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MagyarSamsung Galaxy A42 5G smartphone review – Fast Samsung phone with modern network connection
The Samsung Galaxy A41 is one of the most popular mid-range smartphones, at least if we look at the traffic figures in our reviews. But the Galaxy phone was also regularly represented in the smartphone sales charts last year. It is now getting a successor: The Samsung Galaxy A42 has become bigger, and it comes with more storage as well as a brand-new Qualcomm SoC. However, Samsung's mid-range smartphone is also significantly heavier, and the display's resolution is oddly very low.
However, the biggest improvement is certainly that it now has access to the fast 5G mobile network, but in return, the manufacturer's price for the Galaxy A42 has also been increased by 70 Euros (~$85) compared with the predecessor. This sounds like a combination that makes it necessary to take a closer look: Is the Galaxy A42 really a good buy? That's exactly what we want to find out now in our review.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.1 % | 12/2020 | Samsung Galaxy A42 5G SD 750G 5G, Adreno 619 | 193 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.60" | 1600x720 | |
| 78.6 % | 08/2020 | Sony Xperia 10 II SD 665, Adreno 610 | 151 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.00" | 2520x1080 | |
| 84 % | 08/2020 | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 192 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.57" | 2340x1080 | |
| 83.6 % | 07/2020 | OnePlus Nord SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 184 g | 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.44" | 2440x1080 | |
| 78.8 % | 06/2020 | Samsung Galaxy A41 Helio P65, Mali-G52 MP2 | 152 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.10" | 2400x1080 |
Case – Plastic chassis with zones
With the same aspect ratio, the Galaxy A42's display is half an inch larger than on the predecessor. This is also clearly noticeable in terms of dimensions and weight: While the Galaxy A41 was still relatively compact, the Galaxy A42 is a thoroughly large smartphone that is no longer as well suited for smaller hands. However, the display bezels are narrow, and a small water-drop notch at the top houses the front-facing camera.
Once again, Samsung has come up with a special effect for the back side: It's divided into four zones that lie underneath each other. The uppermost zone is fully colored, while the zones below it have dot patterns of varying intensity. At the same time, incoming light is still refracted, so that rainbow colors show up. No wonder that the three color variants are called Prism Dot White, Prism Dot Black, and Prism Dot Gray.
The case is quite sturdy; the smartphone isn't affected by strong pressure exerted using the fingers, and it can hardly be twisted either. However, the back of the case is made of plastic, while the OnePlus Nord offers glass, for example.
Connectivity – NFC and low RAM
The 128 GB UFS 2.1 storage suits the Galaxy A42 well; the predecessor only offered a meager 64 GB of eMMC flash storage, which would actually no longer be acceptable in this price range. However, the Galaxy A42 still lags behind with its 4 GB of RAM; Xiaomi offers 6 GB and OnePlus even offers 8 GB.
You have to decide if you want to use two SIM cards at the same time or if you prefer to expand the storage space, since the second SIM slot is also the slot for the microSD card.
Thanks to NFC, mobile payment services can be used on the smartphone.
Software – Up-to-date security patches with Samsung
Samsung's OneUI is preinstalled on the smartphone; it's based on Android 10. The security patches are at the level of November 1, 2020 at the time of testing and, therefore, quite up to date. However, you have to put up with a few third-party apps that Samsung preinstalls. Some of them can be deleted, and some can only be disabled.
A DRM L1 certification is available, so that streaming content can be viewed in Full HD resolution.
Communication and GPS – Wi-Fi 5 and 5G
Like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G also supports Wi-Fi 5. In our test with the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router, the smartphone achieves slightly lower transfer speeds than the Galaxy A41, but the speed should be perceived as the same in everyday use. Generally, there are smartphones with faster WLAN in this price range such as the OnePlus Nord or the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G.
The highlight of the Galaxy A42 is, of course, the support of 5G networks. It should be noted here that although the SoC and its 5G modem generally also support fast mmWave frequencies, these are apparently disabled on the Galaxy A42. Consequently, only the somewhat slower sub-6-GHz networks can be used. This isn't a disadvantage in Europe yet, since most network providers still don't support mmWave here anyway. However, users who often travel to the USA or other countries might run into network limitations here.
LTE up to Cat 11 (600 Mb/s) for downloading data and Cat 12 (150 Mb/s) for uploading data are also supported. The frequency range is decent and sufficient for Europe, but the Galaxy phone is not a world phone that can access mobile Internet in every country in the world.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II | |
To evaluate the positioning's accuracy, we go for a ride on a bike and take the Garmin Edge 520 with us for comparison. We noticed that the Galaxy A42 measured a much longer distance than the Garmin navigation device. If you take a closer look at the route, it also becomes clear why: The route registered by the Galaxy phone repeatedly shows clear zigzag lines that we didn't ride like that. In addition, the location is often shown next to the actual street and apparently leads through houses. The Garmin navigation system isn't always exact here, but it's smoother overall when tracking the routes.
For this reason, you shouldn't rely on the Galaxy A42 5G if you want to find a very exact route, but the navigation's accuracy is sufficient for everyday use.
Telephone and call quality – Moderately understandable
Samsung uses an in-house programmed phone app, but users of other Android variants will quickly understand it as well. Phone calls via LTE or WLAN are possible.
Sound quality is average at best. The person on the other end sounds very muffled, but they remain intelligible, and we couldn't detect any interfering noises. When talking on the phone with the Galaxy A42, you shouldn't speak too loudly or too quietly, otherwise your voice will blare too much or the microphone will no longer transmit it. The other person sounds much clearer via speaker, but our voice is picked up with similar issues.
Cameras – Flexible system in the Galaxy A42
With a main camera, wide-angle lens, and macro lens, the Galaxy A42 offers an up-to-date variety of lenses at the back. In addition, there's a depth-of-field camera that is used to assist with portrait shots, but it can't be used to take photos on its own.
The main lens has 48 megapixels, but it usually only takes 12-megapixel pictures, so it always combines four pixels into one in order to increase the light output. In detail, pictures often don't look very accurate; for example, the smoke in the surroundings' image almost looks like a pixel smear. At the same time, the image sharpness in the plant shot proves to be unconvincing. Moreover, brightening could be better in situations with low light and high contrast, since these pictures generally don't look too bright. Nevertheless, the detail reproduction is quite decent here.
The wide-angle lens takes pictures that are quite grainy in detail. The macro lens can only be used in a special mode, and the resolution of 5 megapixels is completely okay. A multi-stage zoom between the wide-angle and standard lens is not possible; you can only switch directly between them.
The main camera can record 4K videos at a maximum of 30 fps. You can even switch between the wide-angle and standard lens while recording. The image quality is very decent, and the autofocus works quite adequately. However, digital video stabilization isn't available at the highest resolution.
The front-facing camera has a resolution of 20 megapixels and takes good selfies.
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 lens - FlowerMain lens - SurroundingsMain lens - Low lightUltra wide angle
We take a closer look at the image quality of the main camera in the lab under controlled lighting conditions. There are slight problems again with the detail sharpness here, but we like the contrast very much. Colors look a bit pale, and areas are displayed with a slight pixel raster.
Overall, the camera quality of the Galaxy A42 5G is at the class level. Some rivals offer a few features such as an optical image stabilizer while the Galaxy smartphone lacks one.
Accessories and warranty – Flat rates for repairs
Samsung ships a power adapter, a USB cable, and a SIM tool with the device. Samsung offers a matching S View Cover with a window on the front for approximately 40 Euros (~$49) on its website.
The warranty covers 24 months. You can send the device in, but Samsung also operates service centers in many larger cities where you can leave the smartphone for repair. Mobile service teams are now also available in some regions and repair the smartphone directly on site upon request. Many damages are handled outside the warranty at fixed prices; this can be checked on the website in advance.
Input devices and handling – Decent control elements
The touchscreen can be operated smoothly and is also sensitive at the edges and in the corners. The hardware buttons for volume and standby mode are found on the right side of the case. They are nothing special in terms of quality, but can be found easily.
Samsung uses its own on-screen keyboard; it's clearly arranged and easy to use. If you want, you can easily install another keyboard app.
The fingerprint scanner isn't visible at first glance, because it's hidden behind the screen. You can also use the sensor in standby mode, but you should know then that it's located relatively far down on the screen; the position is only displayed after touching it. Maybe Samsung should have placed the sensor a bit higher up, since this setup made it necessary for us to move our finger around from time to time. Overall, however, the sensor is easy to use and unlocks the screen very quickly.
Face recognition can also be used to unlock the screen, but it's a software-based solution that is not quite as secure as Apple's Face ID, which uses an infrared projector, for example.
Display – Resolution is too low
The Korean manufacturer makes a peculiar choice when it comes to the screen. Although the AMOLED display is quite large at 6.6 inches, it has a much lower resolution than all comparison devices: You only get 1600x720 pixels and thus a relatively low 266 pixels per inch. In fact, you don't need to look that closely to identify the pixel grid on the screen; this clearly detracts from the display's impression. You will also look in vain for a modern 90 Hz display like on the OnePlus Nord; 60 Hz is the limit.
Brightness isn't convincing in our test either. The display's average brightness is much lower than on all comparison devices. The Samsung Galaxy A41 predecessor has a considerably higher resolution with its smaller display diagonal size, and it also offers more brightness.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 466 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.06 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.105
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G AMOLED, 1600x720, 6.60 | Sony Xperia 10 II OLED, 2520x1080, 6.00 | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.57 | OnePlus Nord AMOLED, 2440x1080, 6.44 | Samsung Galaxy A41 Super AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 18% | 28% | 8% | 6% | |
| Brightness middle | 466 | 591 27% | 584 25% | 529 14% | 554 19% |
| Brightness | 462 | 590 28% | 583 26% | 531 15% | 559 21% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 97 14% | 97 14% | 94 11% | 92 8% |
| Black Level * | |||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.06 | 1.42 31% | 1.17 43% | 2.53 -23% | 2 3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.14 | 3.83 38% | 2.95 52% | 4.52 26% | 7.7 -25% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.8 | 2.4 -33% | 1.7 6% | 1.7 6% | 1.6 11% |
| Gamma | 2.105 105% | 2.215 99% | 2.231 99% | 2.249 98% | 2.11 104% |
| CCT | 6444 101% | 9014 72% | 6341 103% | 6462 101% | 6589 99% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 242.7 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 242.7 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 242.7 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. 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. | |||
In the "Natural" mode, which can be activated via the settings menu, the colors shown on the display are at least quite accurate, but strong green and red tones are clearly distorted here as well. However, there is no color tint in the grayscales in this mode.
As is typical for AMOLEDs, PWM flickering appears as soon as the brightness is lowered a bit. Therefore, you should try out the screen before buying it if you tend to get headaches from flickering displays. Response times are also a bit slower for an AMOLED screen than on some of the competitors, but they should still be just fast enough for gamers.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 20 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 10 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 18 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Outdoors, you can use the smartphone without any problems as long as the day is not too sunny.
The viewing angles are good; you can still see the image content very accurately even from very flat viewing angles.
Performance – Samsung doesn't skimp on power
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G is an evolution of the 730G with slightly more advanced high-performance cores and 5G capabilities. It seems to be a good choice for the Galaxy A42 5G, since it can beat most comparison phones in this price range or is at least on par with them in terms of processor performance.
The graphics performance, on the other hand, sits rather in the midfield, but it's still much higher than on the Galaxy A41 predecessor or the Sony Xperia 10 II.
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (291387 - 334292, n=6) | |
| VRMark - Amber Room (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (2568 - 2589, n=2) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2523 - 10071, n=12, last 2 years) | |
The test device is quite fast when browsing the Internet, but you should also consider that less performance is required due to the low screen resolution. Nevertheless, websites are loaded pretty quickly, and images are partly already visible while scrolling. This makes browsing the Internet much faster than with the predecessor.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (40.8 - 67.5, n=7) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G (Chrome83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chrome 87) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (82.1 - 94.5, n=5) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II (Chrome 84) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chome 84) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G (Chrome83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (41.5 - 47.6, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (54 - 91, n=6) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G (Chrome83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II (Chrome 84) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=213, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G (Chrome83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (17730 - 21566, n=7) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II (Chrome 84) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Sony Xperia 10 II (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A41 (Chrome 83.0.4103.101) | |
| OnePlus Nord (Chrome 84) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Chrome 87) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G (Chrome83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (1897 - 2665, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
With UFS 2.1 storage, the Samsung phone is at the class level, and the transfer speeds are on par with other devices in this price range. Our reference microSD card, a Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, also shows fast read and write rates.
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | Sony Xperia 10 II | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G | OnePlus Nord | Samsung Galaxy A41 | Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -62% | -3% | -14% | -39% | -17% | 81% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 963 | 293.5 -70% | 980 2% | 956 -1% | 299.9 -69% | 760 ? -21% | 1508 ? 57% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 476 | 188.2 -60% | 476.9 0% | 473.1 -1% | 211.1 -56% | 297 ? -38% | 1118 ? 135% |
| Random Read 4KB | 168.5 | 76.8 -54% | 156.4 -7% | 126.7 -25% | 84 -50% | 152.9 ? -9% | 247 ? 47% |
| Random Write 4KB | 147.7 | 56.7 -62% | 138.5 -6% | 104.5 -29% | 72.5 -51% | 131.6 ? -11% | 272 ? 84% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 86.3 ? | 29.15 ? -66% | 83 ? -4% | 76 ? -12% | |||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 67.7 ? | 26.13 ? -61% | 67 ? -1% | 59.6 ? -12% |
Games – For moderate requirements
The Galaxy A42 comes with a special gaming SoC, for which Qualcomm also promises driver updates to adapt it to modern mobile games. It's currently possible to play simple games at 60 fps, but the frame rate of the team shooter Armajet sometimes drops when you move the screen section, which is obviously problematic in a fast action game.
Asphalt 9 is not exactly known for its stable frame rates. Even on the Galaxy A42, you have to deal with minor drops below 30 fps time and again, but you can play the racing game more smoothly. Stuttering is visible in PUBG Mobile, but a relatively constant 40 fps is achieved at low settings. We measured the frame rates with GameBench's software suite.
Overall, the Galaxy A42 is acceptable for gamers with moderate needs, but those who always want to play the latest and most demanding games will probably have to look for an even faster smartphone.
Emissions – No throttling under load
Temperature
Under prolonged load, the case heats up to a maximum of 43.1 °C (~110 °F) in the area of the screen's upper edge. This heat development is clearly noticeable, but it only has the potential to become really critical in very hot ambient temperatures.
We also look at whether the smartphone might have to throttle its performance after prolonged load to avoid overheating. However, that is not the case with the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.1 °C / 110 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 41.1 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.3 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Although the small mono speaker doesn't get quite as loud as the predecessor, it still delivers quite decent sound. However, you should avoid turning up the volume to the maximum if possible; highs are clearly distorted here.
You can connect devices for audio output via the 3.5 mm audio jack on the case's lower edge or via Bluetooth 5.0. This works without problems, and a clean signal is delivered.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 68.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 68.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 68.5% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (114.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 85% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 95% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 3% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A41 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.9% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 80% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life – The larger battery is good
Energy consumption
The Galaxy A42 5G's power consumption is significantly higher than the predecessor's, which isn't surprising considering the larger display. The smartphone also offers considerably more performance than the Galaxy A41. Compared with other devices in the price range, energy consumption is initially at a similar level under low load, but it increases significantly under high load.
| Off / Standby |   0.1 / 0.2 Watt |
| Idle |  1.6 / 2 / 2.6 Watt |
| Load |
7.1 / 9.5 Watt |
    
| |
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G 5000 mAh | Sony Xperia 10 II 3600 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G 4160 mAh | OnePlus Nord 4115 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A41 3500 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 11% | 9% | 18% | 41% | 3% | 29% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.6 | 1.5 6% | 1.5 6% | 1.8 -13% | 0.96 40% | 1.039 ? 35% | 0.897 ? 44% |
| Idle Average * | 2 | 2.1 -5% | 2.2 -10% | 2.1 -5% | 1.57 21% | 2.61 ? -31% | 1.452 ? 27% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.6 | 2.8 -8% | 2.9 -12% | 2.3 12% | 1.61 38% | 2.91 ? -12% | 1.629 ? 37% |
| Load Average * | 7.1 | 4.5 37% | 4.4 38% | 3.4 52% | 2.93 59% | 6.16 ? 13% | 5.55 ? 22% |
| Load Maximum * | 9.5 | 7.2 24% | 7.2 24% | 5.2 45% | 4.97 48% | 8.34 ? 12% | 8.31 ? 13% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
The Galaxy A42 5G's battery life is convincing; the large 5,000 mAh battery pays off here. It has a very good endurance of over 16 hours in our WLAN test, which is sufficient for two workdays of continuous use under light load. With the usual breaks during use, a few more days without a battery charge are still possible in everyday usage.
However, Xiaomi's Mi 10 Lite 5G shows that you can also get very good runtimes out of smaller batteries; it's clearly ahead especially when watching videos or under load. As a result, the energy efficiency of our Samsung review sample is rather mid-range, but the large battery still provides good runtimes.
Nevertheless, such a high-capacity battery also needs to be charged, and the 15-watt charger does this rather slowly: You have to factor in over 2 hours of charging time when the battery is fully discharged. Even if you don't have to recharge the battery completely, it takes much longer than with the OnePlus Nord, for example, which charges twice as fast overall.
| Samsung Galaxy A42 5G 5000 mAh | Sony Xperia 10 II 3600 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G 4160 mAh | OnePlus Nord 4115 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A41 3500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -23% | 6% | -11% | -20% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2015 | 1683 -16% | 2003 -1% | 1843 -9% | |
| H.264 | 1103 | 1403 27% | 1064 -4% | 998 -10% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 967 | 743 -23% | 884 -9% | 869 -10% | 650 -33% |
| Load | 364 | 448 23% | 261 -28% | 268 -26% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – The Galaxy A42 takes steps forwards as well as backwards
With the Galaxy A42 5G, Samsung updates one of its best-sellers. Modern 5G, more storage, significantly improved battery life, a larger display, and decent features make the Galaxy A42 look enticing at first. Samsung's mid-range phone doesn't need to hide in terms of performance either.
However, if you look at what Xiaomi or OnePlus have to offer at a similar price level, things start to get tougher for the Galaxy A42: Here, there's only a 60 Hz display, a relatively slow charging process for the battery, the positioning is not really accurate, and the WLAN speed lags behind some rivals as well.
The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is a modern mid-range smartphone with a low-resolution screen.
Above all, Samsung didn't do itself any favors by installing a very low-resolution display and then massively increasing the screen diagonal size. You can see the pixel grid with the naked eye, which considerably reduces the display's perceived quality.
For Samsung fans, the Galaxy A42 offers significant improvements compared to its predecessor, but those who want to get as much as possible for their money are still better off with other manufacturers.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
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08/31/2022 v7
Florian Schmitt
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