Samsung Galaxy A50s Unboxing and First Impressions

Samsung boosts the Galaxy A50 with the new Galaxy A50s with new cameras and a new processor.

Samsung Galaxy A50s

The new A50s gets a new Exynos 9611 10nm processor with up to 6GB RAM, up to 128GB internal storage, and 4,000mAh battery with 15W Adaptive Fast Charging.

The rear camera gets upgraded into 48MP f/2.0 main camera, 8MP 123-degree, ultra-wide camera, and 5MP depth sensor while the selfie camera is a new 32MP f/2.0 front-facing camera.

Here is our first impressions of the new Samsung Galaxy A50s.

Unboxing/Accessories

Unboxed

Inside the familiar white box with the A50s render and Samsung branding is the phone itself, SIM ejector tool, silicone case, stock Samsung earphones, USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and 15W charging brick.

On the phone's display is a pre-installed screen protector.

Build Quality/Design

Patterned Prism back panel

At the back is a new pattern that improves on the previous generation. It uses the new prism design Samsung has been using for months now.

Prism is the new gradient!

It retains the 3D curved glasstic back panel with protruding vertically-aligned triple-cam and a polycarbonate frame that looks and feels premium but can be a fingerprint magnet.

You can get it in Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, Prism Crush Violet, and Prim Crush Green colors.

AMOLED display

In front is the large 6.4-inch 2.5D Super AMOLED screen with tall 19:5:9 screen aspect ratio and Infinity-U notch. It has an FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution display at 403 ppi that gets very bright and very vibrant in color.

Sadly, there's no mention of Gorilla Glass protection.

The phone is not that big, it measures at 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm.

On the top right is the camera module and LED flash while in the middle of the back is the Samsung branding. The regulatory information is at the bottom part of the back.

Top

On top is a single microphone port while at the bottom are the 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone port, USB-C port, and speakers.

Bottom

On the left side is the SIM card tray that contains two SIM slots and a single microSD card slot.

Left side

On the right side are the volume rocker and the power button.

Right side

As mentioned above, the glasstic back is a fingerprint magnet but thankfully the polycarbonate frame isn't prone to slippage but we recommend wearing a case to prevent scratches and to protect the camera module protrusion.

Initial findings

AnTuTu, Geekbench

1. The 6.4-inch 2.5D Super AMOLED screen 1080 display is one of the best displays in its price range. It gets bright while maintaining vibrant but accurate colors is what Samsung is known for and the A50s delivers. 

2. Under the hood is the new 10nm 2.3GHz 64-bit Exynos 9611 octa-core processor with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU that offers slight improvements to the processor the original A50 had.

A50 scored 143K at AnTuTu while A50s got over 150K. At least there is some sort of upgrade, but it still lags behind some similarly priced devices with SD855 and Kirin 980.

Inside is the same 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 512GB via microSD.

Powering the device is a 4,000mAh battery that is charged via USB Type-C with Samsung's adaptive fast charging 15W power brick. Like the previous A50 charging time could be 90 to 120 minutes.

3. The A50s runs the latest version of Android 9.0 Pie-based OneUI. Like the previous A50, it is now a lot easier to navigate through the OS, launch apps and play games.

4. At the back is the new triple camera module made of 48MP f/2.0, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, and 5MP depth sensor while in front is an upgraded 32MP f/2.0 camera.

We expect it to be better than the cameras of the A50.

Related: Samsung Galaxy A50s: First Camera Samples

5. The device goes with WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, and dual SIM (nano) connectivity options. On the display is the In-Display fingerprint scanner that significantly improves on the slow unlocking speed of A50.

Samsung Galaxy A50s Specs

Display: 6.4-inch 2.5D Super AMOLED screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 403 ppi
CPU: 2.3GHz 64-bit Exynos 9611 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
RAM: 6GB
ROM: 128GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 512GB
Back Camera: 48MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens + 5MP depth sensor w/ AF and LED flash
Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0
Battery: 4,000mAh w/ 15W fast charging
OS: Android 9.0 Pie w/ One UI
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB-C, Colors: prism crush black, prism crush white, prism crush violet, prism crush green
Dimensions: 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm
Weight: 169 g
Price: PHP 18,990

As of the moment

Galaxy A50s with box

Like the original A50, the A50s is an exciting phone out of the box with capable specs but now it improves upon the original with better cameras, updated processors and a noticeably faster In-Display fingerprint scanner.

However, unlike when the A50 was first released, the competition is fiercer this time.

We will have to do more testing with the phone to see what else it improves upon the well-loved A50 and if it can keep up with similarly priced devices.

See you in our full review!

What do you guys think?