Samsung Galaxy A71 Mobile Phone; Sim Free Smartphone – Prism
Samsung Galaxy A71 Mobile Phone; Sim Free Smartphone – Prism Crush Black, (UK Version) – United Kingdom
Samsung Galaxy A71 smartphone
With a powerful 64MP Rear Camera, Samsung Galaxy A71 lets you capture the world in all its glory. Samsung Galaxy A71’s immersive Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display turns switching between social apps and watching videos into a whole new experience.
Performances to do more
Advanced Octa-core processor and up to 8GB of RAM for smooth and efficient performance. 128GB of internal storage, and up to 512GB microSD⁹.
Samsung Galaxy A71 comparison
 A71 |  A51 |  Note10 Lite |  S10 Lite | |
| Display | 6.7″ Infinity-O Super AMOLED | 6.5″ Infinity-O Super AMOLED | 6.7″ Infinity-O Super AMOLED | 6.7″ Infinity-O Super AMOLED+ |
| Rear Camera – Primary | 64 MP | 48 MP | 12 MP | 48 MP |
| Rear Camera – Ultra Wide | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Rear Camera – Zoom | 8x zoom | 4x zoom | 10x zoom | 2x zoom |
| Rear Camera – Fourth | Macro 5 MP | Macro 5 MP | – | Macro 5 MP |
| Front Camera | 32 MP | 32 MP | 32 MP | 32 MP |
| Battery | 4,500mAh⁸ | 4,000mAh⁸ | 4,500mAh⁸ | 4,500mAh⁸ |
| RAM | 6GB | 4GB | 6GB | 8GB |
| Internal Storage | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB |
| Security | In-Screen Fingerprint scanner | In-Screen Fingerprint scanner | In-Screen Fingerprint scanner | In-Screen Fingerprint scanner |
| ¹Rated (minimum) at 4,400mAh | ²Rated (minimum) at 3,890mAh | ³Rated (minimum) at 4,370mAh | ⁴Rated (minimum) at 4,370mAh |
¹Measured diagonally, the screen size is 6.7″ in the full rectangle and 6.6″ accounting for the rounded corners. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and the camera cutout.
²Ultra wide experience (photo/video) is supported for rear camera only.
³Macro Camera feature supported for rear camera only.
⁴Results may vary depending on shooting conditions including multiple subjects, being out of focus, or moving subjects.
⁵Viewing angle adjusted down for selfie with Ultra Wide Camera.
⁶Does not support zoom function. Performance of the image stabilisation may vary depending on the light condition.
⁷Only available when shooting with the Ultra Wide Camera in Full HD.
⁸Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,400mAh for Galaxy A71. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
⁹MicroSD card sold separately.
| Dimensions: | 0.77 x 7.6 x 16.36 cm; 380 Grams |
| Model: | SM-A715FZKUBTU |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | Samsung |
| Dimensions: | 0.77 x 7.6 x 16.36 cm; 380 Grams |
Two many updates samsung using two much of your space
Bought this phone just before the lockdowns began in 2020 and three years later its still going strong. Its somewhat annoying with all the prompts (even now) to use the Samsung software instead of the normal Google software. The camera is very good, both front and back, but struggles in very bright sunlight. At this stage I get about 12 hours with basic usage from a full charge. Gets Android updates every few months.
Overall, a very good phone, that would be improved with a clean version of Android.
Bought this mobile for my mother, it’s a cut down version of an S10.
At the time I had a Samsung Galaxy S 10 plus 5 G (now have an S21 Ultra)
The mobile is not metal it’s mostly plastic, but it has about 70-80 % of the functionality of my old S 10 plus at 40% of the price great buy
When Samsung bring out a new A series, you should consider it or even this mobile if it’s still available
Bought this (first time I have actually bought a sim free phone) to replace an ailing galaxy A5. Now I have got it set up to my liking I am very pleased with it, especially the superb camera which does so much more than the A5. the only issue for a limited techie person like me was the initial set up. I did not want to be taken over by Google as the factory inbuilt process wanted me to do, so resorted to downloading the Samsung manual (all145 pages of it!) off the official Samsung website. Once I had done this and transferred all my old data from the A5 things were OK. Note that according to online info data transfer seems quicker and less likely to go wrong with a USB cable transfer than via Bluetooth so that is what I did.
A top notch phone for the money. 6gb Ram, 128gb of memory and a decent build for a mid priced Samsung. Make sure you get the UK version if you’re in the UK as you may have problems with automatic updates, I’ve heard.
This is 100% genuine UK and works like a dream.
Took me a little time to get used to it, much more complicated tha Nokia phones, lots of functions you need to set up to make it work properly (some of them I had to google, because they are hidden so deep in options). But after a few days I can tell it is an excellent phone! Very fast, it can take a lot of work at once, apps work smoth with no glitches. Camera is great, even in full darkness. It is very important to me that this model has separate memory card slot and 2 nano sims. Excellent for the price. The one thing I don’t like is that when you change the icon size, you also get the clock widget size change. I hate large icons but I do like a big clock, but I can’t have them both as I like on that screen, like I had in my old Nokia phone. With all that unnecessary settings this one would actually be useful. On a plus side though the google search bar is just a widget you can easily remove from your screen (first thing I always try to do with a new phone). Good battery life, lasts two days with average usage. Worth to buy, good mid-range phone.
I was fed up with my old iphone dying every 5 seconds so i changed back to an Andriod and this phone is great! The camera quality is not as good, but macro shots are amazing! I use it for 7+ hours a day and the battery only goes to about 30%! It works great and I love the fact that you can have moving backgrounds and all of the app icons are customisable. The only problem that I have faced with the phone is the digital wellbeing bit as it sometimes crashes but other than that, it’s fantastic.
Pros:
– great battery life
– recognises fingerprints easily
– runs apps smoothly
– macro shots are great
– customisable backgrounds and app icons
Cons:
– face recognition can be hit or miss if thats important to u
– selfie camera can be quite grainy
I wanted a nice big phone with a great camera at a reasonable price.
Was not disappointed.
You need to turn on the 64mp camera in settings. I found that info in my research before buying. Glad I did love that camera. because of the huge pixel count zooming into pictures loses very little detail.
plays my games well too lovely big screen.
All the rest is what you expect a phone to do. Very happy with it Battery is very good. Borderline 5 stars
it would be 9 out of 10 so maybe 4 out of 5 is unfair.
I would not hesitate to recommend this phone at the price I paid.
As for the battery life, well I have only had the phone a few days so yet again I can’t comment.
I am impressed by the Samsung’s keyboard though and I find it so easy to type the correct characters on it, their is not as many mistakes by far as my old smartphone gave me.
Setting the phone up was a bit time consuming, however the Samsung easily transferred my old phones details with the Smart Switch already installed on the Samsung and lead me by the hand giving instructions as I wirelessly transferred my old phone files onto my Galaxy A71.
Most of the time was spent resigning into various applications (Apps) I now had on my new smartphone.
The phone does all I need it to do, it is a reasonable middle of the road, well priced smartphone (and about 30 cheaper than my previous phone).
The build quality is just that, Quality.
What’s not to like ? it is easy and intuitive to use and set up.
Well Samsung, I am impressed so far and still hope to be years from now, thank you.
George Watson at 17.04 on Friday the 9/4/21.
I’ve been looking for the best for value phone that’s not Chinese, and this is it. The A71 is a brilliant phone, good battery, good performance and does what is needed. Granted it isn’t the best you can get, but definitely a good value for money.
It was an amazing upgrade from my Honor Play. I’m very much satisfied.
Postage from seller was 1st class and arrived much early than eta.
Phone is very fast, camera is great and after a few months of regular daily use, I do not see why I previously intended to buy a phone much dearer. Battery was a big thing for me and this phone really delivers on every aspect.
I love this phone! The screen is big and all used for display…unlike other phones have top&bottom of screen not fully available….Good memory, fast processor…no lagging on the apps…quality of pics and details…slow motion recording…
The size matters! I watch movies while travelling to work or while falling asleep…easy to use….only screenshot buttons are too far from each other for girls fingers and need to use thumbs from both hands (it requires same pressure on both buttons to screenshot it) otherwise you switch the phone off.
The next annoying thing is that off button is next to sound and instead of sound I keep switching the phone to sleep….that is most annoying…
Unless you have very long fingers, you can’t operate it w one hand…but that is irrelevant for me.
The A71 is an excellent phone but I wish Samsung would not include software that can not be removed. I am sure that a lot of people appreciate BIXBY but I don’t and I dislike the fact that if you want to turn it off and prevent it consuming memory and power it makes life difficult and if you turn off the phone , you have to go through a load of settings to stop it each time. It should be possible to to remove any software and disable it completely and Samsung is doing itself no favours by making life difficult for its customers by including software you can not remove.
Over the moon with my Samsung A71. Easy to set up, transfer info from previous phone, has lots of memory, takes brill photos, has fab sound for Spotify etc. Been using for about 3 months. Like every single thing about it. Best mobile I’ve ever had. Would 100% buy another one.
This phone has all the features I want and is pretty quick. I use this phone all day for all the usual stuff like whatsapp, facebook, browsing, watching TV and a million and one other apps. No real problems so far and battery life is good so far. Works well with my Seat Leon through Android auto and have had no problems pairing it through a host of devices through bluetooth. The face and finger print recognition can be hit and miss but this is probably due to the screen protector I have fitted. Overall this is a good value for money phone and I’m not sure why you would spend more money than this for a flagship model.
l loved this phone from the moment l saw it l cant praise the quality of it enough , really fast and reliable , l contacted Smiley Electronics and must say how very helpful they were in in helping to help me set it up so thanks to them and will definately be buying from them agai
First impression: It’s a bit on the large side. If you just wanted a phone for making actual phone calls then something smaller will likely suit you better. This is no going to fit in a normal trouser pocket.
But I hardly ever make calls. Messaging apps, video calls with family & friends that thanks to Covid I don’t get to see face-to-face any more, it’s perfect for. Mounted on a bike (in a waterproof pouch) it makes a great satnav with the OSMand app for cross-country rides – with a screen big enough to easily see where I’m going / should have gone. I also have the ususal work apps installed (which are mostly disabled cos weekends and evening belong to me no matter what the boss might think) and again the screen is big enough to make all of them easy to use.
App response time is generally good. It takes 2 SIMS with both numbers active at the same time although it takes a few seconds to switch the mobile data between them. And still got loads of storage left and there’s a dedicated slot for a MicroSD if you need more. The fingerprint reader works fine although it doesn’t like my thumb for some reason.
The built-in mail client works nicely with the ancient mail & calendar server I run (well overdue for replacement) although there’s a bunch of stuff that I’ll probably never use (AR? Google / Bixby voice things? Why?). The Bixby Routines lets you set the phone to trigger some standard modes eg tap a button on screen to turn on bluetooth and mobile data then launch car satnav but is still rather limited to be honest. It’s certainly no match for Tasker yet. The bluetooth stack just works (unlike my previous phone) and a lot the frustrations I used to get with my old phone have gone away.
Battery life is good – screen on full brightness while being used at a satnav for a few hours has been no problem, it normally gets charged every few days.
So if this was to have an unfortunate accident would i buy again? I guess the answer is probably yes. For all the things I use it for, it’s ideal. If the whole thing could be squeezed into a smaller size I’d be very tempted for that, but isn’t that what they’ve done with the A51? And no doubt I’d complain that the screen is too small.
Great phone, specially the camera. The phone is easy to use and there are useful tips available.
The battery doesn’t last as long as I expected but it’s not bad. It lasts a couple of days and it fully charges in less then 2 hours.
It’s a mobile phone and does what it is supposed to do – it’s no better or worse than any other of it’s type and there is nothing to like or dislike about i
The item arrived promply but without a user manual although it suppose to be a UK Version all other written material we in Greek/italian/polish/french/dutch/portuguese etc nothing that i can read /understand a printed paper strip now telling me to go on line to samsung. com to get a user manual come on now i did not buy it from samsung another website want 24 for me to download a maual the money i paid i expected at lease a maual written/reading instructions in English the box was dented and had some brown matter on it come on now
Love the battery life, responsiveness and it’s got all the functions I’d expect.
Takes great pictures and video and it just works superbly.
I’ve not used the face recognition, so I haven’t rated that.
Fingerprint reader can be a little iffy, but I think that’s more down to the screen protector I put on it. Does pick up my finger print most of the time – even in latex gloves.
Only thing I can say against it really is that it doesn’t quite fit in some of my pockets as it’s a bit larger than I thought (had a Galaxy S7 before) – not helped by the case I’ve put it in – but otherwise, it’s great.
Decent for the price. Don’t expect crazy processing power, but it pretty much does everything you need. Camera is very good, night mode could do with some work but gives great pictures. Battery is brillia
After receiving it, I was nervous because I was moving from Sony to Samsung after decades.
After a month I thought I’d share a few opinions:
The back rainbow look is very stylish and discreet;
Right the screen is huge but you quickly get used to it, especially the quality;
The camera is brilliant but I’m still learning how to use them, not it;
The fingerprint reader works as I expected and sure you can put in a pin if necessary;
The battery charges to 100% much quicker than quoted;
The mono speaker is fine for a phone;
Werid having headphone socket at the bottom but getting used to that too as with the buttons;
One thing is I’m still making mistakes on the on-screen keyboard seems smaller but after downloading gboard much better;
As a major phone user it will take me a few more months to exploit all the delightful features on this piece of kit.
Great phone, a lot bigger screen than my previous Samsung model. I wanted a dual Sim Card phone and an expandable memory for holiday photos, just not sure if that`s going to be possible in current crisis .
The 20% discount on price also swayed me to purchase from Amazon and not the High Street.
Did not rate facial recognition or fingerprint reader as I prefer pin numbers and changing them on a regular basis.
After reading reviews on a lot of phones I came to the conclusion that you will get people who love the phone and people who hate it, the best thing to do is see if it is what you want and try it for yourself, if you read all the reviews you will go round and round in circles and never buy one because there are people who will always have something bad to say about any phone even the top of the range or flagship models as they call them.
This phone has a nice sound, unlike the a41 which I thought was very tinny. screen is responsive and very clear, no wireless charging but to be honest I’m not bothered by that at all, it charges quite fast and comes with nice in ear earphones which made a change from the usual hard plastic ones I have come to expect from samsung. all in all I would recommend this phone to others but as I said before try it for yourself and see.
I’ve been a loyal Oneplus supporter for a long time, been using a Oneplus 3 for many years but I didn’t like the curved screens on the new phones. I really needed a bigger capacity phone than my Oneplus. Decided to go for a A71 for its features and price. I’ve been using this since March. The positives, it’s a big phone but I actually prefer that, the OLED screen is great. I had my reservations about the holepunch on the screen for the front camera but I don’t mind it now.
I got the 128GB model which is great for putting all my files on there and if I ever run out of space, it’s got a microsd card slot. A key feature of the phone is the dual-sim card slot. I have one sim card for calls/texts and another for my data. I do save a lot of money by doing it like this. It also retains the audio jack which many phones have phased out.
The fingerprint sensor under the screen and the face detection unlock is pretty good though more often than not, sometimes, it just won’t detect your fingerprint or face. When it does work, it is very fast. It has quad cameras for various situations. I can’t really judge the quality of photos. A photo is a photo to me.
For the negatives, the plastic body is very off-putting – you can feel that it’s plastic as soon as you touch it and I’m generally used to glass-back phones. I have since bought a glass case for the phone so I don’t notice this anymore. The Proximity sensor on the phone doesn’t seem very good at all. I have double-tap to wake and It frequently turns on in my pocket and starts dialling numbers. On the other end of the scale, when I pick the phone up from my desk and double-tap, it still thinks it’s in my pocket and won’t turn on.
The biggest negative for me is the battery life. The A71 does have a huge 4,500mAh on board and the reviews and official specs said the phone had great battery life. I haven’t properly tested it yet but I doubt I would be able to get more than a couple of hours of screen on time before the battery is depleted. Battery life just doesn’t seem all that different from my Oneplus 3.
Overall, in retrospect, there are some nice features on the phone but I wish I’d have waited for the Oneplus Nord as that’s the phone I should have got. I like the premium feel of a phone and the plastic body on the A71 just doesn’t do that for me.
The phone itself is great, Bought for my son and he is very happy with it Good screen and cameras and fantastic battery life.
The listing by Amazon however was misleading. I was going to buy a Huawei Mate 20 Pro but saw this and a box on the listing said you could claim a free pair of headphones worth 129. So, as son had lost his, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.
Claim was rejected as the seller was marketplace and only Amazon themselves qualified. Amazon need to ensure that promotions are only listed on qualifying products and sellers.
So glad that the phone has turned out to be ok as too late to return it and not the sellers fault. Seller was Dig And Delve and they were quick to answer a query that I had and delivered the phone quickly.
I love the amount of space to install apps, pics or vids! One thing that put me off Samsung phones years ago was the tiny amount of storage it had especially on budget ranges so Im impressed again and this is one of the main factors that brought me back along with the other features and the amazing camera.
I love the wide angle cam and the macro camera they are something I’m not use to on a phone and the Macro really does take some nice close up shots of stuff.
The phone does have dual sim slots but I have only 1 sim in at the moment so can’t review that feature. Like others have said it does have a plastic back but it really doesn’t make this phone feel cheap at all and most of the time I have a case on anyway as I’m notorious for dropping phones!
Speaking of dropping I have dropped the phone about 5 times from chair height and so far it is in one piece still and no cracks but I do have a case
UPDATE 2022: This beauty of a phone is still going! Also been dropped about 1000x in the 2 years but barely a scratch. There are a few tiny weeny scratches from not having a phone case with a front cover over and been stuck in jeans pocket all day but they are only visible when the screen is off and looking really close up! This phone, it will be put in a display cabinet when it is finally put to res
The Note 10+ is superb, don’t get me wrong. Fantastic camera and screen. The move to the iPhone 11 Pro Max felt like a backwards step in all honesty; a duller & smaller screen etc (although perfect for my needs as everything I have is Apple); but iPhones leave me cold. Just too simple/dumbed down and not easily adaptable (unlike Android where you can run whichever launcher you want, icons, apps etc)
The A71, for me, is a superb middle ground. Full sized phablet screen; solid camera, great functionality and solid Samsung build
It’s also dual-sim, for me that’s great as I can have my personal number and business number on one phone and still have an SD card slot for music, pictures/videos etc
It charges super-fast; I’ve got a decent Ringke and Otterbox cases for it and a nice leather wallet style case for when I’m out & about and don’t want to take my wallet as well.
I was lucky to get mine for 335 brand new, the price has gone up; but for the prices, it’s very much worth it IMO
Looking at the spec list, the A71 is “better” than the Note 8 in a lot of aspects, especially battery life. The only obvious difference on paper was the slightly lower resolution screen.
The size is surprising, it is pretty much the same size as the Note 8, just slightly thinner and a lot lighter. A larger device than expected.
Performance is excellent, it seems to perform just as well as a flagship phone during everyday use. The screen is bright and crisp and the device feels premium.
Camera quality was initially disappointing, with photos appearing flat and lacking colour. Then a message randomly popped up while using the camera, something along the lines of “make every detail show in your pictures?”. Accepting this dramatically increased the appeal of the images. I believe this turned on HDR mode and increased the resolution to the full 64MP. It’s a difficult comparison as the Note 8 camera was exceptionally good but now the Mrs is happy with the camera.
Battery life is very good, as would be expected from the impressive 4,500 mAh battery. It’s a night and day improvement over the Note 8, with the Note from new tending to be close to 0 by early evening and the A71 having around 30% remaining with the same use.
Overall it’s an amazing device. Not so long ago, if you went for the mid range devices there was always a noticeable compromise in things like performance, screen and camera quality and a less premium look and feel. Nowadays it’s a completely different story. It’s very difficult to see any reason why the Galaxy S series would cost double the price. With flagships receiving such small changes every year, the mid range phones should now be just as appealing. For a lot of people it also means it becomes feasible to buy a sim free device outright and avoid being tied into an outrageously expensive contract.
Definitely consider it!
Despite having initial difficulties with the delivery(it was delayed a bit) I will focus on the device.Simply put well done Samsung I love the Galaxy A71 it is a midrange device offering the specs of higher-end devices but for the fraction of the price!!! My new and favorite phone,you have to own it to love it and to admire it! Very happy with my purchase,thank you Amazon.
I bought this phone to replace my Galaxy A3 2016, and for the budget-conscious buyer, you can’t do better. Clearly the old A3 doesn’t make much of a comparison, but as someone who has waited 4 years for an upgrade, I’d say this phone does everything I could want and more.
If you’ve sufffered with an old phone with too little storage, a camera that makes every picture look a bit sad and lifeless, or a battery that leaves you wondering if you’ll make it door-to-door without having to plug in somewhere, look no further. I don’t think I could use up the battery on this thing if I tried. The camera instinctively knows how to make any scene stunning. And with 128GB of storage, you’d have to work hard to run out of space.
At last, after holding out for an affordable phone to provide some real oomph, I can settle back into my technophobe life knowing that this one will keep me going for several years more. Just don’t drop it in your pint glass.
Nice phone camera. It was on promotion offer. It’s started going wrong second day. Then it’s gone bad to worst. Incoming calls they can here me but I couldn’t. On and off clears the call issue but things like smartview and casting went good to worst. Samsung say’s it has to go back for repairs. Amazon offer was repair or refund. NO replacement?? For a few weeks old phone. They put the price up. Refund taking ages. They can truck the returns but not me.
Very good phone for the price; it has all the features I’d expect and more – camera functions sharp, excellent screen and elegant in design and feel (not light Weight). The fingerprint recognition does not work!!! On light comments reflect its a problem and is my only disappointment about the phone.
I’ve managed to download all the apps I had on the old HTC, plus about 5 or 6 more. It does all the things I need it to do, although I must admit I don’t necessarily like the way Samsung it does some things (my old HTC replaced a cheap and cheerful Samsung that kept on freezing for no apparent reason). I’m happy I got the A71 and hope it’ll last me 4 or 5 years, when who knows what will be available for us mere mortals.
– Great price.
– Bigger screen.
– Much better camera(s).
– Much bigger memory.
– Dual sim.
– Lighter weight.
– Quicker response.
– FM radio (I love it).
– Louder speaker.
– Quicker battery charge with longer charge over the day use.
I gave it 3 weeks of use to be able to give a genuine feed back. I don’t miss my note8 however I may go for note20 in the future if I can afford it or Samsung gives me a free one to use and evaluate 😉
Although, If you are on a tight budget, highly advisable to get this absolute beast of a unit.
P.S I think other people’s issues are because they bought it from a third party reseller. Mine got ordered and dispatched from Samsung UK directly.
Pros
– reasonably price
– good battery life
– screen is massive, attractive display and very pleasing to touch the screen
– Samsung A model phones repair cost is way cheaper than S models. Samsung S10+ screen repair cost 249 whereas A71 cost is at 109. Source: Samsung website.
Cons
-Comes with loads of bloatware which of course you can easily uninstall.
-You need to spend time with performance optimization but 3 Youtube tutorials should do.
-Samsung’s version of iCloud is called Samsung Cloud WHICH IS GOING TO BE REPLACED BY MICROSOFT ONEDRIVE. Really?
-iPhone’s WhatsApp backup is in iCloud – YOU CANT MIGRATE THIS TO YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT. This is not Android’s fault particularly but it’s a feature that has been in the pipeline for a long time. There are Apps available online that claim this can be done but I highly doubt their credibility.
This is an amazing buy and frankly if I had known about this phone back in march, I’d have gotten this instead of my S20+ due to the value at this price point.
Battery life is amazing + a Super Fast Charger. Same display at the flagship 2020 one, although the resolution on S20+ is higher and can go to 120Hz, but that’s just bells and whistles at this point. To think in less than a year you can get a cheap Samsung phone which is bigger than their latest Note device WITH an ammoled display is mind boggling.
Highly recommend this phone if that is not obvious enough! (In fact I’m back on this page because I’m considering buying either this or the smaller A51 for my Sister)
The finger print reader I’ve had great success with, on the odd occasion it fails but normally due to my finger not been on the reader correctly. It only takes a second to do it again and it’s much more convenient than a pattern, password or pin code.
All in all I’m very impressed and happy with my purchase, value for money and the differences
between the A71 and the S20 makes this the much smarterpurchase in my personal opinion and experience. Highly recommended.
Enter the Samsung Galaxy A71; I first heard about this phone from a recommended YouTube video, and after also looking at the A51, I decided to spend the extra and get this. I’m glad I did!
I’ll go over the positives, negatives and experience compared to my main phone, the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
POSITIVES
. Very light – this phone is incredibly light for the size! It’s very comfortable to hold in one hand.
. Build – a lot of people list plastic bodies as a negative, but I like the change from the typical slippery glass back.
. Amazing screen – the screen on this phone is incredible! It’s big at 6.7″, and while it may not be 1440p, I find it very sharp. Colours are amazing – it’s set to “Natural” tuning out of the box, but I set it to be more saturated and I absolutely love it.
. Battery – at time of review I’ve had this phone for a few days so take this with a grain of salt, but battery life is great. Lasts throughout the day with no issues, could easily last half way through the next day as well.
. Fast charging – phone completely charges from around 30% in under an hour, close to 40 minutes
. Operating System – Samsung’s skin has definitely changed for the better! Last Samsung I had was the S7 edge. Lots of modifications to make handling such a tall phone easier, and the phone feels fast after changing the animation times to be 0.5 times normal.
. What’s in the box – if I had just been given the phone and a normal charger I wouldn’t have complained since the value would still be amazing, however it comes with a fast charger in the box and a pair of in ear earphones!
. Storage – 128GB storage is insane. The 11 Pro Max starts at 64! It does have expandable storage also, but I haven’t used it as 128 is enough for me.
NEGATIVES
. No wireless charging – I really like wireless charging, I use it to charge my iPhone every night. No idea why this is a feature reserved for flagships.
. User experience – this is more on Samsung/Android than the phone itself, but it just doesn’t feel as smooth as my 11 Pro max. Even with animations set to normal speeds, some animations just feel jarring. Samsung’s UI could do with some more polish.
. Software bloat – this phone comes with a lot of apps pre-installed, where they could just offer the Google version (e.g. the Photos app). Also it comes with Facebook pre installed which I absolutely hate. Luckily you can disable it! On the flip side, some really useful Samsung apps don’t come pre installed, such as Good Lock and Samsung Pass.
. Speaker – the speaker setup on this is dreadful. One bottom facing speaker which is easily blocked with one finger. Should have gone for a dial speaker setup which is the norm right now.
. Camera – this phones camera isn’t bad. I actually like the versatility of the camera setup. What I don’t like it how terrble the pictures looked out of the box. It wasnt until using it a few times that I realised that it doesn’t use the 64MP sensor by default – you have to change from 3:2 to 3:2 64MP camera mode, which I found really confusing.
. Performance – while this phone performs perfectly fine for 80% of the time, the 20% of the time that it doesn’t it noticeable. Freezing when I go into an app (typically happens in Chrome), taking a while to realise I’ve turned the phone into horizontal mode. Also there seems to be a consistent bug where I’ll stop getting notifications during the later half of the day, for no rhyme or reason. I have nothing set up stopping notifications from coming in. Restarting the phone fixes this issue, but even doing so made me realise that I’ve never had to do that with my 11 Pro Max.
VS THE 11 PRO MAX
This phone makes me feel stupid for buying the 11 Pro Max. There, I said it.
. While using this phone, I honestly cannot justify spending over 1000 for the 11 Pro Max, or any other phone!
. I prefer holding this phone since it’s much lighter, less slippery and I feel a lot less anxious – dropping a 300 phone would worry me less than dropping the Pro Max!
. The display is bigger and more colourful, I actually prefer the display on this phone over the one on the 11 Pro Max!
. I miss wireless charging so much
. I miss the simplicity of iOS. Android is nice, but iOS makes a lot more sense and has a much more pleasant user experience. I do appreciate being able to play Pokmon Emerald on this though.
. The camera quality and experience is a lot better on the iPhone.
. Battery life is better on the 11 Pro Max by about 25%
SUMMARY
I may have listed quite a few negatives on this phone, and comparing it to an iPhone 11 Pro Max may feel unfair, but I really like this phone and it more than holds its ground against the Apple flagship, I’m honestly surprised that budget phones have come such a long way; it shows that mobile phones arent developing as rapidly as they once were.
I originally intended for this phone to be a backup/holiday phone, but I might just start taking it in turns, swapping my sim from the iPhone to the Samsung and vice versa.
For the A72, my advice would be to add wireless charging and a stereo speaker setup, even if you need to charge a bit more. Keep the amazing display and lightness and you have yourself a winner.
(Review written on my Samsung A71)
Yes, the device is certainly authentic – no need to worry about things like that.
The price was the lowest, reliable price I could find (*price drops towards end of the week)
Arrived on time, well packaged and protected
The model IS the UK version…many reviews claim they received the EU version but if it has a 3 pin plug, it is the UK version.
The seller seems reliable, with good reviews on Amazon and the selling is accurate to the item I received.
As for the device, it is a great mid range smartphone with more than enough processing power and battery life to see you through, with the bonuses of a stellar camera and great display, easy to use software and plenty of storage. The plastic back feels surprisingly premium and is very durable. Best phone in this price range and highly recommended.
Well, the big day arrived and I had everything together. When I opened the Samsung A71 box everything was neatly packed. As well as the phone, in the box was a Quick Start leaflet, a 3 pin plug (USB plug) and connecting cable to re-charge the phone, some earphones and what Samsung call an ejection pin…something which you should not lose. The first thing to do was put my Tesco nano sim card into the phone. On past mobile phones I have had to open the back of the phone which sometimes could scratch the new phone if you were not very careful. Anyway, with the new A71, Samsung have gone for something new in that you put the sim card into the mobile via a little tray which pops out on your left. What you are supposed to do is put the little widget into the needle like hole and the tray pops out. On the tray there is room for two nano sim cards and a memory card. The media card goes on the left of the tray while the primary sim card goes in the middle and the secondary card fits on the right hand side of the tray. When you are finished you just push the tray back into the mobile. Keep an eye on the sim card (while on the tray) because at the first attempt my sim card fell off and I did not notice until I stood up later on to find my sim card on the carpet. Before I move on I should empathise that you should put the Ejection Pin Samsung include in the box in a safe place when you have finished inserting your sim and media cards. You are not likely to need the ejection pin any time soon but if you want to change networks, need a new memory card or you just buy a new phone so you want to retreive the cards in the A71 you will need the little widget. Personally I have put the ejection key for my phone back in the box with the 3 pin plug and the USB cable for re-charging where it should be safe and sound.
I found that the A71 comes fully charged which makes a change from my previous mobile phones I have bought which have needed a full charge (usually two hours at least) before you can do anything with the phone. So as it was fully charged the next thing I did was to put the phone into the Foluu case. The Foluu A71 Galaxy case cost me 23.99 which might seem a lot for a mobile phone case but the Foluu is made of metal and comes with a screwdriver, a set of screws (and spares) and an Allan Key. I still do not know what the Allan Key is for but I have found the 23.99 well spent as the case is very robust and it does not feel like metal because the case has a silicone rubber covering which gives you a firm grip of your mobile when in your hands. It only took a few minutes to screw the top of the mobile case to the base and all I would say is that because the screws are Philips screws do not screw them too tight or you might not be able to un-screw them if you need your mobile out of the case for any reason.
In the past I have always put the screen protector on the mobile before I have put the phone in the case. However I have found that if you put the mobile phone into the case, then use the case itself as a guide to were the screen protector should sit on the screen is a lot easier. I bought the Smartect Glass Screen Protector which is 9H tempered glass and is made especially for the A71. The pack is very professional as it comes with a dust cloth and lens wipe before you start the procedure of putting the screen protector onto the mobile. In the past I have found putting a screen protector onto a new mobile a bit “hit and miss” with the sight of air bubbles but by putting the mobile into the case and then using the case as a guide for the screen protector I did it one go!!! NO AIR BUBBLES!!
I switched ON the A71 in the usual manner (on the right hand side) but until you become familiar with your phone you might press the two volume buttons which are above the on/off button. That is it really. I did find a few teething problems which I had to sort out in the settings which I was not happy with.
One of the most annoying things I had found was that if you try to closed down the phone with the On button it will take you to Bixby instead. Now Bixby is something like Alexa by Amazon which you can talk to and in theory you can just ask Bixby to close down the phone. I might be old fashioned but I would sooner turn the phone off myself rather than talk to a machine so if you are like me you will have to go into the security settings on the phone.
When you initially set up the phone you have to decide on how much security you want to open the phone. On the new A71 it has a fingerprint and biometric feature as well as password protection or if you are more laissez faire no security at all. I read some other reviews that the fingerprint feature is not 100% and you can end up locked out of your phone so I decided on a password with capitals, small letters, numbers and signs which I have found easy to remember.
Something a lot of people will find annoying (me included) was that when you first get the phone that the phone will go to sleep if you do not touch the screen for 5 seconds. I had to go into the settings and change this to 2 minutes which I have found more satisfactory.
I hope anyone reading this review useful.