samsung galaxy a12 lcd screen replacement free sample
I was watching some movies on my phone then when I switch to an even bigger resolution. my phone just went on the craziest lag and then it just turn into a chocolate color and I can"t open anything. the screen is completely chocolate so I cant see my apps. but if I scroll down I see my tools but when I press them for example the settings tool. it won"t show me the settings. but when I try to call myself with my other phone it connected and it opened me to what"s up but I can"t see the chat only the display of who was calling me. I can press the restart and shut down button but it won"t restart or shut down me. what is going on here?
Samsung gave its budget-friendly range a solid boost with the Galaxy A12, adding a larger display, better camera, and a comfortable textured finish. It had to cut some corners in the power department, but this is one of the better sub-$200 phones on the market.
Samsung’s Galaxy A12 budget smartphone is more than just an iterative update over the Galaxy A11 — with a bigger battery, another camera, and so much more on board. Value hunters will also appreciate that Samsung managed to keep its sub-$200 price tag. How well do these new upgrades fare? Let’s find out in our Samsung Galaxy A12 review.
A new version of this device is available: The Samsung Galaxy A13 has arrived. It offers 5G, an updated design, and a solid 50MP main camera. Check out our Samsung Galaxy A13 review.
Samsung introduced its Galaxy A12 as a direct successor to the Galaxy A11 in November 2020 before bringing it to the US in April 2021. It was superseded by the Galaxy A13 series.
The Galaxy A12 offers a total of six different configurations, starting with as little as 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. However, only three are readily available in the United States right now (listed above). No matter which way you go, you’ll also have access to four color options — red, blue, black, and white.
Our Samsung Galaxy A12 arrived with Android 10 on board, though the Android 11 update with Samsung’s One UI 3.1 is available via OTA. It also ran the July 1, 2021 Android security patch at the time of testing. It should receive two years of software updates as well as four total years of security patches, which will carry the Galaxy A12 through late 2024 or early 2025. Our unit hasn’t received Android 12 yet, but it should be on the way before long.
Once you move past the software, you’ll find the MediaTek Helio P35 SoC powering away on Samsung’s entry-level device. The RAM and storage options top out at 6GB and 128GB, respectively, and you can go even further with the microSD slot. A 5,000mAh battery and a 6.5-inch HD+ panel tie everything together, and the display comes complete with an Infinity-V notch. In India, there is a variant that swaps out for Helio P35 for Samsung’s own Exynos 850 chipset.
Samsung dropped its wired earbuds from the packaging this time around, though it still offers a charging block and USB-C cable. You get a SIM ejector tool and a basic startup guide as well, in case you need some assistance getting off the ground. Samsung’s Galaxy A12 is also available on Verizon, US Cellular, and AT&T.
Budget-friendly phones seem almost determined to add mirrored backs and fingerprint magnet finishes to lend an air of quality. Thankfully, Samsung’s Galaxy A12 bucks the trend, instead opting for a matte finish that feels soft in the hand. I also appreciate the raised diagonal ridges, as they add a little bit of extra grip to the overall design.
The large 6.5-inch display means that a good grip is a must if you’re hoping to skip a case. While that display sticks to an HD+ resolution, it’s still perfectly large enough and clear enough to catch up on your latest shows. We’ll always praise a headphone jack, and wired headphones are the best way to enjoy sound on the Galaxy A12 as opposed to the down-firing mono speaker.
Samsung also decided to leave the Galaxy A11’s rear-mounted fingerprint reader in the past. Instead, the Galaxy A12 employs a side-mounted option, which is very quick, easy to use, and cleans up the overall look of the device.
Adorning the back panel is Samsung’s camera array capped off by a 48MP main shooter, which works well enough outdoors for a budget camera phone (check later in this review for samples). You can also tap into the macro and ultrawide cameras for extra flexibility. The camera app is a breeze to navigate, though it might take a moment or two to hunt down the macro button as it’s hidden away in the More tab.
Samsung’s One UI is one of the better Android skins on the market right now, and it’s as good as ever on the Galaxy A12. In particular, the Samsung Free app is something like Google’s Discover feed but with a kick. Instead of simply offering news, Samsung Free brings Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Podcasts, Taboola News, and Instant Plays into one spot. Best of all, you don’t have to spend a penny for any of it.
The Galaxy A12 is also a battery wizard, at least as far as holding a charge. I had no problems powering through a good two days of usage between light gaming, answering emails, and browsing social media.
The Samsung Free app may be a nice addition to the overall package, but Samsung didn’t stop there when deciding how much to add to its take on Android. Unfortunately, there are heaps of extra apps on the Galaxy A12 that mostly take up space. It comes with a full suite of Google apps as well as Samsung apps that lead to a lot of redundancy. There are even Microsoft options like Office, OneDrive, and Outlook. You’ll also run into Shop Samsung, Galaxy Shop, and the Galaxy Store — how many people actually need two Samsung stores and a Play Store alternative?
The good news is that you can uninstall at least the Microsoft-based bloat, but it doesn’t do much to help the Galaxy A12’s tendency to lag. Mediatek’s Helio P35 doesn’t always seem up to the task of powering the 6.5-inch display, and hopping between apps only slows things down further. The limited RAM and storage don’t help, so you might want to look at the 4GB RAM/64GB storage version if you can find it.
Although Samsung packed a solid main lens on the Galaxy A12, the fun peripheral options aren’t always in good form. The macro lens offers just 2MP, and it took quite a few attempts to achieve the reasonably clear sample image below. You won’t find a dedicated night mode on the Galaxy A12 either, so you’ll probably have to endure some trial and error beyond daylight hours.
While all phones add a little magic after pressing the shutter button, the end result for photos taken on the Galaxy A12 were often notably better than what the camera app showed. For example, the low-light image below looked significantly darker when I pressed the shutter button, and neither image in the comparison looked as clean as what you see. Most times, this turned out to be a nice surprise in the end, but it does make judging your shot a little tricky. Portrait mode also wasn’t great at edge detection, as you can see in the sample around my hair.
Samsung may have fit a solid battery into its Galaxy A12, but the 15W charging speeds are woefully underpowered, even for a cheap phone like this. I was only able to go from 3% to 23% charge after 30 minutes, with a full charge taking more than two hours.
The Samsung Galaxy A12 is a solid upgrade over the Galaxy A11 in almost every way. What this budget-friendly phone does bring to the table is a good 48MP main camera, excellent battery life, and Samsung’s crisp and attractive One UI software. Unfortunately, the peripheral cameras lack punch, and the laggy performance can be frustrating, but these are expected trade-offs at this price tier.
We’ve mentioned that the Galaxy A12 lands right around Motorola’s Moto G Power (2022) ($199), and while both appear well suited for someone buying their first smartphone, the Galaxy is a far safer pick. The lack of 5G limits its future prospects, though you can try out the OnePlus Nord N20 ($282) or pick up Samsung’s newer Galaxy A13 5G ($249) if you want to tap into top speeds.
The Galaxy A12 picked up right where the Galaxy A11 left off, with an extra camera, a bigger battery, and a new textured back panel. Grab yours with its Infinity-V display and see what Samsung can do.
Although many of our readers want maximum functionality from their phones, others don’t want to drop anywhere close to four figures on a flagship phone. That"s why the Galaxy A-series has been so successful for Samsung. Nearly any shopper can walk into their carrier"s store and leave with a device a Samsung phone matches their budget. Of course, as you drop further down in price, there are more compromises. The Galaxy A12 is a phone of compromises, but are they the right ones?
There"s nothing flashy about the A12"s design. Its plastic frame and textured back may sound cheap on paper, but I found it comfortable in my hand. The A12 features a unibody design that feels sturdy, and the matte finish helps repel fingerprints. Its volume rocker and power button (which doubles as a fingerprint sensor) both feel a little mushy when placed side-by-side with more expensive devices, but overall, it"s an unobjectionable no-frills piece of hardware.
I"m less sold on the size of the phone. I"ve always preferred large screens, but the tall 6.5" display of the A12 might be too big, even for a lover of big phones. It was virtually impossible to reach the top-left corner of the screen with one hand. While the minimal bezels and U-shaped notch help make the most of the surface area, it"s still one of the larger phones on the market right now.
Luckily, Samsung has placed the power button underneath the volume rocker for easy access. While it took me a couple of weeks to unlearn the order of buttons I"m used to, it made unlocking the phone less of a reach. The built-in fingerprint sensor was fast and accurate, too. Along the bottom of the phone, you"ll find a USB-C port and headphone jack. There"s also a small speaker (the only one on the phone), which sounds fine but is far too easy to muffle with your hand. The left-side and top of the device are entirely bare, save for the combination SIM card slot and microphone.
Although a 6.5" 720p panel might sound like a dismal experience, it"s honestly not bad. Viewing angles could be better, but I didn"t have any issues with text, photos, or even videos. While I would"ve preferred a sharper 1080p display, this isn"t a deal-breaker. However, I did find that the glass felt cheap under my fingers. Compared to the quality of high-end flagships, the A12 quickly builds up smudges and grease in a way oleophobic coatings typically repel.
In the box, you"ll find a 15W charger, a short USB-A to USB-C cable, and the usual array of paperwork. While that charger is labeled as "adaptive fast charging," the A12"s massive battery brings charging to a crawl, requiring several hours to fill up.
Although Samsung began distributing Android 11 to the Galaxy A12 back in May, it has yet to hit my device nearly two months later. That said, I didn"t find myself missing out on too much with Android 10 and One UI 2.5. Although its software may be outdated, Samsung has done an excellent job pushing out security updates. My A12 is currently sitting on the May 2021 patch, and since it"s on a quarterly release schedule, it won"t be long until the next update.
Instead of a low-end Snapdragon processor or one of its Exynos chips, Samsung has opted to power the A12 with Mediatek"s Helio P35. It"s not the first time the company has used this chip in an A-series phone, but for whatever reason, this device in particular really struggled to keep up. Some elements, like dropped frames when opening and closing the notification tray, can be easily ignored. It"s not something you want to see on a phone straight out of the box, but it doesn"t ruin the experience.
Unfortunately, that’s not the extent of the performance issues. Opening apps, heading to the home screen, searching, typing — everything is dog slow. You can forget multitasking; with a YouTube video playing in the background, Spotify wouldn"t even open. It was stuck on the splash screen until I closed both apps and reopened the one I wanted. Even single applications struggled. It didn"t matter if I was checking Twitter, searching on Google, or just browsing the web. Things always felt just a little slower than I would"ve liked, and that sometimes left me reaching for my tablet, laptop, or even another phone if I was at home.
Other issues popped up in extended use, too. After switching away from traditional navigation buttons for my preferred gesture controls, the increased lag when returning to the home screen or switching apps was so frustrating that I was forced to switch back.
What this phone lacks in speedy performance, it more than makes up for in battery life. With a low-power processor, a 720p display, and a 5,000mAh battery, the A12 regularly made it through at least two days of use. At one point, I hit seven hours of screen on time and still had nearly 50% battery life left. If you"re someone who routinely travels or camps, this might be a perfect secondary device.
I"m not sure if you can find a great set of cameras on a phone below $200, and the A12 doesn"t buck that trend. You"ll still get access to a plethora of shooting options, though. In addition to the front-facing camera, the A12 includes four lenses on its back: a 48MP wide-angle lens, a 5MP ultrawide lens, and 2MP macro and depth lenses.
Despite all those sensors, the A12 really only produces passable images in daylight, especially if you"re trying to use the ultrawide lens. During the day, the primary wide lens is capable of taking acceptable photos of plants, landscapes, houses, and people. Indoor photos weren"t completely terrible either, provided there was a good source of light for the shot.
However, outside of those ideal circumstances, the A12"s camera just doesn"t hold up. An overcast afternoon or a room with the blinds drawn add noise to any image. Photos of food in dimly-lit restaurants ended up looking dreary and unappetizing. It"s a similar situation at night, resulting in unfocused, photos with a ton of noise.
Probably not. Budget phones have their place, and for some, spending more than $200 on a mobile device is simply not worth it. The Galaxy A12 isn"t a bad phone — in fact, it"s an able road trip companion, with its giant display and a battery to match. But Samsung had to cut several corners to get the price this low, and unfortunately, performance just can"t keep up with modern standards.
While it faces stiff competition from Nokia and Motorola, those manufacturers can"t keep pace with Samsung"s update schedule. And yet, you get the same (or better) update support with other members of the A-series family. The Galaxy A32 costs $100 more, and includes a better display and improved camera quality. There are also phones like the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, which has much better hardware for just $240.
Ultimately, the Galaxy A12 fails to find a single category where it defeats the competition. It"s a phone of compromises, but one that makes all the wrong choices when cutting corners. Extra-long battery life only takes you so far when using the phone is frustratingly slow. With superior devices available for just a bit of extra cash upfront, you"re better off opting for something else.
Since I last looked at the Galaxy A12, my unit finally received its Android 11 update. I didn’t expect a fresh coat of paint to fix all of my qualms about the phone, but I was surprised with some improved performance. The notification tray, for example, no longer drops frames every time it’s opened. It did feel a tad slower in response, but it’s far better than the previous sluggishness of Android 10. In general, One UI 3 feels much more polished, though it didn’t make any significant improvements to the day-to-day usage of the phone.
But even with the frame drops mostly removed, the A12 still feels unusably slow. Even a routine action like a Google search takes seconds longer than on other smartphones — a beat to open the app after tapping the widget, another beat as your recent searches load, and then several moments as Samsung’s keyboard awakens from its slumber. It’s simply too slow to recommend as a daily driver, and no amount of future updates or patches will fix what is, at its core, a fundamental problem with this phone.
Phones like OnePlus’s Nord N200 have dropped as low as $200 on Amazon in the recent past, and with holiday sales on the horizon, great deals on phones won’t be hard to find. Samsung fans should also look at the Galaxy A32, a much more powerful phone for just $100 more than this. No matter which device you choose, your money is better spent elsewhere.
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