Samsung Galaxy A70
RM1,999.00
Pros
- Nice size
- Good triple camera
- Nice colour selections
- Not bad for mid-range
- Battery life is good
Cons
- Fingerprint magnet
I have always loved the Galaxy series. And I have tested many of them along the way in all these years. But the new A series is, in my opinion, a good starting point for those who are looking into getting a Galaxy phone without breaking their bank too much.
The Samsung Galaxy A70 is in focus today. The sleek design and beautiful colour stands out among others. It comes with a triple camera setup at the back, much the same as my Galaxy A7 (2018) but with an upgraded megapixel count for the main camera. So with that, it will be easiler for me as I can make a one to one comparison between the A70 and my A7.
Unlike the previous A series Galaxy that I’ve reviewed, the A70 feel more solid. The A70 feels “full” when I grasp it in one hand but it’s not that slippery despite the shiny back surface. The curve at the sides helped with the grip. And having a large 6.7″ display does made it feel large but still manageable.
So here’s the list of the key specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A70:
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 (11 nm), Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver)
- GPU: Adreno 612
- OS: Android 9.0 (Pie); One UI
- Storage & Memory: 128 GB, 6/8 GB RAM, microSD up to 1TB (dedicated slot)
- Display: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~393 ppi density)
- Main Camera: 32 MP, f/1.7, 8 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 5 MP, f/2.2, depth sensor
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm
- Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery
- Sensors: Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
With great power comes great gaming abilities. With Snapdragon 675, the A70 performs very well under stress and it is supported by either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The unit that I reviewed comes with 6GB of RAM but it still feels so good and highly responsive.
Design and Look
Firs thing that you will notice is the triple camera setup at the back. The camera module however does not protrude out as much as my A7. So when you slap on a casing on the A70, you can be sure that you won’t get a scratch on the camera lens.
And then there’s the 32MP front selfie camera that sits right in the top center in it’s own waterdrop notch. I do prefer this type of notch as it doesn’t “block” my vision of the screen and with minimal footprint.
As for the button placements, the Galaxy A70 places them similarly to the other A series (A30, A50) whereby you can find the volume rocker and power button on the right side of the phone and the SIM/SD card slot on the left. At the bottom is where the usual USB type-C port, the audio jack and speaker grille can be found.
The colour of the review unit that I receive is known as “Coral”. In certain lighting condition, you can see some rainbow colours appearing on the surface. It looks really good at certain angle. If I were to buy the A70, this is the colour that I will pick.
Performance and Usage
Yes. You do know how I will gauge the performance of any phones that I review. But before we dive into that, I would like to bring up the key specifications that powers the A70’s performance.
The Samsung Galaxy A70 is powered by Snapdragon 675 with an Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver) processor speed and supported by Adreno 612 in the GPU department. And it comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM to go with it. And this A70 is very well be a gaming phone. I will totally agree with that. The 4500mAh battery will surely give long hours of endless entertainment and gaming while still having enough juice to do the normal stuffs.
Now for gaming. As usual, PUBG Mobile is my game of choice when it comes to the performance judging process. If it fares well in PUBG, then it’s good to me. So how does it do? The Galaxy A70 did really well churning out smooth graphics at the highest settings. 60fps and high detail settings can be configured on the A70 and it runs really well. The device feels a little bit warm but not hot. It’s like a cosy type of warm. The battery reduced around 20% after 3 rounds of PUBG game which last about 30 minutes each on average. With all the power it provices, losing only 20% of juice is considered not bad.
I also did a test on Antutu 3D Benchmark and the Samsung Galaxy A70 scores well above the mid-range devices. It scored 169150 on Antutu which is quite good. Thanks to the minimum 6GB of RAM, you won’t be seeing any lags or stutter while gaming or normal use.
Now lets say you not into gaming or heavy graphic usage on daily basis, you will notice that the A70 battery lasting you more than a day. A quick round up, I pulled the plug at 7am and start using the phone as usual (without gaming) and by 7pm, I still have more than 50% of battery left. By midnight, it downs to 45% and went to bed. Next morning when I woke up, it reads as 30%. So I went on the day until noon before I had to charge it up again.
Did I mention that the AMOLED display is as stunning as those on Samsung’s flagships? Yes, the A70 display is just as gorgeous as if it is made with premium standards in mind but at a lower cost. Gaming on AMOLED screens are absolutely stunning. That I can vouch for.
Camera Performance
The subject that most people usually waiting for. We shall see how the camera performs in this section. First, let’s recap on what the Galaxy A70 have in the camera department.
The A70 comes with a 32 MP, f/1.7, 8 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 5 MP, f/2.2, depth sensor rear cameras and a 32 MP, f/2.0 front selfie camera. The main camera is an upgrade from my own A7 (2018) which also comes with a triple camera setup but only a 24MP sensor. But from what I observed, the quality is about the same, more or less.
Now we see some photos…
Depth sensor – background Depth sensor – foreground
What I notice when it comes to camera performance is that it performs just as well as my A7 but with better detail thanks to the megapixel upgrade. Indoor details when using the ultra wide angle is a little bit challenging. Pictures can have a little blur at the sides sometimes but it fared better outdoors. Depth sensor works well when shooting live photos to give that little bokeh effect to a portrait.
Close-up shots works well when you have enough lighting. When it’s a little darker, I had slight trouble getting the subject in focus. But all is well when you get the right shot. Selfies are okay. The A70 does much better than my A7 in terms of selfie shots. Details are good and acceptable.
Conclusion
So if you’re looking into getting a good mid-high range smartphone that comes with a brilliant AMOLED display, look no further. The Samsung Galaxy A70 may very well be your next gadget if you’re into endless gaming and entertainment.
The A70 sits well at the border between the flagship and mid-range Samsung devices, apart from the newer A80. With good processing speed and good GPU that comes along with it, the A70 is a fun device to use.
Also to note that the A70 is a good looking phone especially in the Coral colour. It feels solid and premium although the body is made of plastic. Typing in one hand is just okay but it tends to slip at times because of the large screen size. Other than that, it is also comfortable to hold.
The new Samsung Galaxy A70 is retailing at RM1,999.00 at the official Samsung store.
