At a lookProfessional’s Ranking
Professionals
- Premium construct
- Cheaper than earlier than
- Sturdy stamina
- Respectable software program help
Cons
- Considerably cumbersome
- Sluggish charging
- Nonetheless not pretty much as good worth because the competitors
Our Verdict
With a step up in construct high quality, a bigger show, and a sooner processor, the Galaxy A55 5G is a worthy development over the Galaxy A54 5G. It’s cheaper than earlier than too, although nonetheless not the excellent worth of a few of its opponents.
After getting again into its mid-range smartphone groove with the Galaxy A54 5G, Samsung returns with one other elegant sub-£500 providing within the Galaxy A55 5G.
With costs ranging from simply £439, the Galaxy A55 5G represents the sort of value minimize we don’t see a lot of lately. Regardless of being cheaper, it manages so as to add a bigger show and a sooner processor, all housed in a extra premium design than earlier than.
You’ll be able to maybe perceive why Samsung would really feel compelled to supply extra for much less, given the upward stress exerted by excellent-value telephones just like the Nothing Telephone (2a) and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo, in addition to direct competitors from the Redmi Notice 13 Professional+.
So has Samsung executed sufficient to compete?
Design & Construct
- Comparable type to S24
- Glass and metallic improve
- IP67 safety
The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G doesn’t look all that completely different to the Galaxy A54 5G. Apart from the latter’s subtly rounded edge being utterly flattened out, it’s spot the distinction stuff.
These flat edges finally converse to the path of journey Samsung has taken with its flagship Galaxy S24. Nonetheless, the Galaxy A55 5G (along with its brother the Galaxy A35 5G) distinguishes itself with a singular raised housing for the ability and quantity buttons.
This can be a considerably extra premium piece of labor
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Any lingering sense of familiarity vanishes the second you lay your palms on the A55 5G. This can be a considerably extra premium piece of labor, eschewing the plastic of its predecessor in favour of an aluminium body and a glass again.
The entrance of the Galaxy A55 5G additionally will get an improve to the newer, more durable Gorilla Glass Victus+ (up from GG5). You continue to get the identical IP67 water and mud resistance as earlier than, however that is still a strong mid-range spec.
The Galaxy A55 5G’s step-up in supplies does come at the price of elevated weight. We already discovered the Galaxy A54 5G to be considerably unwieldy at 209g, and the A55 5G provides one other 4g on prime of that. The newer cellphone can be barely taller and wider, because of its bigger show so naked this in thoughts.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
With extra extreme edges and a bigger footprint, in addition to the swap to a metallic body, the Galaxy A55 5G is a much less snug cellphone to carry than its predecessor. Nonetheless, it undoubtedly feels prefer it’s taken a big step in the direction of flagship territory, which is spectacular given the cheaper price ticket.
I’m reviewing the Superior Iceblue choice, which most individuals would merely name white. You may as well get the Galaxy A55 in Superior Navy, Superior Lilac, and Superior Yellow. Which is… superior.
Display screen & Audio system
- Bigger 6.6in AMOLED
- 120Hz refresh price
- Stereo audio system
After lowering the scale of the Galaxy A54 54G’s show ever so barely to six.4in, Samsung has cranked issues proper as much as 6.6in with the Galaxy A55 5G.
Apart from an elevated canvas, that is in any other case a nigh-on an identical display screen specification, with a 1080 x 2340 (Full HD+) decision and a 120Hz refresh price. It even will get to the identical 1000 nit brightness, when uncovered to brilliant ambient lighting and with autobrightness left on.
You’ll wish to be sure you try this, too, as I solely measured the brightness as barely scraping to 400 nits with autobrightness off. That’s wonderful for indoor utilization, however gained’t stand as much as even a British summer season’s day.
Color accuracy is strong, in Samsung’s signature punchy trend
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Color accuracy is strong, in Samsung’s signature punchy trend. In case you like your image to be slightly extra restrained, I’d suggest switching away from the default Vivid setting and choosing Pure as an alternative.
Utilizing this extra muted show mode, I recorded a 99.2% sRGB gamut protection and a median Delta E of 1.72. That’s respectable, with out ripping up any timber.
You don’t get a 3.5mm headphone jack right here, regardless of the scale of the cellphone, however you do get respectable readability from its stereo audio system. There’s the same old lack of bass, however you anticipate that from a mid-range cellphone.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
the Galaxy A55 5G’s Exynos 1480 chip permits it to stretch its legs
Specs & Efficiency
- Exynos 1480
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB/256GB storage
After final 12 months’s Galaxy A54 5G with its Exynos 1380 introduced the mid-range sequence into easy working order, the Galaxy A55 5G’s Exynos 1480 chip permits it to stretch its legs.
This can be a higher-clocked chip made utilizing a extra energy-efficient 4nm course of, and it’s backed by 8GB of RAM as commonplace. Benchmark outcomes level to a wholesome, if not large enchancment over the Galaxy A54 5G.
In comparison with its contemporaries, the Galaxy A55 5G comfortably trumps the Nothing Telephone (2a) and the Google Pixel 7a in our CPU benchmark exams, however falls slightly in need of each in GPU phrases.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
This ends in buttery easy day after day efficiency, but additionally factors to a cellphone that shouldn’t be a major choose if gaming is your precedence. It’ll run the likes of Wreckfest on Excessive settings, however the body price can be removed from flawless. You’re in all probability higher off enjoying such complicated 3D fare at medium settings.
You’ll be able to choose between 128- and 256GB of inside storage, and there’s a microSD slot if you happen to really feel the necessity to broaden the availability, although it’ll take up one of many two SIM card slots.
Because the identify suggests, you’ll be able to rely on 5G connectivity the place out there, whereas the Galaxy A55 5G additionally provides Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC for cell funds. It’s all fairly updated on the connectivity entrance for a mid-ranger.
Cameras
- 50Mp important digital camera
- 12Mp ultrawide
- 5Mp macro
- 32Mp selfies
We’ve seen nothing however considerate evolution thus far, however the Galaxy A55 5G’s progress considerably flatlines with its digital camera system. Samsung appears to have fitted the cellphone with precisely the identical setup because the Galaxy A54 5G.
Meaning a reasonably typical exhibiting of a 50Mp important digital camera with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a 12Mp ultra-wide, and a 5Mp macro digital camera. There’s the identical 32Mp selfie digital camera across the entrance, too.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
It ought to shock nobody that my impressions of the Galaxy A55 5G’s photographic abilities broadly fall in keeping with final 12 months’s mannequin, even with the same old enhancements to picture processing that include a brand new mannequin.
That important digital camera does lots of the heavy lifting right here, turning out detailed pictures packed filled with Samsung’s customary color – maybe even an excessive amount of for some tastes – when taking pictures in good lighting.
Evening pictures are much less assured, with a touch of grain and softness, and I noticed a wierd inexperienced visible artefact in a single explicit occasion. They nonetheless look respectable, however if you would like really sturdy night time pictures for lower than £500, look to the Pixel 7a.
The A55’s 12Mp ultra-wide is sweet to have for these panorama shot conditions, however the fall-off in high quality and inconsistency in tone in comparison with the principle sensor is kind of pronounced.
Samsung goes slightly additional than most with its 5Mp macro digital camera, producing satisfactory close-up pictures. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a superfluous addition, and I want the no-nonsense dual-lens method taken by the Nothing Telephone (2a) and Pixel 7a.
As that implies, there’s no devoted telephoto right here, however 2x pictures look fairly strong because of that strong important sensor and Samsung’s dependable cropping system. You’ll be dicing with growing quantities of blur as you stray into 4x and 10x territory, although.
As soon as once more, Samsung’s 32Mp entrance digital camera does a bang up job with selfies. Pores and skin tones are pure, topic definition is sweet, and there’s a pleasant diploma of background blur even with out the portrait mode activated.
It has a barely wider area of view than many, which is a greater choose for group pictures, with the default view cropping in for a extra common close-up with no noticeable drop off intimately.
Video recording is respectable, stretching to 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps. The availability of OIS retains issues suitably regular.
Battery Life & Charging
- 5000mAh battery
- 25W charging
- No adapter included
Samsung caught with a well-recognized 5000mAh battery for the Galaxy A55 5G, which proves to be ample. Along with the brand new Exynos chip, it makes for an impressively environment friendly runner.
the Galaxy A55 5G can be good for a full two days of ‘regular’ utilization in between prices
In sensible use, I discovered the Galaxy A55 5G’s stamina to be sturdy. On a 15 hour day with 4 hours half-hour of display screen on time – what you may time period reasonable utilization – it fell to simply 63%. On an particularly intense day of seven hours and 50 minutes display screen on time, the Galaxy A55 5G nonetheless bought by means of to bedtime with 22% remaining.
That’s a formidable degree of stamina and signifies that the Galaxy A55 5G can be good for a full two days of ‘regular’ utilization in between prices.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
In the meantime, a PC Mark Work 3.0 battery rating of 12 hours and 26 minutes falls a number of hours behind the Nothing Telephone (2a), however comfortably beats the likes of the Pixel 7a and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo.
If there’s one weak point right here, it’s that Samsung persists in supporting a reasonably mediocre charging pace. At simply 25W, you’ll solely get to simply over half a tankful from empty in half-hour of charging. The Nothing Telephone (2a) helps 45W, whereas the Redmi Notice 13 Professional+ 5G helps a whopping 120W, and the latter additionally provides you that speedy charger within the field.
There’s no wi-fi charging provision right here, which isn’t too stunning. You’ll be able to choose up a Pixel 7a with this function for related cash, however it’s one thing of a mid-range outlier.
Software program & Apps
- Android 14
- One UI 6.1
- 4 years of OS upgrades
Samsung provides the most recent model of Android with the Galaxy A55 5G, which is Android 14, along with its personal newest customized UI, One UI 6.1. In that approach, it’s proper up there with the corporate’s flagship Galaxy S24 sequence, minus the AI tricks.
One UI is an interface that you’ll either be instantly comfortable with, or else have to grow accustomed to over time.
Samsung’s software has been installed on millions upon millions of devices across more than a decade, albeit under different names, which means that it’s often viewed as the default Android OS by an awful lot of people.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
It’s also a smooth, flexible, colourful and fully featured UI that proves to be a tinkerer’s delight.
If you’ve ventured away from Samsung at any point over the years, however, you may have experienced the cleaner, more streamlined delights of stock Android and those UIs that stick closer to Google’s way of doing things. To someone who’s acquired a taste for such things, One UI can feel very busy indeed, and even a little clumsy, with lots of preinstalled apps – several of which duplicate core Google services.
Samsung is promising four years of major OS upgrades for the Galaxy A55 5G, and up to five years of security updates. That’s pretty strong for a mid-range phone.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Price & Availability
Samsung is selling the Galaxy A55 5G in two storage variants from its website here in the UK. The model with 128GB, which I’m reviewing here, costs £439, while the 256GB model costs £489.
Amazon, John Lewis, Very, Argos, and Currys are all promoting the cellphone at an identical value. Very was providing a £10 low cost on the time of writing, whereas John Lewis was providing a free set of Galaxy Buds FE headphones with the cellphone.
That £439 beginning value makes the Galaxy A55 5G £10 cheaper than final 12 months’s Galaxy A54 5G. We haven’t been too accustomed to seeing something get cheaper in recent times, not to mention a well-liked smartphone vary, so that is welcome information.
Even so, I’m hesitant to label the Galaxy A55 5G a discount. Not when the Nothing Telephone (2a) may be had for £319 and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo for £300 or much less.
One unfavorable is the truth that the Galaxy A55 5G doesn’t seem like certain for US shores. Solely the Galaxy A35 5G is headed stateside on the time of writing for $399. It’s not too dissimilar, however remains to be an inferior product with a less expensive construct, inferior efficiency, and a lesser digital camera set-up.
Try our chart of one of the best mid-range telephones to see all the highest A55 options.
Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G?
Samsung has taken the nice work executed with the Galaxy A54 5G, and thoughtfully constructed upon it. That is one other all-round succesful mid-ranger with a a lot improved construct, a bigger show, and sooner efficiency.
Whereas it might have been good to see some extra enhancements within the digital camera and show departments, these had been strong elements final time round, and stay so in 2024. On condition that the cellphone prices rather less than its predecessor, it might really feel churlish to complain an excessive amount of, although cheaper rivals such because the Nothing Telephone (2a) and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo imply that I nonetheless wouldn’t name it a full-on discount.
Samsung might nonetheless do with bettering its charging speeds, particularly in comparison with a few of its mid-range rivals, and the Galaxy A55 5G is larger and bulkier than ever. Nonetheless, it stays a straightforward advice for anybody with lower than £450 to burn on a smartphone.
Specs
- Android 14 with One UI 6.1
- 6.6in, FHD+, OLED, 120Hz, flat show
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- Exynos 1480
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB/256GB storage with MicroSD
- 50Mp, f/1.8 important digital camera
- 12Mp ultra-wide digital camera
- 5Mp macro digital camera
- As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
- 32Mp front-facing digital camera
- Stereo audio system
- Twin-SIM
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
- Bluetooth 5.3
- 5000mAh battery
- 25W charging
- 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2mm
- 213g
- Launch colors: Meteorite Grey, Moonlight White, Celestial Blue
