So in metro Chicago early next February ATT is shutting down their 3G network and I was notified that my beloved Samsung S7 will no longer work on the ATT cell network with it's 4G FDD LTE capability and I need a new phone. ATT said they were sending my a comparable replacement no charge and sent me an ATT Calypso which is their lowest end phone that goes for about $35. Not sure who thinks that is comparable to to a Samsung S7 .

I am in the process of looking for a replacement. We do NOT have an ATT unlimited plan nor do we want to spend the extra money for it so we are not eligible for their new phone deals that require unilimited plan. We also are looking to stay with ATT wireless as 3 of us use it and we get a good package price with discounts because of where my wife works.

My needs are failry modest - phone calls, texting, emails, taking some pictures, and web browsing when waiting at doctors office or such. I don't watch movies or do Fakebook etc though may watch a few You Tube videos now and then when waiting at doctors office or such.

So looking at android phones and having good experience with my Samsung S7 (SM-G930U), I have interest in the Samsung A32 5G for $280 or the A52 5G for $500. I am pretty sure the A32 would probably fit my needs very well but might not mind spending the extra $220 for the A52 for better screen/video and camera. I might also be interested in the S20 FE 5G if it comes on sale during the holiday season but currrently is $700.

Looking around I am not seeing any deals on either for Black Friday either from ATT or unlocked ones from anyone else. I have about a month to make a decision before the cheap replacement auto activates and ATT deactivates my S7.

So I am wondering if anyone has experiences to share with the Samsung A32 5G or the A52 5G. At this point I am not interested in anything other than Samsung and only interested in a brand new cell phone replacement. Thanks for sharing any experiences.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: grumpy1,

Not quite the answer you're seeking, but I have an A50, non 5G, unlocked, and T-mobile as a carrier.
With that I am satisfied with it's performance from watching Netflix to taking photos, I don't see the need in upgrading it to the Samsung S-series phones.

Thanks air! That is very helpful as your A50 is close enough to be very relevant.

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
Thanks air! That is very helpful as your A50 is close enough to be very relevant.

Careful with that.

I'd get myself over to gsmarena.com and double-check - if you haven't, already.

There can be apparently subtle differences between mobile device models that can make a big difference in performance and mobile operator support.

E.g.: One phone I had had the electronics for T-Mobile's new (at the time) 700MHz LTE Band 12, but it did not have whatever other internals or firmware necessary to support VoLTE. Thus T-Mobile would not enable Band 12 data support for the phone.

(To say I was "annoyed" would be the understatement of the decade, being as I had had a prior version of that phone w/o 700MHz support that worked just fine and I only "upgraded" for the 700MHz support.)

I'd get a Pixel 5a for $399. Its camera will beat most phones, even high end ones.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
Thanks air! That is very helpful as your A50 is close enough to be very relevant.

Careful with that.

I'd get myself over to gsmarena.com and double-check - if you haven't, already.

There can be apparently subtle differences between mobile device models that can make a big difference in performance and mobile operator support.

E.g.: One phone I had had the electronics for T-Mobile's new (at the time) 700MHz LTE Band 12, but it did not have whatever other internals or firmware necessary to support VoLTE. Thus T-Mobile would not enable Band 12 data support for the phone.

(To say I was "annoyed" would be the understatement of the decade, being as I had had a prior version of that phone w/o 700MHz support that worked just fine and I only "upgraded" for the 700MHz support.)

Yeah thanks and crucial point, I am very aware of that and the excellent website you referred to. The Samsung phones I am considering are sold by ATT wireless and would be purchased at a local ATT store.

I am also miffed that my Samsung S7 won't work on the ATT network. When I bought it three years ago at Best Buy as an unlocked phone it never occured to see if it was not compatible with ATT 4G around here. Some versions of the S7 are but not mine. Lesson learned.

I have a document from ATT that shows exactly what versions of current phones and older phones will continue to work on the network. A specific model of phone can have several versions. List is available below, current as of a few weeks ago, in case anyone else needs the info.

https://www.att.com/idpassets/...g-on-ATT-Network.pdf

I just upgraded from a Samsung A71 5G to a Pixel 6 because of eSIM. But I was happy with the A71.

My wife has an A52 from work and it works great.

I would not hesitate with any mid-range Samsung smartphone. I think they are a great value that will last several years.

I bought the A32 before going to Hawaii. I was disappointed in the camera, especially when you want to zoom in to take a distance photo. It gets real pixelated and blurry.

I have an A32 from Korea, though I doubt it's different. I have been thoroughly impressed with the camera, all my photos in the Korean War Memorial thread were from this phone.

It works great for me and does everything I need it to do. I'm sure there might be some better features with the newer model, but if you're like me, make calls, check email, view websites and play an occasional game or two, then the A32 has performed extremely well.

An example of a photo taken with the A32.

My last phone was purchased through Amazon Renewed, I bought an unlocked S20 for $450. I am very pleased with it, it was in perfect condition and the camera is amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sam...011&ref=nb_sb_noss_1



https://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=U...f=pd_sl_61c74cd80i_e

quote:

Originally posted by Broadside:
I just upgraded from a Samsung A71 5G to a Pixel 6 because of eSIM. But I was happy with the A71.

My wife has an A52 from work and it works great.

I would not hesitate with any mid-range Samsung smartphone. I think they are a great value that will last several years.

Thanks for the feedback and good info. I appeciate it.

quote:

Originally posted by BigCity:
I bought the A32 before going to Hawaii. I was disappointed in the camera, especially when you want to zoom in to take a distance photo. It gets real pixelated and blurry.

Yikes! Tanks for the feedback.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
I have an A32 from Korea, though I doubt it's different. I have been thoroughly impressed with the camera, all my photos in the Korean War Memorial thread were from this phone.

It works great for me and does everything I need it to do. I'm sure there might be some better features with the newer model, but if you're like me, make calls, check email, view websites and play an occasional game or two, then the A32 has performed extremely well.

An example of a photo taken with the A32.

Thanks for the feedback and glad to hear you are happy with your A32. Nice picture too.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
My last phone was purchased through Amazon Renewed, I bought an unlocked S20 for $450. I am very pleased with it, it was in perfect condition and the camera is amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sam...011&ref=nb_sb_noss_1



https://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=U...f=pd_sl_61c74cd80i_e

Thanks for the info and links.

I bought a renewed business class Lenovo T450S off Amazon recently from seller ITReplay for $318 and was stunned at the great condition it was in as it looked brand new and performs perfectly.

It's important to check the specific vendor for feedback though when buying renewed as ratings/feedback vary quite a bit and often a vendor with really good ratings will not be the lowest price but just a few dollars more.

However for a cell phone I will most likely buy brand new as ensigmatic posted it can be tricky to get the right phone to work best or at all on a particular carriers network and for something more crucial to me like a cell phone I personally prefer to buy brand new.

My kid has the A51 (predecessor to the A52). The phone is perfectly capable, has a decent camera, ok battery life, good signal reception (ATT).

The biggest downside is the lack of wireless charging. This feature is becoming more prevalent (available in cars, clock radios, airports).

The A52 does include water and dust protection that the A51 lacks, a big upgrade between models there.

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:
My kid has the A51 (predecessor to the A52). The phone is perfectly capable, has a decent camera, ok battery life, good signal reception (ATT).

The biggest downside is the lack of wireless charging. This feature is becoming more prevalent (available in cars, clock radios, airports).


The A52 does include water and dust protection that the A51 lacks, a big upgrade between models there.

Thanks for the info. I am leaning toward the A52 at this point.

I bought an A32 and a short-term AT&T contract for a trip to SE Alaska this summer (AT&T has much better coverage in SE AK than our current carrier). It worked well for purposes similar to the ones you described - calls, texting, web access. I didn't take many pictures with it, but wasn't disappointed in the quality. It is almost the exact same size as my Samsung Note8.

quote:

Originally posted by air:
Not quite the answer you're seeking, but I have an A50, non 5G, unlocked, and T-mobile as a carrier.
With that I am satisfied with it's performance from watching Netflix to taking photos, I don't see the need in upgrading it to the Samsung S-series phones.

I could of almost wrote that myself; except my son has the A50. We use T-Mobile as well. I have the S20.

My son dropped his S9 almost 2 years ago and it was cost prohibitive to replace it. I settled on the A50 and my son was actually glad when he started using the A50 - he said it is actually better than his S9. We are due to upgrade in the spring and I will probably get my son an A52 at that time.

I went from a Galaxy S7 (which I loved) to A51 5G a few months ago.

Our company decided it was time to rein in corporate cell phone costs and went with the cheaper A series models.

At first I thought it would be bad but I actually love the phone. Great battery life, good screen and camera.

As others have pointed out, the A52 only gets better with the waterproofing and even bigger battery.

If I had to buy a personal phone tomorrow I would go with the A52, good value.


.

5G will be like sticking your head in a microwave oven set at the lowest setting. No thanks.