Samsung Galaxy A04s review

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Introduction and specs

Looking for a Samsung experience on the cheap? The Galaxy A04s is as low as it gets in the Samsung hierarchy. But being inexpensive does not always mean something is good value, so it's worth having a closer look at this popular entry-level device.

Surprisingly, we also found that Samsung is also offering another model - the Galaxy M13 - which is almost identical with some minor differences in the camera department. The Indian version of the Galaxy M13 is essentially the same phone as the Galaxy A04s but with an even bigger battery. The Galaxy A13 is another phone released earlier this year that almost completely matches the A04s specs.

Samsung Galaxy A04s • Samsung Galaxy M13 • Samsung Galaxy M13 (India) • Samsung Galaxy A13

We won't blame you if you are confused, but the key takeaway is that the Galaxy A04s probably offers the same user experience as the two M13s. So for all intents and purposes, you can use this review as a reference point for the M13 and M13 (India) as well.

Samsung Galaxy A04s specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.7x76.7x9.1mm, 195g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame.
• Display: 6.50" PLS LCD, 90Hz, 400 nits (peak), 720x1600px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 270ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 850 (8nm): Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G52.
• Memory: 32GB 3GB RAM, 32GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC (dedicated).
• OS/Software: Android 12, One UI Core 4.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 720p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 15W charging.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack; Virtual Proximity Sensing.

In any case, the Galaxy A04s runs on a low-end Exynos 850 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card expansion slot. It's evident that we are talking about a mid-€100 phone, but we were surprised to see a display with a high refresh rate. The 6.5-inch IPS display is 90Hz, albeit with 720 x 1600px resolution.

Since the Exynos 850 chipset relies on a power-efficient CPU with eight low-power Cortex-A55 cores, we expect great battery endurance in our tests. The 5,000 mAh battery will last you quite a bit, although it will also take more than an hour to fully charge.

Lastly, the device runs on a lightweight version of Samsung's user interface called One UI Core 4, which in turn is based on Android 12.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A04s

The device ships in a small retail box containing just the user manuals and a pin for the SIM card tray.

Unfortunately, Samsung didn't include a charger or protective case. But you do get a USB-C to USB-C cable, though.