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MagyarSamsung Galaxy A03s smartphone review: Cheap phone, good call quality
The Samsung Galaxy A02s revealed huge Wi-Fi problems with significant fluctuations in transfer rates in our review. The successor, the Galaxy A03s, intends to restore the reputation of the cheapest Samsung phone within the Galaxy A family, also with an at least slightly more up-to-date SoC.
The spec sheet doesn't otherwise indicate any major differences compared with the predecessor, so was the Galaxy A03s's price just increased and the Wi-Fi problem eliminated, or is there any real improvement?
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73.6 % | 12/2021 | Samsung Galaxy A03s Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320 | 196 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 72.5 % | 03/2021 | Samsung Galaxy A02s SD 450, Adreno 506 | 196 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 77.1 % | 11/2021 | Motorola Moto E40 Tangula T700, Mali-G52 MP2 | 198 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 75.2 % | 02/2021 | Samsung Galaxy A12 Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320 | 205 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 76.4 % | 07/2021 | Nokia G20 Helio G35, PowerVR GE8320 | 197 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 |
Case – Simpler design
On the outside, the Galaxy A03s is quite different from its predecessor: While the previous model still came with a glossy back featuring a diamond pattern, the Galaxy A03s only comes with a pretty straightforward matte back. Once again, plastic is the material of choice, which is fine for such an inexpensive smartphone.
The phone is available in black, blue, or white. There is once again a much thicker bezel below the screen and a waterdrop notch for the front-facing camera. The build quality is perfectly fine for the price range, and the Galaxy Phone feels good in the hand. At 196 grams, it has an average weight, and its 6.5-inch screen makes it a medium-sized phone that might be a bit unwieldy for very small hands.
Connectivity – Galaxy A03s with a fairly low amount of storage
In Central Europe, there's only a version with 32 GB of storage and 3 GB of RAM for sale. Internationally, a 64 GB variant with 4 GB of RAM is also available. The official price that Samsung has established for the configuration with less storage is just under 160 Euros (~$180). Motorola and Nokia offer phones with 64 GB of storage in this price range, which means that the Galaxy A03s lags a bit behind the market in this respect.
In return, it features NFC, which isn't always found in low-priced phones. You can use mobile payment services with it, for example. The Galaxy phone allows the use of two SIM cards at the same time, and the microSD card for memory expansion has its own slot, so it can be used separately.
microSD card reader
In our speed test, the SD card reader cuts a fine figure in data transfer with the Angelbird V60 reference card, but it only performs averagely in the CPDT benchmark. All in all, this is a pretty decent result for such an inexpensive smartphone.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Angelbird V60) | |
| Nokia G20 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Motorola Moto E40 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software – HD streaming on the Galaxy phone
Android 11 serves as the foundation for the operating system, and Samsung's in-house OneUI 3.1 is installed on top of it. It's optimized for single-handed use and looks stylish. Samsung installs many of its own apps as well as some third-party applications out of the box. Fortunately, Samsung's budget phone also comes with a DRM L1 certification, which allows users to stream content from the major providers in HD resolution.
The security patches are at the level of September 2021, which makes them already three months old at the time of testing. Because of the low price, you shouldn't expect too many updates.
Communication and GNSS – Weak reception
Only the most necessary LTE frequencies and Wi-Fi 4, which only works on the 2.4 GHz band, are available once again. At least the Wi-Fi speeds achieved in our test with the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router are on par with the competition; the predecessor had massive problems here.
Again, only the most necessary 4G networks are supported, so you should thoroughly check whether mobile Internet is usable on your smartphone before traveling abroad. The 4G network signal quality is consistently a bit worse than that of other smartphones in our testing, both outdoors and indoors in urban environments, but it's never completely lost.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Motorola Moto E40 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Nokia G20 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto E40 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Nokia G20 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
Outdoors, the Galaxy A03s manages to pinpoint our location with an accuracy of up to two meters in a short time, but the signal strength is comparatively low. The SBAS support system for additional positioning accuracy is also supported.
In our field test, the smartphone didn't always accurately determine our position on the road, but accuracy is good for such an inexpensive smartphone. Due to bad weather conditions, we made an exception and did our test ride by car this time.
Telephone and call quality – Clear conversations
Samsung's phone app has a slightly different design than the standard Android app, but it offers all the necessary functions and is very straightforward after a short familiarization period.
The person on the other end of the line can be understood well via the earpiece, but the sound is sometimes a bit unclear. The microphone picks up our voice well. However, when we speak too loudly, the other user complains about our voice sounding distorted. Communication also works very well via the built-in speaker and the hands-free microphone, regardless of whether we speak loudly or softly.
Cameras – Low resolution, little light
Compared with the predecessor, the camera system has remained the same: A 13-megapixel lens is used as the main camera, and it takes photos with decent dynamics, but details tend to get lost quickly at the same time, for example with the textured plaster on the wall in the surrounding photo. The autofocus doesn't always position the focus accurately, either, and it's also rather mediocre overall when you take a closer look.
There's no wide-angle camera, only a macro lens that can be used in a special mode within the camera software, but it has a very low resolution of 2 megapixels.
Videos can be recorded at a maximum of 1080p and 30 fps, the autofocus does a fairly good job here, and the exposure adjustment works quite reliably as well. However, you shouldn't expect too much sharpness and good quality in low light.
The selfie camera needs a really good amount of light to be able to take decent pictures; otherwise, they quickly become grainy and lack detail.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera - PlantsMain camera - SurroundingsMain camera - Low light
In the lab under good lighting conditions, the camera only produces rough contours in the test photo, and it's also only mediocre in terms of sharpness and contrast. At an illumination of 1 lux, you can't make out any details in the pictures.
Accessories and warranty – Limited contents
A charger and a USB cable are included in the box, as well as a tool to open the SIM tray. Other than that, there are no special accessories for the smartphone online.
Samsung offers a 24-month warranty. There are fixed prices for repairs and numerous options to have the smartphone repaired in a larger city nearby or to send it in.
Input devices and handling – Fingerprint scanner with problems
The touchscreen works quite reliably, and the physical buttons on the right side of the case have a clear pressure point.
The fingerprint reader is integrated into the slightly recessed standby button. It takes a good second for the sensor to respond. In our test, we frequently had to try several times to have the finger scanned, and it often didn't work even after five attempts, at which point the smartphone asked for the PIN. You can also register your face and then have it scanned by the front-facing camera. Since this is only a software-based solution, this system is a bit more prone to manipulation.
Display – Dim display with PWM
At first glance, it looks like nothing has changed when it comes to the display in the Galaxy A03s: A 6.5-inch PLS display with an expanded 720p resolution, just like the Galaxy A02s. However, the brightness is much lower this time: With 354 cd/m² on average, the new Galaxy phone is much dimmer than all comparison devices.
At least the black level of 0.34 cd/m² is good, so that the contrast ratio is good as well, and colors look a bit more vivid on the screen.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 383 cd/m²
Contrast: 1126:1 (Black: 0.34 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.09 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
93.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.261
| Samsung Galaxy A03s PLS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Samsung Galaxy A02s PLS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Motorola Moto E40 IPS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Samsung Galaxy A12 PLS-LCD, 1600x720, 6.50 | Nokia G20 IPS, 1600x720, 6.50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 5% | 10% | 4% | 1% | |
| Brightness middle | 383 | 482 26% | 452 18% | 458 20% | 485 27% |
| Brightness | 354 | 460 30% | 431 22% | 427 21% | 447 26% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 92 5% | 90 2% | 85 -3% | 88 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.34 | 0.44 -29% | 0.46 -35% | 0.53 -56% | 0.44 -29% |
| Contrast | 1126 | 1095 -3% | 983 -13% | 864 -23% | 1102 -2% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.09 | 5.52 -8% | 4.15 18% | 4.04 21% | 5.75 -13% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.25 | 7.78 16% | 6.47 30% | 6.84 26% | 10.53 -14% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.5 | 6.3 3% | 4 38% | 4.8 26% | 5.7 12% |
| Gamma | 2.261 97% | 2.54 87% | 2.157 102% | 2.293 96% | 2.095 105% |
| CCT | 8152 80% | 7882 82% | 7557 86% | 7535 86% | 8070 81% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 807 Hz | ≤ 10 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 807 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 807 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
We detect flickering at a high frequency at low brightness levels, which is most likely due to PWM being used to reduce the display's brightness. Users who are sensitive to flickering screens should try the phone at low display brightness before buying it to see if this smartphone also causes problems.
A clear blue tint can be observed in our more extensive display tests, and color reproduction is only moderately accurate.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 15 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 54 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 27 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 27 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 89 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Outdoors, you can only really use the phone in shaded places. Even on cloudy days, you can still have trouble making out the screen content due to the low display brightness.
Apart from slight brightness shifts, you can also view the screen from very flat angles without there being a loss of image content.
Performance – Galaxy A03s with adequate power
Samsung has updated the SoC for the model upgrade by installing a MediaTek Helio P35 in the Galaxy A03s. At least it's a bit more up to date than the Snapdragon 450 in the predecessor, and it manages to stand out slightly in the raw processor benchmarks. However, you will hardly notice this difference in everyday use: The Samsung Galaxy A03s is no performance monster, and you should be prepared for choppiness and longer loading times in apps.
The graphics performance is roughly on par with the predecessor and is decent compared with other smartphones in the price range.
| PCMark for Android - Work 3.0 (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Motorola Moto E40 | |
| Nokia G20 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 () | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4761 - 21385, n=214, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (9.1 - 20, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=185, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (9.8 - 12, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=185, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (6 - 14, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=185, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (5.8 - 8.1, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=185, last 2 years) | |
| Antutu v9 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 () | |
| Average of class Smartphone (102602 - 1650926, n=153, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (101535 - 109518, n=4) | |
| AImark - Score v2.x (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 () | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1043 - 139804, n=50, last 2 years) | |
The Galaxy A03s is faster than its predecessor when it comes to browsing the Internet. However, it's hard to say whether this is only due to the SoC or also to the updated browser. In any case, the differences aren't massive, and you still have to wait for images to load every now and then when scrolling on the current Galaxy A Phone.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chrome 96) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (13.6 - 17.3, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s (Chrome 89) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chrome 96) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (23.8 - 31.3, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (13.7 - 16, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chome 96) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s (Chome 89) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chrome 96) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (29 - 36, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s (Chrome 89) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=213, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chrome 96) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (4347 - 5543, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s (Chrome 89) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Samsung Galaxy A02s (Chrome 89) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 (9756 - 11323, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s (Chrome 96) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The Galaxy A03s only comes with slow eMMC storage, but none of the comparison devices have higher-quality storage. Nevertheless, the Galaxy A03s is still a bit slower than other smartphones in the price range, especially when it comes to writing data.
| Samsung Galaxy A03s | Samsung Galaxy A02s | Motorola Moto E40 | Samsung Galaxy A12 | Nokia G20 | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 36% | 7% | 31% | 2% | -21% | 593% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 279.8 | 299 7% | 265 -5% | 269.7 -4% | 256.1 -8% | 242 ? -14% | 1508 ? 439% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 86.8 | 103.9 20% | 156.3 80% | 211.6 144% | 139.3 60% | 100.5 ? 16% | 1118 ? 1188% |
| Random Read 4KB | 64 | 84.8 33% | 56 -12% | 65.4 2% | 63.5 -1% | 43.2 ? -32% | 247 ? 286% |
| Random Write 4KB | 48.7 | 88.5 82% | 30.7 -37% | 39.1 -20% | 27.4 -44% | 22.4 ? -54% | 272 ? 459% |
Games – Gamers should look elsewhere
The Galaxy Phone isn't a dedicated gaming phone. You can only reach 25 fps in PUBG Mobile on medium settings, and you have to deal with occasional performance drops. Therefore, the smartphone isn't suitable for a fast shooter. In the 2D action game Armajet, the device at least reaches around 35 fps. We measured the frame rates with GameBench.
Gamers with higher requirements will have to look elsewhere, but performance is usually sufficient for simpler games. Controlling the device using the touchscreen and position sensor works reliably.
Emissions – Cool phone chassis
Temperature
The maximum heat development under load is kept well within limits, so there shouldn't be any problems even in hot ambient temperatures.
Unfortunately, the SoC in the Galaxy A03s is unable to run the 3DMark Wild Life benchmarks, forcing us to use the GFXBench battery test to check stability under prolonged load. We only see a minor decrease in performance there, and therefore no reason for complaint.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.2 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.9 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.2 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The small mono speaker at the bottom edge doesn't exactly lead us to expect hi-fi sound, but at least the Galaxy A03s sounds somewhat more powerful than its predecessor. The sound is very high-pitched, and at most, it's suitable for getting a first impression of a piece of music.
You can get better quality from headphones or speakers that you can connect via the 3.5 mm audio jack or Bluetooth 5.0.
Samsung Galaxy A03s audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.6% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 61% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 78% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A02s audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 33.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (31.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 88% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life – You can enjoy using the Galaxy A03s for a long time
Energy consumption
With its slightly dimmer display, the Galaxy A03s has an advantage in energy consumption under some scenarios, such as when it comes to maximum power consumption. In other scenarios, we use a fixed screen brightness, but the smartphone proves to be quite frugal here as well.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.15 Watt |
| Idle |  0.7 / 1.1 / 1.3 Watt |
| Load |
2.1 / 4.6 Watt |
    
| |
| Samsung Galaxy A03s 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A02s 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A12 5000 mAh | Average Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -58% | -71% | -49% | -66% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.7 | 0.8 -14% | 1.1 -57% | 0.932 ? -33% | 0.897 ? -28% |
| Idle Average * | 1.1 | 1.9 -73% | 1.6 -45% | 1.892 ? -72% | 1.452 ? -32% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.3 | 2.5 -92% | 2.6 -100% | 2.23 ? -72% | 1.629 ? -25% |
| Load Average * | 2.1 | 4.2 -100% | 4.5 -114% | 3.3 ? -57% | 5.55 ? -164% |
| Load Maximum * | 4.6 | 5.1 -11% | 6.4 -39% | 5.2 ? -13% | 8.31 ? -81% |
* ... smaller is better
Energy consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Energy consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery life
Due to its slightly more frugal SoC and dimmer display, the Galaxy A03s lasts a bit longer than the predecessor in some scenarios, but the advantage should hardly be noticeable in practice. But that shouldn't be the case. After all, the Galaxy A03s delivers very good runtimes with its 5,000 mAh battery, which should be sufficient for longer workdays with nearly 20 hours in our Wi-Fi test.
In turn, charging takes a very long time and should best be done overnight: The included charger still only supplies a maximum of 7.8 watts, and it sometimes needs almost 3 hours or even more for the smartphone to be fully charged again.
| Samsung Galaxy A03s 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A02s 5000 mAh | Motorola Moto E40 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A12 5000 mAh | Nokia G20 5050 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -1% | -17% | 2% | -1% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2757 | 2746 0% | 3743 36% | ||
| H.264 | 1307 | 1295 -1% | 887 -32% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 1193 | 1201 1% | 995 -17% | 1288 8% | 1186 -1% |
| Load | 346 | 329 -5% | 336 -3% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – Nice little details
The Samsung Galaxy A03s now offers stable Wi-Fi, which may not be particularly fast compared with high-end smartphones, but at least it works reliably. The fact that we need to mention this specifically is due to the predecessor, which had significant deficits here. Now, you shouldn't expect to be able to browse the Internet without any lags, but at least the browsing speed is now on par with that of the low-price range.
There are many small things that the A03s does well in the market of very cheap phones: There is NFC for mobile payments or other applications and a dedicated card reader so that you can use two SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously. DRM-L1 certification is by no means a matter of course either, nor is a decent voice quality during calls or a passable location accuracy. In terms of performance, the smartphone hardly stands out from similarly priced devices, but at least it lasts quite long.
Thanks to nice little touches like clear call quality or DRM L1, the Samsung Galaxy A03s succeeds in finding its place in the low-priced mobile phone market. Users who want the best features for the money, though, will have to look elsewhere.
However, there are some things that annoy us about the Galaxy A03s: The inaccurate fingerprint sensor, the somewhat weak signal reception, the selfie camera that needs a lot of light to take good pictures, and the very slow charging at only 7.8 watts.
Overall, the Galaxy A03s is a good choice if you're looking for an inexpensive phone that can also be used for mobile payments and offers pretty good call quality. However, if you want to get as much features for your money, you will get a much higher-resolution camera and a 90 Hz display in the Motorola Moto E40 and considerably more storage for a similar amount of money with the Nokia G20.
Price and availability
You can find the Samsung Galaxy A03s on Amazon, where the 32 GB version costs around $150, while the 64 GB version is priced at around $180.
Samsung Galaxy A03s
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12/13/2021 v7
Florian Schmitt
Pricecompare
