Samsung Galaxy A51 Review: The Stylish Mid-Range King of 2020
When
Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy A51, it was clear the company wanted to dominate the mid-range smartphone market. Coming as the successor to the hugely successful Galaxy A50, the Galaxy A51 brought a refreshed design, improved cameras, a larger Infinity-O display, and premium styling at a price that felt accessible to many users.
In a time when flagship smartphones were becoming increasingly expensive, Samsung positioned the Galaxy A51 as the perfect balance between premium looks and affordability. With its quad-camera setup, vibrant Super AMOLED display, and modern design language inspired by the flagship Galaxy S lineup, the phone immediately caught attention.
But does the Galaxy A51 truly live up to the hype? Let’s dive deep into everything this smartphone offers.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Overview
The Samsung Galaxy A51 was officially announced in December 2019 and quickly became one of Samsung’s most talked-about mid-range devices. It arrived with Android 10 and One UI 2.0, powered by the Exynos 9611 chipset, paired with up to 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
Samsung focused heavily on three major areas with this device:
- Premium design
- Versatile camera performance
- Immersive display experience
And honestly, for a mid-range phone in 2020, the Galaxy A51 checked many boxes.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Design and Build Quality
One of the first things you notice about the Galaxy A51 is how premium it looks. Samsung borrowed several design cues from its flagship devices, especially the camera placement and centered punch-hole display.
The phone features a glossy “Glasstic” back finish, Samsung’s blend of plastic and glass aesthetics. While it’s technically plastic, it feels surprisingly premium in the hand. The reflective prism pattern on the rear panel gives the device a modern and stylish appearance.
Compared to the
Samsung Galaxy A50, the Galaxy A51 feels more refined and futuristic. The A50 used a waterdrop notch design, while the A51 introduced Samsung’s Infinity-O punch-hole display, making the front look cleaner and more immersive. The camera module on the A51 also received a major redesign, shifting from a vertical arrangement to a rectangular quad-camera setup similar to flagship phones.
The slim profile and lightweight body make the Galaxy A51 comfortable to hold during long periods of use. Samsung also did a great job minimizing bezels, giving the phone a modern edge-to-edge appearance.
Available colors included:
- Prism Crush Black
- Prism Crush White
- Prism Crush Blue
- Prism Crush Pink
For users who care about aesthetics, the Galaxy A51 easily became one of the best-looking mid-range phones of 2020.
Display Quality
Samsung has always excelled at displays, and the Galaxy A51 proves that once again.
The device sports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels.
Watching videos, browsing social media, or gaming feels fantastic thanks to:
- Rich colors
- Deep blacks
- Excellent contrast
- Good outdoor visibility
The centered punch-hole camera also makes content consumption more immersive compared to the notch design on the Galaxy A50.
Whether you’re streaming YouTube videos or scrolling through Instagram, the Galaxy A51 display feels premium despite its mid-range price.
Samsung’s Always-On Display feature is also present, allowing users to check notifications, time, and battery status without waking the phone.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A51 runs on the Exynos 9611 processor paired with Mali-G72 graphics. Depending on the market, the phone came with 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB RAM configurations alongside 64GB or 128GB internal storage.
For everyday tasks, the Galaxy A51 performs smoothly:
- Social media apps
- Web browsing
- Video streaming
- Messaging
- Casual gaming
Apps open fairly quickly, and multitasking is decent for a mid-range device.
However, power users may notice occasional slowdowns during heavy gaming or demanding multitasking sessions. Reviews and user discussions at the time often praised the display but mentioned that performance wasn’t as strong as some competitors in the same price range.
Still, for the average smartphone user in 2020, the Galaxy A51 offered a reliable daily experience.
Samsung also included expandable storage support via microSD card up to 512GB, which was a huge plus for users who store lots of media files.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Camera Review
Samsung made camera versatility a major selling point of the Galaxy A51.
The quad-camera setup includes:
- 48MP main camera
- 12MP ultra-wide camera
- 5MP macro camera
- 5MP depth sensor
On the front, there’s a 32MP selfie camera positioned inside the punch-hole cutout.
Daylight Photography
In good lighting conditions, the 48MP primary sensor captures sharp and colorful images with solid dynamic range. Samsung’s image processing tends to boost colors slightly, making photos appear vibrant and social-media ready.
The ultra-wide camera performs well for landscapes and group shots, while the macro lens allows users to experiment with close-up photography.
Portrait Mode
The dedicated depth sensor helps create decent background blur in portrait shots. Edge detection is fairly accurate, especially in outdoor environments.
Low-Light Performance
This is where the Galaxy A51 struggles slightly. While night shots remain usable, image noise and softness become noticeable in darker scenes. Several reviewers and users pointed this out during the phone’s launch year.
Selfie Camera
The 32MP front camera delivers detailed selfies with Samsung’s typical beauty enhancements. Social media users and selfie lovers will definitely appreciate the front camera performance.
Overall, the camera system is versatile and enjoyable for casual photography enthusiasts.
Battery Life
The Galaxy A51 packs a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.
Battery life is quite impressive for everyday use.
Users can comfortably get through:
- A full day of moderate usage
- Video streaming
- Social media browsing
- Messaging
- Photography
Samsung’s software optimization also helps improve standby battery performance.
Charging speeds aren’t the fastest compared to some competitors, but 15W fast charging still gets the job done reasonably well.
Software Experience
Out of the box, the Galaxy A51 shipped with Android 10 and Samsung’s One UI 2.0.
One UI was one of Samsung’s biggest strengths during this period. It provided:
- Clean interface design
- Smooth navigation
- Dark mode support
- Useful customization options
- Better one-handed usability
Samsung also improved software support for the Galaxy A series, making the A51 feel like a more premium long-term investment.
The in-display fingerprint sensor was a nice addition, though it wasn’t always the fastest or most reliable compared to flagship devices.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Gaming Experience
The Galaxy A51 handles casual gaming very well.
Popular games like:
- PUBG Mobile
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Asphalt 9
run decently on medium graphics settings.
However, hardcore gamers may notice frame drops or heating during extended gaming sessions. Community feedback at the time consistently highlighted that gaming performance was average rather than exceptional.
Still, for casual mobile gamers, the experience remains enjoyable.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Audio and Connectivity
Samsung retained the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy A51, which many users appreciated.
Other connectivity features include:
- USB Type-C
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC (market dependent)
- Dual SIM support
- Expandable storage
The speaker quality is decent, though not particularly powerful. Audio through headphones sounds much better, especially thanks to Samsung’s sound tuning.
Samsung Galaxy A51 Release Price
At launch, the Samsung Galaxy A51 carried an official starting price of around:
| Currency |
Release Price |
| US Dollar |
$399 |
| Nigerian Naira |
₦145,000 – ₦155,000 |
| British Pound |
£329 |
| Indian Rupee |
₹23,999 |
Prices varied slightly depending on region and storage configuration.
Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy A51
Pros
- Gorgeous Super AMOLED display
- Premium modern design
- Excellent selfie camera
- Versatile quad-camera setup
- Expandable storage support
- Slim and lightweight body
- Good battery life
- Headphone jack included
Cons
- Performance could be better
- Low-light camera performance is average
- Fingerprint scanner can be inconsistent
- Plastic build despite premium appearance
- 15W charging feels slow compared to rivals
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A51 successfully continued the momentum created by the Galaxy A50. Samsung refined the design, improved the display experience, added more cameras, and created one of the most attractive mid-range smartphones of 2020.
While performance may not satisfy hardcore gamers or power users, the Galaxy A51 shines in areas that matter most to everyday users:
- Display quality
- Design
- Battery life
- Camera versatility
- Software experience
For anyone looking for a stylish and reliable mid-range Android smartphone in 2020, the Galaxy A51 was easily among the best options available.
Its popularity worldwide proved that Samsung understood exactly what users wanted in an affordable premium-looking smartphone.
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