(Pocket-lint) – Samsung revealed the Galaxy A52 5G during an event in March, sitting below the Galaxy S21 range, but featuring some of its key specifications for less money – much like the Galaxy S20 FE also does.

How does the Galaxy A52 5G compare to the 2020 Galaxy S20 FE though? We’ve put their specs up against each other to help you work out which one might be the right one for you.

Design

• Galaxy A52 5G: 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4mm, 189g
• Galaxy S20 FE 5G: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4mm, 190g

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and Galaxy S20 FE 5G both offer flat displays with a centralised punch hole camera at the top and they also both offer plastic bodies rather than glass. 

Both have a rectangular camera housing in the top left at the back, though the Galaxy A52 5G has more prominent camera lenses compared to the Galaxy S20 FE, making for a more striking rear panel. 

In terms of physical size, the Galaxy A52 5G is virtually identical to the Galaxy S20 FE, and they weigh pretty much the same too. The Galaxy A52 5G is IP67 water and dust resistant, while the Galaxy S20 FE is IP68. 

Both the Galaxy A52 5G and the Galaxy S20 FE come in a range of bright colours. The A52 comes in blue, purple, black and white, while the S20 FE comes in blue, red, lavender, mint, white, orange.

Display

• Galaxy A52 5G: 6.5-inch, Full HD+, 120Hz
• Galaxy S20 FE: 6.5-inch, Full HD+, 120Hz, HDR

Both the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and the Galaxy S20 FE have a 6.5-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution that puts their pixel densities at 404ppi. 

They both offer flat displays – as we mentioned – and they both have a 120Hz refresh rate. They are also both Super AMOLED panels. 

The Galaxy A52 5G has a maximum brightness of 800nits but it doesn’t support HDR. The Galaxy S20 FE does support HDR10+ however.

Hardware and specs

• Galaxy A52 5G: Qualcomm SD750G, 6/8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, microSD, 4500mAh
• Galaxy S20 FE: Qualcomm SD865, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, microSD, 4500mAh

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chipset, supported by 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. There is microSD support on board for storage expansion up to 1TB.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G meanwhile, runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, supported by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It too has microSD support for storage expansion.

Both the Galaxy A52 5G and the Galaxy S20 FE run on a 4500mAh battery. The Galaxy A52 5G has support for 25W fast charging, but it doesn’t offer wireless charging. The Galaxy S20 FE has support for 15W fast charging, along with wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Camera

• Galaxy A52 5G: Quad rear, 32MP front
• Galaxy S20 FE: Triple rear, 32MP front

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G comes with a quad rear camera. This is made up of a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an aperture of f/1.8, along with a 12-megapixel ultra wide angle lens with f/2.2, a 5-megapixel depth lens with f/2.4 and a 5-megapixel macro lens with f/2.4. 

The Galaxy S20 FE has a triple rear camera. This is made up of 12-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, OIS and 1.8µm pixels, an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.4, 1.0µm, OIS and 3x optical, and a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens with f/2.2 and 1.12µm pixels. 

On the front of the Galaxy A52 5G and Galaxy S20 FE, there is a 32-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture.

Price

• Galaxy A52 5G: £399
• Galaxy S20 FE: £699

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G costs £399 in the UK and €429 in Europe.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G model costs £699 in the UK, making it quite a bit more expensive.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and the Galaxy S20 FE are very similar in terms of specifications. They both offer the same size and resolution display, 120Hz refresh rates, the same size battery, microSD support and 5G capabilities.

The Galaxy A52 5G offers a slightly more stand out design, more RAM and more storage as an option, but the Galaxy S20 FE offers better camera results in our experience, along with HDR support and wireless charging. 

For the difference in price, the Galaxy A52 5G is likely to be the winner for most, but it is also worth remembering that rumours have started circulating for the Galaxy S21 FE so it could be worth holding fire for a few more months to see what that device brings.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.