Galaxy A31 vs Galaxy A32 5G: A polarizing sequel with 5G benefits

The Galaxy A series is transitioning to 5G technology and the Galaxy A32 5G is Samsung's most affordable 5G phone to have been announced this year. It has yet to hit the shelves and Samsung hasn't revealed exactly when it should be, but once it does, it will succeed the 4G-limited Galaxy A31.

Several other upgrades aside from 5G have been thrown into the mix but as you're about to see in this side-by-side comparison, not everything about the Galaxy A32 5G was improved over the last generation. Some components are unchanged but there are also a few notable downgrades and upgrades.

Galaxy A31 vs Galaxy A32 5G: More downgrades than you might think

The Galaxy A32 5G brings in a handful of significant upgrades — 5G connectivity being one of them — but Samsung's new budget device also took a few shortcuts this year.

The display was downgraded from a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 to an IPS LCD that has a lower HD+ resolution. Since the Galaxy A31 was never targeted at mobile gamers, a lower resolution display for the sequel might make sense from a practical point of view, but there's no way around the fact that this is a technical downgrade. Perhaps you could look at the lower pixel count as an effort to further optimize the phone for its segment, but the switch from Super AMOLED to IPS LCD is a step down.

In addition, the 5MP depth camera from the Galaxy A31 was replaced by a lower-res 2MP sensor, and even the selfie camera took a hit. It now sits at a resolution of 13MP instead of 20MP. We'll have to wait and see exactly how the lower-resolution sensors work in the real world, as pixel count is not everything when it comes to photography.

The Galaxy A32 5G has a side-mounted fingerprint reader whereas the Galaxy A31 has an in-display sensor, though in theory, the side-mounted solution should be faster.

Other specifications that have remained unchanged from last year include the main, ultra-wide and macro cameras, the 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging, and all the connectivity features sans 5G.

Galaxy A32 5G most significant changes and upgrades

Some downgrades were clearly made along the way but the Galaxy A32 5G does bring a few key upgrades over its predecessor, including the 5G-enabled Dimensity 720 5G chipset from MediaTek.

The new model comes with more RAM (6GB) as standard and it ships with Android 11-based One UI 3.0 out of the box. More striking is the fact that the Galaxy A32 5G does away with the old design in favor of a fresher look.

From the front, the main difference lies in the Infinity-V (instead of an Infinity-U) display, but more importantly, the back panel looks completely different thanks to a new camera bump, or lack thereof. The new design is arguably the most attractive aspect of the budget 5G phone.

Until the Galaxy A32 5G goes on sale, you can learn more about it and how it compares to the Galaxy A31 by referring to our device comparison widget below. Our Galaxy A31 review can also tell you a lot more about how it's like living with the 2020 model.

Do you think Samsung made the right compromises to bring 5G to the entry-level market with the Galaxy A32? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Galaxy A31 review

Samsung
Galaxy A31

Select model SM-A315F Buy Full specs

Samsung
Galaxy A32 5G

Select model SM-A326B Buy Full specs