The Samsung 2020 Galaxy A-series firmly cements this South Korean brand as the prime supplier of phones in the mass-to-mid-range markets ($499 to $899).
The Samsung 2020 Galaxy A-series includes four new models – A31, A51, A71 and the A71 5G with a couple more to come at the lower cost end.
Globally figures show that fewer than 10% spend over $1000 on a handset. This augers well for the Samsung 2020 Galaxy A-series. And the rough breakdown is
- Flagship $1000+ (account for about 10% of sales)
- Premium mid-market $800-999 (10% and this is where we expect mid-range 5G to sit)
- Mid-market $500-799 (about 10% of the market)
- Mass-market $200-499 (about 40% of the market)
- Value pre-paid <A$199 (about 30% of the market – good for pre-paid and children)
BTW Australia is a funny place. It is one of the very few countries still rusted on to Apple. As such, 56% of people spend $1000 or more on a handset. Apple has the lion’s share, and Samsung is the only serious Android contender with its Galaxy S and Note series.
Samsung 2020 Galaxy A-series specifications (website here)
Note all have Android 10, Wi-Fi AC, BT 5.0, GPS and NFC
| Feature | A31 | A51 | A71 | A71 5G |
| Screen | 6.4” 2400×1080 Super AMOLED Fingerprint | 6.5″ Same Same and Face ID | 6.7″ Super AMOLED+ Same | Same |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P65 2×2.0GHz +6×1.7GHz | Samsung Exynos 9611 (4×2.3GHz +4×1.7GHz | Qualcomm SD730 (4×2.2GHz +6×1.8GHz | Samsung Exynos 980 2×2.2GHz +6×1.8 GHz |
| Ram/Storage Micro-SD | 4/64 512GB | 4/6/8+ 64/128 same | 6/8 and 128 same | Same |
| LTE | Dual Sim | Same | Same | Yes |
| 5G | No | Same | Same | Yes |
| Battery USB-C charger | 5000mAh 15W | 4000mAh Same | 4500mAh 25W fast | Same |
| Camera Main Ultra-wide Depth Macro Selfie | Quad 48MP, F2.0 8MP, F2.2 5MP, F2.4 5MP, F2.4 20MP, F/2.2 | Same 32MP, F/2.2 | Same Main:64MP,F1.8 Same | Same Same |
| Colour | Prism Crush Black and Prism Crush Blue | Same | Prism Crush Black and Prism Crush White | Same |
| Size | 73.1×159.3×8.6 /185g | 158.5×73.6×7.9 /172g | 163.6×76.0x7.7 /179g | 75.5×162.5×8.1 /185g |
| Price | $499 | $599 | $749 | $899 |
GadgetGuy’s take – Samsung 2020 Galaxy A-series hits the spot
Well priced, South Korean quality from Samsung that makes almost all of the components.
The mass seller will be the A31. The AMOLED screen and a 48MP quad-camera are enough for everyone. The 5,000amAh battery makes it the compelling value choice. Interestingly the 2019 A-20 was one of Australia’s top-selling mass-market phones.
Now that 5G costs ‘only $150 more’ I still doubt that there is enough use case for it in Australia on the pathetic 5G network. I will be looking at 5G more seriously in 2023!
We look forward to reviewing these shortly.
My wife was given an A71 for her birthday. She needed some help setting it up as the manual is on line. She ended up calling Samsung help line and was on line with the technician from 11am to just after 6 pm, with the technician wanting my wife (in covid19 isolation) to bring it into their George St., Sydney store and have it done their or replaced. She has been a Samsung fan for the past 3 phones but this model leaves a lot to be desired.
Thanks for the feedback. Setting up a new phone is one of the hardest things to do. Samsung’s Smart Switch does a great job in cloning from one to another but you still need to put in passwords etc. That is where a free password manager like LastPass is invaluable. Not to put to fine a point on it but new phone setup is ‘chargeable’ and if that was what this is about then Samsung has gone beyond. I normally recommend that those less experienced go to their local PC store and get an expert to do it.