Samsung Galaxy A71 review: a success on almost all counts

Marc MitraniSmarpthone ExpertMarch 19, 2020, 4:278 p.m. Known for its premium smartphones, Samsung was struggling in the strategic mid-range segment, literally engulfed by Chinese manufacturers whose products are improving with each announcement. Another problem, the lack of readability of the Galaxy family where we found ranges stamped A, J, M, S and Note. In short, a joyful mess where potential customers were easily lost. Samsung seems to have become aware of the problem and in 2019 simplified the nomenclature of its products. The top of the range does not change and is pronounced Galaxy S – or Galaxy Note if it has a stylus. The entry and mid-range are now all stamped Galaxy A. The Galaxy A51 and A71, available in France since the end of January, respectively replace the A50 and A70 in the mid-range. On paper, the two newcomers have interesting technical characteristics, especially at this price level. But what is it in reality? To find out, we got our hands on one of the first commercial copies of the A71 that we tested. And while we were there, we also tested the Galaxy A51, just pointing out the differences between the two siblings.

Data sheet

Characteristics of the Galaxy A71 as marketed in France: Wide angle: 64 MP (1/1.7 '' photosite 0.8 µm), 26 mm f/1.8 lens Phase detection AFUltra-wide angle: 12 MP, 13mm f/2.2 lensMacro: 5 MP, f/2.4 lensPortrait: 5 MP (1/5'', 1.12µm photosite), f/2 lens ,2Buy the Galaxy A71

Design & ergonomics: small dishes (successful) in the big ones

In terms of design, Samsung has put the small dishes in the big ones and the least we can say is that the result is successful. As it had already done with the A70, the manufacturer does not use glass for the rear face, but a magnificent textured polyurethane covered with a glossy varnish. This choice has three advantages: the manufacturing cost is much lower than using glass, the thickness remains contained (7.7 mm) and the weight does not increase excessively. Because despite a 6.7'' screen, the A71 weighs exactly 179 g. Large screen obliges, its generous dimensions may get in the way a little in a pocket of fitted pants: you can't have everything! In the same vein, note that the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla 3 glass. If it is less resistant than the current Gorilla 6, it should however offer decent protection against untimely scratches. The A71 has a USB-C connector and an audio jack at its base. Three mechanical keys take place on the right side. Like what the Galaxy S10 and Note10 offer, one of them is used by default to invoke Bixby, the assistant made in Samsung. It can be reprogrammed to launch another application or quickly turn off the device. Good surprise: the drawer on the left side has three slots. Two are dedicated to nano SIM cards while the third can receive a micro SD card. We will therefore no longer have to choose between having two active lines or an extension of the internal memory. Securing the Galaxy A71 is ensured by facial recognition using the front camera. Devoid of specific sensor, it proves to be reasonably reliable. We go up a notch with the fingerprint reader, housed under the screen. Based on optical technology, it is a bit disappointing. It is sometimes necessary to repeat it two or three times in order to have a previously recorded fingerprint recognized. four lenses and a flash, vaguely reminiscent of the shape of a domino. Let's do it justice: this small black block which hardly protrudes from the case is much more aesthetic than what the official photos of the A71 suggest. We understand that the Galaxy A71 benefits from a design and quality workmanship on we deem very successful. Ultimately, it will only be criticized for the lack of IP compliance, which is still acceptable for a product positioned in the mid-range.

Screen: Very satisfactory

We mentioned the screen of the A71 displays a beautiful diagonal of 6.7 '', thus bringing it closer to that of the Note 10+ (6.8 ''). Consisting of a Super AMOLED Plus panel, it displays a definition of 2400 x 1080 pixels (394 dots per inch). HDR compatible, it is punched at the top of its median to leave some room for the front camera. This punch, whose diameter we estimate at 3 mm, has the main advantage of being quickly forgotten, including when viewing a video. The black borders surrounding the screen are certainly minimal, but do exist (2 to 4 mm). They are in no way bothersome and are forgotten after a few hours of use. OLED no longer really has any secrets for Samsung, the world's leading producer of panels using this technology. The one selected for the Galaxy A71 produces a clear, high-contrast image as well as appreciably deep blacks. Unsurprisingly, however, its brightness seems to be lower than that of the panels fitted to the Galaxy Note and S. This may seem logical, Samsung having no reason to shoot itself in the foot by using the same panels on all its smartphones. Anyway, the image produced remains correctly readable in high light. The available settings are not legion while remaining relevant. We can for example activate the blue light filter, choose between a normal or vivid rendering (with a booster colorimetry and therefore less faithful) choose or not the automatic adaptation of the brightness of the screen according to that of the place where you are or even activate the dark mode. This last,particularly successful is recommended so as not to have the pupils exposed by the sometimes embarrassing white pages of the OnUI 2.0 interface

Audio: the poor relation

The Galaxy A71 is one of the smartphones (increasingly rare ) to embed an audio jack output. Those allergic to wireless headphones will appreciate, the others will not even unpack the hands-free kit supplied with the smartphone. This one is scratched Samsung and not AKG, however property of the manufacturer. However, the sound produced remains correct, even if, in our opinion, it lacks a little definition in the low mids and highs. The bass is very correct without however reaching heights of perfection. Note in passing the Dolby Atmos compatibility of the A71 provided that it is used in a wired connection. Nothing special to report on Bluetooth audio. The sound of course depends on the quality of the headset used, but also on its possible support for Qualcomm's aptX codecs. Internal audio is often the poor relation of entry-level and mid-range smartphones. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A71 isn't going to be a game changer. Equipped with a single loudspeaker, it produces a sound that handles depth and relief. The highs and low mids are a bit nasal while the bass lacks depth. If it can pass for listening to some music or watching short videos, it is different when it comes to watching a movie or an episode of a series. In this case, we prefer to use the supplied headphones or an external speaker.

Performance: average

The Galaxy A71 features an octa-core SnapDragon 730 engraved in 8 nm clocked at 2.2 GHz, 6 GB of RAM and an Adreno 618 graphics processor. Internal storage is provided by 128 GB of flash memory, the type of which Samsung does not specify. It can be extended by adding a micro SD card of up to 512 GB. With an Antutu score of 272,509 points, the Galaxy A71 is not the most efficient smartphone of the moment. This seems quite logical given its positioning. However, it has the necessary computing power to run Android 10 and the OneUI 2.0 house overlay smoothly. The latter embeds many tools and parameters intended to make the smartphone more efficient in daily use. We won't hesitate to go and explore all of this. During our tests, we did not encounter any problem in getting the most common applications to work correctly as well as some rather resource-intensive software (Lightroom or Premiere Rush, for example). ). Popular games like Fortnite or PUBG run in good conditions.

Autonomy: two days on average

Equipped like its predecessor with a 4500 mAh battery, the Galaxy A71 enjoys excellent autonomy. In moderate use, we exceeded two and a half days of use on a single charge. If we use the smartphone more intensively, we will cap it at a little less than two days of autonomy, or even a big day and a half in the event of multiple gaming sessions, in particular by activating the game booster mode. This great autonomy is undoubtedly one of the advantages of the Galaxy A71.Samsung accompanies its smartphone with a 25 Watt mains unit in order to benefit from fast charging. According to our measurements, we go from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes. It will take an additional 23 minutes to reach 80%, with full charge occurring in 83 minutes. Small regret on the other hand for the absence of charging by induction, obviously reserved by the manufacturer for high-end products. However, it is not the cost price of the integration of an induction coil and its electronics that would make unreasonably inflate the price of the product. From there to see a segmentation only due to marketing, there is a step that we take the risk to cross cheerfully. Hopefully Samsung will soon realize that users of mid-range smartphones may also need to charge by induction. It is indeed increasingly common to find Qi chargers integrated into bar tables, hotel rooms, co-working offices or even in airports. If all this is not yet very common in France, this type of equipment is multiplying in European countries as well as in the USA.

Photo: a great success

The Galaxy A71 has been the subject of all the attention in photographic matters. It is thus equipped with a rear camera with four sensor/lens pairs: The rear camera is undoubtedly one of the good surprises of the A71. The quality of the images produced is excellent in good light and remains very respectable when it drops. We will appreciate in passing the fluidity of the photo interface of One UI 2.0,the set of modes offered as well as the flexibility of customizing the interface. Super-macro in action The super-macro mode, promoted by Samsung, is a first in the manufacturer's mid-range products. It allows you to take pictures at a distance of 3 to 5 cm maximum. On the other hand, you will have to be careful to stay in this range if you want to avoid obtaining a blurred image. No optical zoom in the proper sense, but a clever mix between the fixed focal lengths of the lenses and digital processing makes it possible to simulate it. Avoid venturing beyond 4x unless you are a fan of the systematic destruction of image details. The ultra wide-angle does the job and allows for the creation of interesting creative images. Portrait mode (front camera) The portrait mode, rather successful, does not yet reach the level of high-end products, but we are getting closer. It is certainly possible to take it by default, but overall the artificial Bokeh remains convincing. Night mode, which Samsung is now adapting to most of its smartphones, will allow you to shoot images in low light while limiting digital noise. It will be necessary for this to wedge the device well during the triggering so as not to obtain a blurred image. ) fitted with a 26mm f/2.2 lens. It produces beautiful images in high or normal light, and a little less good if the ambient lighting weakens. The front portrait mode is quite honorable despite the absence of a specific sensor. Night mode Daytime auto modeFinally, the video is not forgotten, even if it boils down to the great classics: 30 fps in 4K and up to 240 fps in Full HD. The digital stabilization does the job without, however, equaling that of the high-end models. It doesn't matter: you have the feeling of getting your money's worth, the result being up to expectations. Note, however, that stabilization is not available in 4 K. 0.5x nominal focal length zoom 2x zoom 8x zoom . Certainly, some concessions were made in order to be able to sell it at an ultimately reasonable price. But these are not really bothersome, with the possible exception of the lack of water resistance and a somewhat finicky fingerprint reader. On the other hand, we appreciate the successful design, pleasant ergonomics, an excellent OLED screen as well as very decent processing power. It also shines with a photographic quality that one could almost describe as exciting given its positioning and a very satisfactory autonomy. Without forgetting, of course, the presence of an audio jack and the possibility of cohabiting two SIM cards with a micro SD. Logically, the Galaxy A71 should be a hit, its real competitor in this segment being its little brother the A51, which is also very pleasant even if it suffers from a lack of processing power.

Cons

Screen9

Performance7

Autonomy9

Design8

Photo9

Screen9

Performance7

Autonomy9

Design8

Photo9

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