Launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy A80 is the more affordable Samsung Galaxy A70. As its name suggests, the A70 is not the range-topping model in the series. Rather, it’s the second best option, and that’s not exactly a bad thing.

I got to spend some time with the Galaxy A70, and while it’s not the most impressive mid-range device, it is a viable option for those who want a large device with equally big battery capacity.

Much like the Galaxy A80, the Galaxy A70 is equipped with a new Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, albeit it’s the lower-end, Snapdragon 675 SoC. Nonetheless, it’s still a plenty capable chipset, and it will be powerful enough to provide a good user experience.

While I didn’t manage to play any mobile games on the Galaxy A70, the phone as a whole does feel plenty responsive and zippy. After all, it’s still running on Samsung’s latest One UI software, which is both lightweight and pleasant to look at.

When it comes to design, it’s clear the Galaxy A70 is an affordable smartphone. It doesn’t look or feel particularly premium, the plastic construction of the phone leaves much to be desired, and there’s also a “Infinity-U” notch at the top of the display.

But compared to the Galaxy A50 and A30, the A70 does have a more minimal bottom bezel. With the exception of the higher-end Galaxy A80 with its New Infinity Display, this phone is definitely more aesthetically pleasing than the rest of the Galaxy A smartphones.

Sporting a 6.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy A70 has a very good screen too. AMOLED panels are known for their deep blacks, and it is no different here. Coupled with punchy, vibrant colours, and a good level of brightness, most consumers will be happy with the A70’s screen quality.

Naturally, the Galaxy A70 also comes with an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately enough, the sensor is disabled on the demo units I tested, so I couldn’t try it out for myself. Chances are, it should be reasonably good, though I highly doubt it will be as quick or accurate as a conventional fingerprint sensor.

One of the biggest appeals of the Galaxy A70 has to be its generous 4,500mAh battery. Combined with the 1080p display of the phone, I reckon it can return good, if not great battery life. It’s interesting how the A70 has a bigger battery than the higher-end A80; the latter only comes with a 3,700mAh cell despite sporting the same display size as the A70.

In the camera department, the Galaxy A70 features a triple camera system. The primary camera is a 32MP f/1.7 sensor, and it is complemented by an 8MP f/2.2 ultra wide camera and a 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is a 32MP f/2.0 shooter.

Generally, the camera performance of the Galaxy A70 is quite good. While it does take some time for the camera to switch between the primary and ultra wide sensors, the image output is alright, even in low light conditions.

Of course, I would definitely need more time photographing with the Galaxy A70 before I can give my final verdict on the phone’s camera performance.

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy A70 is not the best device in the series; that title is reserved for the Galaxy A80. So that leaves the A70 as the second best device, but considering the fact that it will be more affordable than the A80, it’s a good option for those looking to get a mid-range smartphone that won’t break the bank.

That being said, Samsung Malaysia has not revealed the retail price of the Galaxy A70 yet, but you can expect the phone to be available in Malaysia by the end of May, or early June 2019.

If priced right, the Galaxy A70 could just be Samsung’s most compelling affordable mid-range smartphone yet. It is sleeker than the Galaxy A50, it won’t cost as much as the Galaxy A80, and most of all, it has a large battery capacity and display – two criteria that can be important to some consumers.