Samsung’s Galaxy A55 5G is the newest telephone within the inexpensive A collection. Earlier fashions within the A50 collection, similar to final yr’s Galaxy A54 5G, have at all times stood out for his or her worth. And the brand new Galaxy A55 is not any completely different, providing stable all-round specs at costs nicely beneath the flagship Galaxy S24. The A55 packs a big 6.6-inch show, a strong octa-core processor, and a triple rear digital camera in a colourful glass and steel physique.
I’ve been testing the telephone for the previous week. Whereas it under no circumstances blew me away with its efficiency, it looks as if an honest telephone that may deal with on a regular basis duties, with sufficient energy beneath the hood for informal gaming on the bus experience residence.
7.0
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
I prefer it
Inexpensive worth
First rate efficiency
Massive vivid show
Expandable storage
I do not prefer it
Disappointing battery life
Shorter software program assist interval than the Pixel 8A
The A55 5G went on sale within the UK for £439, but it surely has already been considerably diminished to £364 in each Samsung Shops and different retailers. Whether or not this will probably be a everlasting worth reduce stays to be seen, however that £364 price ticket turns into $465.
Listed here are six important issues you must learn about this telephone.
It isn’t accessible within the US
Whereas Samsung affords the A15, A25, and A35 5G within the US, the corporate has determined to not ship the costlier A55 within the US as it’ll compete too intently with the older S23 and S23 FE lineup.
It nonetheless appears unusual that the A55 will not be supplied within the US, as final yr’s Galaxy A54 was a giant hit with American audiences. I count on the corporate will need to proceed this success with the up to date mannequin.
The display refresh fee is maxed out at 120Hz, however you’ll be able to drop it all the way down to 60Hz, which ought to enhance battery life a bit.
The show is sufficiently big for movies on the go
The A55’s 6.6-inch show supplies loads of room for gaming or watching YouTube movies on the go. It is also vivid with vibrant colours that pay tribute to colourful video games like Asphalt 9: Legends. A most refresh fee of 120Hz makes quick movement good and easy.
The display is vivid and avoids distracting glare from overhead inside lighting. It is snug to make use of outdoor beneath the largely grey clouds I skilled in Scotland throughout testing. I think it will not achieve this nicely beneath the brilliant noon summer season solar.
It’s highly effective sufficient for gaming
It is powered by an octa-core Exynos 1480 chip that gives greater than sufficient energy for every day Instagram and internet shopping. However I additionally discovered it highly effective sufficient to play video games like Genshin Affect and PUBG at respectable body charges.
Genshin Affect performed nice on the telephone.
Its cameras are respectable for the worth
The triple rear digital camera setup features a 50-megapixel major digital camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and an extra 5-megapixel macro digital camera. The photographs from each the large and ultra-wide cameras are respectable for the worth, with good publicity and sufficient element to share on Instagram.
Some photographs endure from harsh software program “optimization” that makes shadows look washed out and colours oversaturated (particularly blue skies). This can be a pretty frequent prevalence on Samsung telephones, and whereas it could put severe photographers off, those that simply need the occasional shot of household and associates will probably be glad.
The macro digital camera is actually redundant and looks as if it is getting used as a option to exhibit that the telephone has three rear cameras as a substitute of two.
There are three rear cameras, though the macro lens is a bit pointless.
Battery life is disappointing
Whereas the A55 has a capacious 5,000mAh battery, it did not final lengthy in our discharge exams, which noticed it fall wanting any of the Galaxy S24’s and Google’s Pixel 8A. The show is more likely to drain the battery essentially the most, so dropping the refresh fee to 60Hz might help get additional minutes.
With pretty cautious use, I used to be capable of get via a lot of the day on a single cost. However as with virtually all telephones, you must count on a full cost each evening.
You possibly can increase the storage
Whilst you could need to pay extra upfront to purchase the A55 with 256GB of storage as a substitute of the bottom 128GB, you do not have to, as you’ll be able to increase the storage with microSD playing cards. A microSD slot is an especially uncommon function today, and not one of the prime telephones of the previous couple of years supply one.
With 128GB microSD playing cards solely costing £10 or $10, I would go together with the bottom mannequin and double the storage with the cardboard as it is a more economical choice.
There is a USB C port on the underside, and a microSD card slot on the highest.
You get 5 years of software program assist
Samsung stated the A55 5G will get 4 years of Android software program assist and an extra fifth yr of safety assist, which means the telephone will nonetheless be secure to make use of in 2029. That is not a nasty assist interval, however Google goals to assist essentially the most inexpensive Pixel 8A for a similar interval as its flagship 8 Professional. Meaning the Pixel 8A will get seven years of OS and safety updates.
Is it price shopping for?
The Galaxy A55 is a troublesome promote at its beginning worth of £439, provided that the battery life, digital camera efficiency and software program assist interval are a step behind the £499 Pixel 8A.
However its diminished worth of £364 makes it a distinct worth. It is not a telephone that is going to blow you away with skilled digital camera abilities or wonderful new AI options, but it surely’s a stable choice for these in search of a primary telephone that may deal with on a regular basis duties with a little bit of informal gaming and video streaming thrown in for good measure.
How we check telephones
Each telephone examined by CNET’s evaluation staff has truly been utilized in the actual world. We check the telephone’s capabilities, play video games and take photos. We check the show to see if it is vivid, clear and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see the way it holds up and whether or not it has an IP water resistance ranking. We obtain most CPU efficiency utilizing each standardized benchmarking instruments similar to GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal separate observations of UI navigation, high-definition video recording, and high-refresh-rate graphics-intensive gaming.
All cameras are examined in quite a lot of circumstances from vivid daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and examine our outcomes with competing telephones at an identical worth. We additionally check the battery life by utilizing it every day in addition to operating a collection of battery drain exams.
We take note of extra options similar to 5G assist, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus assist, quick charging, foldable shows and others which may be helpful. And naturally we weigh all of this in opposition to the worth to present you a verdict on whether or not this telephone, no matter its worth, actually represents good worth. Though these exams could not at all times be mirrored within the preliminary CNET evaluation, most often we carry out follow-up and long-term exams.