Samsung’s midrange A series lineup gives unappealing specifications on paper but focuses more on the overall device experience. We see this with the latest A54. It has practical features like the IP67 rating and a larger primary camera with OIS.
It has a good display for the range but falls short on performance. The chip might offer decent battery life, but the optimization is not there yet. Samsung’s stellar updates are another reason why the A series sells quite well. Most sales of A series phones happen offline in brick-and-mortar stores. The priorities of online consumers starkly vary from those of offline consumers.
Online, people are spec-hungry, looking for every single comparable metric. Offline, people care more about software updates and after-sale service, design, and whether it’s a new product. This is why the A series continues to sell well. The A51 4G and A51 5G came out several months apart. Samsung didn’t launch the 5G model in all regions, and the phones are similar except for the chipset.
Recap of A51 4G and A51 5G
The A51 launched in December 2019 and was a decent midrange offering under discounts. The overall package was fantastic. You could buy it from carriers for even cheaper. The A51 4G sports a 60Hz 1080P AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the front. It has a quad camera setup on the rear, with a 1/2″ 48MP primary, 12MP Ultra Wide, 5MP macro, and a 5MP depth sensor.
The biggest complaint with the 4G model was the underwhelming 10nm Exynos 9611 SOC. UI lag in simple daily use was a major complaint with this model. The A51 5G had the same 48MP 1/2″ primary sensor, a 12MP Ultra Wide, 5MP depth, and a 5MP macro camera. The 5G model had the 8nm Exynos 980 SOC and the same 60Hz 1080P AMOLED panel as the 4G version.
The 5G model has a 4500 mAh battery, and the 4G one falls 500 mAh short. Both of them charge at 15 Watts of power. We can’t comment on pricing since it varies depending on carriers and plans.
The A51 models later got several software updates to enhance the UI performance. It was eventually smoother, though performance remains a significant con with these phones. If you’re an A51 user, you might wonder whether you’ll receive the latest software updates since the updates have made your phone perform better than before.
Previous updates and promise
Despite launching several months apart, the A51 4G and 5G models shipped with Android 10 (One UI 2) out of the box. Samsung’s update promise was three major updates and four years of security updates.
Several security updates later, the A51 4G got the Android 11 (One UI 3) update in February 2021. It brought some visual design changes and a better design for the Quick Toggles.
One UI 3 added lock screen widgets, better customization, more Bixby routines, better accessibility features, and general animation improvements.
In March 2022, the phone received the Android 12 (One UI 4) update, bringing all the Android 12 privacy features. This update brings the Android 12 Material You color scheme, new lock screen, and home screen customizations.
Samsung’s updates sped up later, and the phone got Android 13 (One UI 5) in December 2022.
It brings a better color palette, new app icons, lock screen customization, and generally smoother animations and transitions, with a better application of Gaussian Blur.
In the third week of March 2023, the A51 began receiving the latest One UI 5.1 update, an optimization update. Similarly, the A51 5G got One UI 3 in February 2021, One UI 4 in April 2022, and One UI 5 in December 2022.
The above list is a rough sketch and might be inaccurate since updates vary by region and carrier.
As you can see, the A51 has already received the three promised major Android updates. It went from Android 10 to Android 13. Samsung fulfilled the three-year update promise.
Galaxy A51 One UI 6 Update Status
- The Galaxy A51 4G and A51 5G will not receive the One UI 6ย update based onย Android 14.
Samsung started rolling out the One UI 6 stable update based on Android 14 on October 30, 2023. The company shared a list of eligible devices that would receive the update. However, the Galaxy A51 was not mentioned as one of the devices included.
Since the A51 4G and A51 5G received the last major Android update (i.e., Android 13), both phones won’t get One UI 6. But since it isn’t a paradigm shift in UI experience, you’re not missing out on much.
There’s no point in upgrading your phone solely for a new Android version. However, if you feel the battery and performance aren’t up to the mark in 2023, you may choose to upgrade depending on your requirements.
Conclusion
The A51 4G and A51 5G will still receive occasional security patches but no more major Android updates. Samsung does not tie the One UI exclusive features to a particular Android version. So, there’s a chance that they could still bring some of these features down to older phones via security updates. We’ll keep you updated if there’s anything worth noting.
Galaxy A51 One UI 6 Update Status