A year after the Galaxy A40 was introduced its successor the A41 was announced in March. The A40 was the best-selling handset in the UK in 2019, so this is an important phone for Samsung and it is important that it measures up. So, let’s see what has changed from last year’s model.
Firstly, the screen. This has been increased from 5.9” to 6.1” in size and is still a Super AMOLED. As a result, it has a slightly higher screen to body ratio of 85.9%, but resolution remains the same at 1080p, so screen density drops slightly to 431ppi.
It still has a plastic back and frame but the A41 has now gained IP68 dust & water resistance (a good move for a mid-ranger to help set it apart). As a result of all this, the weight has gone up slightly to 152g.
Slight improvements inside
It now ships with Android 10 and Samsung’s own One UI 2 OS on top (probably one of the best Android skins currently). The Exynos 7904 processor of last year has been replaced with the mid-range Helio P65. RAM remains the same at 4GB and expandable storage is still 64GB.
The A41 has retained the 3.5mm headphone jack, but its fingerprint scanner has moved from the back to be under the display. Finally, inside the battery has been upgraded to 3500 mAh with 15W fast charging.
Triple rear array with upgraded cameras
Onto the cameras and the rear array of the A41 has gained a third lens. This triple array now consists of a 48MP f/2.0 wide main, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide and 5MP f/2.4 depth lens. So, both main cameras have been upgraded and a depth sensor added. These cameras and the flash are now in, what is becoming the 2020 standard for Samsung, a black rectangular unit in the top left.
On the front, the selfie is still in a central U-shaped cutout and is still a 25MP wide lens, but the f setting is now 2.2.
Good upgrade – but worth the extra?
The A41 is available in four colours: Black, White, Blue and Red – all prefixed Prism Crush, which gives it a nice ribbed pattern on the back. So, a bigger screen, IP68 certification, more and better cameras on the back and a bigger battery, certainly make it look like a good upgrade. A lot will depend on the price. The A40 is currently available for around £160, so the reported £269 price of the A41 at launch is quite a jump. Are all those extra features worth another £130?
