Samsung Galaxy A02s / M02s review
Samsung Galaxy A02s: Our exploration of the complex world of Samsung's entry-level smartphone lineup continues - we now have the Samsung Galaxy A02s for you. Pushing the limits of what can fit on a tight budget and still deserve a badge, the A02s adjustments are what we're here to rate.
There is nothing surprising in the presentation - the Samsung Galaxy A02s ships in the same Samsung Galaxy A12 packaging we had before and most other reasonably priced galaxies. Pull the cardboard tray out from the cover, and you'll get the same package - the phone itself, a 15-watt adapter, and a USB-A-to-C cable. The simple case would have been cool, but every penny counts in this category, so don't be alarmed by its absence.
Samsung Galaxy A02 design
The Samsung Galaxy A02s features its own distinctive back panel, which combines geometric shapes and textured surfaces. A set of implied lozenges, each with a thin stripe texture in a different direction, make sure the back cover never looks the same according to the angle you are looking at.
Screen Samsung Galaxy A02s - Samsung Galaxy A02s
6.5 inch LCD screen has high contrast ratio and not very bright
- Samsung Galaxy A02s - The A02s the same as the A12 at first glance - a 6.5-inch PLS LCD with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels at a 20: 9 ratio. Both the Poco M3 and Redmi 9 have 1080p panels, although the Realme 7i stands at 720p as it does with the Moto G8 Power and G9 Power.
- However, in our testing, the A02s returned different results than we got from the A12. The contrast ratio was higher on the A02s, approaching an excellent 1800: 1, compared to the 1350-ish-to-one on the A12 thanks to the deeper blacks.
- The maximum brightness of about 400 nits is roughly the same as what we measured in the A12 in manual mode, although that had a (small) boost in adaptive mode, which we didn't see here in the A02s.
Screen test Samsung Galaxy A02s - Samsung Galaxy A02s 100% brightness
- Black, cd / m2 white, cd / m2 contrast
- Samsung Galaxy A02s 0.23406 1765: 1
- Samsung Galaxy A12 0.292398 1363: 1
- Samsung Galaxy A12 (Max Auto) 0.349472 1352: 1
- Samsung Galaxy A21s 0.317408 1287: 1
- Samsung Galaxy A21s (Max Auto) 0.384491 1279: 1
- Poco M3 0.252395 1567: 1
- Poco M3 (Maximum Auto) 0.277439 1585: 1
- Realme 6 0.343 451 1315: 1
- Realme 7 0.31 457 1474: 1
- Realme 7 (automatic maximum) 0.374 526 1406: 1
- Huawei P smart 2021 0.353 442 1252: 1
- Motorola Moto G8 Power 0.341500 1466: 1
- Motorola Moto G8 Power (Max Auto) 0.53 741 1398: 1
- Moto G9 Power 0.259435 1680: 1
- Moto G9 Power (Maximum Auto) 0.325521 1603: 1
Similar to the A12, there are no color modes on the Samsung Galaxy A02s. The color reproduction of the A02s varies, though, with a stronger blue offset (the white point is about 14 units of the mark) and a dE2000 average of 7.3 when examining sRGB color samples. These numbers were 8 and 4.9 on the A12, respectively.
Similar to the A12, there are no color modes on the A02s. The color reproduction of the A02s varies, though, with a stronger blue offset (the white point is about 14 units of the mark) and a dE2000 average of 7.3 when examining sRGB color samples. These numbers were 8 and 4.9 on the A12, respectively.
Samsung Galaxy A02s battery life
There is a 5000 mAh battery inside the Samsung Galaxy A02s, as is the case on the A12 that we had here two weeks ago. We got a fairly similar bearing capacity from the A02s, too.
We recorded Wi-Fi browsing at 16:29, while the video was playing in airplane mode for 16 hours, and both numbers are slightly longer than ever on the A12. The voice call result was a full 34 hours on the Galaxy A02s, again slightly better than what we got on the A12. The spare battery drawback turned out to be higher on the A02, however, it ultimately hurt the overall result. In any case, the Galaxy A02s' endurance rating of 114 hours is still excellent.
Samsung Galaxy A02s charging speed
The Samsung Galaxy A02s comes with a 15W Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging Adapter (QuickCharge 2.0 compatible), a staple in the history of Samsung's charging that has been replaced by primary batteries in recent years, but you can still find it included with Lesser models.
With this charger included, we scored just over two and a half hours from flat to full and 30% at the half-hour mark. Neither number is amazing in the grand scheme of things, but the A02s charge faster than the A12, which means another small win for the cheaper phone.
- 30-minute charge test (from 0%)
Samsung Galaxy A02s Android 10 and OneUI 2.5
Similar to the A12 we got recently, the Galaxy A02s review unit runs Android 10 with Samsung's One UI 2.5 at the top. We can imagine that these low-profile galaxies are not a top priority for new firmware development, but we hope Android 11 will finally come. However, the A02s is on the list of phones that will receive security updates for at least four years.
The One UI was very consistent from phone to phone and between versions, so there's not much missing in the A02s to start with, v2.5 or otherwise. The lock screen is a common sight with two shortcuts in the lower corners and notification icons at the bottom of the clock. Since it is an LCD phone, it does not support Always-On Display.
There is no fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy A02s, nor even a side sensor, as we saw on the A12. To unlock the authentication, you get the usual PIN, password pattern options, and camera-based face unlock. It's not very safe, but it does score points for convenience. It worked quickly and reliably, even in extremely dark environments, and required at least one open eye to operate.
Camera quality
Samsung Galaxy A02s - Samsung Galaxy A02s
Regular camera, two 2-megapixel side photos
Samsung Galaxy A02s has a triple camera on the back that consists of a 13-megapixel main unit with an f / 2.2 lens slot, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and another 2-megapixel unit for depth detection. In this sense, this is a noticeable downgrade compared to the A12, which has an ultra-wide camera and its core unit uses a 48MP Bayer Quad sensor.
Upfront, the A02s gets a 5MP f / 2.2 primary selfie camera, and here too Samsung is backing away from the A12's 8MP unit.
The camera app on the A02 might be as modest as it is on any other Samsung device (well, except for some modes), which is fine because it is straightforward and easy to use. The basics as usual - swiping left and right switches between the available modes, and there is an option to rearrange, add, or remove some modes from the viewfinder. Vertical swipes will travel in any direction between the front and rear cameras.