One of Samsung's hottest new mid-range phones is coming to all big four US carriers
When you're trying to win the global volume game in an incredibly competitive mobile industry, high-end smartphones aren't everything, a lesson Samsung had to learn the hard way in the last few years as its China-based rivals inched closer and closer to the number one spot in shipments relying primarily on affordable models with respectable features in tow.
As the premium segment got more and more crowded, Samsung finally stepped things up with a very competitive family of Galaxy A-series mid-rangers last year. The Galaxy A50 in particular proved wildly successful around the world, ranking third among the top-selling smartphone models for 2019's third quarter and making quite a splash in the US as well.
That latter part was because the company actually put a little effort in promoting and widely distributing a non-flagship handset stateside for a change, which is likely to be the case this year as well. Internationally unveiled just last month, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is expected to hit all of America's big four wireless service providers in the not-so-distant future.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to predict exactly when Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint might officially release the 6.5-incher, and its recommended price point also remains under wraps for now. Based on how much the A51 costs in other markets and the $350 US MSRP of last year's A50, though, we can make a pretty solid prediction. Namely, we expect the unlocked variant of the mid-end device powered by an Exynos 9611 processor and 4GB RAM to fetch the same 350 bucks as its predecessor.
Keep in mind that the Galaxy A50 needed several months to expand from select European and Asian territories to the US, debuting on Verizon, quickly spreading its wings to Sprint, and finally going on sale unlocked just last fall. Interestingly, said unlocked model is currently listed as out of stock on Samsung's official US e-store, possibly setting the stage for a Galaxy A51 release.
Compared to its forerunner, the A51 is even sleeker and prettier, with a premium Infinity-O display (read swanky hole punch design) in tow, as well as a slightly faster SoC under the hood, an extra 5MP macro camera on its back, an upgraded 48MP main imaging sensor, an improved 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 32MP selfie shooter, and the same impressive 4,000mAh battery with 15W rapid charging capabilities.
The Galaxy A51 was announced alongside the higher-end Galaxy A71, but so far there's no word on a prospective US rollout of that particular 6.7-incher following in the footsteps of an A70 that never saw daylight stateside.
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