Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Deals - September 2026
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G SIM-free from £129.00 at Back Market.
3 refurbished deals available - SIM-free from £129.00.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G SIM Free deals
Find the best SIM Free deal on the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G from 3 options.
Spec scores
£200-£399 Phones · 198 phones
Performance
1.7
/5
Display
2
/5
Rear Camera
1.5
/5
Front Camera
2.9
/5
Battery
2.5
/5
Deals
SIM Free from £129.00
Color
All
Black
Grey
Storage
All
128GB
Buyers who want 5G, a big AMOLED screen and all-day battery life for as little as possible, and who will not be bothered by a lower-resolution display.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G SIM Free (3 deals)
Filters
Grade B
5G
Galaxy A42 5G 128GB (Black)
Cost breakdown
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£129.00
Grade B
5G
Galaxy A42 5G 128GB (Grey)
Cost breakdown
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£140.00
Grade B
5G
Galaxy A42 5G 128GB (Black)
Cost breakdown
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£280.00
Photos
Tap any image to view full size
Images: Samsung
About the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
The Galaxy A42 5G was Samsung's attempt to get 5G into the hands of buyers who were not prepared to spend mid-range money, and the compromises it makes are unusually easy to understand. Samsung kept the things people notice immediately: a big 6.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with proper contrast, a 5,000mAh battery that sees out a full day without thinking about it, a headphone jack, a microSD slot and NFC for contactless payments. What it gave up is resolution. The screen runs at 720 x 1600, which on a display this large means text and icons look softer than on almost any rival, and there is no high refresh rate either. The Snapdragon 750G behind it is a genuinely capable chip that handles everyday apps and light gaming without fuss, and the 48MP main camera is fine in good light. Samsung supported it to Android 13 and One UI 5, with security updates running until the end of 2024, so it is now out of support and best suited to undemanding use.
Price History
Tracking the best prices since 27 Apr 2026.
SIM-Free (Refurb)
Lowest price in 30 days (£87)
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G vs Galaxy A52 5G - Key Differences
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy A42 5G | Samsung Galaxy A52 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.6-inch Super AMOLED, 720 x 1600, 60Hz | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED, 1080 x 2400, 120Hz |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 750G 5G | Snapdragon 750G 5G |
| Rear camera | 48MP main + 8MP ultrawide + 5MP macro + depth sensor | 64MP main with OIS + 12MP ultrawide + 5MP macro + depth sensor |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh, 15W wired | 4,500 mAh, 25W wired |
| Water resistance | No IP rating | IP67 |
| Dimensions | 164.4 x 75.9 x 8.6 mm, 193 g | 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm, 189 g |
| Storage options | 128GB, microSD up to 512GB | 128GB or 256GB, microSD up to 1TB |
| SIM-free price | From £129.00 | Not available |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G worth buying?
It is a reasonable budget option if you mainly want 5G, all-day battery life and a large screen, and you are not fussy about sharpness. The 720p resolution on a 6.6-inch panel is its weak point, and Samsung's software support ended in December 2024. Anyone who wants a crisp display or ongoing security patches should step up to the Galaxy A52 5G or newer.
Does the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G have a headphone jack and microSD slot?
Yes to both. It keeps a 3.5mm headphone jack and takes a microSDXC card of up to 512GB on top of its 128GB of built-in storage. The card shares the second SIM slot, so you have to choose between dual SIM and expandable storage.
How long does the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G battery last?
The 5,000mAh battery reliably gets through a full day and often further, helped by the low-resolution screen drawing less power than a 1080p panel would. Charging is slow by modern standards at 15W, so a full top-up takes well over an hour and a half.
Is the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G camera good?
It is competent in daylight and unremarkable elsewhere. The 48MP main sensor produces decent, well-processed photos outdoors, but the 8MP ultrawide is noticeably softer and the 5MP macro adds little. It records 4K video at 30fps, which is more than most phones at this level managed at launch.
Does the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G still receive updates?
No. It launched on Android 10 with One UI 2.5, received two major Android upgrades taking it to Android 13 and One UI 5, and its four years of security updates ended in December 2024. It will not receive further patches.
Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G or the Galaxy A52 5G?
Both use the same Snapdragon 750G, so day-to-day speed is broadly similar. The Galaxy A52 5G is the better phone in almost every other respect: a sharper 1080p 120Hz display, a 64MP main camera with optical stabilisation, 25W charging and an IP67 water resistance rating the A42 5G lacks entirely. The A42 5G's advantages are a larger 5,000mAh battery and a slightly bigger screen.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Specifications
Spec Scores
£200-£399 Phones · 198 phones
- Snapdragon 750 5G
- Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 570)
This phone
33%
Avg
42%
Best
93%
This phone
33%
Avg
50%
Best
100%
Based on calibrated CPU benchmark rankings (60%) and GFXBench GPU scores (40%). Apple chipsets included via editorial calibration since AnTuTu under-represents Apple's architecture.
- 6.6 inches
- 720 x 1600 pixels
- AMOLED
This phone
40%
Avg
62%
Best
96%
This phone
40%
Avg
61%
Best
98%
Based on panel type (LTPO is the modern flagship gold standard), resolution, refresh rate, peak brightness, screen size, and HDR10+ / Dolby Vision support. Marketing peak-brightness claims are capped at 3500 nits to prevent inflation.
- Single camera setup
- 48 MP main camera
- 4K video recording
This phone
30%
Avg
39%
Best
70%
This phone
30%
Avg
41%
Best
95%
Based on main-sensor size (1-inch / 1/1.3" beats 1/2.0"), telephoto reach (periscope > 5x > 3x optical), image processing tier (Apple Pro, Pixel Pro, Galaxy Ultra, Honor Magic Pro, Xiaomi Ultra), pro video features (ProRes, Apple Log, Dolby Vision), camera-partnership branding (Leica, Hasselblad, Zeiss) and OIS. Older flagships are de-rated since image processing pipelines have advanced significantly each generation. Megapixel count is deliberately downweighted — it correlates poorly with real-world camera quality. Where DXOMARK has lab-tested the phone, its measured score replaces this estimate.
- 20 MP front camera
- 1080p selfie video
This phone
57%
Avg
59%
Best
90%
This phone
57%
Avg
60%
Best
93%
Based on the image-processing tier (Apple Pro, Pixel Pro, Galaxy Ultra and Honor Magic lead on computational processing), sensor resolution in tiers rather than raw megapixels, autofocus, aperture and max selfie-video resolution. Calibrated against DXOMARK's selfie protocol.
- 5,000 mAh
- 15W wired
This phone
49%
Avg
51%
Best
86%
This phone
49%
Avg
53%
Best
100%
Based on battery capacity (mAh) adjusted for platform efficiency calibrated against NotebookCheck, Tom's Guide, GSMArena and CNET reviewer tests. Apple A-series gets +45% (iOS process freezing + LTPO 1Hz + tuned panels make iPhone Pro Max outlast many 6500+ mAh Android phones in measured tests). Top Snapdragon / Dimensity flagships get +15%, budget chipsets are penalised −15% to −25% to reflect less efficient displays and looser background limits. Charging speed is excluded — see the separate Fast charging tag for that.
General
Camera
Primary Camera Megapixels
48
Primary Camera Video
4K@30fs, 1080@30fs, 720@480fs
Selfie Camera Features
HDR
Primary Selfie Camera
20 , f/2.2, 25mm (wide), 1/2.78", 1.0µm
Video Resolution
2160
Selfie Video Resolution
1080@30fs
Display
Type
Super AMOLED
Display Size
6.6
Display Resolution
720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~266 ppi density)
CPU & Memory
Chipset
Snapdragon 750 5G
GPU
Adreno 619
CPU
Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 570)
Memory Card Slot
microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Internal Storage
Sound
Loudspeaker
Yes
3.5mm Jack
Yes
Connectivity & Data
2G
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 - Europe
5G
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - Europe
Network Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Network Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
5.0, A2DP, LE
USB
USB Type-C 2.0
NFC
Yes
GPS
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
Battery
Battery
5000
Charging
15W wired
Other
Sensors
Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass