In a world where smartphones often blur the lines between mid-range and flagship, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G emerges as a compelling contender in the ever-expanding realm of mobile technology. With its promise of premium features at an affordable price point, the A55 seeks to redefine what consumers can expect from a mid-range device. In this comprehensive review, we delve deep into the various aspects of the Galaxy A55 to determine whether it truly lives up to the hype.
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G Review
Design and Build Quality
The Galaxy A55 marks a significant departure from its predecessors in terms of design and build quality. Samsung has eschewed the plastic construction of previous A series models in favour of a more premium glass-and-aluminium build. The device exudes sophistication and elegance. It features a sleek metal frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ panels on the front and back. The flat display and minimalist design language echo the aesthetics of Samsung’s flagship S series. This gives the A55 a distinctly premium feel in the hand.
I particularly love the “Key Island” design that Samsung equipped with the A55. It makes the volume and power buttons more pronounced. Additionally, it adds extra comfort and practicality to the device. This is because your fingers naturally rest on the raised design of the “Key Island”.
The 120Hz AMOLED display that is found on the A55 is one of the most beautiful you can find in this price bracket. The colours produced are nice and vibrant that makes it a joy to use for watching videos or movies with. This bright screen remains comfortably usable even in glaring sunlight outdoors. The dual speakers are also quite good, delivering loud and rich sounds although it does tend to break a bit when used at max volume.
The A55’s design is impressive overall, but there are areas for improvement. For instance, its bezels are thicker than those on other mid-range devices, affecting its modern look. Also, its sharp edges make gripping uncomfortable, reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s discomfort. Using a case with this phone is highly recommended.
Camera Performance
Main Cameras
One of the key selling points of the Galaxy A55 is its camera system, which aims to deliver flagship-level photography at a fraction of the cost. The device boasts a versatile quad-camera setup, including a 50MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 32MP front-facing camera for selfies.
The primary camera on the Galaxy A55 excels in capturing detailed and vibrant images in various lighting conditions. Samsung’s advanced image processing algorithms ensure that photos exhibit excellent dynamic range and colour accuracy, making them suitable for both casual snapshots and professional photography. The primary camera captures pleasing daylight photographs with ample detail, along with a hint of heightened sharpness. The A55 tends to yield crisper and more pristine images overall but also adopts a more restrained colour interpretation, opting for a conservative palette.
The ultra-wide lens provides users with the ability to capture expansive landscapes and group shots with ease, thanks to its wide field of view. However, you may find that images taken with the ultra-wide camera exhibit slightly more distortion around the edges compared to those captured with the primary sensor.
The macro camera, while a welcome addition, may not be as useful in practical terms due to its limited resolution and lack of stabilisation. Nevertheless, it can still be used to capture close-up shots of small objects with reasonable detail.
Selfie Camera
On the front, the 32MP selfie camera delivers sharp and well-exposed images, perfect for social media enthusiasts and selfie aficionados alike. However, some users may find that the beauty mode applied by default tends to overly smooth and brighten skin tones, resulting in a somewhat unnatural appearance.
Low light photography
I’m happy to report that the Galaxy A55 is pretty capable of capturing good quality low-light photos. The camera instantly launches Night mode when you open the camera app at, well, night and delivers punchy, well-detailed and crisp photos even when light is not your best friend at that particular moment. There is a marked difference between pictures taken using the dedicated Night mode and the ones without as the colours are more muted and they lack contrast.
The A55 also took surprisingly decent pictures in near total darkness conditions. The selfie above was taken with nothing but my car’s dashboard and distant streetlights as the closest thing I had to sources of light. Yet the A55 manages to not only produce a bright selfie but it also managed to pick out a lot of details in the picture
Overall, the camera performance of the Galaxy A55 is commendable, offering a compelling combination of versatility and quality that is sure to satisfy the needs of most users. Whether you’re capturing breathtaking landscapes, intimate portraits, or spontaneous moments, the A55’s camera system is up to the task.
Exynos Chip Performance
At the heart of the Galaxy A55 lies the Exynos 1480, Samsung’s latest mid-range chipset designed to deliver robust performance and efficiency. Built on a cutting-edge 4nm architecture, the Exynos 1480 packs a punch with its octa-core configuration and integrated 5G connectivity, ensuring smooth multitasking and seamless performance for everyday tasks.
In real-world usage, the Exynos 1480 shines, offering snappy responsiveness and fluid navigation throughout the device’s user interface. Whether you’re browsing the web, streaming multimedia content, or playing graphics-intensive games, the A55 handles it all with aplomb, thanks to the chipset’s powerful CPU and GPU.
You can check out how the Samsung Galaxy A55 fares on Antutu, 3DMark, Geekbench and PCMark down below.
Benchmark tests confirm the impressive performance of the Exynos 1480, with scores that rival those of flagship-level processors from competitors. Whether it’s synthetic benchmarks or real-world gaming tests, the A55 consistently delivers top-tier performance that exceeds expectations for a mid-range device.
Software Experience
The Galaxy A55 runs on Samsung’s OneUI 6.1, based on the latest version of Android 14. OneUI is known for its intuitive interface and feature-rich experience, offering a host of customisation options and productivity-enhancing features.
OneUI 6.1 offers a seamless and intuitive user experience. It includes features such as split-screen multitasking and floating window mode. These features make multitasking on the go effortless. Samsung Knox Vault, a hardware security chip, is also included. It ensures that sensitive data remains protected from potential security threats. This is a pretty major thing considering the feature was only available on Samsung’s flagship devices.
What is Samsung Knox Vault and why is it so important?
Samsung Knox Vault is a substantial leap forward in mobile security. It provides an isolated compartment on Samsung Galaxy devices, acting as a secure vault separate from the main operating system. In this vault, sensitive data such as passwords, biometric information, and cryptographic keys are stored. This isolation greatly enhances security, making it highly challenging for malware or unauthorized users to access this data. Even if the phone’s main defenses are breached, the data stored in Knox Vault remains protected. In simpler terms, Knox Vault creates a secure haven within your device to safeguard your most important information.
Imagine you’re a doctor on call. You keep your patient records and access to the hospital network on your Samsung Galaxy phone. Traditional security measures on your phone protect against basic threats, but a sophisticated cyberattack could potentially steal this confidential information. With Knox Vault activated, your patient data is kept in a separate, encrypted compartment. Even if a hacker infiltrated your phone’s main system, they wouldn’t be able to access the vault, safeguarding your patients’ privacy and your professional license.
Knox Vault plays an indispensable role in today’s world, safeguarding a wealth of sensitive information stored on mobile devices. By furnishing an additional layer of security, Knox Vault assures peace of mind, ensuring the protection of critical data even in the event of phone compromise. This is especially important for those who use their phones for banking, work, or storing confidential documents.
OneUI is generally well-received for its performance and reliability. However, some users may find that the software experience on the Galaxy A55 is not as streamlined as that of flagship devices. Certain features and optimisations found on higher-end Samsung phones may be absent or scaled back on the A55. Nevertheless, overall, it still offers a polished and user-friendly experience that is sure to please most users.
Battery Life
The Galaxy A55 boasts a sizeable 5,000mAh battery, guaranteeing all-day battery life for even the most demanding users. Whether you’re streaming videos, playing games, or browsing the web, the A55 can easily keep up with your busy lifestyle without needing frequent recharges. Additionally, the device supports fast charging technology, allowing users to quickly top up their battery when needed. With a 25W fast charger included in the box, you can spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time enjoying your favourite activities on the go.
The device scored a decent 12 hours and 26 minutes in our benchmark test using PCMark’s Work 3.0 battery test. However, during my real world testing it didn’t come close to that. You won’t have any issues going through the whole day with this phone. I managed to do an 8-hour Pokémon Go Community Day marathon. Only then, I had to stop and connect the A55 to my power bank.
Overall, the battery life of the Galaxy A55 is impressive, offering reliable performance that ensures you never have to worry about running out of power when you need it most.
Verdict: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G stands out as a strong option in the crowded mid-range smartphone market. It offers a lot of what you’d expect from a premium phone, but at a more affordable price. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key points:
Pros:
- Sleek glass-and-aluminium design with a premium feel
- Vibrant 120Hz AMOLED display
- Versatile quad-camera system with good photo quality, especially in low-light conditions
- Powerful Exynos 1480 chipset delivers smooth performance and efficient operation
- 5G connectivity for future-proofed speeds
- All-day battery life with a large 5,000mAh battery and fast charging support
- User-friendly OneUI 6.1 software based on Android 14
Cons:
- Slightly thicker bezels than some competitors
- Sharper edges can be uncomfortable to hold for extended periods (case recommended)
- Macro camera may not be very useful due to lower resolution
- Some bloatware may be present in the software experience
- Lacks some features and optimizations found in higher-end Samsung phones
Overall:
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is a great choice for users who want a phone with a premium look and feel without breaking the bank. It delivers excellent performance, a versatile camera system, long battery life, and a user-friendly software experience. While there are a few minor drawbacks, the A55 offers a compelling value proposition for those seeking a feature-rich mid-range smartphone.
You can purchase the Samsung Galaxy A55 through the official Samsung online store at a retail price of RM1,999. You can also purchase the device on Shopee or Lazada.
