Samsung Galaxy A42 brings 5G speeds and is cheaper than the OnePlus Nord

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
(Image credit: Samsung)

It wasn’t long ago that 5G phones cost a fortune, but now with the likes of the OnePlus Nord and Moto G 5G Plus there’s a growing number of affordable ones, with the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G being the latest such option.

The handset costs £349 (roughly $450 /AU$630 but with availability in these regions not yet confirmed) and it’s hitting UK stores on November 6. That’s a lower mid-range price, and you get more than just 5G for the money.

The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G also has a 5,000mAh battery, which is up there with the largest you’ll find in a phone, and it supports 15W fast charging. That’s not actually overly fast compared to some handsets, but it’s still better than you’d find with some other affordable phones.

A big screen and a quad-lens camera

There’s also a 6.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED screen, and a quad-lens camera with a 48MP f/1.8 main lens, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, a 5MP f/2.4 macro one, and a 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor.

You also get a 20MP snapper on the front, plus a mid-range Snapdragon 750G chipset and 4GB of RAM. Storage comes in at 128GB, and there’s also a microSD card slot.

The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G has an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and it comes in Prism Dot Black, Prism Dot White, and Prism Dot Grey shades.

The specs are roughly in line with what we’d expect for the money and should put the phone in direct competition with the handsets mentioned above. Whether it will stand out remains to be seen, but if you want an affordable 5G phone from Samsung specifically then the Galaxy A42 5G could be a good option.

TOPICS

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

Latest in Samsung Galaxy Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 from the front
The Now Bar on Samsung One UI 7 is about to get a lot more useful – and could soon match Live Activities on iOS
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
A fresh Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak hints at a 2K display and a titanium frame
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
I switched to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 five months ago and I haven’t looked back – here are five things you need to know before buying a foldable phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
5 things I want from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
The Samsung Galaxy S21 series of phones lying face down.
Samsung announces One UI 7 is coming to older phones after all, but the launch is still a mess
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
A fresh Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge benchmark leak has eased my worries about its performance
Latest in News
Open AI
OpenAI live stream - could we see a major ChatGPT upgrade?
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 launches in early April, adding new monsters and some of the best-looking armor sets I need to add to my collection