Released in March 2021, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G lands in our High-end ($400-599) segment and comes with a number of attractive features, including an AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a multi-camera setup with a 64 MP main camera. We put the Galaxy A52 5G through our comprehensive battery tests, and present a summary of the results here.
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 4500 mAh
- 15W charger included (can support 25W)
- 6.5-inch, 1080 x 2400, 120 Hz AMOLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm) chipset
- Tested RAM / storage combination: 6 GB + 128 GB
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
Test summary
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
Pros
- Provides more than two days of autonomy with moderate use
- Good results in on the go testing
- Efficient device overall
Cons
- Lengthy charging time due to 15W charger
From its overall score, one might be tempted to pass over the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, but its below-average overall score is directly due to its poor charging performance.
The table below shows the battery capacity, charger, display type and resolution, and processor specifications for the Samsung A52 5G and two other devices in our High-end segment, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G and the Oppo Find X3 Lite.
Samsung A52 5G |
Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G |
Oppo Find X3 Lite |
|
Battery (mAh) |
4500 |
5000 |
4300 |
Charger |
15W |
33W |
65W |
Display type |
AMOLED |
LCD |
AMOLED |
Resolution |
1080 x 2400 |
1080 x 2400 |
1080 x 2400 |
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G |
Autonomy (62)
How long a battery charge lasts depends not only on battery capacity, but also other aspects of the phone’s hardware and software. The DXOMARK Battery autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: (1) Stationary, (2) On the go, and (3) Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G puts in a slightly above-average performance for autonomy in our database, and comes in highest overall among devices in the High-end segment for this attribute.
In terms of linearity, our tests showed that while you can generally rely on the battery gauge. The last 5% drops more slowly, however, giving you more power than expected until it turns off.
Stationary
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
61
104
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G lasted 57 hours 32 minutes in our TUS testing versus 61 hours 13 for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro and 46 hours 20 minutes for the Oppo Find X3 Lite. The Samsung lost only 1.33% lost per night on average versus 2% for the Xiaomi and the Oppo.
On the go
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
75
96
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outside and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary for each device.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G soundly bested both rivals in our our on the go tests, with better results in all of our use cases, particularly in 3G calling.
Calibrated
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
65
100
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Back in the lab, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G again bests its rivals (3 points over the Xiaomi and 10 points over the Oppo). The Samsung manages its screen-off idle mode better than its competitors, and does a better job when it comes to 3G calling, video streaming via 4G, and and especially music streaming. However, its rivals did better when streaming video via WiFi, when playing back video, and especially when gaming.
Charging (61)
The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, Full charge and Quick boost. Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long it takes to charge a battery from 0% to 80% capacity and from 80% to 100%; and measure how long and how much power the battery takes to go from an indicated 100% to an actual full charge. With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G can support charging at 25W, so it is a bit of a pity that it comes with only a 15W charger, which put it at a disadvantage in this attribute, with the Xiaomi device coming in at 79 and the Oppo device scoring 92.
Full charge
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
63
121
It takes almost two hours to fully charge the Samsung A52 5G, which is 50 minutes longer than the Xiaomi and 1 hour 15 minutes longer than the Oppo.
Quick boost
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
60
111
You can expect to get nearly 1 hour 50 minutes of autonomy after charging the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G for five minutes — not all that long, but unsurprising, given the 15W charger. By contrast, the Xiaomi provides almost 4 hours and the Oppo 6 hours of use when charged for five minutes at 20% power remaining.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G | Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G | Oppo Find X3 Lite | ||
Autonomy boost (hh:mm) | 20% | 1:49 | 3:50 | 5:56 |
40% | 1:51 | 3:58 | 5:27 | |
60% | 1:54 | 3:48 | 3:33 | |
80% | 1:58 | 3:23 | 3:05 | |
Percentage boost | 20% | 5.1 % | 9.5 % | 18.9 % |
40% | 5.2 % | 9.9 % | 17.4 % | |
60% | 5.4 % | 9.5 % | 11.3 % | |
80% | 5.6 % | 8.4 % | 9.8 % | |
Energy consumed | 20% | 1235 mWh | 2416 mWh | 3983 mWh |
40% | 1260 mWh | 2498 mWh | 3668 mWh | |
60% | 1293 mWh | 2397 mWh | 2384 mWh | |
80% | 1346 mWh | 2131 mWh | 2069 mWh |
Efficiency (81)
Our Efficiency score comprises two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge. Charge up is the efficiency of a full charge (how much energy is drained from the wall outlet vs the energy capacity of the battery, as well as the efficiency of the charger and its residual consumption). Discharge is how much current the smartphone drains from the battery when in use (the ratio of battery capacity over autonomy). Better autonomy with a smaller battery means better efficiency.
With a score of 81, the Samsung device is comfortably above the average, and above both the Xiaomi and the Oppo (at 69 and 74, respectively). Despite having an average-sized battery, it shows good results for autonomy among devices in its segment.
Charge up
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
63
105
The Galaxy A52 5G’s adapter efficiency of 88.7% is slightly above that of the Find X3 Lite (87.3%), but the Mi 10T Pro 5G does better (90%).
Discharge
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
89
121
Though the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has low current consumption when its screen is off in idle mode and when making calls and streaming music, it consumes more battery power when gaming and playing back video than its competitors.
Conclusion
The only true downside of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is its lengthy charging time, particularly when compared to its rivals, and that is largely attributable to the Samsung’s 15W in-box charger (vs. 33W for the Xiaomi and 65W for the Oppo). With a compatible 25W charger, the charging experience would likely improve significantly. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G provides more than two days of autonomy, and put in an especially good performance in our on the go tests.
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