Announced in March 2021, the Snapdragon 720G-powered Samsung Galaxy A72 looks like an enticing option in the High-end ($400-599) segment, offering a comprehensive camera setup with a Quad-Bayer sensor in the primary module as well as a 3x tele, a 12 MP ultra-wide, and a dedicated macro camera. Let’s see how it fares in the DXOMARK Camera test protocol.
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 64 MP sensor with 0.8µm pixels, f/1.8-aperture lens, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 12 MP sensor with 1.12µm pixels, f/2.2-aperture lens
- Tele: 8 MP sensor with 1.0µm pixels, f/2.4-aperture lens with 3x magnification, OIS
- Macro: 5 MP sensor with 1.12µm pixels, f/2.4-aperture lens
- Video: 2160p/30 fps
About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 test images and more than 2.5 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here.
Test summary
Samsung Galaxy A72
105
camera
90
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (111)
90
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (107)
80
Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
Best: Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (109)
96
Xiaomi Mi 11
Best: Xiaomi Mi 11 (111)
60
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (102)
68
Best: Google Pixel 6 (77)
26
Huawei Mate 40 Pro+
Best: Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (82)
55
Huawei P50 Pro
Best: Huawei P50 Pro (80)
57
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (80)
56
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (140)
42
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (58)
78
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (118)
83
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (107)
82
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (109)
60
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
Best: Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) (99)
98
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (105)
67
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Best: Oppo Find X2 Pro (94)
84
Vivo X70 Pro+
Best: Vivo X70 Pro+ (103)
Position in Global Ranking

98
th
5. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
137
10. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
133
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
131
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
14. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
131
21. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
130
29. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
126
33. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
124
33. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
124
36. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
123
41. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
121
41. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
121
43. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Exynos)
120
43. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
120
52. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
119
52. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
119
55. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
118
55. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Exynos)
118
60. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
64. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
116
64. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
116
64. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
116
68. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Exynos)
115
75. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Snapdragon)
112
86. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
109
86. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
109
88. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
108
95. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
106
98. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
105
98. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
105
98. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
105
108. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
103
111. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
102
111. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
102
116. Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
95
118. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
92
120. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
89
121. Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
88
121. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
88
123. Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
87
Position in High-End Ranking

11
th
2. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
118
11. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
105
11. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
105
17. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
102
20. Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
88
21. Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
87
Pros
- Good target exposure on evenly lit photo and video scenes
- Good dynamic range in bright light
- Consistent exposure, color, and texture across multiple images
- Low noise and neutral white balance in daylight conditions
- Effective video stabilization in static scenes
Cons
- Inaccurate skin tone rendering and frequent pink casts
- Strong noise in low light
- Ringing, ghosting, and color quantization artifacts
- Noise and lack of detail in tele shots
- Underexposed faces and strong color casts in low-light videos
- Focus instabilities in indoor video clips
With a DXOMARK overall score of 105, the Samsung Galaxy A72 cannot compete with the very best in our ranking — which is to be expected for a device in its price segment — but does rather well among its similarly priced peers. It occupies a joint 5th position in our High-end segment ranking, tying the score of the Oppo Reno4 5G and coming in 13 points behind the segment leader Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G (118). This is a noticeable improvement over its predecessor Galaxy A71 5G (88).
In good light the A72 is capable of capturing decent images, but color casts, slightly unnatural skin tones, and ghosting artifacts on moving subjects can be visible (as in the image above).
Looking closer at still image performance, the Samsung’s Photo score of 112 puts it in 5th position in the High-end segment, only one point shy of the Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+ (113) but several points behind the category leader, the TCL 20 Pro 5G (124).
Samsung Galaxy A72, indoor scene
Samsung Galaxy A72, crop: slight loss of detail
Google Pixel 4a, indoor scene
Google Pixel 4a, crop: visible loss of detail
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, indoor scene
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, crop: visisble loss of detail
In photo mode the A72 delivers nice image quality in good light, with good sharpness and a wide dynamic range. Things go slightly downhill as light levels decrease, and in low light the camera has a tendency to underexpose and produce strong image noise.
Autofocus comparison at 1000 lux with 4 EV variation: the two Samsung devices achieve similar sharpness and stability as the Pixel 4a but are slower to capture.
Texture: both Samsungs capture good texture in bright light but drop off in dimmer conditions compared to the Pixel 4a.
Noise: the A72 shows lower levels of visual noise than the A52 5G but much higher noise chromaticity.
Despite offering both ultra-wide and tele lenses, something that is not yet very common in this segment, the Samsung A72 achieves only a mid-table position for Zoom, trailing one point behind the OnePlus 8T and a full 10 points behind the best device for Zoom in the High-end segment, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G.
The ultra-wide camera is a good option for those situations where you have to squeeze as much scene into the frame as possible, but blue or pink color casts as well as fairly strong noise are often visible. The tele camera helps if your subject is further away from the lens, but compared to the primary module, a strong loss of detail is noticeable, meaning that tele-camera images are really only suitable for small-format display.
Samsung Galaxy A72, ultra-wide
Samsung Galaxy A72, crop: strong noise
Samsung Galaxy A72, medium-range tele
Samsung Galaxy A72, crop: strong loss of detail
Results are similar for Video, where the Samsung is again middle-of-the-pack with a score of 92. This puts it 19 points behind the best High-end phone for movie recording — again, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A72, good face tracking and exposure but some exposure instability in the background
Compared to its stablemate A52 5G, the A72 is the better option for recording movies, thanks to more reliable autofocus. Where the A52 showed strong AF instabilities, especially in low light, the A72 does noticeably better and mostly delivers steady focus. On the downside, exposure and color performance is a little worse for the A72 in low light.
Video texture: A72 video texture is slightly lower than for the A52 5G.
Video noise: A72 noise levels are slightly lower than for the A52 5G.
DXOMARK invites our readership (you) to post comments on the articles on this website. Read more about our Comment Policy.