Samsung Galaxy A25 (SM-A256E) Review, Price And Specifications.
Samsung Galaxy A25 (SM-A256E) Quick Specs:
Display: 6.5" Full-HD+ (2340×1080) Infinity-U 120hz AMOLED Display.
Software: Android 14 OS, One UI 6.0 Skin.
CPU: Exynos 1280 (5nm).
RAM: 6GB/8GGB (And up to 4GB of Virtual RAM).
Storage: 128GB/256GB (expandable up to 1TB).
Rear Camera: Triple-lens (50MP+8MP+2MP).
Front Camera: Single-lens (13MP).
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint reader, Face Unlock.
Port: USB Type-C.
Network: 5G.
Speaker: Dual.
Battery: 5,000mAh.
Charging Speed: 25W..
Starting Price:
₦350,000, KSh 24,890, UGX 750,000, GHc 4,199, EGP 11,200, R 4,148, €199, £249, $268.
Besides looking like the Galaxy A24, the A25 also preserves most of the features of the earlier phone. For instance, the phone maintain the 6.5-inch AMOLED display, triple rear camera, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader of the earlier one. It also has the the same battery capacity, charging speed, inbuilt storage space, and front-facing camera.
Still, the A25 offers some important upgrades. For instance, it is equipped with a more powerful CPU; which also happens to be a 5G-enabled processor. In other words, Galaxy A25 is a 5G phone. The phone also comes with the latest Samsung One UI skin. And its base version is fitted with higher RAM.
The A25 also features stereo speakers and higher screen refresh rate. Furthermore, the main rear camera is now capable of shooting 4K videos. The Ultra-wide camera has also been upgraded.
Meanwhile, in spite of its simple and minimalistic design, the Galaxy A25 looks more premium and classier than the competition that feature appealing designs.
The Samsung phone also bested the contenders when it comes to photography. Also as i said before, the A25 is a 5G phone, whereas all the competing phones are 4G phones. The Samsung phone also delivers slightly better performance and it's a little more energy efficient. The phone also promises longer software support than the contenders.
But the contenders are equipped with higher RAM and high storage space. Though the A25 is also available in higher RAM and high storage version, but that version attract higher price.
Also despite that the A25 packs the same battery as the competition, it features a little lower charging speed. Moreover, like most of other Samsung phones, the A25 doesn't come with a charger. But the competition have chargers (and other accessories) in their boxes.
Price And Design Colours:
Samsung Galaxy A15 4G is
available in colour options of Brave Black, Personality Yellow, Fantasy Blue and Optimistic Blue. Currently, the price of the base version is about 350,000 Naira.
CONTENDERS:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G sports a more attractive design and has a slightly better build quality than the A25. The Redmi phone also packs some exciting features like Under display fingerprint reader and IR Blaster. There's also a charger and few other accessories inside the box of the phone.
Though the 13 Pro 4G also packs slightly higher RAM and higher inbuilt storage than the A25, but, as it can deduced from its name, the phone has a 4G processor. And the processor is less beefier than that of the Samsung phone. The Redmi phone is also running on the previous version of Android OS; though there is an assurance of future OS updates. Still, the years of OS (promised) are not up to the ones of the A25. Despite that the phone also deliver remarkable photos as the A25, the are not as impressively true to life as those of the Samsung phone.
Like the Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G, Infinix Note 40 features an attractive design, higher RAM and higher inbuilt storage. The Infinix phone also has the same CPU as the Redmi phone. Which also means it's a 4G phone. The Note 40 also features higher megapixel cameras and delivered remarkable photos as the Note 13 Pro. Still, photos taken with the Note 40 are a little less true to life, compared to the ones taken with the A25. But Selfies from the Infinix phones are more detailed.
Also, just like the Redmi phone, the Infinix Note 40 offers its own exciting features. For instance, the phone features Wireless and Reverse (wired) charging. And has an Under-display fingerprint reader like the Redmi. Unfortunately, the traditional 3.5mm audio jack is missing on the phone.
Also, just like the Redmi phone, the Infinix Note 40 offers its own exciting features. For instance, the phone features Wireless and Reverse (wired) charging. And has an Under-display fingerprint reader like the Redmi. Unfortunately, the traditional 3.5mm audio jack is missing on the phone.
Tecno Camon 30 4G has the same CPU, amount of RAM, storage and Android version as
the Infinix Note 40. It also has the same display attributes. Although the Tecno phone main rear camera features a lower megapixel sensor, its front-facing camera remain as that of the Infinix phone. Even, in spite of its lower megapixel main sensor, photos taken with the Tecno still look as impressive as the ones from the Infinix and Redmi phones. Still, the photos from the Samsung phone look more life-like. Camon 30 deosn't support Wireless and Reverse (wired) charging like the Infinix phone, it makes up for that by having 3.5mm audio jack and
IR Blaster like the Redmi phone.
Simple But Premium Design,
Though the A25 doesn't possess the striking looks of the competition, yet it looks and feels more premium and classier. Also because it's a little more compact (less bigger) than its rivals, it's sizeable and easier to hold with one hand. Although the A25 has no IP rating and it's a little on the heavy side (about 197g), it's closely put together and has good build quality. To me, the only thing that deprive the A25 of its perfect looks is the presence of a conventional notch on its display. A hole-punch camera would have complemented the premium looks of the phone. Though you get the cut-out on the more expensive Galaxy A35.
The Galaxy A25 features a 6.5-inch Infinity-U (U-shaped notched) display, a flat back and flat sides. As i mentioned earlier, and in addition to its flat sides, the other noticeable thing that distinguishes the A25 from the earlier A24 is Key Island. Samsung's Key Island is a slightly elevated (or bumpy) area on the right side of the A25. And on the Key Island is power button and volume keys. It should be noted that most of the recent Samsung phones also have Key Island.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A25 comes with triple rear camera. And the cameras are vertically placed on the top left corner of the back cover. Except for an LED Flash, SAMSUNG logo, and the triple camera, there's nothing else on the back of the A25. The A25 has a semi-glossy with fine (and barely visible) checkers patterns that appear as if they're bumpy to touch, but they're are not.
The Galaxy A25 features a 6.5-inch Infinity-U (U-shaped notched) display, a flat back and flat sides. As i mentioned earlier, and in addition to its flat sides, the other noticeable thing that distinguishes the A25 from the earlier A24 is Key Island. Samsung's Key Island is a slightly elevated (or bumpy) area on the right side of the A25. And on the Key Island is power button and volume keys. It should be noted that most of the recent Samsung phones also have Key Island.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A25 comes with triple rear camera. And the cameras are vertically placed on the top left corner of the back cover. Except for an LED Flash, SAMSUNG logo, and the triple camera, there's nothing else on the back of the A25. The A25 has a semi-glossy with fine (and barely visible) checkers patterns that appear as if they're bumpy to touch, but they're are not.
And while the volume keys and power button (on the Key island) are on its right side, the A25 SIM slot is located on its left side. And on its bottom side is a 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port, and first speaker. The second speaker is embedded on the upper part of the display, right above the selfie lens.
Furthermore, apart from the microphone on the bottom side, there's another microphone on the top side. And except for that second mic, there's nothing else on the top side of the A25.
NOTE: While most of the competing phone feature regular regular 3-in-1 SIM trays, the Galaxy A25 comes with an Hybrid SIM tray; which allows you to either use 2 SIMs or 1 SIM and 1 microSD card at a time.
NOTE: While most of the competing phone feature regular regular 3-in-1 SIM trays, the Galaxy A25 comes with an Hybrid SIM tray; which allows you to either use 2 SIMs or 1 SIM and 1 microSD card at a time.
Camera: Unbeatable Photography:
The triple rear camera of the Galaxy A25 is made up of a 50M Main sensor, an 8MP Ultra-wide sensor (an upgrade from the 5MP on the A24), and a 2MP Macro sensor.
Photos taken with the A25 Main sensor are impressively clear and detailed. Though almost all competing phones delivered similar clear and detailed photos, even the Redmi Note 13 Pro managed to captured a more impressively detailed photos. However, when it comes HDR and colour rendition, all the competing phones are no match for the A25.
Colours on the Samsung photos are more true-to-life, balanced and moderately saturated. Portrait shots taken with the A25 also have best edge detection and subject separation effects in this category. However, colour rendition (of the Portrait shots) appears flat or muted.
The triple rear camera of the Galaxy A25 is made up of a 50M Main sensor, an 8MP Ultra-wide sensor (an upgrade from the 5MP on the A24), and a 2MP Macro sensor.
Photos taken with the A25 Main sensor are impressively clear and detailed. Though almost all competing phones delivered similar clear and detailed photos, even the Redmi Note 13 Pro managed to captured a more impressively detailed photos. However, when it comes HDR and colour rendition, all the competing phones are no match for the A25.
Colours on the Samsung photos are more true-to-life, balanced and moderately saturated. Portrait shots taken with the A25 also have best edge detection and subject separation effects in this category. However, colour rendition (of the Portrait shots) appears flat or muted.
Low-light shots taken with the Samsung phone are also more clearer too. Though, the ones from the contenders are slightly brighter, but those of the A25 have better dynamic range and are more detailed with lesser noise. Even the shots from the Samsung's dedicated Night mode look way better.
The Ultra-Wide and Macro shots also have better colour rendition and they are clearer, compared to the ones taken with the competition. Besides, out of the competing phones, it's only the Redmi Note 13 Pro that also offers Ultra-wide camera.
Turning to the front. Despite having a much lower-megapixel sensor than the competitions', the front-facing camera of the Galaxy A25 still delivers similarly clear and detailed selfies. And again, when it comes to a more accurate skin tone and life-like colours, almost all the selfies from the competition fell shots of the ones from the Samsung phone. HDR and Portrait selfies of the Samsung phone also look better.
Meanwhile, while video recording for the competition are capped at 2K, the A25 can shoot video up to 4K @30 fps (frame per second). With its Main camera though. The phone's front camera can only go up to 1080p at 30fps. Apart from its 4K capability, the video stabilization (though it's EIS and in 1080p) of the A25 camera also looks better those of the competition. There's also Super steady video recording mode, but also in 1080p.
Familiar 6.5-inch AMOLED Display But Higher Refresh Rate:
The 6.5-inch Super-AMOLED display of the Galaxy A25 has a 1080p resolution of 2340-by-1080 pixels or 396ppi pixel density. The screen also features an higher refresh rate of 120Hz (for smoother gaming, page scrolling and swiping). But while most competition offer various refresh rate options, the A25 gives you two option of either 120Hz or default 60Hz. Even there is no Auto refresh mode. Which supposed to adjust refresh rates, automatically, based on what you're doing in order to preserve energy.
Concerning its picture quality, the AMOLED display of the A25 is one of the nicest looking ones in this segment, especially in terms of vibrancy, colour reproduction, and contrast level. Though, with its less than 500nit peak brightness in manual and a little over 1000nit in Auto, the A25 display is bright enough in both normal lighting and under direct sunlight. Still, there are few others like the Redmi Note 13 that offer a more brighter AMOLED display.
The A25 AMOLED display lack support for and unable to display HDR contents. Notwithstanding, the display fully supports Widevine L1 DRM certification. Meaning, you can watch videos in "1080p or High Definitions" (and in improved colour reproduction) on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Processing Power:
The Galaxy A25 is pre-installed with new Samsung One UI 6.0 skin; running on top of the Android 14 OS. As expected, Samsung promises up to 4 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches for the A25. Samsung is the only one in this segment that offers such a longer software supports.
And concerning the latest custom UI. Though there are many improvements, but i took immediate liking to a more appealing looks of new quick panel. I also like the presence of screen recorder; which was missing on previous models.
On its hardware specs, the Galaxy A25 is available in 6GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM variants. Which means the 6GB of RAM variant is now the base model (an upgrade from the 4GB of RAM base model of the A24). The phone also present the buyers with two storage options of either 128GB or 256GB. But while the 8GB of RAM variant can be paired with either 128GB or 256GB inbuilt storage, the 6GB of RAM variant is limited to 128GB inbuilt storage. Still, irrespective of your choice, the inbuilt storage of the phone can be increased, via microSD card, up to 1TB.
The Galaxy A25 is powered by Samsung in-house Exynos 1280 CPU; a 5nm octa-core processor with clock speeds of up to 2.4Ghz. The graphics part of the chipset is handled by Mali G68-MP4 GPU. The Exynos 1280 is a significant upgrade from the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate CPU that's inside the A24. The Samsung CPU is a significant upgrade not only because it packs a little more processing power than the MediaTek CPU, but also because it's a 5G-enabled chipset.
By the way, the Helio G99 (that's inside the A24) is also the same processor that's inside all the Galaxy A25 competition. And because the Exynos 1280 is more robust than the MediaTek chipset, the Galaxy A25 was able to outshine all the competing phones in performance tests and when it comes to day to day usage. Even in spite of its slightly lower RAM, the A25 multitasks quickly and switch in-between apps without slowing down. It also played most of the popular demanding games with little or no issue. And it played those games at medium frame rates and high graphics settings. In short, for a phone at this price point, i don't have issue with the performance of the A25.
Same Battery Capacity, Same Fast Charging:
The Samsung Galaxy A25 retain the 5000mAh battery and 25W Fast charging of the Galaxy A24. Also like the earlier phone, the A25 doesn't comes with a charger. Still with a 25W proprietary (Samsung's) charger, bought separately, it took about 1hr 25mins minutes (which is just a little less than the 1hr 29mins of the earlier model) to fully charge the phone battery from zero percent.
However, the A25 battery life is a little shorter than that of the earlier model. Perhaps, it's a result of its 5G supported network. Still, if not slightly better, the battery life of the phone is as solid as those of the competition.
The 6.5-inch Super-AMOLED display of the Galaxy A25 has a 1080p resolution of 2340-by-1080 pixels or 396ppi pixel density. The screen also features an higher refresh rate of 120Hz (for smoother gaming, page scrolling and swiping). But while most competition offer various refresh rate options, the A25 gives you two option of either 120Hz or default 60Hz. Even there is no Auto refresh mode. Which supposed to adjust refresh rates, automatically, based on what you're doing in order to preserve energy.
Concerning its picture quality, the AMOLED display of the A25 is one of the nicest looking ones in this segment, especially in terms of vibrancy, colour reproduction, and contrast level. Though, with its less than 500nit peak brightness in manual and a little over 1000nit in Auto, the A25 display is bright enough in both normal lighting and under direct sunlight. Still, there are few others like the Redmi Note 13 that offer a more brighter AMOLED display.
The A25 AMOLED display lack support for and unable to display HDR contents. Notwithstanding, the display fully supports Widevine L1 DRM certification. Meaning, you can watch videos in "1080p or High Definitions" (and in improved colour reproduction) on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Processing Power:
The Galaxy A25 is pre-installed with new Samsung One UI 6.0 skin; running on top of the Android 14 OS. As expected, Samsung promises up to 4 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches for the A25. Samsung is the only one in this segment that offers such a longer software supports.
And concerning the latest custom UI. Though there are many improvements, but i took immediate liking to a more appealing looks of new quick panel. I also like the presence of screen recorder; which was missing on previous models.
On its hardware specs, the Galaxy A25 is available in 6GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM variants. Which means the 6GB of RAM variant is now the base model (an upgrade from the 4GB of RAM base model of the A24). The phone also present the buyers with two storage options of either 128GB or 256GB. But while the 8GB of RAM variant can be paired with either 128GB or 256GB inbuilt storage, the 6GB of RAM variant is limited to 128GB inbuilt storage. Still, irrespective of your choice, the inbuilt storage of the phone can be increased, via microSD card, up to 1TB.
The Galaxy A25 is powered by Samsung in-house Exynos 1280 CPU; a 5nm octa-core processor with clock speeds of up to 2.4Ghz. The graphics part of the chipset is handled by Mali G68-MP4 GPU. The Exynos 1280 is a significant upgrade from the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate CPU that's inside the A24. The Samsung CPU is a significant upgrade not only because it packs a little more processing power than the MediaTek CPU, but also because it's a 5G-enabled chipset.
By the way, the Helio G99 (that's inside the A24) is also the same processor that's inside all the Galaxy A25 competition. And because the Exynos 1280 is more robust than the MediaTek chipset, the Galaxy A25 was able to outshine all the competing phones in performance tests and when it comes to day to day usage. Even in spite of its slightly lower RAM, the A25 multitasks quickly and switch in-between apps without slowing down. It also played most of the popular demanding games with little or no issue. And it played those games at medium frame rates and high graphics settings. In short, for a phone at this price point, i don't have issue with the performance of the A25.
Same Battery Capacity, Same Fast Charging:
The Samsung Galaxy A25 retain the 5000mAh battery and 25W Fast charging of the Galaxy A24. Also like the earlier phone, the A25 doesn't comes with a charger. Still with a 25W proprietary (Samsung's) charger, bought separately, it took about 1hr 25mins minutes (which is just a little less than the 1hr 29mins of the earlier model) to fully charge the phone battery from zero percent.
However, the A25 battery life is a little shorter than that of the earlier model. Perhaps, it's a result of its 5G supported network. Still, if not slightly better, the battery life of the phone is as solid as those of the competition.
Samsung Galaxy A25 (SM-A256) Full Specs:
GENERAL
Maker: Samsung Mobile.
Name: Galaxy A25 (SM-A256).
Year Released: December, 2023.
Dimensions: 161.0x76.5x8.3mm.
Weight: 197g (6.94 oz).
Colour: Brave Black, Personality Yellow, Fantasy Blue, & Optimistic Blue.
DISPLAY
Screen Type: AMOLED Touch-screen.
Screen Type: AMOLED Touch-screen.
Size and Resolution: 6.50-inch, Full-HD+, 2340-by-1080 pixels, 120Hz (high) Refresh Rate.
Aspect ratio & Pixel Densities: 19.5:9, 396PPI.
Protection: Tampered Glass.
PORTS:
3.5mm Audio Jack: Yes.
USB Type-C Port: Yes.
MicroUSB port: No.
Lightning Connector: No.
Google Assistant Button: No.
PERFORMANCE
Chipset: Exynos 1280 5nm Octa-Core Processor, 2.4GHz.
GPU: Mali-G68 MP4.
RAM: 6GB/8GB (With up to 4GB of Virtual RAM).
Operating System: Android 14, One UI 6.0.
STORAGE
Internal Storage: 128GB/256GB.
Micro-SD card slot: Yes, up to 1TB (One Terabyte).
SIM AND NETWORK
SIM: Nano, Dual SIM slots.
Network: GSM, HSPA+, & LTE.
CAMERA
Rear camera: Triple-lens; 50MP (Wide)+ 8MP (Ultra-Wide)+ 2MP (Macro), Dual-Flash.
Front camera: Single-lens, 13MP.
VIDEO RECORDING:
Rear Cameras: 720p, 1080p, 4K @ 30 fps.
Front Camera: 720p, 1080p @ 30 fps.
CONNECTIVITY:
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, HotSpots, USB-OTG, NFC.
BIOMETRIC, SENSORS & LOCATION:
Security: Face Unlock, Side-mounted Fingerprint Reader.
Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, G-sensor, Accelerometer And
Barometer sensor
Others: GPS, Location (Geo, Glonass).
BATTERY
Battery Capacity: 5,000mAh.
Reverse (Wired) Charging: N/a
Qi Wireless-Charging: N/a.
Fast Charging: 25W (Wired).
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