Samsung Galaxy A55 5G Review
The popularity of the Galaxy A54 has raised the bar for the newly released Galaxy A55. After the Samsung Galaxy S and Z foldable series, the Galaxy A5x series is possibly the most popular in the company’s portfolio, and for good reason.
This year’s model improves in crucial aspects. The redesigned A55 features a larger display, a more powerful chipset, more RAM in the base configuration, and a more durable and premium design.
Samsung Galaxy A55 specs :
Body: 161.1×77.4×8.2mm, 213g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min).
Display: 6.60″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 390ppi; Always-on display.
Chipset: Exynos 1480 (4 nm): Octa-core (4×2.75 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Xclipse 530.
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
OS/Software: Android 14, One UI 6.1.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/3.06″, 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm.
Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired.
Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Hybrid Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers; virtual proximity sensing during calls.
Design And Build:
At first sight, the Galaxy A55 appears to be nearly identical to the A54, but some tiny differences have made it feel like a completely different phone in your hands, and we mean that primarily favorably.
The front glass is now covered in Gorilla Glass Victus+. That’s a welcome improvement over last year’s model, which had a plastic frame and outdated Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The handset remains water and dust resistant, with an IP67 rating. The rear is made of normal Gorilla Glass, but Samsung has not disclosed which type.
The back is painted in Iceblue, Lilac, Navy, or Lemon. For some reason, the Navy color appears black in the renderings. The gadget feels very similar to the Galaxy S24, with its flat aluminum side frame and somewhat larger camera lenses on the back. If not for the size, we may have easily misidentified it in a blind test. The slightly higher region surrounding the power button and volume rocker gives it away.
On the other side, some people may find the gadget difficult to grip due to the sharp edges where the frame joins the front and rear panels. But, regardless of the side frame, the button arrangement and fingerprint reader position are well thought out. Everything is in reach. Unfortunately, that is all the positive we can say about the fingerprint reader. It’s been a while since we’ve utilized such an unstable scanner. We even attempted making two separate entries with the same fingertip, but they were still difficult to read correctly.
Display:
This year’s Galaxy A55 essentially takes the A54’s display and adds 0.2″ on top. The A55 now features a 6.6-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a standard 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution. The panel also supports HDR10+ and is Widevine L1 certified, allowing for high-quality HDR streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. In auto mode, we were able to achieve a maximum brightness of 1,010 nits, whereas manual control only allows for 446 nits.
Refresh rate:
Refresh rate control is quite standard. You have two options: adaptive and standard. The latter sets a 60Hz limit, whereas Adaptive will aim to keep the refresh rate at 120Hz in most cases. However, when exhibiting static visuals or playing video, the display will slow down to 60 Hz.
Battery:
The Galaxy A55 has the same 5,000 mAh battery as its predecessors, but it runs on the latest Exynos 1480 chipset, which promises better efficiency. However, we must consider the display, which is now 0.2″ larger and may result in increased power consumption.
Charging:
The charging speed has remained unchanged because the Galaxy A55 still uses the 25-watt Power Delivery protocol, which isn’t very competitive in its price range. A full charging cycle takes approximately 1 hour and 3 minutes, whereas a 30-minute charge only charges the battery to 55%. You would need to purchase a 25-watt charger separately. Samsung will not supply you charger in the box.
Camera:
The camera configuration of the Galaxy A54 remains unchanged. We have a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a separate 5MP macro device. The selfie camera is once again 32MP. The main camera takes good daytime photographs with lots of detail and a hint of extra sharpness. The most significant change between the A54 and A55 is this last point. The camera is still good for this price. The portrait is also really good. But the 2x zoom is inadequate. 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras also provide high-quality images. Selfie shooter is really sharp and natural.
Video:
The video recording capabilities of the Galaxy A55 remain unchanged. The primary camera on the device can still record videos in 2160p@30 frames per second with EIS. Moreover, the ultrawide unit can record 4K@30 frames per second, something you wouldn’t typically find on a low-cost phone.
Software:
Based on the most recent version of Android 14, the Samsung Galaxy A55 comes pre-installed with Samsung’s proprietary One UI 6.1. For the Galaxy A55, Samsung has committed to providing security fixes for five years and significant OS updates for up to four years. That’s a significant commitment from Samsung, and it goes above and beyond what the majority of rivals have to offer with their midrangers.
Performance:
The Exynos 1390 processor, which powered the Galaxy A54 last year, has been replaced with the more potent Exynos 1480 chipset, which is based on the 4nm manufacturing process, in the A55. The four Cortex-A78 and four Cortex-A55 core combinations are retained in the new Exynos 1480, but the clock speeds of the four primary cores are increased. The Cortex-A55 cluster continues to clock at 2.0 GHz, while the four Cortex-A78 cores cluster at 2.7 GHz. However, the Xclipse 530 GPU, which was created in conjunction with AMD and is based on the RDNA 2 architecture, has taken the position of the Mali-G88 MP5 GPU.
Pros:
– Build With Gorilla Glass Victus+, aluminum frame, IP67 rating.
– Excellent battery life.
– Dependable camera performance and high-quality footage.
– Good performance for the price, with excellent thermal behavior.
– Stereo speakers with good quality.
– One of the few devices having a microSD slot in this price range.
– Polished One UI 6.1 includes at least four years of OS upgrades.
Cons:
– No charger in the box and not very fast to charge.
– Unreliable fingerprint reader performance.
– Thick display bezels.
– The virtual proximity sensor for turning off the screen during calls is not as good as a physical one.
My opinion:
Though it seems the competition is catching up, we still had high expectations for the Galaxy A55. Although the newer A55 attempts to build on the popularity of its predecessors, the pricey launch price is difficult to defend given the small enhancements this year. The new, more upscale style is appealing, the battery life is impressive, the raw and sustained performance is good, and overall, including the ability to shoot videos and take selfies, we are pleased with the camera. The display quality is competitive, even though bright 120Hz OLEDs are now widely available.
Ultimately, the cost is what prevents us from giving the A55 our highest recommendation. Numerous reasonable options fall into this price range, and even lower-priced phones offer comparable, if not superior, user experiences. Furthermore, even though it might seem trivial, little things add up. For example, we find the fingerprint reader to be quite unsatisfactory; we also find the simulated proximity sensor to be unsettling, and the huge screen bezels visually distracting. Overall, while not at this price, the Galaxy A55 is a nice phone. We believe that sales of the Galaxy A55 will be negatively impacted by other, similarly priced or less expensive devices from Samsung unless there is a significant price reduction in the upcoming months. It would then be a really simple recommendation.
