A mid-range phone that doesn't justify its price

After being extremely impressed with newer mid-range phones from Google and Apple, we decided to check out the competition. The Galaxy A51 is Samsung’s answer to mid-range models like the iPhone SE and Pixel 3a . And it’s … well, it’s an extremely “Samsung” phone, if that makes any sense.

Beautiful screen and body; Big; expandable storage; Can be found on sale easily

Bloated software; Terrible fingerprint reader; Not enough RAM; Tons of unnecessary apps

Sluggish performance and average cameras mire an otherwise fine Android phone.

Decent battery life. Cameras snap decent photos in good lighting. There's a headphone jack! It looks modern, has NFC for contactless payments, and includes a Micro SD card slot for extra storage. Plastic back design is more durable. Three years of Android updates.

Performance can drag. The cameras lag behind peers. Overpriced.

Samsung’s Galaxy A51 5G sits near the top of the company’s mid-range A series. It’s slightly smaller and cheaper than the A71 5G , which we reviewed recently. It has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display and is built around Samsung’s Exynos 980 chipset, with 6 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage plus a...

Generally accurate exposure; Wide dynamic range in stills; Wide maximum field of view; Accurate video white balance; Nicely rendered skin tones in video

The Galaxy A51 improves on certain aspects that were required, such as a better camera, improved display and better battery life. Although, at the price of Rs 23,999, it feels slightly overpriced for the kind of feature and performance it offers.

The Samsung Galaxy A51 offers a nice design and attractive OLED display, but it’s hamstrung by middling performance, cameras that underperform in low light and relatively short battery life. On paper, the Samsung Galaxy A51 would seem like the best cheap phone $400 can get you.

Excellent display, Sleek design, Versatile quad-lens camera, Low price, 128GB of storage

Underwhelming performance, Camera struggles in low light, Battery life could be better, Fingerprint sensor occasionally frustrates

The Samsung Galaxy A51 is an affordable way to get a good-looking Galaxy phone, but it makes Android feel a little too slow for us to wholeheartedly recommend it.

Bold OLED screen; Has a headphone jack; It’s a Samsung Galaxy; without an S20 price

Feels slower than most at this level; Poor fingerprint scanner; Unusually prominent punch-hole camera

With the Galaxy S20 series starting a thousand dollars , many cash-strapped Samsung fans are probably considering more affordable upgrade options this year. And apparently, Samsung anticipated this (and if it didn't, it sure knows now ), as it's making more of its low-end and mid-range lineup...

Display The screen is massive, and it's an AMOLED panel. You can't ask for much more on a mid-range phone; Performance The Exynos processor with 4GB RAM handled my usual apps and games just fine.

Cameras The main camera produces muddy photos, and the other two lenses aren't any better; Design While the Galaxy A51 is generally designed well, the glossy plastic back attracts fingerprints and smudges much easier than glass.

Doctor, there’s a fly in this ointment

The Galaxy A51 is a nicely specified handset that should appeal to Samsung fans looking for mid-range performance at a reasonable price. There are more affordable alternatives if you're interested in buying SIM-free, though.