Galaxy A72 vs Galaxy A71: Samsung may have created the best upgrade

The Galaxy A7x series has received its anticipated yearly upgrade in the form of the new Galaxy A72. It was unveiled this week at Galaxy Awesome Unpacked, and it shows that much can change over the course of one year if technologies align.

As expected, the new model ships with a new chipset and a few other hardware and software upgrades. However, it goes above and beyond with a few somewhat unexpected upgrades in the display, cameras, and build quality departments. Are these changes enough to make the Galaxy A72 a worthy successor? They may very well be, but let's have a closer look.

Galaxy A72 vs Galaxy A71: Welcome to the age of high refresh rate displays

By far, one of the biggest upgrades flaunted by the Galaxy A72 is the high refresh rate display. The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ panel clocks in at a refresh rate of 90Hz, ensuring smoother animations throughout the UI and inside apps that support more than 60Hz. Samsung has yet to unveil the Galaxy A72 5G, but this unannounced model could feature an even better 120Hz panel.

Samsung did release the Galaxy A71 in 4G and 5G variants last year, and the company is likely to follow a similar path for the sequel in 2021, especially considering its high 5G ambitions.

In its current form, the Galaxy A72 is powered by the Snapdragon 720G chipset which, despite the name, is a newer and slightly more powerful SoC than the Snapdragon 730 found inside the Galaxy A71 4G. The Galaxy A71 5G, on the other hand, is equipped with the Exynos 980 solution, which would be the rough equivalent of the Snapdragon 750G chipset.

The new hardware is helped by a larger 5,000mAh battery that has the same 25W fast charging capabilities as last year.

Introducing stereo speakers, IP rating, OIS and telephoto camera

The Galaxy A72 is blurring the lines between the mid-range and flagship segment, perhaps more so than its predecessors have done in previous years, and it's all thanks to a few extra additions that elevate the experience to a whole new level.

Unlike the Galaxy A71, Samsung's latest entry in the series brings with it a set of stereo speakers powered by Dolby Atmos, an IP67 rating that allows the phone to survive in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes, as well as an upgraded camera system.

The Galaxy A72 no longer has a depth camera but that's only for the better. Instead of an anemic 5MP depth sensor, the Galaxy A72 borrows a more useful 3x telephoto camera from the Galaxy S20 FE. Furthermore, the setup now includes a 64MP main shooter with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, the latter of which contributes to steadier images and videos when capturing in various lighting conditions.

The mobile camera experience is further improved by the addition of Pro video mode. In fact, the Galaxy A72 benefits from a couple of other extra software features on top of Pro video, such as the new Fun Mode that integrates Snapchat filters right into Samsung's camera app.

Galaxy A72 vs Galaxy A71: Final thoughts

Similar to how the Galaxy A51 and the new Galaxy A52 compare, Samsung's new 6.7-inch mid-range phone represents one of the best yearly upgrades in recent times, at least as far as its price range is concerned.

Not only was the hardware and software improved in meaningful ways, but everything is now wrapped in an IP67-certified body. Water resistance has been reserved for the flagship segment in recent years, but that era is ending with the release of the Galaxy A72 and its smaller sibling.

All things considered, the Galaxy A72 is a great device and a worthy successor to the Galaxy A71. And if Samsung has a decent trade-in offer in store, we suspect that many Galaxy A71 owners will consider upgrading for the sake of the 90Hz display or any other reason mentioned today. There are plenty.

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Galaxy A71

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Galaxy A71 5G

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Galaxy A72

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