Need next-gen connectivity but don't want to break the bank? Samsung's Galaxy A42 5G is a bin-raking £349

5G is no longer the preserve of the pricey. Samsung's Galaxy A42 5G is priced at £349 and competes with similarly entry-level devices from the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus. Specs-wise, this phone delivers what you'd expect for the price. The Galaxy A42 5G is configured with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The latter is …

[mark l 2]

If I were to buy a new phone and I could get one that supports 5G for the same price as the 4G version, its probably worth getting the 5G version. But I certainly wouldn't pay extra for a 5G capable phone at the moment, as by the time the UK gets its 5G network rolled out now they have to remove all Huawei kit. The phone will probably be at the end of its life and wanting replacing.

[Roland6]

>as by the time the UK gets its 5G network rolled out now they have to remove all Huawei kit. The phone will probably be at the end of its life and wanting replacing.

For many people, the 5G timescales mean only when they come to replace the replacement will it be worth getting a 5G phone, at which point I suspect all phones will be 5G...

[Anonymous Coward]

I like the skinny aspect ratio...

... because I'm hoping that with any luck in a few years I'll be able to buy a phone with a proper "wand" form factor ...

-

... so I can better look the part during all my Harry Potter impressions ... :-)

[Dacarlo]

Training

I love how we've been trained to think that £350 is a 'bargain' for a mobile phone.

[Aitor 1]

Re: Training

Very few alternatives... and anyway 4GB of ram means this phone is almost obsolete when new.

[Dave 126]

Re: Training

I used £25 Alactel Pixi 3 for a couple of months... fine for calls, maps, WhatsApp, podcasts. Merely usable for web browsing. Not really viable for watching video or for taking photographs. It was nice, though, not to be worried every time I dropped it.

Then I used a £45 Huawei Something-or-other, sold at half its normal £90. Very usable all round, though all attempts to get a decent launcher to stick would fail. Much nicer than the Alactel though. Again, no worries about breaking it.

Upgraded to a second hand Google Nexus 5 and cheaply and easily replaced its (never really big enough) battery. Superb in all departments except battery size and camera. Everything was easier to do than the two really cheap phones.

Sod it. Bought a Galaxy S8 for around £500, ten months after its first release (a time period at which Samsung flagships are usually reduced by a third) and glad I did. No real compromises in the hardware side, no software issues that took more than ten minutes to sort out. Consistently not irritating to use for the last thirty months, and likely to remain fit for purpose for many months to come. Fitted big case and glass screen protector to add to its robustness.

All three phones have proven to be good value, but in different ways.

[Charlie Clark]

Vendor support

While Samsung's A-range phones are usually very good, it's worth noting that they don't normally get as much care and attention in the form of OS updates as the S-range. And alternative firmware generally harder to find.

[airbrush]

updates

The problem is that with the slow to non existent updates you may as well get the equivalent or better xiaomi 10 lite with better chip and more memory for two thirds the price or even cheaper Poco x3. Two day battery in each too along with 5G.