With the launch of 5G in Nigeria by MTN and Mafab Communication expected to follow, Nigerian mobile subscribers’ attention will be shifting to 5G phones in order to enjoy the speed and low latency offered by 5G technology.
Interestingly, before the launch of the technology in Nigeria, a number of 5G-enabled devices were already being sold in the country. One of them is the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, which was launched onto the global market in July 2021.
Compared to other 5G phones in the market, the A22 as a midrange phone is obviously one of the most affordable 5G smartphones available in Nigeria today. While the Samsung Galaxy A22 model is available in both a 5G variant and a regular 4G, the 5G variant gets all the benefits and goodies that come with One UI 3.1, on top of Android 11, as well as Samsung’s better and longer-term software support commitment.
However, the A22 5G’s specs sheet appears to have been strategically downgraded to allow for the coveted 5G connectivity to be included while still keeping within the target price point of the A22 series. This may not have gone down well with some Samsung lovers who have experienced the A22 5G. Experiences shared through reviews show satisfaction in some areas and disappointment in other areas of the device’s specifications.
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Key features of the A22 5G
Body: 167.2×76.4×9.0mm, 203g; Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
Display: 6.60″ TFT, 90Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
Chipset: MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
OS/Software: Android 11, One UI Core 3.1.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2, 115-degree, 1/5.0″, 1.12µm; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: 1152p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 15W.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; 3.5mm jack.
Samsung Galaxy A22 5G review – GSMArena.com tests
Users’ reviews
For its price, the Samsung A22 5G is definitely not a bad phone, but the expectations and needs of the users differ, which is why the reviews are reflecting mixed opinions on the quality and features of the device. Here is what the users have to say about the phone based on their usage experience:
A user that shared his experience with Niarametrics, Emmanuel Dennis, said he loves everything about the phone except its display. “I got this phone recently and I must say I love the specifications, except that the display is nothing to write home about. Viewed alone, it is average at its best but a side-by-side comparison with my older phone revealed how washed out and inaccurate the colours are and viewing angles aren’t that great. And that’s saying a lot considering my older phone is a much cheaper Xiaomi redmi note 7s. Other than that, it’s a good phone.”
Based on online reviews, a user who identified himself as AuzaI, was disappointed with the A22 5G as the experience fell below his expectations. “This device is really low-end materials, Slow processors, an annoying screen, frustrating fingerprint. The only good side is the 5G signals. Samsung built only cheap phones for midrange as they want us to purchase their high-end expensive product. I’m quitting buying Samsung products,” he said.
Samsung Galaxy A22 Review
Sharing his experience of the device online, another user wrote: “This is my second phone, and it’s been pretty great so far, with only minor downsides to it, such as the camera quality, which isn’t terrible, but definitely not impressive either in any way.
“However, there’s a feature that’s proven itself to be extremely frustrating to me. Adaptive brightness. There is an option to turn it off, but even when turned off, sure, the brightness bar won’t move anymore, but the screen will still adjust its luminosity and contrast depending on the light around you, and it looks horrible, especially when at its brightest. Dark colours on pictures become bright and way over-exposed, and the contrast looks weird, it’s basically as if you’d open the photo editor and turn the brightness and/or exposure all the way up on a picture.
This issue is especially annoying to me because I’m a digital artist, and as you can imagine, it is important to get my colors right, and when they turn out to be twice as dark as they looked when the auto brightness was higher, well, that sucks.”
Another user wrote: “It’s been about a year I have had this phone A22 5G. It is butter smooth. It almost feels like an iPhone and it is very fast. Games work in HD. Screen is extra-long which is good for playing games and watching movies. The sound is excellent. Music sounds good, and I love the big screen. A single charge lasts a whole day and if you use less battery, it can last two days.”
But the experience is not the same for this user who said: “I am really disappointed with the A22 5G model I acquired just 2 weeks ago. I previously had the A8 and it was a gem of a phone. I don’t need anything fancy with 4 different types of cameras or whatever. The fingerprint sensor on the side now is something to get used to, but that’s ok. What I didn’t expect was that it doesn’t support NFC so I can’t use paywave like Samsung’s default or even Google Pay. Now, it also does not include the “Secure Folder.”
Bottomline
With the market price in Nigeria currently at around N125,000, the phone makes up for what it may have lost in terms of display quality and other features with its 5G capability. While there is no doubt that it is a solid phone with a powerful 5,000 mAh battery, for anyone not in need of 5G, there are several other 4G devices with better specs at about the same price.
The A225G isn’t a top notch mobile phone ,but it ok. Mine comes with NFC,my adaptive brightness is good. Most user don’t update their phones,they should. It’s just an ok phone