Review Summary
Expert Rating
Samsung has launched the Galaxy A17 in India as the successor to the Galaxy A16, which was the brand’s best-selling smartphone in the country last year, according to Counterpoint. The new model retains familiar elements like the notch display, 5,000mAh battery, and the same camera setup, but now with the addition of OIS. Samsung is also bundling a charger this time, addressing a major omission from the A16 (review). What really sets the Galaxy A17 apart, however, is its long-term software support, a rarity in this segment. Here’s a closer look at what the latest A-series phone brings to the table, and how it stacks up against its predecessor and rivals.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Galaxy A17 delivers a sleek design, solid AMOLED display, good low-light cameras, and industry-best software support. But, with average performance, slower charging, and modest battery life, rivals like the Realme P4 and Infinix GT 30 offer stronger all-around value.
Display, design: mix of old & new
The Galaxy A17 has a clean and sleek design with a very thin triple camera deco at the back. It’s a large phone, but it doesn’t feel too heavy or difficult in the hands. The phone comes in classic Grey, Blue, and Black colours. We received the Blue unit, which looks similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s Blue Shadow colour variant. The back panel also has a nice shimmery effect in sunlight. The Galaxy A17 has Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, which is great for durability, but its IP54 rating for dust and water resistance falls short against other phones, which offer up to IP69.
Having said that, there is one thing that takes the Galaxy A17 a couple of years back, which is the U-shaped notch on the front. This design is quite dated, as most phones, even in the budget segment, feature a punch-hole display. Also, the bezels are slightly thicker than what you’d find in phones priced under Rs 20,000. This negates the experience you’d get from an immersive display and more screen estate.
The Galaxy A17’s display is still brilliant. I wasn’t expecting less from Samsung’s Super AMOLED display, which is bright, smooth, and fluid even with only a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s 6.7 inches in size with FHD+ resolution, and although the peak brightness hasn’t been revealed, the screen does a good job in terms of readability even outside in bright sunlight.
Decent performance for everyday use
Samsung isn’t known for top-tier performance in the budget category, and the Galaxy A17 is no exception. The handset is powered by the Exynos 1330, a 5nm chipset introduced back in 2023, which also powered the Galaxy A14. Against today’s competition, the chipset struggles to keep up, as seen in benchmarks: the phone records one of the lowest AnTuTu scores in its class at 6,04,677, though its Geekbench multi-core score of 2,240 is respectable.
For demanding users, rivals like the Realme P4 and Infinix GT 30 deliver stronger numbers, with AnTuTu scores of 7,75,973 and 7,27,195, respectively. That said, the Galaxy A17 still handles day-to-day tasks without issue. Navigation is smooth, with no major lag or stutter, and gaming performance is acceptable. However, extended sessions can push the device. Its temperature rose by 9 degrees after 30 minutes of COD Mobile, one of the steepest increases in this segment. Interestingly, the same wasn’t observed with titles like BGMI or Real Racing 3. While environmental factors play a role, the A17 does tend to get slightly warm with prolonged use.
Long-term software support and lots of customisation
The Galaxy A17 ships with One UI 7 based on Android 15 and promises six years of OS and security updates, the longest support in this segment. While not stock Android, it keeps pre-installed apps to a modest 49, close to the Moto G96’s 44, which is known for its clean UI. One UI stands out for its extensive customisation options, letting you personalise everything from the drop-down menu and keypad to messages with free themes. For those who want even more control, Samsung’s Good Lock adds deeper customisation tools, making the overall experience more fluid and user-friendly.
Good cameras with impressive low-light performance
The Galaxy A17 gets a good camera score in this segment as it does a balanced job across different scenarios. The setup is a 50MP OIS-enabled primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro camera. For selfies, there’s a 13MP front camera. The smartphone does a decent job with daylight shots and selfies, but it shines the most in low light. We compared the Galaxy A17’s cameras with the Moto G96, which is one of the best camera phones under Rs 20,000. Check out the comparison:
Daylight
In daylight conditions, the Galaxy A17 captures usable photos but falls short of expectations. While images look decent at first glance, closer inspection reveals a lack of fine detail and sharpness. Colours often appear slightly inaccurate, with contrast levels not always balanced. The phone also struggles with dynamic range, especially when compared to rivals like the Moto G96, which handles exposure and tonal balance more effectively.
Portrait
The Galaxy A17 is quite impressive with portrait shots, especially with maintaining accurate skin tone and colour. The handset also maintains good detail and clarity, on par with the Moto G96. The edge detection and bokeh are where things get interesting. The Moto G96 produces a better bokeh effect, but the Galaxy A17 doesn’t get that perfect background blur. Nevertheless, the A17 is better with edge detection, where the G96 tends to blur out certain objects like earrings from the subject.
Selfies
When it comes to selfies, the Moto G96 gets the skin tone and colour closest to reality. It’s a little different from the Galaxy A17. You’ll also see better details with the G96, but the selfies on the A17 have a slight skin smoothing, which will be more appealing for social media.
Ultra-wide
Comparing the ultra-wide shots from both phones is a bit tricky. At first glance, the Galaxy A17’s image looks more attractive, while the Moto G96’s appears slightly stretched. However, on closer inspection, the Moto smartphone delivers better detail and dynamic range. Zooming into the A17’s shot reveals noticeable distortion and blurriness, which takes away from the initial appeal.
Low-light
The Galaxy A17 handles low-light photography impressively. The low-light image captured by the A17 shows controlled light flare, balanced exposure, and minimal noise, resulting in clearer detail. If you look at the Moto G96’s low-light image, you’ll see a clear difference with more light flare, and details appearing blurry.
The Moto G96, however, relies on night mode to elevate its low-light performance, and once enabled, it matches the A17 and even delivers better control over noise and finer detail.
Average battery life
The Galaxy A17 comes with a 5,000mAh battery and supports 25W fast charging. Unlike the Galaxy A16, Samsung is including a charger in the box this time. While the capacity is decent for the price range, rivals like the OPPO K13 and Realme P4 offer larger 7,000mAh units. Charging speeds are also on the slower side, as 25W is considered below par even in the budget category. In our testing, the phone took around 1 hour 10 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent, which means a full charge can take close to an hour and a half.
In the PCMark battery benchmark, the Galaxy A17 logged 9 hours 59 minutes, one of the lowest scores in its class. This test simulates everyday activities such as web browsing, photo editing, and gaming, making it a reliable indicator of real-world endurance. In practical use, you can expect a full day of usage before needing to recharge.
Final Verdict
The Galaxy A17 improves on its predecessor with OIS, a bundled charger, and unmatched six years of software support. The handset also offers a sleek design, a bright AMOLED display, and reliable low-light performance. However, at a starting price of Rs 18,999, the dated Exynos 1330 limits performance, battery life is average, and charging is slower than rivals. Be that as it may, the Galaxy A17 isn’t trying to be a performance-focused phone, so you might want to consider alternatives on this front. But for a good display, Samsung’s UI and long-term updates, the A17 is worth considering.
Editor’s rating: 8/10
Reasons to buy
- The phone’s FHD+ Super AMOLED display is bright indoors and outdoors with vibrant colours.
- Low-light photography is impressive on the Galaxy A17 with good details and less noise.
- The Galaxy A17 gets six years of updates, the longest in this segment.
Reasons not to buy
- The smartphone still uses a notch, which looks dated compared to other phones.
- 25W charging is quite slow compared to what brands offer these days.
 | vs |  |
| vs |  |