Samsung Galaxy A30 vs Galaxy A12
47
out of 100
VS
50
out of 100
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.4-inch Samsung Galaxy A30 (with Exynos 7 Octa 7904) that was released on February 25, 2019, against the Samsung Galaxy A12, which is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 and came out 21 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A30
- 57% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (210K versus 133K)
- 49% higher pixel density (403 vs 270 PPI)
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR4X 2133 MHz
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 5 wireless networks
- Delivers 16% higher peak brightness (552 against 474 nits)
- Slow-motion recording at 120FPS
- Super AMOLED display (versus competitor's PLS TFT)
- Weighs 40 grams less
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A12
- Shows 56% longer battery life (41:00 vs 26:17 hours)
- Comes with 1000 mAh larger battery capacity: 5000 vs 4000 mAh
- More recent OS version: Android 13 versus 11
- The phone is 1-year and 9-months newer
- More energy-efficient CPU – MediaTek Helio P35
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately identify the smartphone that best meets your particular needs.
Value for money
You can enter your local prices of these phones (in USD or other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Promotion
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Super AMOLED | PLS TFT |
| Size | 6.4 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 403 ppi | 270 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 616 nits | 450 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 84.9% | 82.1% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - |
| RGB color space | - | 96.3% |
| PWM | - | 337 Hz |
| Response time | - | 52 ms |
| Contrast | - | 864:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 158.5 mm (6.24 inches) | 164 mm (6.46 inches) |
| Width | 74.7 mm (2.94 inches) | 75.8 mm (2.98 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm (0.3 inches) | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 165 g (5.82 oz) | 205 g (7.23 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Black, Blue | White, Black, Blue, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7904 | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| Max clock | 1800 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 6) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 1.6 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 2 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A73 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53 |
| Lithography process | 14 nanometers | 12 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G71 MP2 | PowerVR GE8320 |
| GPU shading units | 32 | 32 |
| GPU clock | 850 MHz | 680 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~49.3 GFLOPS | ~43.5 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
| CPU | 71364 | 49721 |
| GPU | 24988 | 16841 |
| Memory | 53970 | 34529 |
| UX | 58479 | 32377 |
| Total score | 210400 | 133645 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | - | 44.1 °C |
| Stability | 97% | - |
| Graphics test | 2 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 404 | - |
Memory
| RAM size | 3, 4 GB | 3, 4, 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 32, 64 GB | 32, 64, 128 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 9.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 11) | Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | One UI 3.1 | One UI Core 5.1 |
| OS size | 11.2 GB | 13 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 15 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (40% in 30 min) | Yes (20% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:50 hr | 3:03 hr |
| Web browsing | 08:50 hr | 16:07 hr |
| Watching video | 11:37 hr | 12:14 hr |
| Gaming | 05:35 hr | 06:08 hr |
| Standby | 86 hr | 153 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 16 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4616 x 3464 | 8000 x 6000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | 120 FPS (720p) | No |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | 123° |
| Lenses | 2 (16 MP + 5 MP) | 4 (48 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 16 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 27 mm - Phase autofocus |
- 48 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 12 mm |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Macro lens | - | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Depth lens | - | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Camera features | - Pro mode | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Samples | - | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy A12 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 16 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | - |
| Pixel size | 1 microns | - |
| Sensor type | BSI CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.06" | - |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 10 | 7 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Budget |
| Announced | February 2019 | November 2020 |
| Release date | March 2019 | December 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.25 W/kg | 0.67 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.17 W/kg | 1.38 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Hall-effect sensor - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the camera, gaming, battery life, software, and sound are more important to you, then choose the Samsung Galaxy A12. But if the display, performance, and connectivity are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy A30.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 267