SPOT.ph Roadtest: This Samsung Phone Is Just Right for Daily Use and It’s Under P10,000
P9,490, to be exact.
(SPOT.ph) Are you someone who wants their smartphones to be as uncomplicated as possible? There are some things in life that don't need to be too difficult. You like to keep it simple, which means you don't really have preferences; So long as it does its job, a.k.a, lets you watch some of your favorite series on Netflix or YouTube on a big screen, maybe game a little when boredom strikes, and let you stay connected with people through simple texts and chats, then it's all good. Everything else is just a bonus. We recently got our hands on something exactly like that. Decent camera specs? Solid battery life? Big screen? Check, check, and check. The basics, or the bare minimum, so they say. Best part? The price is pretty no-frills, too, something we're familiar with from Korean tech giant Samsung and some of their phones. Introducing the latest in the Samsung Galaxy A Series lineup, the Samsung Galaxy A04s. Scroll down to see how the experience went.
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What we thought of Samsung Galaxy A04s
Fast Facts
Price: P9,490
Where to buy: Samsung retailers, online
Colors: Black and Green
Display: 6.5" Infinity-V Display
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Charger input: Type-C
Storage: 128GB of internal storage. Extendable up to 1TB with a microSD card
First impressions
The Samsung Galaxy A04s is unassuming at first glance. We got the unit in black, so its color makes it look sleek and minimalist. It's thin enough that you might worry about snapping it in half, and lightweight, as it weighs just about 195g. Upfront, it’s almost identical to the ones before it, its predecessor the Galaxy A03s for example, but it's a whole 'nother business at the back with not just two, but three camera lenses staring right up at you.
If you're a wired earphone kind of person, there's a slot for your headphone jack right below, next to the charging port and the speaker. On the side, you'll see the buttons to adjust the volume and the power button-slash-fingerprint scanner, one of which you can easily trigger (which then leads to it being blocked).
Applications like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, and Facebook, among others, were already pre-installed on the phone. Everything that you might need.
Navigation, performance
There are moments where it gets a bit laggy, which can be a little bothersome, especially for someone who types a lot and fast, like this writer; letters and symbols from the keyboard float for a split second when you're typing a word or sentence. The timing’s delayed so yes, there were typos everywhere. You can experience the lag when going through and opening applications, too. It happens. It wouldn't be that much of an issue if you type slower or once learn to get the hang of it.
However, you'll have no trouble watching your favorite K-Drama series or playing games on it. Not to mention the sound through the speakers is crisp and clean. We just have to mention how clear the resolution was playing Honkai Impact 3 on the phone for the first time and how cool and impressive the animation looks on the phone's big (6.5 inches Infinity-V) display with 720 x 1600 resolution.
Battery life
The A04s boasts a good battery life, about 5000mAh. One full charge can last up to two days, depending on the usage. You can watch and play for hours on end. It took almost two hours for the phone to reach full charge.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A04s features triple camera lenses on the back: 50 megapixels for its impressive wide (main) lens, plus the 2-megapixel macro camera and another 2-megapixel for the depth camera that you can fully utilize for shots should you want to capture the moment. There's the Portrait Mode, Pro, Panorama, Food, and Macro with a natural bokeh effect. You can get amazing and clear-cut details on your pictures through the rear. For your selfie/front camera, you get a 5-megapixel with a bokeh effect.
The verdict:
Considering its very affordable price, we say it's pretty decent and modest for your day-to-day use, especially if you're someone who doesn't really use their phone that much (How?!) but have to since it’s considered to be essential nowadays. The Samsung Galaxy A04s retails for only P9,490.