Samsung Galaxy A12 (S127DL) Review - Tracfone Smartphone
The Galaxy A12 comes with a large, 6.5" screen, quad rear camera setup, 32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM. It is positioned as a budget smartphone that still offers some good features, like the quad cameras. We'll take a close look at all the features and specs, and see how they stack up compared to the price and competition.
The A12 is the update and replacement for the previous model, the A11, and brings some nice updates and improvements. Tracfone has also released several other Samsung devices in the same lineup including the Galaxy A02s and Galaxy A32 5G.
Tracfone is constantly releasing new smartphone options to use with their prepaid service, and you can keep up by visiting our list of the Latest Tracfone Smartphones.
Let's get right into this review with our quick list of pro's and con's for the A12.
Samsung Galaxy A12 Quick Facts
What we Like:
-Quad rear camera setup
-Large 6.5" screen
-Great battery life
-Fingerprint reader
What we Don't Like:
-Slower processor
-Expensive (retail $150)
The quad rear camera on the A12 is a top feature at this price point, especially coming from the Samsung brand. However, Samsung has a habit of making their lower end devices still somewhat on the higher end of budget phones.
When the Galaxy A11 was released in 2020, it retailed for $149+ (and now is on sale for $59) and now with the A12, it has the same price point (but we've found it for less, see below) that is not far off from some much more powerful devices, including the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G or A51.
For anyone other than die-hard Samsung fans, the price may seem high, so what are you getting? Let's go to the full list of features and specs.
Samsung Galaxy A12 (S127DL) Features and Specs
Below are the features followed by the technical specs- Android 10 (upgrade to Android 11 likely)
- 4G LTE (Verizon)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- Bluetooth 5
- Alarm Clock
- GPS
- MP3 Player
- Standard 3.5mm Headphone Jack
- Hearing Aid Compatible
- Access to over 1 Million Apps on Google Play
- Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting
- SMS/MMS
- USB Charger (USB Type-C 2.0)
- Compatible with Samsung Gear Smartwatches
- Facial recognition for unlocking
- Fingerprint sensor
Samsung Galaxy A12 Technical SpecsSize: 6.46 x 2.98 x 0.35 in (7.23 oz)
Camera: Quad rear camera 16+5+2+2MP and 8MP front camera
Screen: 6.5" HD PLS IPS display (720x1600 resolution)
Processor: Octa-core (4x2.35 GHz & 4x1.8 GHz) Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35
Memory: 3 GB
Storage: 32 GB internal storage, supports up to 512 GB MicroSD Card
Battery: 5,000 mAh battery (non-removable) with talk time up to 34 hrs, standby 16 days
Many consumers are familiar with the Samsung brand as they are a global manufacture and the largest consumer electronics maker (by revenue) in the world. They are based in South Korea and have a broad lineup of smartphones with their high end device, like the
Samsung Galaxy S21+, a contender for some of the best phones in the world.
The Galaxy A12 does get some of the classic design elements of Samsung phones with a familiar layout for the charging and headphone ports and it also features an edge-to-edge display and Samsung's own UI changes. But a budget phone will have to cut some corners, and we will dive into that below.
Now let's get into the details with our review of the A12.
Samsung Galaxy A12 Review (Tracfone S127DL)
Touchscreen
The 6.5" HD PLS IPS touchscreen on the A12 has a relatively low resolution of 720x1600 which results in a pixel-per-inch density of about 270. This is typical for budget smartphones but may lead to some slight pixilation for anyone looking closely.
The screen ratio is 20:9, allowing the device to offer a larger screen while maintaining a reasonable width so it still fits in one hand comfortably.
The touchscreen on the Galaxy A12 is adequate, with brightness at about 400 nits. But we're disappointed that it is the same screen on the lower-priced GalaxayA02s, and not much of an improvement over the screen on the previous model, the A11. For a Samsung device with a much better screen, consider the Galaxy A51 which costs just a little more, but has a 6.5" FHD+ Super AMOLED screen.
Internal Performance - Processor, RAM and Storage
For 2021, the lowest RAM/Storage combination we look for is 3/32 GB and the Galaxy A12 meets that at the baseline with the 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage. For users who don't need to do much multitasking or store very many apps, this is enough to get by, but the average user may want more.
Internal storage is expandable with an external (up to) 512 GB Micro SD card. This will help with some of the storage limitations.
As far as actual performance of the A12, that is controlled by the Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35 which is an octa-core processor. The P35 is not the most impressive processor and while it supports any basic functions (browsing the web or social media) just fine, it will struggle with gaming or more resource intensive apps. It simply is not a powerful processor, and for those looking for some gaming from their phone, it would be best to look elsewhere.
The much cheaper Galaxy A02s has a Snapdragon 450 processor, which is almost as good as the processor in the Galaxy A12, despite being several years old at this point.
Camera
The quad rear camera is the highlight on the A12, with a 16 MP primary shooter, 5 MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro and 2 MP depth sensor. Photos from the main camera are great for sharing online, and have good detail and color rendition. In portrait mode, it will give a nice background blur and the A12 also features an ultrawide camera to fit everything in one shot.
Night photos are much less impressive, which is to be expected from a budget phone.
For video, the A12 can shoot 1080p at 30 fps and overall it delivers a good result. But indoor settings or shooting at night are where the limitations start to show with graininess, noise, and not the best video stabilization.
For a budget phone, the camera is very nice and has lots of great features typically found on more expensive devices. But don't expect too much compared to the latest iPhone or high-end Android phones.
Battery
Great battery life can be expected from the A12 thanks to the 5,000 mAh battery included. It gives about 34 hours of talk time, and up to 16 days on standby - more than enough to get through the day. It also features 15W fast charging, although in tests it wasn't particularly fast to charge so be aware that it may take a couple hours to get back to full charge.
Android OS
The Galaxy A12 comes with Android 10 but will likely get an upgrade to 11 at some point. Upgrading the Android OS when possible allows for security and performance improvements, and usually some interface changes.
Samsung One UI 3.1 is also available on the A12 and offers a number of additional features. Just be aware that there is some bloatware included, and not all of it can be uninstalled.
Design
The Galaxy A12 features a general design layout that is consistent with many of Samsung's other budget lineup including the Galaxy A02s and A32 5G. It has a teardrop notch on the screen for the selfie cam and a plastic back. The device is on the larger side, and fairly heavy at over 7 oz.
Bezels on the front screen aren't so bad on the sides but a little larger on the bottom. The right side of the phone has the power and volume buttons, and the bottom is where the USB Typc-C 2.0 charger port, 3.5mm headphone jack and speaker are located.
There's nothing fancy about the overall design of the A12, but it does feature a nice matte finish that looks great and a side mounted fingerprint sensor, which is a great addition that the Galaxy A02s lacked.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A12 brings improvements in almost every way over the previous model, the A11. The big screen, quad-rear camera and long battery life are a great combination and make it a solid choice for those who want a phone that can handle the basics of web browsing and social media. Performance is where the A12 isn't the best, wit limited internal storage and a somewhat slow processor.
With a price point of about $150 for the A12, there are a number of other options that offer various improvements or different features, and are less expensive. The
A02s is under $100 and has the same size screen, large battery and almost as good of a processor. For any light users, the A02s is a good option for much less money. The
Moto G Play is another option, which also comes with a 6.5" screen, same RAM and Storage, and better processor. The Moto G Play is under $100 and offers a very well-rounded budget phone. Just don't expect too much from the camera.
For a performance improvement, consider the
Moto G Stylus ($129) or the
Samsung Galaxy A51 ($99). Both can be found for under $200 (but are both currently on sale for much less!) and offer serious upgrades to the processor, internal storage, and much more. If you tend to run several apps at once, or like to do some gaming from your phone, these options will work much more smoothly compared to the A12.
And finally, if you are willing to spend a little more, the
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G offers significant improvements over the A12, most notably 5G network connectivity.
While the Galaxy A12 is a solid device, there are a lot of other options out there, many for less money, that meet or exceed the performance of the A12.
Where to Buy the Samsung Galaxy A12
The A12 retailed for $149, but we've seen the price much lower, especially during holiday sales.
Samsung Galaxy A12 User Manual and Devices Tutorials
That concludes our review of the Samsung Galaxy A12. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts or questions.
