Samsung Galaxy A90 5G

Introduction

Samsung vastly expanded the scope of the Galaxy A series in 2019. The revamped lineup now includes everything from entry-level models to premium midrangers that are borderline flagships. The Galaxy A10 is an example of the former, while the Galaxy A90 5G represents the latter segment with its flagship-grade specs and pricing.

The Galaxy A90 5G is an interesting device on many fronts. Not only it is the first Galaxy A model to come with a top-of-the-line chipset, but it is also the first midrange device from Samsung to boast, as the name suggests, 5G connectivity.

Design

The Galaxy A90 5G looks a lot like the A70 but feels much better in hand due to its superior build quality. It sports a glass back and a metal frame, making it feel more premium than many other A series devices. It measures 164.8 x 76.4 x 8.4 mm and weighs 206 grams, which gives it a larger and heavier footprint than comparable flagships like the Note 10+. Our Galaxy A90 5G hands-on explains more.

There is a large Infinity-U display on the front with minimal bezels and an in-display fingerprint scanner. The volume rocker and power-cum-Bixby button are on the right side of the device. A hybrid SIM slot and a secondary microphone sit at the top, while the bottom side houses a USB Type-C port, primary mic, and a speaker grille. On the back, the device has a vertically arranged triple-camera system and LED flash at the top-left corner and Samsung branding in the middle.

Specifications

The Galaxy A90 5G comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU, Adreno 640 GPU, X50 5G modem, 6GB or 8GB RAM, 128GB or 512GB internal storage, microSD support, triple-camera system on the back, single selfie camera, 4500mAh battery, 25W fast charging, Samsung Pay with MST support, and Samsung’s One UI based on Android Pie.

Undoubtedly, the biggest attractions of the Galaxy A90 5G are its flagship chipset and 5G support. Overall, the spec sheet points to a top-of-the-line offering despite missing a few Galaxy S10 and Note 10 features.

For the complete list of internals, you can go to our Galaxy A90 5G specifications page.

Display

The display on the Galaxy A90 5G is identical to what you find on the A70. It’s a massive 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with 20:9 aspect ratio. It’s an FHD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) panel with a pixel density of ~393 PPI. The bottom part of the display houses an in-screen fingerprint scanner, an optical reader, for authentication purposes.

The display department is one area where the device obviously lags behind the company’s flagship models. It’s not a bad display on its own, but it is simply not comparable to the curved Dynamic AMOLED panels found on the Galaxy S10 and the Note 10 models.

Camera

The Galaxy A90 5G comes with a triple camera system on the back and a single selfie shooter on the front. The rear camera setup consists of a 48 MP f/2.0 primary sensor with PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), 8 MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 5 MP f/2.2 depth sensor for better bokeh effects. There is also an LED below the cameras to assist in low-light conditions. Meanwhile, for selfies, the A90 5G comes with a 32 MP f/2.0 front camera.

The entire camera setup here is once again identical to what you find on the Galaxy A70, except that the A90 5G bumps the resolution of the primary rear camera from 32 MP to 48 MP. Just like the display, the A90 5G's cameras perform very well when judged on their own merits, but will probably fall short when compared to the company’s flagship devices.

Software

The Galaxy A90 5G runs Android 9 Pie with Samsung’s latest One UI 1.5 on top. The device doesn’t offer any new software features that we haven’t already seen on other models running the same software. You can read our One UI Feature Focus series to learn about all the new features and major changes this release brings to the table.

Samsung hasn’t announced Android 10 rollout plans to any of its devices yet. However, it is safe to assume that the A90 will get the update in the coming months as Samsung releases at least two major Android version updates for its mid and high range devices during their lifetime.

The Galaxy A90 5G is the first midrange smartphone from Samsung to support DeX. It also offers the complete Samsung Pay experience with MST support.

Availability

Samsung announced the Galaxy A90 5G in early September, and it went on sale during the same month in South Korea. Since 5G is not yet available in many markets, the device may not see a wider release.

It is available in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/512GB storage configurations, making it the first Galaxy A model to offer 512GB internal storage option. Colour choices are limited with just black and white options, but of them sport a “unique geometric pattern” on the back glass.