Samsung Galaxy A30 review: Good display but disappointing value
The phone’s sleek design with curved edges make it nice to hold, and glossy finish makes it look premium.
By Karan Bajaj, ET Bureau | May 02, 2019, 04.49 PM IST
Agencies
The A30 uses Samsung’s new Exynos 7904 processor.
Rating: 3.5
Price: Rs 16,990

Specs: 6.4-inch super amoled display (2340 x 1080 pixels), octa core Exynos 7904, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage (expandable, dedicated slot), dual SIM, 16MP f1.7 + 5MP f2.2 ultrawide rear camera, 16MP f2.0 front camera, rear fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C, WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, FM radio, 4,000mAh battery, Android 9.0, 165 grams
Pros: Sleek design, great screen, good day-to-day performance, daylight camera capabilities, good battery life, fast charge support
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Cons: Glossy plastic back picks up smudges and scratches easily, camera quality suffers in low light, low speaker output, video recording limited to 1080p
Samsung recently confirmed that the J series range of smartphone will be replaced with the A series. This is one of the reasons we have been seeing an increase in the number of new phones across different price points. The A30 has premium features like amoled display at a mid-range price.

The phone has a 6.4-inch full HD super amoled display with an Infinity U style notch. Samsung makes impressive smartphone displays and this is no exception. The screen is gorgeous with deep blacks and vibrant colour. Plus, the slim bezels on the sides and a small chin adds to the immersive experience for multimedia and gaming. Full marks to Samsung here.

The A30 has a dual rear camera with 16MP f1.7 primary sensor and a secondary ultra-wide 5MP sensor.
The A30 uses Samsung’s new Exynos 7904 processor which we saw first on the Galaxy M20. Our review unit came with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage along with a 4,000mAh battery. Like the M20, the Galaxy A30 can handle most games. PUBG and Asphalt 9 will work on medium settings without an issue.

Even for day-to-day use, the A30 is a capable performer. If you try to tax it with multiple apps in the background, you will see some sluggishness. While this may not be a deal-breaker on a Rs13k Galaxy M20, this is an issue on a Rs 17k phone like this. A Rs14k Redmi Note 7 pro with Snapdragon 675 will soundly thrash the Exynos 7904 in terms of outright performance. Thankfully, battery life is stellar – we regularly got a full day of battery life with around 20-25% spare. If you use the phone with battery saving enabled, it easily lasts a day and a half.
In the camera department, the A30 has a dual rear camera with 16MP f1.7 primary sensor and a secondary ultra-wide 5MP sensor. It’s nice to have that ultra-wide lens, especially in the sub-Rs20k segment since it opens up more shooting options. The image quality from the A30’s camera is great: daylight photos have excellent details and natural colour. In low light, the photos were well lit thanks to the wide aperture but on closer inspection you will see that they lack detail. Live focus mode for portraits also works better in daylight – good amount of bokeh but the edge detection is not the best we have seen. Video recording quality from the rear camera is good but is limited to full HD resolution and does not have any electronic image stabilization.

If you use the phone with battery saving enabled, it easily lasts a day and a half.
There are several things we did like on the Galaxy A30. It’s got a sleek design with curved edges which makes it nice to hold. The glossy finish looks premium, the fingerprint scanner is fast and the face unlock is better than the M series phones. What we did not like was that the glossy plastic back panel picks up smudges/scratches very quickly – it has several scratches within a week of careful use. Also, the loudspeaker volume is low. Sound from videos was hard to hear at full volume in an office environment.
At Rs 17k, the Galaxy A30 seems overpriced compared to Samsung’s own Galaxy M30. The M30 gives you a triple camera, larger 5,000mAh battery and similar hardware for Rs 14,999. You can also consider the Oppo K1 in the same price segment – it has an in-display fingerprint scanner, a better Snapdragon 660 processor and equally good cameras.

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In Video: Samsung Galaxy M30: Unboxing and First Look
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