% is only slightly inferior to the Galaxy S10 (88.3%) and thinner than the water drop screen of the old Galaxy A70 (86%). In addition to punching out the front camera, Samsung also has to optimize a few details to get such a thin screen bezel. The light sensor is moved below the screen, while the speakerphone is very narrow, located between the screen and the chassis. The notification LED is removed but in return the screen has the Always On feature that displays the notifications right on the standby screen.
Optical fingerprint sensor is also placed under the screen like the Galaxy A70. However, the quality of the fingerprint sensor has improved significantly compared to the previous generation as i recognize that it is faster and more clearly. Typically, each unlocked phone now only needs to touch the hand for less than a second, almost as close to the recognition speed of the traditional fingerprint sensor.
On the back, the back of the A71 is slightly beveled design, looks soft and the color is also elegant, especially the blue version with the diamond effect we used in the experience. Material used for the back is plastic but looks like glass that normal eyes are almost indistinguishable.
The most noticeable highlight on the back is the L-shaped camera set with 4 protruding designs, about 1mm wide. This camera set consists of a 64MP main camera, an ultra-wide angle camera, a 5MP macro camera, an auxiliary camera to support the function of taking photos and removing fonts and a single flash. Along with the punched screen, the design of the L-shaped rear camera set will probably be another common point on Samsung’s A-series machines this year.
Galaxy A71 has a relatively thin plastic frame and grip, although the surface is glossy. On the sides, the machine is full of familiar keyboard ports, the single speaker located on the bottom edge is quite loud, two SIM slots and an independent memory card. The product still inherits a large capacity 4500 mAh battery as its predecessor but is optimized by Samsung with a thinner body. Specifically, the machine is 7.7mm thick and weighs 179g, compared to 7.9mm and 183g of the Galaxy A70.
Overall, this phone has the advantage of a lightweight design, easy to hold and plastic grip. The form is also quite eye-catching thanks to the thin bezel, the camera concealed in the holes in the screen and the back is treated with materials as well as elegant colors. However, it still lacks the design features of the product in the high segment such as water resistance, metal body material or metal/ glass combination.
Screen: clear, vivid and comfortable outdoors
The screen is the point that A71 inherits intact compared to the A70 and A70S with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel, Full-HD + resolution, a pixel density of 394 PPI, a ratio of 20: 9 and is equipped with a glass panel named Gorilla Glass protection 3. The difference is the perforated design makes the experience of watching movies or surfing the web airy and less uncomfortable than the “water droplets” on previous generations.
As usual with Super AMOLED from Samsung displays, the A71’s screen comes in two different color modes: vivid mode and natural mode. “Vivid mode” displays vibrant, vivid colors typical of Super AMOLED panels, while “natural mode” reproduces more standard colors similar to IPS LCD screens.
In the default color mode (vivid mode), the screen of the A71 displays fresh, clear and slightly brighter when compared to the screen of the Galaxy A51 we have recently reviewed. Viewing angle of the screen is also wider than junior products. This screen can also be used comfortably outdoors when increasing the brightness to a high level. Like many other Samsung phones, the maximum brightness in automatic mode adjusts brightness according to the environment of the A71 higher than the maximum of the manual mode. Therefore, when used outdoors, especially with the sun, you should switch to automatic brightness adjustment mode.
In short, the screen quality of the A71 is worth the price of the product. Unfortunately, this monitor doesn’t support the HDR10 standard to view more eye-catching content on streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO. However, the YouTube app on the A71 still supports HDR videos, making images brighter and more impressive.
Software: pre-installed Android 10 and One UI 2.0
Different from every year, this year Samsung proved to be very agile in software updates. The Galaxy A71 is one of the first smartphones to have Android 10 pre-installed and the new One UI 2.0 customization suite right from the shelves. Thus, users do not have to wait for OTA updates like before.
We have evaluated the Android 10 and One UI 2.0 duo on recent Samsung products like the Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Galaxy A51. In this new software suite, Samsung brought in a lot of changes but the brightest addition is gesture navigation.
Speaking of gesture navigation, previous One UI versions allowed users to activate this feature, but Samsung’s approach is quite “half-hearted” when users still have to swipe from the bottom edge of the screen to position of virtual buttons. With One UI 2.0, Samsung now fully integrates Google’s full-screen gesture navigation, and users will swipe the side to perform the Back operation, swipe the bottom edge to return to Home, and swipe down from the bottom to open multi-tasks as Bphone 3 (from Vietnam) or iOS. Besides, Samsung also allows horizontal swipe on the bottom of the screen to quickly switch between applications.
The swipe experience is very smooth. Besides, you can also adjust the sensitivity of swipe gestures. This will be especially helpful if you use thick tiles that make it difficult to swipe the edge. Using the case that came with the device, I left the default sensitivity level without a problem.
Besides, on the Galaxy A71, Samsung also brings another surprise in the software aspect of the edge screen feature. The edge screen is a feature that was previously only available on the Note or S series for quick access to frequently used applications. On the A71, in addition to quickly opening frequently used applications, Samsung also allows users to adjust the position of the screen control key next to the right or left, the color and transparency of the joystick. .
In addition to the two new features above, Samsung’s changes on One UI 2.0 bring a pleasant user experience. Icons and applications are designed for one-handed use. It also has a dark mode throughout the system to experience night use to reduce eye strain and save more battery.
Performance: powerful enough for comfortable use, including gaming needs
Galaxy A71 uses Snapdragon 730 (not the 730G version as on Galaxy A80) – the chip for the high segment of Qualcomm’s mid-range segment. The chip has eight processing cores including two high-performance Kryo 470 Gold cores (Cortex-A76) clocked at 2.2GHz and six Kryo Silver (Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.8Ghz, Adreno 618 GPU and works on 8nm progress which promises optimal power consumption.
In terms of memory, the genuine A71 only has an 8GB RAM version and 128GB internal memory. This product also has 6GB RAM version but has been officially sold in only in some market.
This configuration is powerful enough to provide a comfortable user experience for common phone usage. Applications open quickly and switch between home screens on a smooth interface, without lagging. Even the need for gaming, the device also meets most popular game lines today.
With heavy games such as PUBG Mobile or Mobile Union, the machine is very smooth and the frame rate is stable (40 fps with PUBG Mobile and 60 fps with the Mobile Union) in medium graphics mode. If playing in high graphics mode, the machine only reaches 30 fps with these two games, not reaching the maximum frame rate as on high-end smartphones.
where can you get a SAMSUNG GALAXY A71 online
Samsung Galaxy A71 SM-A715F/DS 4G LTE 128GB + 6GB Ram Octa Core (LTE USA Latin Caribbean Euro) w/Four Cameras (64+12+5+5mp) Android (Black): Buy it now
Samsung Galaxy A71 (128GB, 6GB) 6.7″, 64MP Quad Camera, Single SIM, 25W Fast Charger, Android 10, GSM Unlocked US + Global 4G LTE International Model A715F (Prism Crush Black): Buy it now
Samsung Galaxy A71 SM-A715F 4G LTE 128GB + 6GB Ram Octa Core LTE USA w/Four Cameras (64+12+5+5mp) Android (GSM Only, Not CDMA) (Prism Crush Blue): Buy it now
Samsung Galaxy A71 SM-A715F/LO, 6.7″, 64MP Quad Camera, 8GB RAM + 128GB Internal Storage with 25W Fast Charging – Prism Crush Black: Buy it now
Samsung Galaxy A71 (SM-A715F/DS) Dual SIM 4G LTE 128GB, GSM Factory Unlocked – International Version – No Warranty – Blue (Renewed): Buy it now
Battery life: SO GOOD
Galaxy A71 retains the same 4,500 mAh battery capacity as its predecessor A70 and supports 25W fast charging. Samsung also included a 25W charger adapter in the product’s accessory box. With the included charger, the device fully charges half the battery capacity after 30 minutes and fully charges after about 80 minutes. Duration of use is also quite impressive in the standard test of BiaReview with activities of surfing the web, watching movies and playing games.
Improved camera, especially super wide angle
Samsung has quickly updated the trend on its A-series products this year. If last year’s Galaxy A70 used a set of 3 rear cameras (32MP+8 MP+5MP), this year’s Galaxy A71 has increased to 4 cameras with the addition of a new macro camera for super close-ups. Not only has the number increased, but the resolution of the main and super wide-angle cameras has also been upgraded.
Specifically, the main rear camera of the A71 has a resolution of 64MP using ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor. Ultra wide-angle camera with 12MP resolution compared to 8MP on last year’s Galaxy A devices. 5MP macro camera is also the highest resolution of this type of camera today. Besides, the secondary camera to support the background capture function is still 5MP like the previous generation. At the front, the product still uses the same 32MP camera as the A70 and last year’s update was A70s.
By default, the primary 64MP camera takes photos at 16MP resolution. You can take 64MP photos if you want, but it doesn’t support HDR when shooting at this resolution. Besides, the quality between 16MP and 64MP photos is almost no difference apart from the heavier 64MP image sizes and slower shutter speeds. So in most cases, you just need to choose the default 16MP shooting mode.
In terms of quality, the main 64MP camera captures a lot of details, the colors are a bit blazing but not to an excessive level, the band is very deep, the contrast is good and the noise control is reasonable. The HDR mode also works very well with back and light shots, creating photos that balance between different highlights. In other words, the main camera of the A71 takes very good photos with products in the mid-range segment.
When shooting in low light environment, the main camera often pushes the brightness of the image up quite high, accepting reduced details. However, the color is kept fresh and the noise is controlled. Night mode of the camera at 12MP resolution helps improve image detail while maintaining brightness and color similar to the normal mode. Therefore, when shooting nights with a static background, you should switch to Night mode.
Not only upgrade the resolution, A71’s 12MP wide-angle camera also has a great improvement in quality. Photos taken from this camera have greater detail, wide range of brightness and sharpness than the 8MP camera from the older generation. Colors from this super wide-angle camera are also much darker than the main camera, making landscape or architectural photos more eye-catching. Low-light photos are also not bad, much better than last year’s ultra wide-angle cameras.
In the background erase shooting function, the A71 combines a 64MP main camera with a 5MP secondary camera to capture image depth. The image clears the background and identifies the subject well, less blurry, even with the subjects and the background quite close together. As usual, Samsung allows adjusting the level of background removal before and after shooting. By default, the device sets the level of font deletion at level 5 on a scale of 7.
The macro camera of the A71 is currently the highest resolution camera in this category of cameras used on phones. However, unfortunately this camera only focuses on a fixed distance of about 3-5cm, does not support autofocus. Therefore, the process of taking photos is often blurred and it is difficult to focus correctly, often taking many photos to meet the requirements of users.
The 32-megapixel selfie camera of the A71 is similar to the previous one on the previous generation or the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy Note 10 Lite we recently evaluated so the quality is no different. The photo is bright enough with lots of detail, quite sharp and natural colors, but lack of light, the image is a bit flat, details are reduced. Background removal is also effective in the ability to separate the subject and the background, less prone to being caught even when the background is quite close.
By default, photos from the front camera are taken at 8MP or 12MP resolution depending on whether the zoom is normal or normal. Similar to the main camera, you can also choose to shoot at up to 32MP resolution with image quality not different from the default 12MP mode. Besides, this selfie camera also supports HDR and captures fonts.
Summary
Galaxy A71 is an almost comprehensive upgrade of the Galaxy A70. The optimized body design is thinner, the screen is inherited from the high-end Galaxy S/ Note series, the processor is stronger and the camera is upgraded in quality, especially the two main cameras and angle cameras which is super wide. The software can be updated to Android 10 version with One UI 2.0 right from the start, no need to wait for OTA updates after the previous sales time. Meanwhile, the battery capacity remains the same for good use and charges quickly.
The biggest drawback in this phone is that the price is a bit high, equivalent to or even higher than the affordable flagships like Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro or high-end smartphone Oppo Reno/ Reno2. However, with what is available, the Galaxy A71 will be a smartphone of interest, especially when Samsung reduces the price.