Should you buy Galaxy A02s or not? Learning about the pros and cons of A02s is the perfect way to make a purchase decision. This way, instead of relying on others’ reviews, you be the judge and decide on your future purchase.
Pros of Samsung Galaxy A02s:
These are the pros of Galaxy A02s.
Low Price:
The biggest pros of Galaxy A02s is the price. It’s a low priced phone but has decent hardware.
However, don’t make your purchasing decision based on the price. Please read all the pros and cons of this phone and then make your final purchasing decision.
Expandable Storage:
Samsung Galaxy A02s has 32 GB to 64 GB internal storage options. Moreover, the A02s has an expandable memory slot, where you can insert a microSD card up to 1TB. It is very convenient because you don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars for memory upgrades like Apple’s iPhone.
Here’s an example. The 64 GB iPhone 11 Pro costs $999, and the next storage version, 256 GB, costs $1149. There’s no 128GB version iPhone 11. So, Apple is charging you $150 for 192GB of memory. Now check this 512GB Samsung microSD card on Amazon. This is 85% cheaper than Apple’s storage expansion asking price. We hope you do realize the benefit of expandable storage space.
Qualcomm Processor:
Qualcomm makes the best mobile processor in the market. We are glad that Samsung is using Qualcomm’s SDM450 Snapdragon 450 processor in this Galaxy A02s.
Whenever you are in the market, please avoid Samsung phones with Exynos processor phones. Exynos is power-hungry, becomes hot, and in the long term, has poor performance. In contrast, Qualcomm’s processor does better.
Bigger battery:
This A02s has a 5000mAh battery. Even Samsung’s latest flagship phone, S21, and S21+ does not have this kind of bigger battery. With a single recharge, Galaxy A02s can go all day without any issues.
3.5mm Headphone Jack:
Nowadays, most Samsung phones come without a 3.5mm headphone jack. Even the latest flagship Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra does not have a headphone jack. However, Galaxy A02s has a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack.
We never supported Samsung for getting rid of the 3.5mm jack. They only did it because Apple did it.
Fast Charging:
The Galaxy A02s has 15W fast charging technology. As a result, charging this phone does not take too much time.
However, fast charging degrades the battery quickly compared to slow charging. So, we suggest that if you purchase this phone, slow charge it overnight. It will improve your phone battery life.
SmartThings, Smart View:
If you have Samsung devices such as a Samsung smart fridge, TV, oven, dishwasher, Air conditioner, Samsung washing machine, Samsung dryer, etc., in your home. In that case, you can control those devices using your Galaxy A02s with SmartThings and SmartView app. For example, you can wirelessly cast your phone screen onto your Samsung TV through the SmartView app.
Samsung Find My Mobile:
Every Samsung phone has a handy feature named “Find My Mobile.” If someone steals your phone or you lose it, you can track your Galaxy phone online with the help of this feature.
Moreover, you can remotely lock it and delete personal data. You can even use “Find My Mobile” to unlock your phone if you forget your pattern, PIN, or password. To learn more, please visit https://findmymobile.samsung.com/.
Useful Apps and Features in Galaxy A02s:
In Galaxy A02s, there are many useful apps. The following features in A02s are beneficial.
Secure Folder:
Every Samsung phone, including the Galaxy A02s, has the “Secure Folder” feature. You can use the secure folder to protect your private photos, messages, apps, contacts, files, etc., from being accessed by others. It’s a great way to save and protect sensitive data on your phone.
Scan QR Code:
A02s has a built-in QR code scanning feature. From the notification panel, you can activate this feature.
Game Launcher:
In Galaxy A02s, there are many useful apps. Game Launcher is one of them. You can use the Game Launcher app to record your phone screen and system audio while you play an android game. A third-party screen recorder app can only record the phone screen, not system audio. So, this is very useful for YouTubers.
Built-in Screen Recorder:
The Galaxy A02s also has a built-in screen recorder app. So, you don’t need to install a 3rd party app to record your phone’s screen.
WiFi Direct Printing:
If you have a printer that supports WiFi, you can print anything from your A02s phone without a WiFi router.
Samsung Kids:
Galaxy A02s is perfect for kids. This phone has a parental control feature. While activated from settings, you can restrict access to apps and set their usage times. Moreover, you can also monitor daily usage time and activity history, including the history of frequently used contacts and browsing history. You need a PIN to deactivate “Samsung Kids” once it is enabled. So, don’t worry that your kid will disable it.
Data Usage Monitor:
The Galaxy A02s comes with a built-in data usage monitor. It is a useful feature to keep track of data usage.
Don’t be surprised to read that many apps use data in the background, even if the phone screen is off. To test in a Samsung phone, Goto Settings -> Connections -> Data Usage -> Data Saver. Now tap on “Allow unrestricted data usage.” Now in the top right corner, click on “⋮” and click on “Sort by allowed apps.” Now click again on “⋮” and “Show system apps.” You will get all the apps that use your phone’s internet data in the background. If necessary, you can turn off data permissions for apps individually by switching the toggle button.
Cons of Samsung Galaxy A02s:
These are the drawbacks of the Galaxy A02s.
LCD Display:
First of all, this phone does not have an AMOLED display. The AMOLED screen is superior to an LCD in terms of better picture quality, color, and battery life.
Galaxy A02s has a 720p IPS LCD screen. Its screen resolution is 720 x 1600 pixels.
We don’t have any issues with LCD. Even up to a few years back, all the iPhones used to have LCD. But the problem with the A02s LCD is that it’s a new type of LCD Samsung is using. It’s specially engineered to lower cost. All Samsung’s new LCDs have a yellow tint that we have never seen before, such as in the J, Core, or Grand phones.
Therefore, a 720p display with 270 PPI density with this low-quality LCD screen will not give users the best experience.
No eSIM Support:
Galaxy A02s does not support eSIM.
A02s Battery is Non-Removable:
The Galaxy A02s battery is non-removable. It is a disadvantage because the removable battery is useful in many scenarios. An old phone loses its battery capacity. So, it charges slowly but discharges rapidly, making the phone unusable for a practical purpose.
Moreover, if Samsung OS detects the battery has become weak, it will slow down the processor to protect the battery from further deterioration. The slow processor will make a Samsung phone laggy. It is why an old Samsung phone lags and hangs.
Replacing the old battery with a new one will solve all these problems. But, the A02s battery is non-removable. So, when your Galaxy A02s phone gets old and becomes slow, you have to replace the phone itself.
Galaxy A02s Does Not Support MHL:
Most of the Samsung phones have MHL support. Unfortunately, Galaxy A02s does not have MHL support.
MHL is a fantastic piece of technology that many do not know. MHL stands for Mobile High Definition Link. Using the MHL-HDMI cable, you can mirror your phone screen to any projector, TV, or monitor. This feature helps you to give a presentation from the phone or watch a movie on the projector. As this phone has no MHL support, we can’t do all these things.
Galaxy A02s Does not have OTG Support:
OTG stands for on-the-go. OTG is a handy hardware feature that A02s don’t have.
No Fingerprint Sensor:
The Galaxy A02s does not have a fingerprint sensor. Even cheap phones from Xiaomi and Oppo nowadays have fingerprint sensors but not this phone from Samsung.
No Wireless Charging:
The Galaxy A02s does not have a wireless charging functionality.
Not water and dust resistant:
Samsung Galaxy A02s is not waterproof and dustproof. Therefore, keep this phone away from water and don’t ever take it to the beach.
Plastic Back:
This A02s has a plastic back. So, it does not feel premium at all. Moreover, a plastic back will chip its paint after a few years. At that point, this phone will look very ugly. However, if you use a phone case, you can avoid this issue.
Mediocre camera:
Though A02s has three main cameras, honestly, these cameras do not take great pictures. The pixel in cameras does not mean anything. A 12 MP DSLR camera takes far superior pictures than the 13 MP A02s camera.
No Extended Software Update:
Apple provides regular software updates to all of its iPhone. They never abandon their phones. But Samsung stops giving any software update after only 24 months of release. However, it’s only true for flagship phones.
Samsung never releases any OS update for mid-range phones. Therefore, you would never get an update for your Galaxy A02s after only 12 months.
No Dex Support:
The Galaxy A02s does not have dex support. This is a handy feature that Samsung decided not to include in this phone. Dex is beneficial because, with the help of the Dex software feature, we can turn our phone into a trackpad for TV or PC, connect to a monitor or TV for enhanced multitasking experience such as browsing the web like a PC, etc.
Samsung Phone Becomes Hot:
Samsung phones overheat quickly. For the last ten years, Samsung failed to fix the phone overheating issue. Samsung acts like this issue does not exist.
If you play any video game, run YouTube, Netflix, or run an app that uses a lot of processing power — such as a video editor — the phone would become so hot that it would be impossible to hold it in hand. When the phone overheats, your phone will become slow and laggy. Furthermore, your Galaxy A02s can also overheat while you record a 4k or 8k video with the phone cameras.
Samsung BloatWare:
Though I love Samsung Phones, I’m not too fond of their software. Samsung always ships its phone with a lot of bloatware pre-installed. Galaxy A02s is not different either. This Galaxy A02s comes with more than 50 preloaded apps. There are several duplicate apps too.
You may think it’s not a big deal for your A02s because you have plenty of remaining storage capacity left for you. But the problem with pre-installed bloatware is that those apps have some root permission to access your user data that 3rd party apps don’t have.
Moreover, A pre-installed app can run several processes in the background, which you will never be able to detect. For example, the Facebook app runs several processes in the background that consumes a lot of battery and processing power. It not only limits the battery but also prevents other apps from running smoothly, such as Maps. It is why Google maps crashes if you have Facebook installed.
Pre-installed Microsoft Bloatware:
Samsung preloads every Galaxy A02s with the following Microsoft apps.
- Office Mobile
- Microsoft One Drive
- Microsoft Outlook
3rd Party Bloatware:
Samsung ships every Galaxy A02s phone with the following 3rd party Apps. (varies depending on carrier and country)
- Booking.com
- Wego Flights & Hotels
- Spotify
- Netflix
Duplicate Apps in Galaxy A02s:
Samsung is infamous for shipping its phone with duplicate apps. Galaxy A02s is not an exception, either. The following are similar apps in an A02s.
Duplicate App Store:
- Google Play Store
- Galaxy Store
Duplicate Music App:
- YT Music
- Spotify
Duplicate Browser:
- Google Chrome
- Google (Search)
- Samsung Internet
Duplicate Online Storage:
- Google Drive
- Microsoft OneDrive
Numerous Email Client:
- Gmail
- Samsung Email
- Microsoft Outlook
Duplicate Payment System:
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
Phones 4K video is awful:
The Galaxy A02s has good cameras and can record 4k video. However, a 4k video recorded on phones is inferior compared to 4k videos recorded in a DSLR camera.
Moreover, A02s cameras are not gyro-stabilized. Therefore, this phone is terrible for capturing video while you walk. The mobile will fail to stabilize the camera on every footstep, especially while recording in 4k. We have tested it, and we were disappointed.
Useless Bixby:
Samsung is terrible at software. Bixby is the prime example. Most of the time, it does not work. Moreover, Android Assistant is far superior to Bixby. Still, Samsung ships this unnecessary software with every phone.
Long Term Performance:
We all know that Samsung phones don’t last long. A new Galaxy A02s will operate smoothly. But after only a few years, this A02s will become very slow and laggy. From our experience, after 48 months, Samsung becomes entirely unusable.
Most of the tech reviewers don’t use phones for a long time. They review more than 20 phones a year, and they don’t use a smartphone continuously for more than a few months.
But as a user, we don’t replace our primary smartphone every few years. Sometimes, we use a phone for more than four years. The problem with the Samsung phone is, they become slow and laggy after 2 to 3 years. It’s disappointing.
Samsung Galaxy A02s Pros vs. Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Expandable Storage | No Fingerprint scanner |
| 3.5mm Headphone jack port | 720p LCD display |
| Low Price | Non-removable battery |
| Three Back Camera | No wireless charging |
| USB Type C 2.0 | No eSIM support |
| 5000mAh battery | Not waterproof or dustproof |
| 15W fast charging | No long term software update |
| Dual Sim model | No Dex support |
| Qualcomm Processor | Samsung bloatware |
| No MHL support |
Conclusion:
It’s your money, your decision. We know everyone’s personal preferences are different. However, before you make your final buying decision, please compare this phone with other phones from OnePlus, and Xiaomi.
Source: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a02s-blue-64gb-sm-a025fzbfxme/