Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is a great budget phone. The configuration of this phone is very similar to Galaxy A41 but at a higher price. While reviewing A42, we were surprised to find that this phone has superior hardware than Microsoft Surface Duo but costs only 1/4 of its price. Here are the full specs of Galaxy A42.
Table: Samsung Galaxy A42 Full Specifications.
| Network Support | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G. |
| SIM | Dual Nano-SIM card support. |
| SIM Slot Type | SIM 1 + SIM 2 + MicroSD. |
| Display | 6.6” Super AMOLED Infinity-U. |
| Front Display Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3. |
| Back | Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame. |
| Display Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels (399 PPI density) |
| OS | Android 10, One UI 2.5. |
| Processor | 1.80 GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon SDM750G. |
| Motherboard | Lito. |
| Internal Memory Size | 128 GB (106 GB available to use). |
| External SD card? | Yes. Expandable up to 512GB. |
| SD card slot type | microSDXC. |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Number of Main Back Camera | 4 |
| Back Main Camera Configurations | 48 MegaPixel(MP) 80-degree 26mm wide camera, 8MP 123-degree ultrawide camera, 5MP macro camera,5 MP depth camera. |
| Front Camera | 20MP 26mm wide camera. |
| 3.5mm headphone jack? | Yes. |
| Stereo speaker? | No. |
| NFC? | Yes. |
| FM Radio? | Yes. |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. |
| Fingerprint Sensor? | Yes. Under-display optical sensor. |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh. |
| Charging Power | 15W fast charging. |
| Wireless charging? | No. |
| Waterproof? | Yes. |
| Dex Support? | No. |
| Colors | Black, White, and Grey. |
| Price | €369, $430 |
| Version | SM-A426B. |
| Geekbench Average Single-Core Score | 652 |
| Geekbench Average Multi-Core Score | 1955 |
Geekbench Score:
Here is a table for 10 Geekbench test score of Galaxy A42 5G.
Table: Galaxy A42 Geekbench Test results.
Should you buy the Galaxy A42 or not? Learning about the pros and cons of Galaxy A42 is the perfect way to make a decision. This way, instead of relying on others’ reviews, you be the judge and decide on your future phone purchase.
Pros of Samsung Galaxy A42 5G.
These are the pros of Galaxy A42.
Price:
The biggest pros of A42 is its price. This phone has better specs than Microsoft’s Surface Duo phone but costs $1000 less. The Surface Duo costs $1400, whereas this A42 costs only $430 or €369 (varies depending on country and carrier). The specs are high, but the price is not that high compared to other Samsung high-end phones. At this price point, we think you should buy this phone instead of buying Xiaomi phones.
Screen:
The Galaxy A42 5G has a 6.6″ Super AMOLED screen, and its resolution is 1080 x 2400 pixels (399 PPI density). The screen resolution is so high that you won’t be able to distinguish individual pixels. Super AMOLED screens provide vivid colors, and it is far superior to an LCD screen.
Large Battery:
We believe A42 is one of the best mid-range phones on the market right now. One of the reasons is that it has a massive 5000 mAh battery. Generally, not even a Tablet on the market packs this gigantic battery, let alone a phone. One can smoothly use this phone for two days without any recharge.
Fast Charging:
Though the Galaxy A42 does not have wireless charging, it 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.
Samsung Financing:
We always buy phones directly from Samsung. The main benefit is that we can purchase anything at a 0% APR loan for 24 months through the Samsung Financing program. Similarly, if you order your Galaxy A42 from the Samsung online store, you will also get this offer. Samsung will not charge you any interest on your purchase if you pay back within 24 months.
However, Samsung financing has different terms in different countries. So, contact your local Samsung website for more information.
Free Returns:
If you purchase your Galaxy A42 5G from Samsung online shop, you have 14 days to return your phone for a full refund. If you are interested in the A42, we suggest you buy this phone and use it for one week. If you think its not for your, you can return your phone for a full refund. Moreover, you can take advantage of the above mentioned Samsung financing offer while you buy your A42.
3.5mm Headphone Jack:
Galaxy A42 5G has a 3.5mm headphone jack port. Nowadays, most Samsung phones come without it. 3.5mm jack is very helpful because you can charge and listen to music at the same time.
FM Radio:
Samsung A42 has a built-in FM radio. The 3.5mm headphone jack wire works as an FM radio antenna.
Expandable Storage:
Every Galaxy A42 comes with 128 GB memory (only 106 GB is usable). It is very convenient because, on iPhones, you have to shell out hundreds of dollars for memory upgrades, whereas, on this phone, you get it for free. Galaxy A42 has an expandable memory slot, where you can insert a microSDXC card up to 512GB.
Here’s an example. The 128 GB iPhone 12 Pro costs $999, and the next storage version, 256 GB, costs $1099. There’s no difference between these two phones except the internal storage capacity. So, Apple is charging you $100 for 128GB memory. Now check the price of this 128 GB Samsung microSD card on Amazon. This is significantly cheaper than Apple’s storage expansion asking price. It is insane that Apple’s storage option is 400% expensive than the average market price. By now, we hope you do realize the benefit of expandable storage space.
Top-Notch Security:
Galaxy A42 5G is a very secure phone. It’s perfect for the “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)” programs. Samsung Knox is integrated into this phone’s hardware and software. This multi-layered Knox security mechanism protects sensitive data from malware threats.
SmartThings, Smart View:
If you have Samsung devices in your home, you can control those devices using your Galaxy A42 with SmartThings and SmartView app. For example, you can wirelessly cast your phone screen onto your Samsung TV through the SmartView app. You can also control your Samsung Fridge, Samsung TV, Samsung Airconditioner, Samsung Oven, etc. through your SmartThings app.
Scan QR Code:
Galaxy A42 has a built-in QR code scanning feature. From the notification panel, you can activate this feature.
Game Launcher:
In Galaxy A42, 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 A42 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.
Excellent Camera:
In my opinion, the cameras are one of the most significant selling points of this phone. Galaxy A42 has four main back cameras. 48 MegaPixel (MP) 80-degree wide camera, 8 MP 123-degree ultrawide camera, 5 MP macro camera, 5 MP depth camera. It also has a 20 MP (wide) front camera.
A42 is waterproof:
The Galaxy A42 is waterproof. It is beneficial considering that many Samsung phones in a similar price category are not waterproof, for example, the Galaxy M51.
A42 has “Always On Display”:
The Galaxy A42 has a useful feature – “Always On Display.” Using this feature, you can control music, watch time and date, view the calendar even when the screen is turned off. If enabled, the Always On Display will appear if you tap on the screen.
Samsung Pay:
The A42 supports Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) and Near Field Communication (NFC) payment system. Therefore, you can use A42 5G to pay at stores even if they only have old fashioned standard credit card readers.
Samsung Kids:
Galaxy A42 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 A42 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.
WiFi Direct Printing:
If you have a printer that supports WiFi, you can print anything from your A42 phone without a WiFi router.
Secure Folder:
Every Samsung phone, including the Galaxy A42, 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.
Free Shipping:
If you order your phone online from the Samsung website, Samsung will ship you this Galaxy A42 5G free of charge. However, if you want your phone as fast as possible, you have to pay €4.00 for express shipping.
Cons of Samsung Galaxy A42 5G.
These are the known drawbacks of Samsung A42.
Problems with AMOLED Display:
At the start of this article, we said that Galaxy A42 has an AMOLED screen and praised it. However, the super AMOLED screen has mainly two drawbacks.
- One, AMOLED display loses its sharpness, crispiness, and vividness after few years. The screen would look dull compared to a newly purchased A42 phone’s screen.
- Second, the AMOLED display has a screen burn issue. It arises when someone uses a single app extensively — such as Google Maps — for a long time. This extended usage would leave a ghost watermark of the used app imprinted on the screen permanently.
Less Powerful processor:
Galaxy A42 has a less powerful Snapdragon SDM750G processor. When new, you would not feel any performance difference from other similar category phones. However, within 12-18 months, it will show its real weakness identical to other mid-range Samsung phones. It would become slow and laggy.
We can say that every Samsung phone becomes too laggy after 26 to 30 months of usage from our experience. I can assure you will pull your hear at that time.
Under Display Fingerprint Sensor:
A well-known fact is that the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is better than an under-display fingerprint sensor that A42 features.
RAM:
The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G would ship with 4GB RAM. We consider it a disadvantage because a 4GB RAM is not enough for the Android OS with One UI 2.5. While new, your phone will open apps blazing fast; however, this RAM would choke to run different apps after a few years.
Phones 4K video is awful:
The Galaxy A42 has good cameras and can record 4k video. However, a 4k video recorded on phones is inferior in quality than 4k videos recorded in a DSLR camera. Moreover, A42 cameras are gyro-stabilized. Though this gyro-stabilization is good for taking pictures, it is awful for capturing video while you walk. The mobile gyro will fail to stabilize the camera on every footstep, especially while recording in 4k.
Plastic Back:
This A42 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.
No Wireless Charging:
Galaxy A42 does not have wireless charging capability.
No MHL Support:
Many Samsung phone has MHL to HDMI support. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A42 does not have MHL support.
It is a useful feature that Samsung decided not to ship with this phone. Using the MHL-HDMI cable, we can mirror our phone screen to any projector or TV. This feature helps us to give a presentation from the phone or watch a movie on the projector or TV.
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 A42 is not different either. The A42 comes with 43 preloaded apps (though varies depending on region and carrier). There are several duplicate apps too. One problem with pre-installed apps is that these are non-removable by a user unless you root your device and remove those apps using a shell command.
You may think it’s not a big deal for your A42 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 a 3rd party apps don’t have.
Moreover, A pre-installed app can run several processes in the background, which you will never detect. For example, the Facebook app runs several processes in the background that consume 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 crash if you have Facebook installed.
Pre-installed Microsoft Bloatware:
Samsung preloads every Galaxy A42 with the following Microsoft apps.
- Office Mobile
- Microsoft One Drive
- Microsoft Outlook
3rd Party Bloatware:
Samsung ships every A42 phone with the following 3rd party Apps.
- Booking.com
- Wego Flights & Hotels
- Spotify
- Netflix
Duplicate Apps in Galaxy A42:
Samsung is infamous for shipping its phone with similar apps. Galaxy A42 is not an exception, either. The following are similar apps in an A42.
Duplicate App Store:
- Google Play Store
- Galaxy Store
Duplicate Music App:
- YT Music
- Spotify
Duplicate Browser:
- Google Chrome
- Samsung Internet
Duplicate Online Storage:
- Google Drive
- Microsoft OneDrive
Numerous Email Client:
- Gmail
- Samsung Email
- Microsoft Outlook
Unnecessary Pre-installed Apps:
There are apps on Galaxy A42, which are not necessary at all times. It could be beneficial for some, but not for all people. Moreover, anyone can download these apps from the App store. So, there’s no point in pre-installing the following apps.
- LinkedIn, Booking.com, Facebook, Spotify, Wego Flights, Netflix, Samsung Member, Samsung Global Goals, Samsung Notes, Galaxy Wearables, Google Search, Outlook, Play Movie & TV, Duo.
Useless Bixby:
Samsung is terrible at software. Bixby is the prime example. Most of the time, it does not work. Moreover, Android Assitant is far superior to Bixby. Still, Samsung ships this unnecessary software with every phone.
Non-Removable Battery:
The A42 5G 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 A42 battery is non-removable. So, when your Galaxy A42 phone gets old and becomes slow, you have to replace the phone itself.
Samsung Phones Don’t Last Long:
We all know that Samsung phones don’t last long. A new Galaxy A42 will operate smoothly. But after only a few years, this A42 will become very slow and laggy.
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 12-18 months of release. So, after only 18 months, you will not receive any OS update anymore.
No Dex Support:
Galaxy A42 does not have Dex support.
Samsung Phone Becomes Hot:
Samsung phone overheats 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 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 A42 can also overheat while you record a video with the phone cameras.
Frequently Asked Questions of Galaxy A42:
How to activate Developer Mode in Galaxy A42?
Before you can develop apps and test on A42, you need to enable the “Developer options.” To activate it, go to “Settings” then click on “About phone.” Now, click on the “Build number” 7 times to enable “Developer options.” Once activated, the option will appear in the “Settings” main menu.
How to force restart A42?
If your A42 is frozen and unresponsive, press and hold the Side key and the Volume Down key simultaneously for more than 7 seconds to restart your phone.
Do Galaxy A42 supports eSIM?
Unfortunately No. The Galaxy A42 does not support eSIM. It only supports dual Nano-SIM.
Can Samsung A42 charge wirelessly?
No, Samsung A42 can’t charge wirelessly.
Does the Samsung A42 come with headphones?
Yes, Samsung A42 comes with a headphone in the box.
Can Samsung A42 support 5G?
Yes, Samsung A42 does support 5G.
Can Samsung A42 screen record?
Yes, Galaxy A42 can screen record. You can use the “Samsung Game Launcher” app to record any android gameplay with system sound. Moreover, you can use the built-in “screen recorder” app to record your phone’s screen.
Does the Samsung A42 have NFC?
Yes, Galaxy A42 has built-in NFC.
Is Samsung A42 waterproof?
Yes, the Galaxy A42 is water and dust resistant.
Can Samsung A42 play Fortnite?
Yes, Samsung A42 can play Fortnite.
Can Samsung A42 take 3d photos?
Yes, A42 can take 3d photos.
Conclusion:
Galaxy A42 is a great mid-range phone. However, it is your money, your choice. You be the judge whether this phone meets your expectations and demand. However, we believe the Galaxy A42 is a good phone with solid specs.