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Samsung Galaxy A42 vs Galaxy A03s

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Samsung Galaxy A42 vs Galaxy A03s

57 out of 100
Samsung Galaxy A42
VS
50 out of 100
Samsung Galaxy A03s
Samsung Galaxy A42
Samsung Galaxy A03s

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.6-inch Samsung Galaxy A42 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 5G) that was released on September 2, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A03s, which is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 and came out 12 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A42
  • 2.9x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (413K versus 144K)
  • Delivers 62% higher peak brightness (575 against 356 nits)
  • Slow-motion recording at 480FPS
  • Ability to record video in 4K resolution
  • Compatible with Wi-Fi 5 wireless networks
  • More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 750 5G
  • Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
  • Super AMOLED display (versus competitor''s PLS TFT)
  • Faster storage type - UFS 2.1 versus eMMC 5.1
  • 74% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 834 and 480 points
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A03s
  • The phone is 1-year newer

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy A42 and Galaxy A03s crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
Galaxy A42
vs
Galaxy A03s

Display

Type Super AMOLED PLS TFT
Size 6.6 inches 6.5 inches
Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels 720 x 1600 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
PPI 266 ppi 270 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max rated brightness 500 nits 400 nits
HDR support No No
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio 84.3% 81.8%
Display features - Always-On Display -
Display tests
RGB color space 97.7% 93.9%
PWM 242 Hz 806 Hz
Response time 9.5 ms 43 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity 1126:1
Peak brightness test (auto)
Galaxy A42 +62%
575 nits
Galaxy A03s
356 nits

Design and build

Height 164.4 mm (6.47 inches) 164.2 mm (6.46 inches)
Width 75.9 mm (2.99 inches) 75.9 mm (2.99 inches)
Thickness 8.6 mm (0.34 inches) 9.1 mm (0.36 inches)
Weight 193 g (6.81 oz) 196 g (6.91 oz)
Waterproof No No
Rear material Plastic Plastic
Frame material Plastic Plastic
Colors White, Black, Gray White, Black, Blue
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in-display Yes, in-button
Screen-to-body ratio

Performance

Tests of Samsung Galaxy A42 and Samsung Galaxy A03s in the benchmarks
SoC
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 5G MediaTek Helio P35
Max clock 2200 MHz 2350 MHz
CPU cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 570 Silver (Cortex-A55)
- 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Kryo 570 Gold (Cortex-A77) 		- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53
- 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53
L3 cache 3 MB -
Lithography process 8 nanometers 12 nanometers
Graphics Adreno 619 PowerVR GE8320
GPU shading units 256 32
GPU clock 825 MHz 680 MHz
FLOPS ~422.4 GFLOPS ~43.5 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
Galaxy A42 +186%
413845
Galaxy A03s
144853
CPU 132395 51263
GPU 86193 20113
Memory 88216 35388
UX 104854 36853
Total score 413845 144853

Memory

RAM
RAM size 4, 6, 8 GB 3, 4 GB
Memory type LPDDR4X -
Memory clock 1866 MHz -
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage size 128 GB 32, 64 GB
Storage type UFS 2.1 eMMC 5.1
Memory card MicroSD MicroSD
Memory card max size Up to 512 GB Up to 1024 GB

Software

Operating system Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM One UI 3.1 One UI Core 5.0
OS size 20 GB 13.2 GB

Battery

Capacity 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max charge power 15 W 15 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Ion
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging No No
Reverse charging No No
Fast charging Yes (27% in 30 min) Yes (15% in 30 min)
Full charging time 2:01 hr 3:38 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing 13:46 hr 15:57 hr
Watching video 18:16 hr 14:23 hr
Gaming 06:19 hr 06:16 hr
Standby 123 hr 124 hr
General battery life
Galaxy A42
39:16 hr
Galaxy A03s
39:16 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones
Main camera
Matrix 48 megapixels 13 megapixels
Image resolution 8000 x 6000 4128 x 3096
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 30FPS No
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 30FPS
Slow motion 480 FPS (720p) No
Angle of widest lens 123° -
Lenses 4 (48 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP) 3 (13 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP)
Wide (main) lens - 48 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8
- Focal length: 26 mm
- Pixel size: 0.8 micron
- Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (ISOCELL CMOS)
- Phase autofocus
- 13 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8
- Phase autofocus
Ultra-wide lens - 8 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2
-
Macro lens - 5 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4
Depth lens - 5 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode 		- Bokeh mode
Selfie camera
Megapixels 20 megapixels 5 megapixels
Image resolution 5184 x 3880 2560 x 1960
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Pixel size 1 microns -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display 		- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG 		- Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC * Yes Depends on the region
Infrared port No No
Network
Number of SIM * 2 2
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
Multi SIM mode Standby Standby
eSIM support * No No
Hybrid slot Yes No
LTE Cat * 18 4
5G support Yes No

Sound

Speakers Mono Mono
Headphone audio jack Yes Yes
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speakers test
Max loudness
Galaxy A42
82.9 dB
Galaxy A03s +4%
86.5 dB

Other

Category Mid-range Budget
Announced September 2020 August 2021
Release date November 2020 August 2021
SAR (head) 1.15 W/kg 0.36 W/kg
SAR (body) 1.33 W/kg 1.09 W/kg
Sensors - Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint 		- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger - Yes, 15 W
* Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the Samsung Galaxy A42 is definitely a better buy.

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