Samsung Galaxy A55 5G assessment: Do you have to purchase it?

The Galaxy A55 5G takes a variety of design cues from the Galaxy S24 collection, but it surely additionally resembles latest 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 an extended method 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 refined in individual than renders would have you ever consider.

Samsung has unsurprisingly retained an IP67 score this time for mud and water resistance. What’s extra stunning is the swap 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. Alternatively, the processor additionally makes use of the identical outdated CPU as final yr’s mannequin, albeit with a big clock pace increase. What does this imply for efficiency?

Geekbench 6 scores present a small single-core CPU bump however a big ~21% multi-core CPU increase 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. Transferring to the GPU take a look at, the Wild Life Stress Take a look at reveals a notable enchancment over the A54 5G, but it surely 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 house screens, hopping into the recents menu, and launching apps. I used to be additionally in a position to play Genshin Affect 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 bit stunned to see that I might play demanding video games on PS2 and GameCube emulators at a principally easy tempo. It seems to be just like the AMD GPU and 4 efficiency cores come in useful right here.

Samsung can 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 nicely over 9 hours of screen-on time with typical utilization (shopping Reddit, listening to podcasts, taking part in some video games). You may count on 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 totally 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 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 telephone doesn’t provide any generative Galaxy AI options, as we’ve seen on high-end Galaxy gadgets. 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, but it surely’s nonetheless a nice replace pledge for a mid-range telephone.

I’m a 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 might go with out many of those apps.

What’s even worse is that the corporate shows an unskippable “really useful apps” display screen shortly after establishing the system. You’ll must 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 go on this for some time now.

The Galaxy A55 5G additionally retains the identical basic reasonably priced digital camera telephone system because the Galaxy A54 5G. Which means a 50MP essential digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro digital camera. Photographs shot through the day are usually detailed, as you’d count on from a fairly sized 1/1.56-inch sensor, although colours can typically be oversaturated to a ridiculous diploma. It’s virtually like we’re again within the unhealthy outdated days of Samsung telephone cameras at instances. Try the third picture under, with the purple blanket wanting neon and halos across the palm tree fronds. It’s just like the HDR and saturation sliders had 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 reveals (examine the world simply above my head).

On the upside, I’m glad to see that the horrible low-light shutter lag is decreased 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 await a daily 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 picture. You’ll usually need to go away evening mode enabled when the solar goes down (even when noise discount generally is a bit aggressive), as the primary digital camera 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 by way of element and noise in comparison with the primary sensor, notably in blended 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 an absence of resolvable element when zooming in. Talking of zoom, the telephone gives a cropped 2x choice, but it surely’s not value capturing past 2x as outcomes are grainy and fully missing intimately. You may view a gallery of full-resolution pattern images by way of 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 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 telephone additionally tops out at 4K/30fps video recording, which is extremely disappointing when Google and OnePlus’s telephones provide 4K/60fps help. A minimum of 4K/30fps selfie movies have returned.

The Galaxy A55 5G is a principally iterative improve over the already good Galaxy A54 fairly than a extra bold 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 part of present A54 5G strengths like an extended 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 into 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 value.

Samsung’s rivals, just like the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a, are shifting a lot quicker to shut the hole between the mid-range and bonafide flagships. The Pixel 8a, specifically, brings a lot better efficiency, wi-fi charging help, superior picture high quality, and AI options. Don’t get me improper — a great deal of folks will purchase the Galaxy A55 5G (although lower than regular because of the baffling lack of an official US launch). However they’ll accomplish that as a result of it’s a protected, smart, and acquainted improve, not as a result of it’s essentially the most thrilling buy nor one of the best which you can purchase at its price ticket.

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

• Samsung Galaxy A35 5G ($400 at Samsung): The Galaxy A55 5G isn’t accessible within the US, however the A35 5G is a good different. You’ve nonetheless received an IP67 score, 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 telephone due to wi-fi charging, a high-end chipset, AI options, and flagship-tier digital camera high quality. However the A55 5G brings quicker charging and an even bigger battery.
• OnePlus 12R ($599.99 at Amazon): Worth efficiency, charging pace, and/or display screen 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 screen. Sadly, it lacks water resistance whereas the cameras are mediocre at finest.
• Nothing Cellphone 2a (£319.99 at Amazon): The Nothing Cellphone 2a is just accessible within the US by way of a developer program, but it surely’s a terrific choose in different markets. That’s because of the distinctive design, nice display screen, and good cameras. Sadly, community help is hit-and-miss within the US, whereas the restricted IP score pales compared to Samsung’s IP67 score.