Samsung Galaxy A55 5G review: a capable mid-ranger that challenges premium contenders

Name: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
Item: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
Rating: 8
Author: Ashish Kumar

Published On: March 20, 2024

Review Summary

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The statement “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken” resonates strongly with the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, which I have been using for almost a week. The handset bears similarities with last year’s Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (review), which impressed us in nearly every aspect. However, Samsung has upped the ante by introducing the Galaxy A55 5G with an upgraded Exynos 1480 SoC. How much of a difference does it make for the smartphone? More importantly, does it elevate the Galaxy A55 5G as a superior mid-range option compared to its competitors? Keep reading to discover the answers to these questions and more.

Table of Contents

Verdict

The Galaxy A55 5G comes across as a good option for those seeking a smartphone with Samsung’s premium look and feel, without breaking the bank. The handset is also highly reliable in terms of performance, viewing experience, camera capabilities, battery life, and more.

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G design remains arguably the same as its predecessor. Taking cues from the flagship S-series lineup, the handset sports flat edges with three individual camera rings around the back. However, there is one noticeable change that helps the phone stand out among other Samsung smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G boasts a small bump on the right spine where the volume rocker and power button is placed. Although unofficially, the bump is affectionately dubbed as ‘Key Island’. It is nicely flushed into the phone’s aluminium frame and doesn’t rub off awkwardly while holding the device. Additionally, the edges of the handset flaunt a brushed surface, enhancing grip and ergonomics.

While the Galaxy A55 5G weighs slightly on the heavier side (213g, to be precise), its weight has been evenly distributed to prevent wrist strain during prolonged use. Furthermore, one shouldn’t mind the extra ounce given that the device is now more durable, thanks to the sturdy Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the screen. This is in addition to the handset’s IP67 water and dust resistance rating. Overall, it flaunts a formidable design that you will take pride in flaunting and wielding.

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G sports a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1,000 nits peak brightness, and a centre punch-hole for the selfie camera. The display is marginally taller than its predecessor. It would have been appreciated if Samsung had made the bezels thinner and introduced a dynamic refresh rate. Nevertheless, the viewing experience remains commendable both indoors and outdoors. The handset also provides a delightful experience for watching content from streaming platforms such as Netflix.

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is equipped with an in-display fingerprint scanner, which accurately and quickly unlocks the device. For audio, there are dual speakers, which sound crisp even with high volume.

Cameras

In optics, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G sports a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP OIS main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro unit. The cameras capture impressive shots both in daylight and when the sun goes down. This could partly be attributed to Samsung’s AI Image Signal Processing (ISP), which is said to improve lowlight photography. Since it’s a mid-range offering, naturally, the quality won’t match that of the Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup, but it doesn’t disappoint either. The 50MP primary camera is quick with autofocus and shutter speed to output a detailed image with impressive colour vibrancy and dynamic range. Furthermore, there is a commendable amount of processing involved that maintains the natural reflection of the scene in a well-lit environment.

Moving on, the 8MP ultrawide camera offers similar colour vibrancy as the primary shooter. While the quality is slightly underwhelming, there is minimal warping around the edges of the frame. The 5MP macro camera produces better images than its 2MP counterpart; however, the images still lack crispness and sharpness. A telephoto lens could have performed better in this regard. The lowlight images have a bit of graininess, but this can be countered using the night mode feature, which is activated automatically in dimly lit environments and also works with ultrawide shots.

The selfie camera of the smartphone is a 32MP shooter, delivering images with respectable facial details and natural skin tones. The handset can also capture beautiful portraits with nice edge detection and bokeh effect.

Performance and software

At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G lies the in-house Exynos 1480 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. It is a better chipset than the Galaxy A54’s Exynos 1380 SoC both synthetically and in real-world performance. Regarding synthetic benchmark scores, the handset achieved 7,33,093 on AnTuTu, while its Geekbench score stands at 1,148 for the single-core test and 3,447 for the multi-core test. The handset performs at 79 percent of its peak performance during the CPU Throttle test. These are respectable scores for a mid-range smartphone. Let’s find out its real-world performance.

Whether it’s gaming or regular usage, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G performs admirably. The handset smoothly handles everything thrown at it, with no awkward app freezes or stuttering. Playing graphically demanding titles such as BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3, with moderate graphics and frame rate settings, is also an enjoyable experience. The handset might heat up slightly after an intense gaming session, but it doesn’t get uncomfortably warm. It’s worth mentioning the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is not your typical gaming-focused smartphone, so if you’re a power user, you might want to explore other options.

Talking about the software, the Samsung Galaxy A55 boots Android 14-based OneUI 5.1 out of the box. The handset may not have AI features, but the UI generally looks the same as the flagship S24 lineup. While features like DeX haven’t made their way to mid-range to affordable Samsung smartphones yet, it is worth mentioning that the new A-series smartphone gets Knox security to make it more secure than ever before.

The handset comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps, including some third parties such as Snapchat, Truecaller, PhonePe, and Amazon. While most of these look useful, the third-party apps can be uninstalled if desired. Samsung has promised four years of software upgrades and five years of security updates for the smartphone.

Battery and charging

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is driven by a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. On the PCMark battery test, the handset displayed a decent score of 13 hours and four minutes. During our 4K YouTube test with 50 percent brightness and volume level for half an hour, the handset experienced a drop of 7 percent in its battery life. The phone should provide roughly 6-7 hours of screen-on-time (SoT). With regular usage, you can get a day’s battery without looking for a charger.

When it comes to charging, the handset can be juiced up from 20 percent to 100 percent in a little over an hour using a compatible charger, which needs to be purchased separately.

Final verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G can be yours at a starting price of Rs 39,999. The handset emerges as a strong contender in the upper mid-range segment, offering value for money for anyone seeking a balance between affordability and functionality.

While it may not boast features such as an LTPO display and telephoto lens akin to its competitors – OnePlus 12R (review) and Vivo V30 Pro (review), the A55 5G provides a gratifying user experience. This is attributed to its sturdy IP67-certified design, upgraded Exynos 1480 SoC, long battery life, impressive camera system, and vibrant Super AMOLED display. Furthermore, with a promise of four years of OS upgrades, this phone is set to remain relevant until at least 2028.