Samsung Galaxy A82 leak just revealed rival to Google Pixel 5

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The Samsung Galaxy A82 seems to ditch the rotating camera for 2021

Samsung Galaxy A72
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung has officially announced two members of its Galaxy A family of mid-range handsets: the A52 and A72. But according to a Google leak last month, there should be a Samsung Galaxy A82 in the works, which has not been officially announced. So what will Samsung’s top mid-ranger bring to the table when it finally emerges?

Tipster Mukul Sharma has some answers. Found via the Google Play Console developer tool, the handset will reportedly feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, pack 6GB of RAM and run Android 11. 

We’re intrigued as to the chipset highlighted by Sharma here. The Snapdragon 855 Plus processor was Qualcomm’s top SoC for 2019, but it has now been replaced by the Snapdragon 860 — a slightly tweaked version which supports more RAM and enhanced camera features. Given Qualcomm seems to treat the chips as interchangeable on its website, it’s likely that Samsung will make the small upgrade to the 860, which recently debuted on the Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro.

Whichever chipset the Samsung Galaxy A82 ends up using, performance should be solid for a mid-range handset. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC is what powered the first-generation Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, and that achieved a Geekbench 5 multi-core score of 2,689. The mid-range Google Pixel 5 with its Snapdragon 765G processor, by contrast, managed just 1,617 in the same test.  

In other words, a lot will depend on the pricing. If Samsung pitches the Galaxy A82 at a price that can undercut the $699 Pixel 5, then Google could well have a fight on its hands. And while the A82’s predecessor, the Galaxy A80, launched at $725, there is a hint in Sharma’s findings that indicates Samsung could lower the price this time around.

The Samsung Galaxy A80 mixed things up with an innovative rotating camera design. The back of the handset could pop up, and the rear camera could spin around to take selfies on demand, negating the need for thick bezels, a notch or pinhole camera in the screen to house an additional camera. 

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy A80

(Image credit: Samsung)

You’ll note that in the picture supplied with Sharma’s listing that there’s a pinhole camera instead. Ditching the rotating camera mechanic could be a quite effective cost saving measure — provided this isn’t just a placeholder image. It could well be, given Samsung recently secured a patent for an improved version of the rotating camera.

Hopefully we’ll find out soon enough. This discovery, combined with the phone’s inclusion in the Google leak, suggests that the Samsung Galaxy A82 will see the light of day soon enough.  

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.