Before reviewing the phone, I am sharing my experiences about water damaged phone and things that I did wrong.
How to minimize damage from water damaged phone
As I previously mentioned, my phone got water damaged. It is now completely dead and a slim chance to work unless I am bringing it over to a professional for repairs and replacement. Today I am about to share things that could prevent further damage from it while also reviewing an entry-level phone with powerful and extensive features by Samsung.
So, just when I thought that my phone would be fine after putting in rice, apparently it is short-lived. There are some possible damages because of things that I did earlier. So, I am sharing these just in case the situation ever happens to you, you’ll know what to avoid.
- Once you notice your phone is wet, do not attempt turning it on. Turn it off immediately.
- Never charge your phone right away.
- Do not touch it and attempt to do anything over the next couple of days.
- Rice trick may work but leaving it in the open will work too.
- Try to take out the sim card and the SD card and wipe it clean.
Since I panicked, I did things I shouldn't have done, including turning it on and charging it while the moisture was still present in the phone. During the last 2 days, I was still even using the phone thinking that my phone was fine. But I was wrong, the phone was not fine at all and one thing I noticed was the camera was still fogging up. At that point, I should stop trying to recover it and leave it more in the open for the next couple of days. My impatience got the best of me and on top of that, some of my important information and data was stored in that phone instead of the SD card. Because of the damage that was done, I was living without a phone for a few days. It was difficult and so I decided to get a replacement. I was not looking for anything specific since essentially it is a temporary phone.
In case you are looking for a phone, maybe this review will help you decide if you want to get a new phone.
Samsung Galaxy A03 S Entry-level with extensive feature Smartphone
My previous phone was also a good deal on its own. For an entry-level Samsung, the features already included fingerprint. So to have the same features, I was researching Samsung and tried to pick one of the best with a very limited budget. I initially wanted to get the Samsung M series but I still fell in love with the A series because of their color, features, and overall availability. But now I understand that the enemy of samsung A is water because I have dropped my phone a few times and they are still durable. So, if you have a Samsung A series, make sure to stay away from water while handling the phone.
Samsung Galaxy A03S is an upgraded version of Samsung A03. In terms of price, the phone is more expensive than A03 but it makes sense because the feature in A03S is more extensive and even includes a fingerprint sensor. The battery in this phone is already 5000Mah which is even more than Galaxy A10s, the previous phone that I had. The camera is already triple with 13MP but the front-camera for selfie is only 5MP. If you want to know the popularity and its performance, you can also check out this link : Samsung Galaxy A03s. When I did the fall test, the phone was fine. Shocking test isn’t necessary but if you are often outdoors and on the move, it may be necessary to find a durable one.
When I was at the store, the staff did the hardware test and ensured that the phone was in new condition. It took about 20 minutes to perform the test whilst he explained the features from the phone. Pro tip, when you buy a phone make sure to buy it from a licensed store and also where they do hardware performing tests. I had my fair share of buying in an unlicensed store and they did the bare minimum. A good store will always test it in front of you and it comes with an original license and warranty.
These are the photo tests from the phone with various settings and even macro settings from the phone.
Macro result
night time result
normal settings
One thing I am not used to about this phone is the side volume and sensors. The fingerprint also works as the power button instead of a separated button. I am not sure if this is the trend with newer phones but I was wondering for a second, “ who in the hell decided to design the button like that?”. It took time to get used to it. When I asked the staff if there’s any headset included, he mentioned that in recent years, there is no more headset and even some phones don't come with a charging head and just come with the cable. This phone itself has USB type C which is more common these days than the previous USB type microUSB 2.0.
The weight itself is heavier than my previous phone which I also didn’t quite like. The size is quite big as well and didn’t really fit any of my jeans pocket. I think phones these days are just built like that and it’s almost impossible to find any that is slim, pocket sized unless it’s a flip smartphone.
Another tip when buying a phone is to make sure to apply screen guard. It also keeps the screen from getting dust which could cause some performance issues. Not to mention, some screenguard have different features such as anti-spy or blue-light filters. I opt for a simpler one because it suits what I need at the moment.
When it comes to software, the phone is already Android 11. Since I don’t do gaming on my phone, I haven’t managed to test the phone for gaming purposes. I reckon with its RAM and memory 3/32 gb with some extendable extras you can play some popular games quite well. One thing that I notice is that charging the phone takes a while although the phone claims to be fast-charging. I hope this will provide some recommendations in case you are looking for a new phone that you can use daily.
 | 𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘢. 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘈 𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. |
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I really like the A series, have had one before. Funny how entry level phones now are still better from phones 5 years ago. Hubs just had to get a Google pixel 4a as it was one of only smaller phones he could get with a headphone jack as he likes to plug in to the stereo in garage! I love my OPPO find X2 pro. Another tip is you don't need latest models, often the phones from a year or two ago are just as awesome!
That's a great tip. I hate wireless headphones so the first thing I look for is a jack!
There's not many around!
The latest model are for those with extra money and following trends hehe but if we just refer to functionality, even phone from 2-3 years ago are fine because they are still working as intended. I would make an exception to those who play games or do some kind of mobile e-sport.
Sorry to hear your phone got water damaged. A good opportunity to review a new product :)
I still haven't decided on my new phone. I'm waiting for inspiration to strike me. I've been eyeing the massive rugged Titan by Unihertz, but I'll wait for version 2. They also a sell tiny one that fits in your palm called the Jelly 2. Innovative company that is following a path others no longer follow and still creating unique products.
I am getting a rugged phone soon as well. Although with brands, there's only OUKITEL that I found in the market. I've always wanted to get Doogee but they are still beyond my budget. Also,you are right, on the silver lining, I get the opportunity to review this phone.
I was a twitter follower of you, and I remembered you post some tweet if rice could really help hehe.
I getting impressed with phones as the days passed. Especially the camera, my first phone was just 2MP can, way back year 2010 yet now 50-100MP is out. I used 50MP thou.
hahaha yeah! I panicked and apparently rice didn't help that much. OR I was just simply impatient and used the phone and charged it too early. When it comes to camera quality, it depends on the brand. For camera, I believe Iphone still wins over any android brands. Even there's a meme like this one
src
Oh dear but great review! That's another big difference between Asia and UK. They don't get the thing out of the box when you buy it...which I much prefer!
When I buy a new product, I want to open it up, not the shop. It's 20 minutes wasted in my opinion lol it's so rare new things don't work, I don't really see the point.
Enjoy the new phone and have a great weekend Mac :-)
That's interesting! I can actually request them to not open the phone but they gave me bottle of orange juice and a snack which I couldn't deny😂 So, I sat there patiently and just let them explaining things that I already know. It's baffling that the staff is trained to treat customers as technology illiterate.It happens in many places and by now, I just sort of accustomed to it. Thank you Nathen and you too! Have a great weekend, now I won't be stressing out anymore hehe
The phone looks quite useful. Can I know the price? I will compare it with the price in my country 🤣.
I got the phone for a discount but the average price around is 109$. I wonder how much it would cost over there. Probably 200$?
There is no 32gb option, but 64gb is 5000 TL, which is about 300 dollars. That's a lot of money. Can't believe that 😶
That's one month rent in Istanbul 😂
I don't want to talk about it. It depresses me 😂.
Yikes! I'd be extra careful now
The phone is pretty good for a temporary phone and seems like a great deal.
Yeah, Samsung A series aren't friends with water. My mom had the same problem before, it was A02 core and she dropped it on the water. Suffered the same problem as mine but she never told me until I told her what happened to my phone😂
The type of Samsung Galaxy A series is known to be very Durable and Durable, so many of my friends have advised me to use a Samsung Galaxy A Series Smartphone. @macchiata 👍😁
I would not say it's durable as it depends on usage. For me, it's okay and pass the fall test but definitely stay away from water. It's also cheap and entry-level but with extensive features. So, it's no wonder people choose that series.
Join the gang! I love mine, it's simple and efficient especially for the price.
I love Samsung's A series, my sons' phones, and my wife's phone were all Samsung A Series, and all of them are still functioning pretty well, and never did I have a single problem encountered with them, you made a good choice. Congratulations.
Mine is over 2 years old, was functioning pretty well but due to water damage, it's dead now. Not sure how much it would be for repair but that's going to be another day.
Repairs I think are a bit expensive, but you are right, it is for another day. Have a nice day ahead.
I don't really understand smartphone specifications, maybe because I'm the type of person who sticks to one thing until it's completely damaged or lost, but knowing a little about the specs of the smartphone to be purchased will certainly help us in budget management. Nice review anyway.
Knowing just enough what you want could really save up some money. You can use GSM arena to compare gadgets that you want. Sometimes different brands have better prices if you are looking for similarities in specs. Either way, it all comes back to what you need/want in a gadget.
An entry level phone with amazing features, I am still undecided about my phone, among the options I have Alcatel and Sansumg, as long as they work for gaming.
Samsung with higher Ram and memory would work for gaming. These days, I think more than 4 GB is preferred than 3 even 2 GB. Also, battery that you should look out is anything above 5000Mah. Good luck getting a new one.
We were looking telephones for my grandma and i didn't considered this one. I was so wrong! The pictures are beautiful 🥹
The camera is decent and it has everything it needs to function. Since you mention, grandma this is differently good one for her,entry-level and decent.
Personally I had this phone and I did not like the battery runs out fast, and the photos are very regular, the best thing is that it is resistant and economical.
Yeah, that's what I noticed as well. It doesn't live up to its claim of being fast-charging. The pictures are okay. I never really trust samsung for its pictures especially for entry level ones. If you care about pictures and photography, I definitely would suggest Iphone than any android based phone including Samsung.
Here in argentina we usually put the phone in rice if that happens, to help it dry. Good tips!
Congrats on your new phone! I never tried a Samsung before, but it seems pretty good. 🤠
What is the phone that you have? I tried putting on the rice but there are things I did wrong that I already explained above. So, yeah, it may work as long as you don't turn it on quickly like I did.
Moto g8, its kinda old but it workss for me. For now at least ha ha.
Yep, F to that.