Samsung shoots new mid-rangers out all the time. Why wouldn’t they? They know what they’re doing – we haven’t come across a Samsung phone we didn’t like yet. The A60 comes with decent specs, but its looks are just to-die-for. Let’s dive into it.
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The plastic on it is super glossy. It’s curved well, looking glass-like from across the room. In your hands, its glossy nature makes it feel like a million bucks. We’re fans of its build.
Being so glossy, there’s something you should know. The A60 unfortunately has a death-wish. It’s as slippery as a bar of soap. Its high-sheen back collects a lot of fingerprints too.
Its frame is also made from the material. Just look at it, though – Samsung did a fabulous job making it look like metal.
You can pick the handset up in a number of colours. We think the Seawater Blue variant is the best. You can pick it up in the following choices:
It’s 2020 and phones are all about being huge. The A60 rocks a 6.3-inch screen. If you have smaller hands, using it will be difficult.
Not only is it big, but it’s thin too. The following are its dimensions 155.3 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm.
The handset’s got some weight to it. If you’ve read our reviews before, you’d know we’re fans of devices with a bit of weight. They feel more premium. It comes in at 168 grams.
Its buttons are tactile and in easy-to-reach spots. Your fingers will find the fingerprint sensor located on its back well. Speaking of the sensor, it’s snappy.
Looking across its sides, you’ll see a MicroSD slot. You might be alarmed at the absence of a headphone jack. Samsung’s been removing them from pricier handsets.
Having a large screen, you’ll dive into whatever you’re watching. But Samsung could’ve made its viewing experience better if they placed a more vibrant panel. There’s a PLS TFT which is not as vibrant as IPS LCDs or Super AMOLEDs.
Its screen is pin-sharp. It has a 1080 x 2340-pixel resolution. You won’t notice anything, even if you look closely.
Not only do manufacturers try and make phones huge these days, but they also try and eliminate bezels. Samsung did a good job with the A60. It comes with an 84.9% screen-to-body ratio. You’re not even getting a notch on it. There’s a punch-hole instead.
Did we mention the glass on its front? It’s Gorilla Glass 3. It can handle beatings.
Just like other Samsung units, you’re met with great temperature and colour settings. If you’re not a fan of how vibrant its display is, you can try and sort things out.
You’re well aware of how bright the Sri Lankan sun can get. That’s why you’ll love that its display offers over 600 maximum nits. To be considered bright, over 500 is the gold standard.
Its battery is 3500 mAh. You can expect the handset to last a little over a day.
There’s a USB-C port on it. You’ll be connecting a 15 W fast charger to it. The A60 will go from 0-100% in around an hour and a half.
Of course, there are excellent power saving modes available. You’ll be able to prolong its battery life much longer.
You’re met with the mid-range Snapdragon 675. It’s no beast of a processor, but you can get down and dirty with it. It can also handle extensive gaming. The 675 will be powering Android 9 out of the box. You can upgrade its systems to Android 10.
It makes use of Samsung’s One UI. We’re fans of how it looks. It’s easy-to-use too. Unfortunately, there’s bloatware.
The storage it comes with is good:
You can pick the mid-ranger with 64 or 128 GB of space along with 6 GB RAM. As mentioned, there’s a microSD slot available. 64 and 128 GB ROM are more than enough. But it’s nice that you can expand them.
What do we think about the 6 gigs of RAM? You never have to worry about force-closing.
Let’s talk about its cameras before moving onto the latter part of our review. There are three lenses on its primary camera. There’s a 32 MP wide lens, an 8 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5 MP depth sensor. On its front, a single-shooter is present. It is a 16 MP wide camera.
Its rear cam takes shots that are close to colour accurate. They tend to be a bit overexposed, but there’s nothing wrong with this. That being said, details aren’t the sharpest. This is due to heavy noise reduction.
We aren’t the biggest fan of its auto-focus. It’s kind of slow. It especially slows down as the lighting decreases.
How does it do in low-light, though? Ignoring the auto-focus issue, pictures are good.
Its 16 MP selfie camera will leave you Instagram-ready.
Now that you know everything about it, give the below section a read. We’ve compared the Samsung A60 with similarly priced units, helping you decide if it’s for you.
The M31 is made from plastic too. Samsung made it look metallic. The handset is curved well, making it a dream to hold.
The device is big. Its screen stretches 6.4 inches across. You’re getting an impressive panel on it – it’s Super AMOLED. It’s much more vibrant than the screen on the A60.
It’s as sharp as it, though. You’re also getting similar screen-to-body ratios.
Unfortunately, its front doesn’t get very bright. It offers 400+ max nits. As mentioned, over 500 is the gold standard.
Out of the box, it runs Android 10. The Exynos 9611 powers its system. It’s snappy. Compared to the Snapdragon 675, it out beats it.
Its storage options are superior. You can pick it up with 64 and 128 GB of space, along with 6 or 8 GB of RAM. The 8 GB RAM variant runs laps around its counterpart.
Although you may be happy with the storage it offers, you’re still getting a MicroSD slot.
There’s a gigantic 6000 mAh battery available. The handset easily lasts around 2 days. To charge it, you’ll plug a 15 W fast charger into its USB-C port.
The more the merrier – you’re met with a quad-camera set-up. Its primary sensor is a 64 MP wide lens, its secondary sensor is an 8 MP ultrawide lens, its tertiary sensor is a 5 MP macro lens and its fourth sensor is a 5 MP depth sensor. On its front, a 32 MP wide lens is present.
Unlike the A60, the 6.1 Plus was released in 2018. That being said, it’s built better than its counterpart. You’re getting Gorilla Glass 3 and aluminum on its rear. It feels like a million bucks in your hands.
But it’s not very big. Its screen is 5.8 inches. The panel on its front isn’t the best either. It’s more vibrant than the PLS TFT on the A60, though. It rocks IPS LCD.
There’s a bit of bezel action going on. When we say a bit, we mean it literally. Its bottom bezel is a tad too thick. What’s its screen-to-body ratio like? It’s 81.5%.
Its display is sharp. Unfortunately, it’s not as good as its counterpart’s. You’re met with 1080 x 2280 pixels.
Out of the box, it runs Android 8.1. You can upgrade it to Android 10. A Snapdragon chip will be powering Android. It’ll be the Snapdragon 636. As its name suggests, it’s not as good as the 675.
You can pick it up with 32 and 64 GB of space. Along with them, 4 or 6 GB RAM is available. Yes, there is a MicroSD slot. Expanding its storage is possible.
The battery available is smaller than its Samsung counterpart. It is 3060 mAh. The phone can last a little over a day. To charge the 6.1 Plus, you’ll be plugging its 18 W fast charger into its USB-C port. The device takes around an hour and a half to go from 0-100%.
Lastly:
There’s a dual set-up on its rear. Its primary lens is a 16 MP shooter. The secondary one is a 5 MP depth sensor. In terms of its front camera, a 16 MP sensor is present.
What do we think about the Samsung A60? Our favourite thing about it is how it looks. The fact that Samsung made the plastic on it feel and look rich is the icing on top.
Its specs are good but not the best. We’re especially wary about its display. We have no idea why the manufacturer didn’t place a Super AMOLED panel. We’re not fans of the PLS TFT. Even the Nokia 6.1, which was released a year earlier has a better panel.
So, what do you think? If you want to learn more about the brand, you can always check our Facebook page. We regularly compare Samsung with other major names.
