Our Galaxy A12 review unit is running Android 10 with Samsung's One UI 2.5 on top. It's a bit of a bummer that there's no Android 11 with One UI 3.0 on the A12 just yet, but we're hopeful it will get updated eventually.
One UI has been very consistent from phone to phone and between releases, so there's not a whole lot missing on the A12 to begin with, v2.5 or otherwise. The lockscreen is a familiar sight with a couple of shortcuts in the bottom corners and notification icons under a clock. This being an LCD-equipped phone, it doesn't support Always-On Display.
For unlocking, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is the most obvious choice. It takes a reasonable number of taps to set up and works well for both left index finger and right thumb operation.
As with other such implementations, you run the risk of triggering the sensor by any skin contact by simply holding the phone in your pocket, resulting in a locked phone and an inoperable sensor once you do pull it out to use it. If you happen to suffer from that more often than you'd like, you can have the sensor only engage with a press on the button - otherwise, a click isn't required.
Alternatively, there's face recognition. It's just camera-based, no 3D face scanning, but it still offers a convenient (if not as secure) way to access your homescreen.
The UI fundamentals are the same as on virtually any other Samsung phone from the past couple of years.
Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notification shade • Quick toggles • Task switcher
Gesture navigation is available, and you can choose that in the initial setup process or later on. A system-wide dark mode is par for the course, too.
Navigation options • Navigation options • Dark mode
What is missing on the A12, in a similar fashion to other lower-end Galaxies, is Edge panels. Otherwise, the software package is similar to other Samsung phones, with an in-house Gallery app, file manager, and Samsung browser. An FM radio app is also included, though it does require plugging in headphones to serve as the antenna - some phones have a built-in FM antenna.
Gallery • Files • Browser • FM radio
Inside the Galaxy A12, there's an unassuming Mediatek Helio P35 chipset. Its octa-core CPU uses Cortex-A53 cores only, four of them clocked at up to 2.35GHz, the other four - capped at 1.8GHz. It's better than the Snapdragon 450-equipped lesser Galaxies like the A02s/M02s, which get a 1.8GHz cap across all 8 cores.
The PowerVR GE8320 GPU used in the Helio P35 can be found in other Helios - for example, the G25 and G35 - and consequently in quite a lot budget-focused devices.
The Galaxy A12 comes in several RAM/storage configurations, spanning a wide range - from 3GB/32GB, all the way to 6GB/128GB. Our review unit is in 4GB/128GB trim.
The modest nature of the Galaxy A12's chips reveals itself quickly in GeekBench, where it's trailing in the charts. We added a Nokia 2.4 for context to make the A12 look a little better. Potential competitors like the Realme 7 or Redmi 9/9T are vastly more powerful, and even the Realme 7i and Poco M3 are comfortably ahead.
Higher is better
Higher is better
That remains the case in Antutu, where the Poco M3 and the Realme 7i are posting numbers 70% higher than the A12's.
Higher is better
The GPU makes for somewhat of a comeback, aided by the forgiving 720p resolution of the display. In on-screen tests in GFXBench, the Galaxy A12 manages to climb to the middle of the charts and even beat the Poco M3 for fps count - not the Realme 7i, though.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Looking at the Galaxy A12 specsheet, we knew not to expect much from it in benchmarks, so the lackluster results here are hardly surprising. It's not only benchmarks either. We experienced the occasional hiccup in regular use as well. Ultimately, if you're looking for high performance or better futureproofing, the Galaxy A12 may not be a great option.
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