Samsung Galaxy A52 5G comes with Android 11 and One UI 3.1, providing 95% of the software experience on the Galaxy S21 series. One UI remains focused on one-handed use and has the most user-friendly and convenient interface applied on Android.
Video review Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, OS & UI & UX & APPS section
You can navigate using the 3 buttons below or the swipes that have already become commonplace. We also have Dark Mode, but also Always On Display with related options. One UI 3.1 also brings a difficult decision for Samsung: the icons on the lockscreen are monochrome, those for the camera and dialer. Will it be cool? Who knows ... The whole lockscreen brings out the Wellbeing widget, which shows you how much time you spend on Facebook, YouTube and other addictive apps.
Alwauys On Display has options for clock style, music listener information, fingerprint reader icon, and more . Speaking of the reader, it is integrated in the screen, it is optical and quite fast and precise when unlocked. In combination with the front camera, unlocking becomes even faster.
One UI 3.1 also brings up the full-screen notification window with already known shortcuts. These toggles can be rearranged and edited. We now have chat bubbles, a shortcut for smart home gadgets in the Power area, a new media playback menu, but also a history for notifications and separate chat notifications. In addition, notifications are less intrusive now, and can be set to appear as elongated bubbles at the top.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G screenshots gallery
Multitasking is done with Recents, split screen and a floating Pop Up window. Bixby is alive, and on the side we find the Edge menu with shortcuts. Google contributes to Android 11 with constant requests for permissions, granted each time the app is opened or once and for all (or not at all). The settings have been reorganized and if 1-2 years ago the stripes and delimitations were removed and everything was in common, now there are separations again with stripes and dots between sub-categories. You can go to Look through themes and layouts, and your phone also has SmartThings support, and you can control smart home gadgets, including TVs, speakers, soundbars, and more.
There is also a Game Launcher, where you can find installed games, DND functions and other options related to accidental taps or resource allocation. We don't have DeX supported here, but there is Link to Windows, so you can take phone calls and PC notifications and transfer files and transfer files more easily. In the applications we find a Galaxy Store, Netflix, Spotify, Office, Facebook, Linkedin, Outlook, Samsung Members, Samsung Health, Galaxy Wearable. Widgets remain white and transparent, airy.
Samsung also promised 3 years of Android updates, but also 4 years of security patches, something rare on midrange phones, I would point out .