Samsung is back with the latest iteration of their ‘A’ series devices for the year 2021. Samsung Galaxy A72 has been launched in Nepal as a premium mid-ranger. This time Samsung has brought some exciting features like IP67 dust/water protection and OIS in the cameras & stereo speakers with the Galaxy A72 & Galaxy A52, which are quite exclusive and rarely seen in devices at this price segment. Let’s see how the Galaxy A72 competes with the OnePlus Nord as they are priced somewhat similarly.
Samsung Galaxy A72 vs One Plus Nord
| Samsung Galaxy A72 | OnePlus Nord | |
| Dimensions & Weight | 165 x 77.4 x 8.4 mm & 203 g | 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm & 184g |
| Display | 6.7 inch, FHD+, Super AMOLED with 90Hz refresh rate | 6.44 inch, FHD+, Super AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 720, 8nm, Octa-core at 2.3Ghz, Adreno 618 GPU | Snapdragon 765G, 7nm, Octa-core at 2.4Ghz, Adreno 620 GPU |
| Memory | 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, UFS 2.1 | 8GB+128GB, 12GB+256GB, UFS 2.1 |
| Software | Android 11, One UI 3.1 | Android 11, Oxygen OS11.1 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, 4G | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, 5G |
| Camera | Quad Rear Camera
64 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 8 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto)/3x optical zoom, 12 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) 123˚, 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro) Front Camera 32MP f/2.2, (wide) |
Quad Rear Camera
48 MP f/1.8 (wide), 8MP f/2.3 (ultra wide), 5MP f/2.4 (depth), 2MP f/2.4 (Macro) Dual Front Camera 32MP f/2.5 (wide) , 8MP f/2.5 (ultra wide) 105˚ |
| Battery | 5000 mAh
Fast charging 25W |
4115 mAh
Fast Charging 30W |
| Additional Features | OIS in Camera, IP67 water and dust resistance | 5G, 4K @ 60fps, |
| Price | 8GB+128GB – Rs. 51,999/-
8GB+256GB – Rs. 54,999/- |
8GB+128GB – Rs. 53,999/-
12GB+256 – Rs. 61,499/- |
Design & Display
Starting with the Samsung Galaxy A72, it’s a premium-looking mid-ranger with a punch hole at the front and quad-camera setup at the back inside a rectangular camera bump like its ‘S’ series siblings. It weighs about 203gm with 8.4mm thickness. This time it also has an IP67 rating (Water & dust resistant) and hybrid sim-slot with micro-sd expansion.
While the OnePlus Nord is mostly oriented towards one hand use with its 6.44-inch screen size and a weight of just 184gm. Here we get Gorilla Glass 5, both in front and back of the device, compared to the plastic back on the A72 with unspecified display protection. We even get a stereo speaker setup on the A72, which the Nord lacks.
Talking about the display of these devices. Here we get a 90Hz FHD+ Super AMOLED display on both of them. Samsung has a larger 6.7-inch panel with a max of 800+ nits brightness. Whereas on the Nord, we get a 6.44-inch display with HDR10+ certification. Both of them offer an under-display fingerprint sensor and are somewhat similar in the display tech.
Camera & Software
There seems to be a little ahead of the competition in the camera department. As Samsung has a better 64MP f/1.8 primary camera compared to 48MP f/1.8 on the OnePlus. Along with that Samsung also has an 8MP f/2.4, 3X telephoto camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP macro. While the Nord is standing with an 8MP f/2.3, Ultra-wide, and 2MP f/2.4 each, macro and depth sensor. OnePlus Nord & A72 caps out at 4K at 30fps when it comes to video recording from the rear shooter. This is the first time we have seen a proper 3X optical telephoto lens in this price range. And to make cherry on top, Samsung has also included Optical Image stabilization (OIS) on the telephoto lens.
While on the front Samsung offers a 32MP f/2.2 shooter, whereas One Plus has a Dual Camera setup with a 32MP f/2.5 primary and an 8MP f/2.5 Ultra-wide lens for large group selfies.
Talking about the software, Samsung comes with One UI 3.1 on top of Android 11, whereas One Plus has its good old Oxygen UI 11.1 on top of Android 11.
Performance & Battery
OnePlus has a clear edge here with its Snapdragon 765G, compared with Snapdragon 720G on the Galaxy A72. Snapdragon 765G is a 7nm, octa-core SoC with 1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver cores. While the GPU duties are handled by Adreno 620 GPU. Along with this we also get 8GB/12GB RAM with 128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 storage. Talking about the Samsung A72, here we have an 8nm SoC with 2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver cores and Adreno 618GPU, along with 8GB RAM and similar 128GB/256GB storage. Due to its SoC OnePlus Nord supported 5G connectivity while with the A72, you will be getting 4G only.
If gaming is important for you then there is no brainer that OnePlus Nord will outperform Galaxy A72 by a huge margin. Also for long-term usage, Snapdragon 765G should handle the future Android OS updates better compared to Snapdragon 720G found on Galaxy A72.
But having said that, Snapdragon 720G will offer decent performance in regular day-to-day usage. So if gaming is not important then you will be happy with Snapdragon 720G performance as well.
Samsung Galaxy A72 comes with a huge 5000mAh battery. Along with that we also get a 25W fast charger, within the box. Whereas the battery on the OnePlus is just 4115 mAh with support for 30W WARP charging. Due to the use of a 7nm SoC, we think the battery life will be decent on this one. While on the other hand, A72 can easily get you a full day use even if used in the 90Hz mode.
Pricing
Talking about the pricing of these devices, the Samsung Galaxy A72 will cost Rs. 51,999 for 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant and the higher variant with 8GB RAM & 256GB storage will cost you Rs.54,999. The OnePlus starts at Rs. 53,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant, and you also get a 12GB RAM variant with 256GB storage, which will cost you Rs. 61,499.
Samsung Galaxy A72
Pros
- Bigger display & bigger battery
- Better Camera setup with OIS
- IP67 Rating
- Stereo Speaker
Cons
- No Gorilla Glass Protection
- Snapdragon 720G lacks in performance, compared to 765G
- No 5G
OnePlus Nord
Pros
- Better Performance
- Oxygen OS and faster upgrades
- Supports 5G
- HDR10+ Display
Cons
- Smaller Battery
- 2MP depth and Macro Camera
- Expensive
