Samsung Galaxy A12
Specifications
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix (f/2.2)
Price comparison
Average of 19 scores (from 54 reviews)
Reviews for the Samsung Galaxy A12
Samsung's entry-level Galaxy A12 smartphone combines a powerful 5,000 mAh battery, a large display, and a quad-camera setup with MediaTek's Helio P35 SoC. Find out if the overall concept is convincing and which compromises have to be accepted due to the low price in our review of the Galaxy phone.
Source: Tech Amaze
Galaxy A12 is not flawless, but when it comes to its price tag, its weaknesses can be overlooked. The display of Samsung’s budget smartphone is not very suitable for use under direct sunlight due to its low maximum brightness. On the other hand, we would have preferred Samsung to use a better wide camera for night photography or a more powerful chip on its smartphone instead of the ineffective macro and ultra-wide cameras. Galaxy A12 experiences relatively significant changes compared to Galaxy A11. The attractive appearance of the back panel, the use of matte coating, the satisfactory performance of the wide and depth cameras, the acceptable hardware performance, and the good battery life are the key features of Galaxy A12 that make it a valuable product for purchase along with its reasonable price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/13/2023
Source: Ricks Tech
Support, online available, Medium, Date: 11/04/2022
Source: Trusted Reviews
It’s hard to criticise a £169 smartphone that looks this good and keeps going for so long between charges, but the Galaxy A12’s dismal performance poisons the well. It’s so sluggish that it’s difficult to recommend to anybody. The good news is that it is possible to buy a solid all-rounder at the price without compromising on user experience. The Motorola Moto G8 costs £179 and does everything that the Galaxy A12 does well, but without any of the lag.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/06/2022
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Android Authority
The Samsung Galaxy A12 is a solid upgrade over the Galaxy A11 in almost every way. What this budget-friendly phone does bring to the table is a good 48MP main camera, excellent battery life, and Samsung’s crisp and attractive One UI software. Unfortunately, the peripheral cameras lack punch, and the laggy performance can be frustrating, but these are expected trade-offs at this price tier. We’ve mentioned that the Galaxy A12 lands right around Motorola’s Moto G Power (2022) ($199), and while both appear well suited for someone buying their first smartphone, the Galaxy is a far safer pick. The lack of 5G limits its future prospects, though you can try out the OnePlus Nord N20 ($282) or pick up Samsung’s newer Galaxy A13 5G ($249) if you want to tap into top speeds.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/19/2022
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Ricks Tech
Support, online available, Long, Date: 05/09/2022
Source: CNet
I'd recommend the Galaxy A03S to anyone who wants to spend less than $200 on a new Samsung phone. Since it's the newest of the three phones, it'll get more years of software and security updates. I also found that it offered respectable performance for the price. While the A12 does take better photos, I didn't think the step up in quality was worth the extra $20. Instead, buy the A03S and invest that $20 toward the microSD card you'll need. If you wanted to check out other sub-$200 phones that aren't made by Samsung, Motorola has the $160 Moto G Pure phone and a $200 Moto G Power phone. The OnePlus Nord N200 5G goes slightly above the $200 threshold at $240, but it offers 5G connectivity.
Comparison, online available, Long, Date: 04/17/2022
Source: Expert Reviews
Ultimately, it’s hard not to think of the Galaxy A12 as something of a misfire by Samsung. Yes, it has phenomenal battery life, and I sincerely hope that the company adopts the two-tone look onto other handsets, but even at £169 it still misses the mark. Much of that is down to the outstanding things other manufacturers are doing on a budget, but Samsung’s entry-level handsets have been able to hold their own in the past. It’s hard not to pin the disappointment entirely on the MediaTek Helios MT6765. Exynos and Qualcomm handsets never felt this sluggish. What should you buy instead? While all of the options highlighted in the ‘price and competition’ section would be preferable, my suggestion is the Poco X3 NFC if you can stretch to £199. If you can’t, then you should pay the same £169 for a Realme 7 or save £19 and buy a Nokia 5.3.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/13/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Expert Reviews
Ultimately, it’s hard not to think of the Galaxy A12 as something of a misfire by Samsung. Yes, it has phenomenal battery life, and I sincerely hope that the company adopts the two-tone look onto other handsets, but even at £169 it still misses the mark. Much of that is down to the outstanding things other manufacturers are doing on a budget, but Samsung’s entry-level handsets have been able to hold their own in the past. It’s hard not to pin the disappointment entirely on the MediaTek Helios MT6765. Exynos and Qualcomm handsets never felt this sluggish. What should you buy instead? While all of the options highlighted in the ‘price and competition’ section would be preferable, my suggestion is the Poco X3 NFC if you can stretch to £199. If you can’t, then you should pay the same £169 for a Realme 7 or save £19 and buy a Nokia 5.3.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/02/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Ricks Tech
Support, online available, Long, Date: 09/30/2021
Source: Android Authority
The Samsung Galaxy A12 is a solid upgrade over the Galaxy A11 in almost every way. What this budget-friendly phone does bring to the table is a good 48MP main camera, excellent battery life, and Samsung’s crisp and attractive One UI software. Unfortunately, the peripheral cameras lack punch and the laggy performance can be frustrating, but these are expected trade-offs at this price tier. We’ve mentioned that the Galaxy A12 lands right around Motorola’s Moto G Power ($249) and Moto G Play ($169), and it’s well suited for someone buying their first smartphone. The lack of 5G limits its future prospects, though you can try out the OnePlus Nord N200 ($239) or splurge a bit on Samsung’s Galaxy A32 5G ($279) if you want to tap into top speeds. Samsung’s Galaxy A12 is also available on Verizon, US Cellular, and AT&T.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/30/2021
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Android Police
Budget phones have their place, and for some, spending more than $200 on a mobile device is simply not worth it. The Galaxy A12 isn't a bad phone — in fact, it's an able road trip companion, with its giant display and a battery to match. But Samsung had to cut several corners to get the price this low, and unfortunately, performance just can't keep up with modern standards. Ultimately, the Galaxy A12 fails to find a single category where it defeats the competition. It's a phone of compromises, but one that makes all the wrong choices when cutting corners. Extra-long battery life only takes you so far when using the phone is frustratingly slow. With superior devices available for just a bit of extra cash upfront, you're better off opting for something else.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/16/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: DxOMark
The Samsung Galaxy A12 is a budget smartphone competing in the Essential segment ($200 or under). Despite the modest price point, it offers some impressive specs, including an octa-core processor, a 6.5-inch TFT display with HD+ resolution, and 64 GB of internal memory to store your photos and videos. For the rear camera, the primary module with a 48 MP sensor is assisted by a 5 MP ultra-wide, a 2 MP macro camera, and a depth sensor. Let’s see how this combo does in the DXOMARK Camera test.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/02/2021
Source: Phone Arena
It’s a fully plastic build, but we think the blue color and textured back make it quite fun to hold in hand. And also, one or two cool things here. We get dual sim support with a dedicated Micro SD card slot and a headphone jack.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/27/2021
Source: XDA Developers
The Galaxy A12 is one of the cheapest smartphones currently sold by Samsung, so it’s probably not much of a surprise that the phone isn’t wildly fast. However, the phone is incredibly frustrating to use, even by the standard of other budget smartphones. When the keyboard is lagging during the initial setup process, you know you’re in for trouble. I would strongly recommend buying a Galaxy A32 5G instead if you can afford it, which normally costs $279.99 but frequently goes on sale for $205. Buying a used iPhone 8 or iPhone X is another solid option in this price range — battery life likely won’t be as good, but you could replace the battery later on, and even these old iPhones are substantially faster than the Galaxy A12. They should also have a few iOS updates left since iOS 15 still supports devices as old as the iPhone 6S.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/18/2021
Source: Android Police
Budget phones have their place, and for some, spending more than $200 on a mobile device is simply not worth it. The Galaxy A12 isn't a bad phone — in fact, it's an able road trip companion, with its giant display and a battery to match. The Galaxy A32 costs $100 more, and includes a better display and improved camera quality. There are also phones like the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, which has much better hardware for just $240. Ultimately, the Galaxy A12 fails to find a single category where it defeats the competition. It's a phone of compromises, but one that makes all the wrong choices when cutting corners. Extra-long battery life only takes you so far when using the phone is frustratingly slow. With superior devices available for just a bit of extra cash upfront, you're better off opting for something else.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/09/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Expert Reviews
Ultimately, it’s hard not to think of the Galaxy A12 as something of a misfire by Samsung. Yes, it has phenomenal battery life, and I sincerely hope that the company adopts the two-tone look onto other handsets, but even at £169 it still misses the mark. Much of that is down to the outstanding things other manufacturers are doing on a budget, but Samsung’s entry-level handsets have been able to hold their own in the past. It’s hard not to pin the disappointment entirely on the MediaTek Helios MT6765. Exynos and Qualcomm handsets never felt this sluggish. What should you buy instead? While all of the options highlighted in the ‘price and competition’ section would be preferable, my suggestion is the Poco X3 NFC if you can stretch to £199. If you can’t, then you should pay the same £169 for a Realme 7 or save £19 and buy a Nokia 5.3.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/23/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: 91mobiles
The Galaxy A12’s saving grace is its big battery and a set of cameras that perform well in the daylight. In most other aspects, it is mostly a hit-or-miss and that makes it falter against the competition. The budget segment has evolved quite a bit and I believe that Samsung’s more recent Galaxy M12 is a better answer to its rivals.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/10/2021
Rating: Total score: 60% performance: 60% display: 70% mobility: 70% workmanship: 60%
Source: Manila Shaker
For a quick rundown, the Samsung Galaxy A12 gives an impressive camera and tough battery life for the price of P7,990 (4GB+128GB) and P9,990 (6GB+128GB). You may be nitpicking on some other phones in its price range but if you are not into heavy gaming or you are on a budget, or even an average user that wants the Samsung’s environment, software, AI, and optimization, Give the Galaxy A12 a try, and you might find it enjoyable.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/23/2021
Source: Manila Shaker
We tested the power of the latest entry-level device from Samsung-- the Samsung Galaxy A12. In our video, we also tested the battery life, benchmarks, charging, and the fps counter of each game including; Mobile Legends, League of Legends: Wildrift, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Honkai Impact 3, and Genshin Impact. Watch our video to see the results.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/14/2021
Source: Manila Shaker
Samsung Galaxy A12 is one of Samsung's latest entry-level smartphones on their Galaxy A series. For the price of P7,990, is it enough?
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/13/2021
Source: Unbox
While the Samsung Galaxy A12 is far more affordable than the brand’s other offerings as we found out in this review, it’s going up against stiff competition against phones that are cheaper and faster. It does offer a decent vlogging experience for people who shoot vertical videos to be put up on TikTok, IG Stories, or FB.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/05/2021
Source: Gadgets Now
Samsung is probably not the name that pops in mind when one talks about the budget phone segment. But the company has been trying to carve out a name in this price range. Samsung Galaxy A12 seems to work in the same direction. Will the phone make a leap forward for the popular flagship maker? That only time can tell. But the device does make a point that the company has everything to become a popular choice in the budget phone category. With its decent camera abilities and good battery life, Galaxy A12 does make a case for Samsung.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 02/28/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: GSM Arena
Samsung often struggles to compete with the value-oriented brands in the lower market segments, and that's the case with the Galaxy A12 we have here. It's not a bad phone, and it excels in endurance, it takes decent pictures, and it looks good in the process. It's also a Samsung, and the brand itself could make it more appealing than its actual merits.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 02/23/2021
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Tech Nave
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A12 is satisfactory as long as you use it casually. Its best selling point is none other than the battery, of course, which can last up to two days and the camera performance is satisfactory. However, it faces tough competition from other phones, which are cheaper yet deliver similar or superior specs.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/19/2021
Source: PC Quest
The Samsung Galaxy A12 is the latest offering in the infamous “A” line-up of phones. Samsung has always tried to make their phones accessible to people of all walks of life and the “A” series that started off as a high mid-range segment has made its way to the mid-range and budget segment quite gracefully.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 02/19/2021
Source: NLT
But the Samsung Galaxy A12 here offers a much better user experience – especially the software – in comparison with other phones in this category. And since the software is what we interact with whenever we touch the device, I’d argue that some people will definitely pay more to get a better experience.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/29/2021
Source: Phone World
After reading my review, you must thinking about purchasing this smartphone. Certainly, this smartphone deserves a chance. I’m pretty sure that Galaxy A12 will stun the market in terms of sale. I have used this phone and keenly observed all its features. Under this price range, the phone is worth buying.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/26/2021
Foreign Reviews
Source: Computerbild DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/29/2022
Rating: Total score: 81%
Source: Computerbild DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/30/2021
Rating: Total score: 78%
Source: Canaltech PT→EN
Positive: Great battery life; solid workmanship; nice main camera. Negative: Plastic case; weak processor; relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/04/2021
Source: AndroidWorld.it IT→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/03/2021
Rating: Total score: 64% price: 65% features: 60% display: 65% mobility: 80% workmanship: 75% ergonomy: 75%
Source: Tutto Android IT→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/02/2021
Rating: Total score: 68% performance: 62% mobility: 84% workmanship: 75%
Source: AndroidWorld.nl NL→EN
Positive: Good price; long battery life; modern design; nice cameras.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/12/2021
Source: Frandroid FR→EN
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 02/27/2021
Rating: Total score: 70% performance: 60% display: 70% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90%
Source: Top for Phone FR→EN
Positive: Elegant design; great built quality; long battery life; nice performance; low price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/24/2021
Source: Top for Phone FR→EN
Positive: Attractive price; beautiful design; nice display; long battery life; decent cameras.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 03/18/2021
Source: DGL.ru RU→EN
Positive: Beautiful design; bright display; decent autonomy; nice cameras; good price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/15/2021
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN
Positive: Long battery life; high performance; stylish design; great cameras; beautiful display; good price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/13/2022
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN
Positive: Good price; 6GB RAM; long battery life; excellent cameras.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/18/2021
Source: FPT shop VN→EN
Positive: Good price; stylish design; great built quality; nice performance; long battery life; decent cameras.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/26/2021
Source: FPT shop VN→EN
Positive: Nice cameras; big screen; large storage; long battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/20/2021
Source: Cell Phones VN→EN
Positive: Impressive autonomy; high gaming performance; modern design; nice cameras; large storage.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/13/2021
Source: Genk VN→EN
Positive: Modern design; excellent quad cameras; long battery life; attractive price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/09/2021
Source: Tinh Te VN→EN
Positive: Good price; nice design; great display; excellent cameras; decent performance; long battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/09/2021
Source: Cell Phones VN→EN
Positive: Excellent quad cameras; impressive battery life; large storage; attractive price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/08/2021
Source: FPT shop VN→EN
Positive: Nice quad cameras; powerful hardware; high performance; large battery capacity.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/02/2021
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Large battery life; excellent quad cameras; nice performance.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/30/2020
Source: Cell Phones VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Modern design; nice cameras; high autonomy; low price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/30/2020
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good price; large battery capacity; big screen; nice quad cameras; quick charging; elegant design.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/28/2020
Source: Nghenhin Vietnam VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Impressive macro cameras; powerful hardware; long battery life; attractive price.
Comparison, online available, Short, Date: 12/25/2020
Source: Zing VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Great quad cameras; long battery life; decent hardware; good price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/25/2020
Source: Genk VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Big screen; decent autonomy; quick charging; good price.
Comparison, online available, Medium, Date: 11/25/2020
Source: Mobil.se SV→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/06/2021
Rating: Total score: 66%
Source: Arena IT →EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/06/2021
Rating: Total score: 76% price: 70% mobility: 90% workmanship: 80%
Comment
Imagination PowerVR GE8320: Integrated graphics card for mid-range ARM SoCs.
These graphics cards are not suited for Windows 3D games. Office and Internet surfing however is possible.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Helio P35 MT6765: ARM based octa core SoC (8x ARM Cortex-A53) clocked at up to 2.3 GHz. The chip also includes a Cat.7 LTE modem (300 Mbps download).» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
6.50":
It is a small display format for smartphones. You shouldn't be severely defective in vision, and you won't see much detail on the screen and only have a small resolution available. For that, the device should be small and handy, easy to transport.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Samsung: Samsung Group is the largest South Korean conglomerate and was founded in 1938. Samsung Group employed 489,000 people in 2014 and is one of the world's largest companies in terms of revenue and market strength. The name Samsung means "Three Stars" in Korean and represents the three sons of the company's founder. The company was founded in 1938 as a grocery store. With its subsidiary Samsung Electronics, founded in 1969, Samsung took up the production of electrotechnical items, focusing on consumer electronics and household appliances at an early stage. Other branches in which the large corporation is active include mechanical engineering, automobiles (Hyundai), insurance, wholesale, real estate and leisure. Samsung manufactures a wide range of electronic products, including smartphones, televisions, home appliances and semiconductors. The company's Galaxy line of smartphones is one of the most popular in the world. Samsung is also a major player in the semiconductor industry, making memory chips and processors for many other electronics manufacturers.
67.27%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.