Samsung Galaxy A42

Samsung Galaxy A42

Samsung Galaxy A42

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BEST RATING
Battery Life:
5.0
CAMERA: Poor5.3/10
SIZE: Large Android
BATTERY: Best in Class10.0/10

The Samsung Galaxy A42 is a budget-friendly phone released in November 2020, featuring a large 6.6-inch OLED screen, although its vertical and horizontal resolution are lower compared to high-end phones. It runs on Android and has a plastic body. The device offers a generous 5000 mAh battery capacity that should last well through the day but charging might be slower as it doesn't support wireless charging. With 64GB of storage, expandable via an SD card, and 4GB RAM, it's suitable for everyday tasks. The A42 has a satisfactory main camera with 48 megapixels for still photography but has fair camera performance overall. It records up to 4K video at 30fps and supports 5G connectivity. The phone includes handy features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor under the display. If you're looking for a smartphone that covers the essentials without breaking the bank, this model is worth considering. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.




Evaluation

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Pros
  • Large OLED screen for immersive viewing
  • High battery capacity for longer usage
  • 5G capable for faster connectivity
  • Includes 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Expandable storage with SD card support
Cons
  • Lower screen resolution affects sharpness
  • No high refresh rate for smooth scrolling
  • Still photo quality is just fair
  • Video quality is poor

Ratings by Category

Battery Life:
5.0
The Battery Life rating is based on overall actual measured battery life during typical usage.
Performance:
3.2
The Performance rating is based on GeekBench performance benchmark scores, combined with PerfectRec’s assessment of real-life typical use cases.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$360
Brand
Samsung
Operating System
Android
Release Date
November 11, 2020

SCREEN

Screen Size
6.6"
Resolution
1600 x 720
Variable refresh rate
No
Pixels Per Inch
266
Display Type
OLED

INTERNAL

Processor
SD750
Internal Storage
64 GB
RAM
4 GB

CAMERA

Overall Camera Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
5.4/10
Photos Score
PerfectRec logo
5.4/10
Videos Score
PerfectRec logo
5.2/10
Rear Cameras
Main, Ultrawide, Macro
Main Camera
48 megapixels

BATTERY

Battery Life
10.7 Hours
Battery Capacity
5000 mAh
Wireless Charging
No
Wireless charging Speed
0 W
Reverse wireless charging
No

PHYSICAL

Size
6.47" x 2.99"
Weight
6.81 oz
Back Material
Plastic
Stereo Speakers
No

CONNECTIVITY

Dual SIM
No
Bluetooth Version
5.0
A2DP
Yes
WiFi Version
5
NFC
Yes
US 5G Bands
(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)2, 25, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78, 79

OTHER FEATURES

Biometric unlock
Face unlock, Fingerprint sensor: Under Display
Unlockable Bootloader
No
Color
Black, Gray, White
Stock Android
No
SD Card
Yes

Shopping

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Samsung Galaxy A42

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Dig into reviews and images

Android Central

Ara Wagoner | July 2021
"I need a battery that won't care if I forget to charge it every night, and I need a nice big screen for watching my shows on the go. The 5,000mAh battery will let you get two full days out of the A42. The A42 is right up your alley as an affordable 5G phone that won't die just because you had to crash at a friend's and forgot your phone charger at home."

Comparison charts

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

68
Phones evaluated
7,820
Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
144,600
Recommendations made
81,940
Consumer hours saved

About the phone team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

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Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.

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