Samsung beefed-up its popular range of Galaxy A-series mid-tier smartphones with a pair of new 5G models, as part of a commitment to broaden availability of next-generation devices with more reasonably-priced units.

In a statement, YeonJeong Kim, VP and head of innovative product planning at Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business, said the newly unveiled Galaxy A71 5G and A51 5G devices are part of the company’s “commitment to deliver next-generation connectivity to more people…at more accessible price points”.

The Galaxy A71 5G features nearly identical specifications to the Galaxy A71 unveiled in January, including 6.7-inch display; 64MP main, 12MP ultra wide and 5MP macro and depth lenses, and a 32MP selfie camera; on-screen fingerprint sensor; 4500mAh battery with fast charging capabilities; 6GB or 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage with microSD expansion up to 1TB.

Its Galaxy A51 5G model improves on the A51 (also unveiled in January) sporting a 4500mAh battery compared with 4000mAh, and the same memory options as the A71 5G, up from 4GB of memory and 64GB storage on the non-5G model.

Both 5G variants offer “Prism Cube” colours spanning black; silver; and blue for the Galaxy A71 5G, and black; white; and pink for the Galaxy A51 5G.

The company is yet to announce global launch specifics, though 9to5Google reported pricing will start at $499 for the Galaxy A51 5G and $599 for the Galaxy A71 5G in the US, with availability expected in the coming months.

Mass market
The A-series additions build on the earlier release of higher-end 5G models in Samsung’s Galaxy S, Note and Fold series.

During Samsung’s Q4 2019 earnings call, executives said the addition of 5G to its mass market A-series was part of a plan to address expected growth in demand for compatible devices as operator deployments gather pace.