Verdict
If you desire a Samsung Galaxy sound that feel and looks expensive without costing an absolute fortune , you ’ve found it . Charging speed and raw performance could be better , but a with child chunk of the Galaxy A55 ’s prospective audience will barely notice the difference most of the time .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is amid - range phonethat anyone away from the unfeignedly smartphone - ghost could believe is one of Samsung ’s most expensive models .
Sure , there are speech sound with salutary cameras and faster processor . But Samsung has nailed the classy look and feel of the Galaxy A55 , and that matters to many hoi polloi , myself admit .
That it ’s also perhaps the mostiPhone 15 - same Samsung phone , despite being far from the company ’s most expensive , is not unpleasant either .
Bad moment ? There ’s no literal zoom camera , charging speed is slow compared to the many Chinese brands ’ phones , from Xiaomi , OnePlus , Honor and carbon monoxide , and it ’s not the obvious pick for gamers . But it ’s a pleasure to use , and seems a comparatively reasonable steal at £ 439 . That ’s for the 128 GB storage version , as critique . The 256 GB edition cost £ 489 .
Design
I ’ve discover the Galaxy A55 described as a work-shy refresh of theGalaxy A54 . While it does n’t look staggeringly different , it will feel quite different , and more expensive .
This telephone has a glass front , a glass back and Al sides , not the plastic sidewall used in the last generation . Such a jazz group alone is enough to make the Galaxy A55 feel like a high - destruction phone , but Samsung survive further .
The front glass is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ : high - degree stuff and nonsense . Like a pile of Samsungs , water resistance is fantabulous too . The Samsung Galaxy A55 is denounce at IP67 , meaning it can survive full submersion in fresh piss at a depth of 1.5 m.
This telephone set ’s presence is n’t a full match for the basic pitch of a more reachable choice to aSamsung Galaxy S24 , though . The Samsung Galaxy A55 is quite a wide phone , a handful . Part of that is down to the large display , but the squared - off sides make this potential take all the clear . The Galaxy A55 is wider than theiPhone 15 Pro MaxorSamsung Galaxy S23 + , for example , at 77.4 mm .
Think of this as a bigger - sieve telephone , not a handset that is a like - for - like swap for a base Samsung Galaxy S24 or iPhone 15 . They sense , and are , well smaller . Still , you could argue this prepare the Galaxy A55 an even dependable mass — more phone , less cash .
Nothing too obvious is missing either . There ’s an in - screen fingermark electronic scanner , which is not the fastest but works OK , and face realisation . The Samsung Galaxy A55 speakers are loud and robust - sounding too . As is the average these days , the headphone has no earpiece socket , but you’re able to fit a microSD into the SIM slot to tally to the 128 GB or 256 GB storage .
I do commend grow hold of a case , and one is n’t supplied . The coloured aluminium is somewhat susceptible to nicks and scrapes , and they show up as shining silver in a sea of , in my cause , gloomy . You wo n’t see any of these grazes in my word picture , but by the end of prove the phone was already looking a little tired .
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A55 has a 6.6 - inch OLED display . This means it ’s closer in size of it to theGalaxy S24 Plusthan the Galaxy S24 , but slimly smaller than the 6.7 inch common among moderately priced big - screen Androids .
Screen borders are n’t tiny , but there ’s a very deliberate common sense of way to the path the screen boundary line closely matches the curves of the phone itself .
All the common OLED characteristic are here . The Samsung Galaxy A55 provides ace - ample colouration , with an option to modulate down those tones in the preferences bill of fare if you like . Black levels are immaculate , with just a small amount of greying of the CRT screen region in very bright environments due to internal reflections . Maximum refresh rate is 120Hz for a smoother appearance .
Maximum brightness is 922 nits , interpret in bright environs or when you flirt HDR video . The Samsung Galaxy A55 does n’t scratch me as a massively promising phone despite that respectable figure , perhaps because its incline - up can be a little conservative when unlocking . Or due to the slight dividing line loss of internal screen door reflection .
Still , it does n’t experience as though you are missing too much compare to the top Androids . Typical of a mid - range phone , the resolution is elongate Full HD ( 2340 x 1080 pixels ) , not extremist - high atomic number 75 .
Camera
At a glance , you might guess the Samsung Galaxy A55 has tv camera similar to the Galaxy S24 + . It does not . Most notably , there ’s no rapid growth camera . The third electron lens is a 5MP macro instruction , more of a makeweight cam than something you ’d find in a truetop - end Samsung .
If you inject zoomed pic , you ’re getting a digital crop , not the real slew . you could get aside with 2x rapid growth just fine , but beyond that is a stretch .
There are a couple of other compromise imply too . The Samsung Galaxy A55 does n’t extend as faithful a preview image as I ’m used to from eminent - last Samsungs . Sure , that intend pictures often end up well than you ’d guess , but it is not ideal .
Video shooting is limited too . The top style is 4 K , 30 frames per second , not the 4K/60 that is the go - to mode for daily shot in a Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus .
That apart , the Samsung Galaxy A55 is a pretty satisfying little headphone photographic camera . I did n’t spot any of the violent flags I often see in these competitively priced mid - range phones that appear to promise so much in the television camera department .
There ’s no major evidence of over-embellished fringing in either photographic camera , edge - of - frame wholeness is perfectly solid , and down at pixel floor , the Samsung Galaxy A55 deal to avoid the painterly appearance many Samsung phones had age ago .
Colour is big naturalistic , not too portentous , and I like how the patina of texture you’re able to often see when looking super - close is evidence of a sure confidence Samsung has this camera resolves more detail than noise in good ignition . At dark , you do n’t really get a good preview of what the final image will look like in the camera app , but the final stage results are very solid . They are much brighter and clear than they seem on - screen , without going overboard .
The Night musical mode kicks in automatically , but you could select it manually too ( this has n’t seemed necessary in my testing ) . Here are some shots taken using the Galaxy A55 :
Is there still more evidence of picture processing than in thevery best phone tv camera ? Sure . diminutive bare tree branches often look as if they are limn in white , which is a side - effect of sharpening . And with indoor lighting , image can search a small stick-in-the-mud .
Want the specs ? The Samsung Galaxy A55 has a 50MP standard camera that takes 12MP pics as standard . I do think it ’s sometimes worthwhile lock the 50MP mode . While there ’s no luxurious difference in perceive detail at a standard craw , the 50MP pics will see more natural if you end up significantly cropping for a photographic print .
The 2d camera is a 12MP extremist - broad , one that produces self-colored outcome and not too striking drop curtain in image quality during the daytime . Our final camera , the 5MP macro instruction , is the closest we get to a filler camera . It ’s good than the 2MP hardware reckon in some telephone set , but it ’s unremarkable . I often forget it even exist as you manually need to switch to the Macro mode to use it .
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A55 has a Samsung Exynos 1480 central processing unit . This is a late chipset at the clock time of review , having been introduced in this phone .
Its primary benefit is a 4 micromillimetre architecture , which should in theory come up with efficiency benefits . Sure enough , the Samsung Galaxy A55 does not get notably blistering under pressure level , and suffers from in effect zero strangulation in 3D Mark ’s fairly challenging 20 - minute Wild Life Stress test .
This is not the most powerful phone you’re able to get for the money , though . ThePixel 7a ’s Tensor G2 beats it on single and multi - core mainframe performance , and the GPU is dramatically more muscular . This phone scores 3881 in 3D Mark ’s Wild Life trial , compared to around 6300 points in the Pixel .
It comprise a solid 37 % increase over the graphics power of the Galaxy A54 and its Exynos 1380 . But plenitude of phones beat it in terms of raw performance per pound or dollar , include the OnePlus Nord 3,Poco F5andPoco X6 Pro .
However , the disparity is only sincerely notable in a few outlier cases . The Exynos 1480 is roundly like to a MediaTek 7200 Ultra . We ’re tattle about graphics performance comparable with the Snapdragon 865 , announce in 2019 .
This is not an ideal gaming telephone set then , but it is at least punchy enough to act Honkai Star Rail at around 30fps , mellow configurations . Gamers can do well elsewhere but I have no charge about the general performance , which is sound .
Software
The Samsung Galaxy A55 run Android 14 , and has the same OneUI 6 interface as Samsung ’s higher - end phones . It does not seek to pack too much into any one concealment — a spread - out approaching I find looks pathetic on its declamatory earphone . But you’re able to increase the telephone number of app row and columns on family screen and the app drawer if you like .
Samsung do its interface a little differently to most , though . The app library issue forth in horizontally arranged pages , not a vertical scroll . New to Samsung ? It takes a niggling while to get habitual to , but all moves by with the right variety of practised aplomb .
The Galaxy A55 is also , like other Samsungs , loaded with apps you may or may not actually want . These come preponderantly from Microsoft and Samsung . And Google ’s common suite of apps is here too .
One of my first move with a phone like the Samsung Galaxy A55 is to move Samsung ’s internet browser app out of the way , as I do n’t notice it as good as Chrome . However , it ’s not as soft to dismiss all of Samsung ’s stuff as bloaty detritus , as with some other manufacturers . Samsung Health , SmartThings and Wearable are all legit platforms . There ’s just not much cause to use them if you will not bribe more Samsung gear .
The Samsung Galaxy A55 features quite a lot of what may seem like junk , then , but Samsung at least has the undecomposed grace to hide much of it in folder .
Battery life
In one crucial signified , the Galaxy A55 get an important vantage over its Galaxy S24 and S24 + cousins . It has a 5000mAh battery , while they have 4000- and 4900mAh cells because being slim becomes all the more important as a phone ’s cost rises .
Does this lead to amazing stamp battery life ? Not specially . The Samsung Galaxy A55 has satisfying but ordinary toughness , and was a noticeable step down from theNubia Z60 UltraI used beforehand . But , hey , that affair has an strange 6000mAh battery so it ’s not an alone fair comparing .
I do n’t have any issues bring the Samsung Galaxy A55 to last a full day , but it ’s no two - sidereal day toughness road warrior . I ’m typically result with just a 20 % or so slash of armorial bearing leave at bedtime .
charge speed proved more of a thing I had to memorize to accept , though . After using a string of Chinese telephone set with ultra - fast charging , the Galaxy A55 ’s 25W seems insipid - out slow . You ’ll also need to provide your own compatible charger , as one is not supplied .
15 moment on charge acquire you to 26 % . A 50 % charge take 29 minutes and it give 100 % at 83 minutes . You may get slenderly better or worse outcome reckon on the specific battery charger you habituate ( assuming it ’s compatible with Samsung quick charging ) .
This feels like a rather older model of quick charge in 2024 if you ’ve experienced headphone that can full guardianship in 30 moment or less .
The Samsung Galaxy A55 also lacks wireless charging . However , I do n’t look at it a great loss consider Samsung was working with a circumscribed budget here . And if we did get wireless charging , you could wager it would be of the slow form .
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Should you buy it?
This is a good choice if you desire a Samsung Galaxy phone that look , feels and runs like a top - destruction Android but costs less . That ’s the whole concept here .
Think twice if you ’re a hard-core lineament - to - value buyer . you may get better performance elsewhere , and the deficiency of a zoom camera will sting for some .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is an fantabulous alternative to Samsung ’s most expensive speech sound for the kind of someone who ca n’t , or does n’t want to , expend lawful flagship phone money .
It ’s as if Samsung has injected a little iPhone design desoxyribonucleic acid , and just cut out a few of the most expensive features to attract to the wide possible hearing . No , it does n’t have unbelievable natural power , but many people wo n’t notice the difference .
Sure , it does n’t have the unbelievable camera zoom business leader of aSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra . But it can still take pleasing photos at any time of the day .
charge speed requires some patience if you ’re upgrading from a sound with kindling - degenerate kick pace . But the same apply to all Samsung sound , to some extent .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try out every fluid telephone set we go over thoroughly . We use industry - received mental testing to compare characteristic properly and we expend the telephone as our main machine over the review stop . We ’ll always say you what we find out and we never , ever , bear money to review a product .
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FAQs
It ’s IP67 water system immune , meaning it can handle rainwater and submersion in urine .
There ’s no headphone jack .
It does not support wireless charging , only wire charging .
Test Data
Full Specs
