Wednesday, 30 June 2021

The Samsung Galaxy A12. A great budget phone.

About 7 years ago I got a Samsung Galaxy S5 and have always said when I got a new phone I would get another Samsung one. It has served me well and the only reason that I replaced it was that some apps were no longer being updated for it's operating system.

Stu has been looking for a new phone for me for a few months and came across the Samsung Galaxy A12 in Argos. He had planned to get it in a few months but saw it on offer for £149.99 which he thought was a great price. I wasn't going to argue.

The Samsung Galaxy A12 in the box

Tap into an unforgettable viewing experience with Galaxy A Series. Large screens, rich colours, and uninterrupted Infinity displays, you'll be fully immersed in your gaming and streaming, wherever you go. And if you're big on snapping photos and capturing the moment, Galaxy A series has you covered there too. Shoot jaw-dropping pics with a tap, thanks to multiple cameras and angles. Plus, with easy-to-use image controls, you can make every pic Insta-worthy in just a few taps.

With a screen of 6,5 inches it is a lot lager than my old phone and it took a bit of getting used to but now it just feels normal.

Display:
6.5 inch TFT LCD display.
Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels.
With a density of 269 pixels per inch.
Touch screen.
Toughened glass.

Dimensions:
Size H164, W75.8, D8.9mm.
Weight 205g.

The Samsung Galaxy A12

This phone came as Sim free which means you can use any nano sim card in it no matter what network you are on. I thought it was going to be straightforward putting my sim card from my old phone into it but technology has changed in the last 8 years since I got my sim and I had to order a new one with O2 and get my number transferred. While I was putting my sim card in I noticed that this phone has Dual Sim which means it can support 2 sim cards simultaneously. This phone also has a 4G network capability.

What I struggled with on my old phone was storage and space for everything that I wanted on it. This has an internal memory of 64GB and an expandable memory of up to 64GB when using the microSD card slot. I can actually have music on my phone now and at the moment have only used 36% of the storage available.

Technical specifications:
2.3GHz octa core MediaTek processor.
4GB RAM.
Operating system: Android One UI Core 2.5.
App store compatibility: Google play store.

Samsung Galaxy A12

Soon after getting this phone I realised I wasn't having to charge it as often. In fact I went from charging my old phone 2 or 3 times a day to just charging this one once every couple of days at the most. I play a game called Township, a farming type game and it is pretty heavy on the battery use but I can't tell on this phone. A few weeks ago I went into town took a few photos, used the internet while connected to free wi-fi, made a 10 minute phone call and the battery was still at 100% when I got home.

Battery:
Up to 2040 minutes talk time.
5000mAh battery capacity.

What I was excited about was the camera. I thought the camera on my old phone was good enough but it really wasn't compared to my new phone. I've gone from using a 16mp camera to a 48mp one and I can really see the difference! The selfie camera on my new phone takes photos just as good as my rear camera on my old phone. lol

Camera on Samsung Galaxy A12
Camera settings Samsung Galaxy A12

Camera and Video:
Dual camera.
Front camera 8MP.
Rear camera 48MP.
Second rear camera 5MP.
LED.

Camera features:
Food mode , Live Focus, Panorama, Photo, Pro.
Video capture in 1080p HD quality.

Photo settings Samsung Galaxy A12

I haven't tried out half of the settings with the camera, the one I was most drawn to was the Macro. I've heard people mention macro shots and I am obsessed with taking them. It's the perfect time with everything growing in the garden. I don't like to brag but I am so happy with some of the photos that I have been taking lately. You can see lots of my photos over on my Instagram.

Flower photos taken with my new phone

Other features include:
MP3 and MP4 player.
Headphone port.
Fast charge technology - faster than standard charging, for when time is of the essence.
Contactless payment Link up your card to your phone for easy buying.
Fingerprint scanner For simple, safe and speedy unlocking and better security.

I have set the fingerprint scanner but just on my bank account and it works like a dream. It is quicker to log in on my phone than use the online website. It did make me nervous setting it up to unlock my phone though. I had a thought what would happen if anything happened to me, nobody could get into my phone without my thumb. At least with just a code they can, if needed.

I really do love this phone, the Samsung Galaxy A12. I didn't realise how much I needed a new phone until I got one. It was easy to set up. It is a fantastic phone for the price and would recommend. It has done everything that I have asked of it with no issues.

The only minor complaint I have is that the headphone port is at the bottom of the phone which isn't great for when I am laid in bed trying to watch Instagram or TikTok. I know, I shouldn't be using my phone in bed but on my old phone the port was at the top and out of the way. I can see me going through quite a few sets of headphones with the wires being bent.

The only thing I would say is that I upgraded from a 7 year old phone so I can see a difference in the speed, camera quality and all of the features which weren't on my old phone. If you were upgrading from a newer phone you might not see much of a difference. It would be a great first phone for someone starting secondary school or someone who has an old phone.

When did you last get a new phone?

2 comments :

  1. It sounds like a really good phone and I have been admiring your photos, especially your flowers. I have an old Samsung, but I'm not thinking of changing it just yet, I've no problems with it. What a great price though, I don't think any of our phones have been that cheap, you got a bargain there. xx

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  2. Sounds a good phone and a reasonable price x

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