Samsung Galaxy A55 5G overview: Must you purchase it?

The Galaxy A55 5G takes a number of design cues from the Galaxy S24 collection, nevertheless it additionally resembles current iPhones in some methods. It now has an aluminum body with flat edges and rounded corners, and I’m glad to see the corporate ditch the cheap-feeling plastic body of its predecessor, the Galaxy A54 5G — mixed with one in every of Samsung’s ever-stunning AMOLED shows, it goes a protracted solution to making the telephone really feel like a premium piece of equipment. Samsung’s mid-ranger retains a glass again, too, and the Superior Navy mannequin I examined brings a shiny end that isn’t a complete fingerprint magnet. The telephone additionally options the so-called Key Island, a raised space on the body that homes the amount and energy buttons. However this design factor is extra delicate in individual than renders would have you ever imagine.

Samsung has unsurprisingly retained an IP67 ranking this time for mud and water resistance. What’s extra stunning is the change to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus safety on the entrance, which is a welcome improve from Gorilla Glass 5 and a powerful dedication to sturdiness for a telephone at this value tier. Samsung confirmed that there wasn’t Victus Plus safety on the again, however didn’t reveal any extra particulars.

The Galaxy A55 5G is powered by the Exynos 1480, which is the primary mid-range smartphone chipset with an AMD GPU. Then again, the processor additionally makes use of the identical previous CPU as final 12 months’s mannequin, albeit with a big clock velocity enhance. What does this imply for efficiency?

Geekbench 6 scores present a small single-core CPU bump however a big ~21% multi-core CPU enhance over the Galaxy A54 5G. Nevertheless, the CPU nonetheless lags behind its closest rivals — the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R. The PCMark Work 3.0 take a look at yields top-notch outcomes, although, suggesting loads of system optimizations to beat rivals. Shifting to the GPU take a look at, the Wild Life Stress Check exhibits a notable enchancment over the A54 5G, nevertheless it additionally reveals that the telephone once more lags far behind the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R. On the upside, the stress take a look at reveals a powerful 99% stability, suggesting that throttling shouldn’t be a difficulty in any respect.

I had no issues with real-world efficiency. The telephone was easy when switching between residence screens, hopping into the recents menu, and launching apps. I used to be additionally in a position to play Genshin Influence at a easy tempo with the default low settings, however there was some room to crank issues as much as a comparatively fluid 60fps. I used to be, nonetheless, a little bit stunned to see that I may play demanding video games on PS2 and GameCube emulators at a largely easy tempo. It appears to be like just like the AMD GPU and 4 efficiency cores come in useful right here.

Samsung can also be touting a 5,000mAh battery on the Galaxy A55 5G, and the combo of this battery plus a comparatively environment friendly chipset makes for some good endurance. I used to be in a position to get effectively over 9 hours of screen-on time with typical utilization (shopping Reddit, listening to podcasts, enjoying some video games). You possibly can anticipate a few day and a half of utilization, which is broadly according to the Galaxy A54 5G.

You’ll want to attend a good period of time to completely cost the telephone when you’ve exhausted the battery. The telephone tops out at 25W wired speeds with a Energy Supply charger and takes over 80 minutes to succeed in 100% capability. That’s higher than the Pixel 8a’s atrocious charging time (100 minutes), however I’ve been spoiled by mid-rangers from Chinese language manufacturers that get a full cost in an hour or much less.

The Galaxy A55 5G ships with One UI 6.1 atop Android 14. The telephone doesn’t supply any generative Galaxy AI options, as we’ve seen on high-end Galaxy units. However, it’s slated to obtain 4 main OS updates and 5 years of safety patches. That’s not fairly nearly as good because the Pixel 8a’s seven-year replace coverage, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a nice replace pledge for a mid-range telephone.

I’m a little bit dissatisfied however not stunned by Samsung’s dedication to bloatware. Along with the anticipated Samsung apps that duplicate Google performance, we’ve additionally received 4 Microsoft apps (e.g., OneDrive and LinkedIn), in addition to additions like Fb, Netflix, and Spotify. A few of these Samsung apps are worthwhile (I benefit from the full-featured gallery app), however I may go with out many of those apps.

What’s even worse is that the corporate shows an unskippable “really helpful apps” display screen shortly after establishing the system. You’ll should untick a number of apps, however the telephone will nonetheless set up a number of video games (like Sweet Crush) whether or not you prefer it or not. It’s actually excessive time that Samsung will get taken to activity for this bloatware, because it looks like the corporate has been given a move on this for some time now.

The Galaxy A55 5G additionally retains the identical elementary reasonably priced digicam telephone system because the Galaxy A54 5G. Meaning a 50MP most important digicam, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro digicam. Photos shot in the course of the day are typically detailed, as you’d anticipate from a fairly sized 1/1.56-inch sensor, although colours can generally be oversaturated to a ridiculous diploma. It’s virtually like we’re again within the dangerous previous days of Samsung telephone cameras at instances. Take a look at the third picture beneath, with the pink blanket wanting neon and halos across the palm tree fronds. It’s just like the HDR and saturation sliders have been cranked to 11. Portrait mode photographs aren’t nice both, with frequent depth estimation errors. These aren’t minor errors, because the final picture within the gallery exhibits (verify the realm simply above my head).

On the upside, I’m glad to see that the horrible low-light shutter lag is lowered in comparison with my expertise with the Galaxy A34 5G. It’s not gone altogether, and I wish to see the digicam UI higher talk the necessity to watch for an everyday shot. However that is nonetheless higher than tapping the shutter button, ready a second or two, after which going to place the telephone down, solely to see that the telephone lastly determined to take the damned photograph. You’ll typically wish to go away evening mode enabled when the solar goes down (even when noise discount could be a bit aggressive), as the principle digicam produces darkish, noisy photographs in any other case.

The Galaxy A55 5G additionally brings a 12MP ultrawide lens, though it’s a transparent step down when it comes to element and noise in comparison with the principle sensor, notably in combined lighting. A 5MP macro digicam rounds out the rear digicam system, bringing good image high quality for a devoted macro digicam however nonetheless displaying that watercolor impact and an absence of resolvable element when zooming in. Talking of zoom, the telephone presents a cropped 2x possibility, nevertheless it’s not price capturing past 2x as outcomes are grainy and fully missing intimately. You possibly can view a gallery of full-resolution pattern pictures through the Google Drive hyperlink right here.

Samsung’s telephone continues to supply options like the good Single Take mode, a Enjoyable mode for Snapchat filters, twin recording (albeit through the principle and selfie cameras solely), a nifty Professional Video mode, and a gallery with options like shadow erasing and picture clipping. The telephone additionally tops out at 4K/30fps video recording, which is extremely disappointing when Google and OnePlus’s telephones supply 4K/60fps help. No less than 4K/30fps selfie movies have returned.

The Galaxy A55 5G is a largely iterative improve over the already good Galaxy A54 somewhat than a extra formidable refresh. We’re actually glad to see a full-blown premium design this time, the Exynos 1480 chipset is a small however welcome improve for gaming, and newer Gorilla Glass ought to offer you extra peace of thoughts. These upgrades be a part of present A54 5G strengths like a protracted replace coverage, good battery life, and a slick show.

Outdoors of the premium design and smaller upgrades, although, Samsung nonetheless has some room for enchancment in areas that turn out to be more and more extra blatant because the competitors continues to lift its recreation. Samsung continues to crank up the principle digicam’s saturation ranges, the Exynos chip undoubtedly wants a CPU and AI improve, and the dearth of 4K/60fps video is unacceptable at this value.

Samsung’s rivals, just like the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a, are transferring a lot quicker to shut the hole between the mid-range and bonafide flagships. The Pixel 8a, specifically, brings significantly better efficiency, wi-fi charging help, superior photograph high quality, and AI options. Don’t get me flawed — a great deal of individuals will purchase the Galaxy A55 5G (although lower than regular as a result of baffling lack of an official US launch). However they’ll achieve this as a result of it’s a secure, smart, and acquainted improve, not as a result of it’s probably the most thrilling buy nor the perfect which you could purchase at its price ticket.

There’s no scarcity of nice Galaxy A55 5G options, so take a look at our picks beneath:

• Samsung Galaxy A35 5G ($400 at Samsung): The Galaxy A55 5G isn’t accessible within the US, however the A35 5G is an honest different. You’ve nonetheless received an IP67 ranking, a long-term replace coverage, and Samsung’s feature-packed software program. However you additional lose out on efficiency, digicam {hardware}, and construct high quality. The hole between the A collection and the S collection is fairly enormous in 2024.
• Google Pixel 8a ($499 at Amazon): Google’s newest mid-range Pixel is the closest Galaxy A55 5G rival, and it’s notably superior in some ways. The Pixel 8a stands out from the Samsung telephone because of wi-fi charging, a high-end chipset, AI options, and flagship-tier digicam high quality. However the A55 5G brings quicker charging and a much bigger battery.
• OnePlus 12R ($599.99 at Amazon): Worth efficiency, charging velocity, and/or display screen high quality? Then the OnePlus 12R is certainly price contemplating over the Galaxy A55 5G, bringing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 100W charging (80W within the US), and a super-bright, sharp display screen. Sadly, it lacks water resistance whereas the cameras are mediocre at greatest.
• Nothing Cellphone 2a (£319.99 at Amazon): The Nothing Cellphone 2a is barely accessible within the US through a developer program, nevertheless it’s an ideal choose in different markets. That’s as a result of distinctive design, nice display screen, and good cameras. Sadly, community help is hit-and-miss within the US, whereas the restricted IP ranking pales compared to Samsung’s IP67 ranking.