Samsung Galaxy A51 is a killer iPhone SE alternative — and as cheap as $230

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By Roland Moore-Colyer
published

Samsung Galaxy A51 is available unlocked for $399 and even cheaper with trade-ins

Samsung Galaxy A51
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung's Galaxy A51, its mid-range answer to the Galaxy S20, is now available unlocked on Samsung.com and Amazon. And if you order soon, you’ll get a free pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds headphones as well. 

Priced at $399, the Galaxy A51 offers a more affordable alternative to the premium S-series Galaxy phones, and gets some other slick features while undercutting Apple’s impressive iPhone SE 2020. With an eligible trade-in handset, the Galaxy A51 can be had for as little as $229.99. 

Also available on AT&T as well as Xfinity Mobile, the Galaxy A51 sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and makes use of Samsung’s Infinity-O camera to help the display run edge-to-edge. It also has a fingerprint scanner under the display, much like the more expensive Galaxy S20 Plus. 

Under the chassis, which comes in a striking Prism Crush Black finish, the Galaxy A1 has an Exynos 9611 chip partnered with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That specification doesn't rival the S-series Galaxy handsets or phones like the OnePlus 8 Pro, but the Galaxy A51 should be able to easily handle most day-to-day phone tasks as well as some gaming. 

Flip the phone over and you’ll be greeted by a quad-camera array, with a 48MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. That should give the Galaxy A51 a suite of photography capabilities that aren't too far behind the current crop of flagship Android phones. 

Samsung Galaxy A51

(Image credit: Samsung)

Keeping the Galaxy A51 going is a 4,000mAh battery which can be charged through a USB-C port that supports 15W fast charging. Speaking of ports, the 3.5mm headphone jack that has been purged from this years’ crop of Galaxy S phones is present and correct for the Galaxy A51. That's good news for people who aren’t ready to jump to using wireless headphones.

If the initial price tag is still too much money to fork out, the Galaxy A51 can be had for $14.58 per month on a zero percent interest offer that lasts 24 months. Samsung will also throw in the option for two-months of free YouTube Premium and six-months of Spotify Premium, which should sweeten the deal.

In short, the Galaxy A51 is shaping up to be a decent affordable Galaxy phone on contract and unlocked; stay tuned for our full review.

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.