Samsung has just unveiled what might well be its final phone of 2021, and while it won’t be competing with the Samsung Galaxy S21, it could have a shot at being one of the best cheap phones.
Dubbed the Samsung Galaxy A03, this follows the entry-level Samsung Galaxy A03s that was announced in September, and it looks to be slightly higher end than that phone – but still definitely on the affordable side.
It has a 6.5-inch HD+ screen, a 5,000mAh battery, a 48MP main camera, a 2MP depth sensor, a 5MP front-facing camera, Dolby Atmos audio, and an unnamed octa-core chipset.
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According to an infographic, it’s set to land in a choice of three configurations – one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and one with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage - though we wouldn't expect all three models in all regions.
As for the design, the Samsung Galaxy A03 has what looks to be a plastic body in a choice of red, blue, or black colors, and there’s a notch at the top of the screen.
What we don’t know yet is how much it will cost or where it will be available, but for reference the Samsung Galaxy A03s landed in the UK at a cost of £139 (around $195 / AU$260), so we’d expect the Galaxy A03 to cost slightly more than that – but not by much.
Analysis: The Galaxy A03 has a whole lot of competition
Until we know the price it will be hard to say for sure how appealing the Samsung Galaxy A03 will be, but its specs are for the most part uninspiring.
The battery is a reasonable size and its 48MP camera might be alright, but in every other sense it sounds extremely basic – which is fine if it’s priced accordingly.
It will need to be very cheap (or perform better than the specs suggest) to come near the top of our best cheap phones list though, as handsets like the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC with its 120Hz screen and Moto G9 Power with its 6,000mAh battery offer a lot more for not very much money.
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