As previously reported, the latest Galaxy A series will be seeing an imminent release in Malaysia sometime soon. Thanks to Samsung Malaysia, we’ve managed to secure test units for an early hands-on experience. Without further ado, here’s my first look of the upcoming Galaxy A71 mid-range smartphone.
Like its predecessor, the Galaxy A71 sports a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display but with one notable difference; instead of having a notched screen like the A70, it features a top centered punch-hole cutout for its selfie camera. While this approach has been the recent fad for smartphone displays as of late, the cutout on this phone appears to have a bit of a black outline around the front-facing camera module. Although it’s most likely necessary as a way to accommodate the 32MP shooter, I do find it looking a bit too jarring nonetheless.
Despite being a tall and large phone, the A71 is actually quite comfortable when held and operated with one hand. It also features a plastic back with a stylish design, which is a step up from the plain and flat look of its predecessor. Another obvious visual difference in the back is its cameras, which now consists of a quad-camera setup housed in a rectangular island – the new staple for current Samsung smartphones, regardless of its tier.
Other than that, at the bottom of the phone features a USB-C port for data transfers or to charge its 4500mAh battery, and also a speaker grille which produces decent audio output. If going loud is not your thing, then you’ll be glad to know that a 3.5mm headphone jack is present for you to plug in a pair of earphones. Alternatively, you could optimise its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity to pair up with your wireless audio devices as well.
Software-wise, the A71 comes with the brand’s One UI 2 with Android 10 out of the box. The phone itself is powered by a Snapdragon 730 SoC with 8GB RAM. Although, keep in mind that certain configurations in the Malaysian release might actually differ. Without explaining too much into detail, the interface and operating system works as intended and even offers plenty of customisation to the user for a more personalised experience. Suffice to say, I’ve had no problems running typical day-to-day apps throughout my hands-on with the phone.
As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A71’s camera setup is a massive upgrade when compared to its predecessor. It features a 64MP f/1.8 main, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle, 5MP f/2.4 macro, and a 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor. If you ask me, this is a mighty generous offering to a mid-range smartphone – albeit a higher end model. Photos taken are crisp with high amounts of details and colour, as expected from the large sensor. Shots taken with the Live Focus mode appears more natural with its background blurring and bokeh effects, even when shooting subjects in low-light conditions.
The A71 is capable of 2K video recording at 30fps and 1080p at up to 240fps, as well as featuring several other video recording modes such as super slo-mo and so on. One notable feature found on the new Samsung A series is the brand’s Super Steady function which impressively stabilises your video recordings via digital means.
The new Samsung Galaxy A71 is looking to be a worthwhile mid-range phone that the brand is planning to release soon in the Malaysian market. Do look forward to our detailed review of the phone once the time comes.
Samsung Galaxy A71 loan pre-release unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia.
