We first spotted the Samsung Galaxy A12 in Europe towards the end of 2020. This device keeps its date in India and lands in the ultra-competitive Rs 10,000 – 15,000 price band where brands like Xiaomi and OPPO have upped their game with capable smartphones that deliver serious bang for their buck. The A12 makes a serious pitch with a clean design language, intuitive UI, and a quad rear cam. Is that enough to lure buyers in a segment where buyers demand more for less?

The first thing that caught my attention was the elegant build quality. Samsung opts for a dual-textured back. Almost 80% of the back is finished in a striped, textured pattern. It doesn’t just look good but also makes the device nicer to grip and less prone to slipping through your hand. The bottom part of the device features a smooth, matte finish with the Samsung logo etched. We really like the design of the rear cam and how it fits seamlessly into the overall scheme. This dual design played out really well in the black colour variant we checked out. The A12 is also available in blue and a gorgeous white colour option – our favourite. The device weighs a shade over 200 gm but it doesn’t feel too clunky in your hand.

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That heft is a given these days with large displays and monster batteries now becoming par for the course. The A12 features a 6.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) display or what Samsung calls a TFT Infinity-V display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. There’s a teardrop notch that has begun to look a tad dated now. We’re also surprised that Samsung opted for 720 x 1600 pixels instead of upping it to 1080 x 2400 pixels that some of its rivals in this price segment currently offer. It’s still a good display at this sticker price with vibrant colours and clear visibility even under direct sunlight.

In terms of hardware, the A12 is powered by the MediaTek Helio P35 processor. There’s a choice of 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB (that we tested) hardware variants. The A12 clocked a decent 995 in our Geekbench (multi-core) test. It’s certainly not the fastest in its class but didn’t stutter in everyday tasks. We like the placement of the fingerprint sensor (in the power key); the sensor itself is quite responsive. Battery life is quite solid too. There’s a 5000 mAh battery under the hood (Samsung also bundles a 15W fast charger), it lasted well over a day with some camera usage, videos and a day full of calls and screen time on WhatsApp and other social media apps.

The A12 features a quad rear cam driven by a 48MP primary lens. It’s good in optimal light, we were pleasantly surprised with the results from the 2MP macro lens. The rear cam also includes a 2MP depth sensor and 5MP ultra-wide lens. It’s quite a versatile set-up and one of the better cams in this segment. There’s also an 8MP selfie shooter in the mix.

The Samsung Galaxy A12 features Samsung’s One UI and Android 10 out of the box. Samsung’s UI gives this an edge over competing devices. We find this UI quite intuitive and easy on the eye. There’s also less bloatware and stuff you might feel compelled to ‘uninstall’.

This UI blends quite well with the elegant design of the device. One more reason aside from a dependable battery and a versatile rear cam that makes the Samsung Galaxy A12 a strong contender if you’re in the market for a smartphone under Rs 15,000.

The Samsung Galaxy A12 comes in two variants: 4GB/64GB – Rs 12,999 and 4GB/128GB – Rs 13,999. It’s available in black, blue and white.

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