After a flurry of leaks in recent weeks, Samsung has quietly launched the Galaxy A55 to tackle mid-range rivals such as Motorola's Edge 40, Nothing's Phone 2, and the Honor 90. Unveiled alongside the more affordable Galaxy A35, the A54's successor packs a more powerful processor and a premium metal and glass design for the first time in an A-series phone. Rather than revolutionary, though, think of the Galaxy A55 as an evolution of its predecessor.
Premium Features
As mentioned, the Galaxy A55 boasts a first in terms of construction materials for the A-series with its glass rear panel and metal frame.
Powered by Samsung's Exynos 1480 chipset, which is said to enjoy 15% and 32% boosts in the processing and graphics departments, the phone should offer enough performance for any task. Configurations of 8/128GB and 12/256GB are available, and a MicroSD card slot is available for added storage.
As you would expect from Samsung, the phone has a Super AMOLED display with 6.6 inches of real estate, FHD+ resolution, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and a feature called Vision Booster which is claimed to offer ‘clear and bright' viewing of the screen in a range of lighting conditions.
Running on Android 14-based One UI 6.1, the Galaxy A55 is good for four OS upgrades and will receive security patches for five years. Unlike the Galaxy S24 series, though, the Galaxy A55 isn't packed with AI features but does include functions such as Samsung Knox (a first for the A-series) and Auto Blocker, which scans and blocks app installations from unauthorized sources and scans apps to check for possible malware.
Same Old Charging Speeds
The 5,000mAh battery onboard supports 25W charging, which isn't the quickest around, even in the mid-range segment. Every time Samsung launches a new phone, I complain about the same thing—slow charging speeds. It's 2024, and Samsung's charging speeds are still glacially slow compared to just about every other brand apart from Google. It's time to move on from the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung. It really is.
Other notable hardware features include support for Bluetooth 5.3, dual-SIM networking, e-SIM support, and NFC and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
The Cameras
On paper, the camera setup looks similar to that of the Galaxy A55's predecessor, which had a 50MP main camera with OIS and autofocus. There's also a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 32MP front-facing camera. Samsung says that the Exynos 1480's improved AI ISP will improve low-light imagery, and you'll also find a new mode called Night Portrait. Video options include 12-bit HDR and the presence of VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization), which is EIS for video.
Price And Availability
The Galaxy A55 will be available in the following ‘Awesome' colors: Ice Blue, Lemon, Lilac, and Navy. Samsung says its newest mid-ranger will go on sale starting from March 20th at retailers, carriers, and its own online store.
The Galaxy A55 starts at £439 (~$525) for the 8/128GB configuration; pricing for the 12/256GB variant still has to be confirmed.
What do you think of the Galaxy A55?
Is it an instant buy, or will you wait for Google's Pixel 8a to launch? Let us know in the comments below if you were hoping for something a little more exciting from Samsung this time around.
