The Samsung Galaxy A30 is a mid-range smartphone that was released in 2019. It’s a phone that's been around for a while, but still continues to be popular due to its affordability and decent specs. While the Galaxy A30 isn't a flagship-level phone, it does offer some impressive features for its price point.
In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the Galaxy A30 to see what makes it tick and whether it’s a good buy for you.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy A30 is a stylish phone with a sleek design. It features a plastic back panel, with a glossy finish that’s prone to smudges and fingerprints. This makes it a bit slippery in the hand, but the thin profile and rounded edges make it comfortable to hold.
The phone's front is dominated by a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, which stretches edge-to-edge, only interrupted by a small teardrop notch at the top. This notch houses the front-facing camera and isn't as intrusive as some other notches on the market. The bezels surrounding the display are relatively slim, although they're slightly thicker than you'd find on more expensive phones.
The back panel features a vertical camera module, housing three cameras, which is similar to the design seen on other Samsung phones. On the right side of the device, you'll find the power button and volume rocker, while the bottom edge houses the USB-C port, speaker grille, and headphone jack.
Overall, the Galaxy A30's design is simple but effective. It's a good-looking phone that's comfortable to use.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A30 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. This results in a pixel density of 403 PPI, making the display sharp and vibrant. The colors are accurate and punchy, and the blacks are deep and rich. The display also offers good viewing angles, so you can see the screen clearly from any position.
This Super AMOLED display is a key selling point for the phone, delivering a superior visual experience compared to the LCD panels found in many other devices at this price point. It's a great display for watching videos, playing games, and browsing the web.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A30 is powered by an Exynos 7904 processor, which is a mid-range chipset that’s capable of handling everyday tasks with ease. It’s not the fastest processor on the market, but it’s enough for most users. The phone comes with 4GB of RAM, which is adequate for multitasking and playing light games.
We found the phone to be responsive and fluid in everyday use. Apps launched quickly, and there was no lag or stuttering. While demanding games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends may struggle at higher settings, the Galaxy A30 can handle them at medium to low graphics without any major issues.
The Galaxy A30 comes with 64GB of internal storage, which is enough for most users. You can also expand the storage using a microSD card up to 512GB, giving you plenty of space for your photos, videos, and apps.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy A30 sports a triple rear camera setup, featuring a 16-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor.
The main camera is capable of taking decent photos in good lighting conditions. The images are sharp, detailed, and have good color accuracy. However, the camera struggles in low-light conditions. The photos are often grainy and have a lot of noise. The 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera is decent for capturing wider scenes. It does introduce a bit of distortion, but overall, it's good for landscapes and group photos.
The Galaxy A30's camera app offers a wide range of features, including a portrait mode, live focus mode, and a pro mode. The phone also supports 1080p video recording at 30fps. Overall, the camera performance on the Galaxy A30 is good for a phone in this price range, although it's not as good as the cameras you'll find on more expensive devices.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy A30 is equipped with a 4,000mAh battery. We found the battery life to be excellent. The phone comfortably lasted for a full day with moderate use, which included browsing the web, streaming videos, and using social media.
If you’re a heavy user, the Galaxy A30 can easily last for a full day, while lighter users might even get two days out of a single charge. The phone also supports fast charging, which allows you to quickly top up the battery if needed.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy A30 runs on Android 9 Pie with Samsung’s One UI overlay. One UI is a modern and clean user interface that is intuitive and easy to use. Samsung has made many improvements to One UI since its launch, and it's now one of the best Android interfaces.
It’s customizable, with a dark mode, a simplified mode for those unfamiliar with Android, and plenty of options to tweak it to your liking.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A30 is a good mid-range smartphone that offers a lot of value for its price. It has a great display, decent performance, and excellent battery life. While the cameras are not the best in its class, they are still capable of taking good photos.
If you’re looking for a solid phone at a budget-friendly price, the Galaxy A30 is worth considering.
FAQs
Q: Is the Samsung Galaxy A30 waterproof?
A: No, the Samsung Galaxy A30 is not waterproof. It has an IP67 rating, which means it can withstand splashes and light rain. However, it’s not advisable to submerge the phone in water.
Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy A30 support fast charging?
A: Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A30 supports fast charging. It comes with a 15W fast charger in the box.
Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy A30 have a headphone jack?
A: Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A30 has a headphone jack. This is a rare feature in modern smartphones, so it's a great feature to have.
Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy A30 have a fingerprint sensor?
A: Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A30 has a fingerprint sensor. It is located on the back of the device, just below the camera module.
Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy A30 support NFC?
A: Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A30 supports NFC. This means you can use it for contactless payments.