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Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy A52 (in two models: 5G and 4G-only) and its Galaxy A72 (which comes with 4G only). 

The focus here is mostly on Samsung’s update to its best-selling A51, the 6.5-inch Super AMOLED A52: 

• The A52 now offers a top-level 120Hz OLED display within a mid-range pricetag 
• A Snapdragon 750G processor on the 5G model, lower spec 720G on the 4G.
• The cameras offer the same package on each, but now with optical image stabilization.
• And a healthy 4,500mAh battery for both the 5G and 4G models ups the previous 4,000 mAh offer with an extra 500mAh.
• It keeps the headphone jack and the microSD slot, and adds an IP rating for the first time, catching up to the iPhone SE in that regard.

A72: 

• The 6.7-inch A72 caught less of the spotlight, but is the best Galaxy A device as far as cameras and power go. 
• It adds a telephoto shooter and ups the battery to a full 5,000mAh, though without 5G it skimps on the future-proofing, likely to keep it separate from the S21 range.
• Plus it has the IP rating, 3.5mm port, and microSD slot too.

A52 vs A72:

• The A52 and A72 are now much closer than the A51 and A71, and knowing which might be best for you or your friends and family is tricky. 
• Do you want 5G? Does a telephoto matter? Is 6.5-inch smaller enough to make it better for some? Or is the bigger battery and likely better battery life of the A72 best? 
• It’s complicated. In any case, the A52 is a polished mid-range option.

Oddly, despite Samsung’s big ol’ presentation, its third within as many months, limited pricing/availability information given out:

• Nothing provided for the US, oddly.
• Since listings went up in Europe, we’ve seen the UK customers able to get the A52 5G for £399 (~$554). We’d expect US pricing to sit closer to the $499 of the A51 5G, though.
• For the Galaxy A72, listings put it at €449 in Europe and £419 in the UK, which would be around $550.

Also — Samsung’s next Unpacked?

• Evan Blass published a mini product roadmap (as you can see above) of unannounced Galaxy devices, including the A22, plus Blass mentions the A82 for July, and adds a Galaxy S21 FE launch event for August this year.

🟩 The Android 12 Developer Preview 2 is now available a month after the first preview: minor new additions to the build, with lots for developers on trust and safety, but one-handed mode is now here (Android Authority).

👉 Also, the Google Pixel line could be moving towards in-display fingerprint sensors, with several references spotted in Google’s Android 12 code update (Android Authority).

⌚ OnePlus roundup:The OnePlus Watch won’t run Wear OS, which makes for an interesting wearable. Plus, there’s an app for buying the OnePlus 9 in North America, and details on a two-year warranty promise for the 9 series, though specific to China (Android Authority).

🗣 Chrome now instantly captions audio and video on the web, something previously limited to Pixels and Samsung Galaxy phones (Android Authority).

💻 Justin Long, the ‘I’m a Mac’ Guy, is now mocking Macs for Intel. (I honestly watched this without context thinking it was still an Apple ad, and I kept waiting for the punchline) (Gizmodo).

🎁 Sony is giving away Horizon Zero Dawn plus a bundle of great indie games for free, and they’re yours to keep (The Verge).

💰 Rockstar pays modder $10,000 for fixing GTA Online load times (Kotaku).

📺 Hulu drops trailer for new documentary delving into the implosion of WeWork (Rolling Stone).

🔋 Toyota Aygo X Prologue EV revealed as a funky little crossover (CNET).

🐠 A French oil giant poured $10M into a company recycling CO2 into fish and chicken feed called “proton”(Bloomberg). Here’s how the tech works (Deep Branch).

🔴 Perseverance recording reveals what driving on Mars sounds like (Engadget).

This week will mark 15 years since @jack sent the first tweet back in 2006: “just setting up my twttr”

That tweet attracted a bunch of fresh attention earlier this month, with still Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey selling that tweet as an NFT, with the highest bid some 1630 ETH, or about $2.5M. 

• Most agreed you’re bidding to buy an autograph. Or paying money to market your own NFT products by “advertising” via a bid.
• Most agreed that giving a billionaire more money wasn’t a great idea (The Verge).

Cheers,

Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor.