The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G is in our catalog but no UK retailer currently stocks it.
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.
£5 off any Samsung phone at Mozillion
Take £5 off any Samsung phone at Mozillion, code valid on pay monthly phone contracts and SIM free phones.
Terms: Valid on SIM free phones and pay monthly phone contracts.
Ends 31 Aug 2026
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£123.00
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£140.00
Cashback:
£0.00
Upfront Cost:
£280.00
3 refurbished deals available - SIM-free from £123.00.
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.
Tracking the best prices since 27 Apr 2026.
| 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 |
£200-£399 Phones · 190 phones
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.
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.
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.
Based on selfie megapixels and max selfie-video resolution.
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.
48
4K@30fs, 1080@30fs, 720@480fs
HDR
20 , f/2.2, 25mm (wide), 1/2.78", 1.0µm
2160
1080@30fs
Super AMOLED
6.6
720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~266 ppi density)
Snapdragon 750 5G
Adreno 619
Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 570)
microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Yes
Yes
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 - Europe
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - Europe
HSPA, LTE, 5G
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
5.0, A2DP, LE
USB Type-C 2.0
Yes
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
5000
15W wired
Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
