Poco F3 vs. A52s 5G?

[LBO6051]

I've noticed that the newer A52s 5G model was recently released in my country, and seeing the comparisons between it and the regular A52 5G model, I see that they're quite close with A52s being only slightly better with it's improved CPU (Snapdragon 778G vs. Snapdragon 750G), and GPU. Other than that, they're mostly the same.

Now I'm wondering, how does it compare to the Poco F3, and which one would be better value?

I'm shopping for a new phone, and I mostly care about battery life and it's longevity / future-proofing, so specs aren't so much important to me because both phones look great, and I'm pretty sure I would be pleased with both of them so I don't mind if one is weaker than the other.

Camera, Video games, Flashy display are all irrelevant to me.

The only thing that remains different is the price, in which A52s is slightly expensive (~€20) than the F3, and it does come with lower memory and storage (6/128GB vs. 8/256GB), which is something I don't mind because my use case is so minimal.

So, out of these two phones, which one would you recommend?

 

[Xeeshan Siddiqui]

following up

 

[Hadron]

Well there is a big difference in processing power, but you say that's not important to you. Both have heavily customised versions of Android (Samsung's One UI vs Poco's implementation of MIUI). The Samsung has a microSD slot so you can expand storage if needed, but bear in mind that really only works for media storage, not for apps. They've the same size battery but the A52s has a more efficient processor, so it might offer better battery life, but the Poco is no slouch in that department. The Samsung does have a 3.5mm headphone jack which the Poco does not.

Since you said that longevity was a factor for you, Samsung are doing a decent job for software support recently, and you'll probably get 3 years of OS updates and maybe security patches for a year after that (that's what was promised for the A52 5G, not seen a statement on the A52s yet but I'd expect it to be the same). I don't know Poco's support record but I strongly suspect that this is where Samsung will win.

Personally I'd buy the Samsung because I prefer a 3.5mm jack and because I expect better software support. But the Poco wins on internal storage (which is better than microSD if you need > 128 GB) and has a more powerful processor (which would be better if you were a gamer but won't matter much otherwise).

 

[LBO6051]

Well there is a big difference in processing power, but you say that's not important to you. Both have heavily customised versions of Android (Samsung's One UI vs Poco's implementation of MIUI). The Samsung has a microSD slot so you can expand storage if needed, but bear in mind that really only works for media storage, not for apps. They've the same size battery but the A52s has a more efficient processor, so it might offer better battery life, but the Poco is no slouch in that department. The Samsung does have a 3.5mm headphone jack which the Poco does not.

Since you said that longevity was a factor for you, Samsung are doing a decent job for software support recently, and you'll probably get 3 years of OS updates and maybe security patches for a year after that (that's what was promised for the A52 5G, not seen a statement on the A52s yet but I'd expect it to be the same). I don't know Poco's support record but I strongly suspect that this is where Samsung will win.

Personally I'd buy the Samsung because I prefer a 3.5mm jack and because I expect better software support. But the Poco wins on internal storage (which is better than microSD if you need > 128 GB) and has a more powerful processor (which would be better if you were a gamer but won't matter much otherwise).

Thanks for the answer Hadron.

The only question that remains now is, which of these two phones provide better longevity / future-proofing potential?

F3 has superior CPU, GPU and two more gigabytes of RAM, but with a buggier OS, whereas A52s has more software updates, better IP rating, and a bit more stable OS.

Seeing how the specs for both are overkill for my use cases, I'm still not sure which of these would suit me better, but I know for sure that whichever one I pick, it'll serve me well.

 

[Deleted User]

Last week on Mi.com the F3 128gb was £259 uk, its still currently 279 or 309 for the 256gb. That would make it the one for me right now. I have the Poco F2 Pro with the SD865 soc and a fantastic AMOLED screen.

Both Poco and A52S being similar price I would lean slightly for the Samsung even though the SD870 is tempting on paper
As Hadron said, currently Samsung do offer greater update longevity - however - Xiaomi will offer similar 4 yr + 3yr updates from the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11T variants soon, with rumour from an article I can link that they may very well include current sold models on this new scheme.

MIUI 12.5 is excellent.

I would consider the Mi 11 (not Ultra) for myself, its currently down to 599 but may drop.

Also the Mi 11 Lite 5G at £329 is excellent.

Try Tech Spurt on YT for yesterdays Samsung A52s 5G review, and the Poco and Mi 11's.

Redmi Note 10 Pro is **a well balanced and desirable phone for less money.
[**Edited from: also excellent.** Bleuurkk! ]

(Redmi, Poco and Mi are the phone brands of Xiaomi,
Mi.com is the website - Poco has been made a separate brand so there's a Mi (sales)app and a Poco app.

Mi phones will be called Xiaomi from the Xiaomi 11T models onwards)!

 

[Xeeshan Siddiqui]

agreed