The Samsung Galaxy A32 is the true entry point to the Samsung universe; all the A-series models below this suffer from severe limitations of some kind. As the entry to Samsung’s galaxy of phones, the A32 has no corners cut, and this is now the front runner in the budget phone race.

It was the first budget phone with an AMOLED screen. The 6.4-incher is a beauty and refreshes at 90 Hz for smoother scrolling and also richer video. The thinness of AMOLED means Samsung can squeeze in an under-screen fingerprint sensor. There was some momentary pause for the scan and unlock, but not annoyingly so. At just 184 g, the A32 is also one of the lightest budget phones, and that’s with a sizeable 5 000 mAh battery.

Battery life was outstanding, running to well over two full days with mixed ‘real-world’ usage. That’s going to be hard to beat. Photos from the rear cameras were very good compared to other budget phones in this category. The 64 MP main sensor, the 8 MP ultra-wide and the 5 MP macro were bested by only one other budget phone. Almost the only drawback we found with the A32 is that the flat plastic back panel makes it all look a little plain, especially on our grey review unit. But that won’t matter much if you’re using a cover, anyway.

6.4” AMOLED @90Hz screen, 4 GB RAM, 20 MP front / 64 MP + 8 MP wide angle + 5 MP macro + 5 MP depth, 128 GB storage, FM radio, 5 000 mAh battery, R5 000