The most difficult review I have ever had to record since joining Spazio iTech. That’s because this Samsung Galaxy A30s that you are about to discover in this written review, alongside the by now usual video test on our YouTube channel, has always managed to give me a mix of conflicting feelings. Let’s explore together the areas of light and shade of this new, and yet another, mid-range Samsung smartphone!
SAMSUNG GALAXY A30S REVIEW
Display
Let’s start right away with perhaps one of the most controversial areas. This Samsung A30s has a 6.4″ AMOLED panel, with a notch for the front camera and a chin that isn’t too pronounced. If your excitement soared at the use of this technology in place of IPS LCD, you will need to tone it down straight away. The HD+ resolution alone spoils what AMOLED technology makes possible, with pixels that are too visible for a 2020 smartphone. A shame, because colour calibration is excellent, as is saturation. After a week of testing, though, I still haven’t worked out which is the better compromise: AMOLED at HD resolution or IPS LCD at Full HD. Both have pros and cons, but here the lack of resolution is noticeable overall and shouldn’t be underestimated. A word on the build, which, although plastic, is attractive, with a lovely texture on the back that is uninterrupted given that the fingerprint reader sits under the display (though I have more than a few doubts about using it…)
Camera
Three lenses on the back of a smartphone have become standard by now. A standard this A30s fully meets, with a main lens accompanied by an ultra-wide and a telephoto lens. The shots aren’t bad thanks to software that is nonetheless complete and feature-rich. Daytime detail is lacking, though, in photos that should now be considered low-end rather than mid-range. In the evening, salvaging anything from the shots won’t be easy. Video holds up well on both the rear and front cameras, with a maximum resolution of Full HD. At this smartphone’s list price, however, you can find phones that take better pictures…
Audio
Mono audio with a single speaker. Nothing to report in this section.
Processor – RAM – ROM
Samsung went with its own processor for this A30s. It is the Exynos OctaCore 7904, helped by 4GB of RAM. More than raw power (which the processor naturally lacks anyway), I find that the software doesn’t fully do the phone justice. The HD+ resolution alone might help a little, but lag and stutters are still present during use.
Software
Android 9 with the OneUI 1.5 customisation. An update to Android 10 is not expected any time soon. Plenty of settings and plenty of options make the software certainly likeable. But if those options come at too high a cost in terms of resources, Samsung should be asking itself some questions. It urgently needs to rationalise and separate its ranges by price and type of user, to make phones below the top tier snappier and less bogged down. Dark theme and gestures for navigating the software in place of the nav bar are present (not my favourite gestures, though).
Battery
4,000 mAh will let you forget the charger if you go away for the weekend. An area without much to criticise, with power management that will certainly leave you satisfied, with no problems with notifications or background processes.
Price
At Samsung, confusion sometimes reigns supreme. Between naming and hardware divisions that aren’t very clear to the user, this A30s risks getting lost in the sea of options. A shame, because there are some positives to take from this smartphone, such as the build and the battery above all. Certainly not at €300, an absurd figure, but one at which you will find it in many physical stores. Fortunately, online depreciation brings this A30s below the €200 mark, where many of the flaws listed in the review might even be “forgotten”. Happy shopping!
PURCHASE LINK: AMAZON
YOUTUBE REVIEW LINK: REVIEW
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
