Samsung Galaxy A55 5G review: Should you buy it?

The Galaxy A55 5G takes plenty 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 certainly one of Samsung’s ever-stunning AMOLED shows, it goes a protracted method to making the cellphone really feel like a premium piece of package. 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 cellphone additionally options the so-called Key Island, a raised space on the body that homes the quantity and energy buttons. However this design ingredient is extra refined in individual than renders would have you ever consider.

Samsung has unsurprisingly retained an IP67 ranking this time for mud and water resistance. What’s extra shocking 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 cellphone at this worth 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. Alternatively, 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 check yields top-notch outcomes, although, suggesting loads of system optimizations to beat rivals. Shifting to the GPU check, the Wild Life Stress Take a look at reveals a notable enchancment over the A54 5G, nevertheless it additionally reveals that the cellphone once more lags far behind the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R. On the upside, the stress check 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 cellphone was easy when switching between house screens, hopping into the recents menu, and launching apps. I used to be additionally capable of play Genshin Impression 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, nevertheless, a little bit shocked to see that I may play demanding video games on PS2 and GameCube emulators at a principally easy tempo. It appears to be like just like the AMD GPU and 4 efficiency cores turn out to be 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 capable of get effectively over 9 hours of screen-on time with typical utilization (searching Reddit, listening to podcasts, enjoying some video games). You possibly can anticipate a couple of day and a half of utilization, which is broadly in keeping with the Galaxy A54 5G.

You’ll want to attend a good period of time to totally cost the cellphone when you’ve exhausted the battery. The cellphone tops out at 25W wired speeds with a Energy Supply charger and takes over 80 minutes to achieve 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 cellphone doesn’t supply any generative Galaxy AI options, as we’ve seen on high-end Galaxy gadgets. Nonetheless, it’s slated to obtain 4 main OS updates and 5 years of safety patches. That’s not fairly pretty much as good because the Pixel 8a’s seven-year replace coverage, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an amazing replace pledge for a mid-range cellphone.

I’m a little bit dissatisfied however not shocked by Samsung’s dedication to bloatware. Along with the anticipated Samsung apps that duplicate Google performance, we’ve additionally bought 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 useful apps” display shortly after organising the machine. You’ll need to untick a number of apps, however the cellphone 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 job for this bloatware, because it appears like the corporate has been given a go on this for some time now.

The Galaxy A55 5G additionally retains the identical basic reasonably priced digital camera cellphone system because the Galaxy A54 5G. Meaning a 50MP predominant digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro digital camera. Photos shot throughout 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 unhealthy previous days of Samsung cellphone cameras at instances. Take a look at the third picture under, with the crimson blanket trying neon and halos across the palm tree fronds. It’s just like the HDR and saturation sliders have been cranked to 11. Portrait mode pictures aren’t nice both, with frequent depth estimation errors. These aren’t minor errors, because the final picture within the gallery reveals (examine the realm simply above my head).

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

The Galaxy A55 5G additionally brings a 12MP ultrawide lens, though it’s a transparent step down by way of element and noise in comparison with the primary sensor, significantly in combined lighting. A 5MP macro digital camera rounds out the rear digital camera system, bringing good image high quality for a devoted macro digital camera however nonetheless displaying that watercolor impact and a scarcity of resolvable element when zooming in. Talking of zoom, the cellphone gives a cropped 2x choice, nevertheless it’s not value capturing past 2x as outcomes are grainy and fully missing intimately. You possibly can view a gallery of full-resolution pattern images by way of the Google Drive hyperlink right here.

Samsung’s cellphone continues to supply options like the good Single Take mode, a Enjoyable mode for Snapchat filters, twin recording (albeit by way of the primary and selfie cameras solely), a nifty Professional Video mode, and a gallery with options like shadow erasing and picture clipping. The cellphone 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 principally iterative improve over the already good Galaxy A54 moderately 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 provide you with extra peace of thoughts. These upgrades be a part of current A54 5G strengths like a protracted replace coverage, good battery life, and a slick show.

Exterior of the premium design and smaller upgrades, although, Samsung nonetheless has some room for enchancment in areas that grow to be more and more extra blatant because the competitors continues to boost its recreation. Samsung continues to crank up the primary digital camera’s saturation ranges, the Exynos chip undoubtedly wants a CPU and AI improve, and the shortage of 4K/60fps video is unacceptable at this worth.

Samsung’s rivals, just like the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a, are transferring a lot sooner to shut the hole between the mid-range and bonafide flagships. The Pixel 8a, particularly, brings a lot better efficiency, wi-fi charging help, superior photograph high quality, and AI options. Don’t get me mistaken — a great deal of folks 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, wise, and acquainted improve, not as a result of it’s probably the most thrilling buy nor the very best that you could purchase at its price ticket.

There’s no scarcity of nice Galaxy A55 5G options, so try our picks under:

• Samsung Galaxy A35 5G ($400 at Samsung): The Galaxy A55 5G isn’t out there within the US, however the A35 5G is an honest various. You’ve nonetheless bought an IP67 ranking, a long-term replace coverage, and Samsung’s feature-packed software program. However you additional lose out on efficiency, digital camera {hardware}, and construct high quality. The hole between the A collection and the S collection is fairly big 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 cellphone because of wi-fi charging, a high-end chipset, AI options, and flagship-tier digital camera high quality. However the A55 5G brings sooner charging and an even bigger battery.
• OnePlus 12R ($599.99 at Amazon): Worth efficiency, charging velocity, and/or display high quality? Then the OnePlus 12R is certainly value 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. Sadly, it lacks water resistance whereas the cameras are mediocre at greatest.
• Nothing Cellphone 2a (£319.99 at Amazon): The Nothing Cellphone 2a is simply out there within the US by way of a developer program, nevertheless it’s an amazing choose in different markets. That’s as a result of distinctive design, nice display, 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.