Listen, I love Samsung phones. If you told me I had to use a Galaxy device for the rest of eternity, I’d probably be quite happy.
But what I cannot condone is incredibly lazy ‘upgrades’ that deliver a materially worse experience for the end consumer. Global RAM shortage or not, it’s simply not acceptable.
That’s exactly what Samsung is pitching to us with the Galaxy A27, its latest affordable phone. I would say budget phone, but a price rise means it’s not even cheap enough for that anymore.
Compared to the best mid-range handsets, it’s woefully under-equipped, and I can’t see myself recommending it to anyone.
Some useful upgrades – but nothing major
Let’s first acknowledge what has actually improved on the Galaxy A27 compared to last year’s Galaxy A26.
The chipset – Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 – is a welcome step forward from the Exynos 1380. Using the more advanced 4nm process, it should deliver a nice boost to everyday performance, but also general responsiveness and gaming prowess.
It also uses the more advanced LPDDR5 RAM, which typically delivers much faster data rates and better power efficiency than the LPDDR4X found on the Galaxy A26. This introduces the possibility of a battery life upgrade, despite the 5000mAh cell staying the same.
The A27 also ditches the teardrop notch, replacing it with the industry-standard punch hole for the selfie camera. It makes the phone look much more modern as a result, even though the bezel hasn’t narrowed at all.
Samsung
While both phones run One UI 8.5, the Galaxy A27 also gains support for DeX, Samsung’s feature that turns your phone into a desktop-like experience when it’s connected to a monitor. While not a full-blown replacement for Windows or macOS, it’s a great option for improved productivity, especially while travelling.
These are all welcome steps forward, but even when combined, you could argue that they don’t justify a brand-new phone. And the bad news keeps on coming.
A worse buy than the Galaxy A26…
I really wanted to like the Galaxy A27, but Samsung’s downgrades are impossible to ignore.
The one I’m most disappointed with is the water resistance. While the A26 had a very decent IP67 rating, ensuring it was safe from submersion in up to 1m of freshwater, the A27 scales this back to IP64. That means it’s only safe against splashes of water, so it’s bad news if you drop it in the bath or a puddle.
I really wanted to like the Galaxy A27, but Samsung’s downgrades are impossible to ignore
This has nothing to do with the design update – basically every flagship phone has a punch-hole selfie camera, yet they all have a full IP68 rating. I can’t understand the reason for this change, when the materials used to build the phone are identical.
Talking of selfie cameras, the A27’s front-facing lens has dropped from 13Mp to 12Mp. Now, we know megapixel count isn’t everything, but be prepared for selfies to be slightly worse.
Samsung
It’s not the only one. The ultrawide lens has dropped from 8Mp to 5Mp, which basically rubber-stamps its position as a useless lens. It joins the party there with an unchanged 2Mp macro. Has a dedicated macro lens on a smartphone ever been useful?
Oh, and just to top it off, the A27 is slightly thicker at 7.8mm and Bluetooth has been downgraded from version 5.3 to 5.1. Unlike the other downgrades, these are changes you probably won’t notice, but were they really necessary?
…but still more expensive
Okay, so the Galaxy A27 has received some baffling downgrades, but at least Samsung has managed to avoid raising the price. Right?
Has a dedicated macro lens on a smartphone ever been useful?
Wrong. At £319/$349, the A27 is £20/$50 more expensive than its predecessor. Given the current global RAM shortage, some rises were expected, but the phone itself has to be worth buying.
This is the worst of both worlds. You’re getting a phone that’s inferior in several key ways, yet costs more. Though we haven’t tested it here at Tech Advisor yet, I’d be shocked if it was worth buying once it goes on sale (3 July in the UK, 14 July in the US).
Alternatives aren’t in short supply
If the Galaxy A27 was one of the best phones in its price range, this lazy ‘upgrade’ would be easier to stomach. But it’s not.
Take a quick glance at our best mid-range phones guide, and you’ll see the Nothing Phone (4a). At £379, it’s £50 more expensive than the A27, but likely to be a much superior phone overall. For something cheaper, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 is a fine all-rounder at £299.
While neither are sold in the US, I’d still rather go for last year’s Pixel 9a over the A27. Some steep recent discounts mean it’s consistently available for around the same £319/$349 figure.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Unless the Galaxy A27 is a surprise delight in the real world, I’d encourage you to look elsewhere. Even in the era of meagre upgrades and price rises, this is an incredibly disappointing release from Samsung.
