Samsung Galaxy A42 5G specs show it is ready to face off against the OnePlus Nord and Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite as the affordable 5G smartphone segment heats up

Samsung has released an infographic detailing the specifications for the Galaxy A42 5G smartphone, which will soon be entering the competitive affordable 5G smartphone market. While strong contenders like the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite (coming soon) and OnePlus Nord (already available) have saved their spots in this space, the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G wants to offer users shopping in this particular sector something novel to tempt them away from the two popular Chinese rivals.

So what is Samsung offering with the Galaxy A42 5G for the purpose of enticing consumers? A choice of 4 GB, 6 GB, or 8 GB RAM is an interesting start and there is storage up to 128 GB (1 TB with MicroSD). The display is certainly an eye-catcher with the 6.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED likely trumping the offering from Xiaomi (the Mi 10T Lite has an LCD, but it does start at a cheaper price point too: €279). The battery is a 5,000-mAh unit that can utilize 15 W adaptive fast charging, so the battery capacity is larger than that of the OnePlus Nord’s 4,115-mAh effort, but it seems the Nord can charge at a much faster rate (30 W).

As for the camera setups, the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G has a 20 MP selfie camera, which pales behind the more-expensive OnePlus Nord’s dual selfie camera system, but the rear quad-camera system should be sufficient for most: 48 MP (main) + 8 MP (ultra wide) + 5 MP (depth) + 5 MP (macro). As mentioned above, the revelation that the Galaxy A42 has an octa-core processor with dual-core @ 2.2 GHz and hexa-core @ 1.8 GHz, leads to the conclusion that a Snapdragon 750G is onboard, which is the same efficient SoC found in the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite.

The Galaxy A42 5G is expected to be released in November at a starting price of €369 (US$434) and comes in a choice of black, white, or gray. With the OnePlus Nord priced from €399 (8 GB + 128 GB) and the 6 GB + 128 GB Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite with a price tag of €329, all three offer great choices for potential customers searching for an affordable 5G smartphone. But whether it will be the Super AMOLED and big battery of the Samsung Galaxy A42, the superior selfie camera of the OnePlus Nord, or the tempting spec sheet of the cheaper Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite that wins the day remains to be seen.