SAMSUNG has already had a busy year with its high-end new Galaxy S24 smartphones – but now it’s time for some love in the mid-range segment.
The Samsung Galaxy A55 certainly turns heads on the surface – and it’s easier on your wallet than most handsets these days.
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Here’s what we found out – and don’t miss a better look at the device in our video above.
Samsung Galaxy A55: appearance
The Galaxy A55 has an instant premium vibe.
Bold and flashy were the first thoughts that came to mind when I grabbed the metal frame and felt the smooth glass return.
Unfortunately, the downside to this is that the device can be quite susceptible to stains on your hands.
The 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display is rich, detailed, and bright, especially when watching a movie on Netflix.
But the bezel around the screen is a little thick for my taste.
At 213g, I don’t think it’s too heavy to hold either.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Performance and features
The A55 runs on Android 14 with Samsung’s latest One UI 6.1 on top, so you get an overview of the company’s latest features.
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I’m usually more of a “pure” Android person, but One UI does a good job of keeping things fresh but familiar.
This means you’ll find plenty of Samsung apps alongside the usual Google ones.
One thing I love is Samsung TV Plus, which offers tons of free TV channels and shows to watch without a subscription – it’s available on all Samsung devices.
This is the first time that Samsung has included its top-tier security feature, Samsung Knox, in the budget Galaxy A series of devices.
This is a multi-layered security platform designed to keep critical information secure and protect against bank hacking vulnerabilities.
I love the bold and elegant design with the glass back
Samsung also has its own version of Google Assistant, Bixby, which I don’t really like – luckily you can change it.
Oh, and for those who don’t like facial recognition, you can use a fingerprint, which is a nice bonus.
One important point worth noting: Samsung has committed to providing the A55 with up to four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, so this phone should last a good while.
In terms of performance, I didn’t find the A55 to be the smoothest mid-ranger I’ve tried – it gets the job done, but switching between apps occasionally felt a little fiddly.
Who offers free updates the longest?
The more updates you receive, the longer you can continue using your smartphone safely – with the latest features included for free.
Samsung
While the A55 has four years of operating system and five years of security updates, the Galaxy S24 series has more, with at least seven generations of operating system updates and seven years of security updates.
OnePlus
At the launch of the OnePlus 12, OnePlus committed to at least four years of Android updates and five years of security updates.
Anything
Nada only offers three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates.
Google
For the Pixel 8, Google said the devices would receive at least seven years of support.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Battery
The battery is a big beast at 5000mAh – bigger than any iPhone – but that doesn’t mean it’s better.
It helped me get through a day of general use perfectly.
Watching an hour-long episode of a show on Netflix dropped the battery by seven percent.
The real point of contention is charging speed – the A55 is quite slow compared to others, with no support for fast charging.
There’s also no wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Camera
The A55 has three cameras on the back – a five-megapixel macro camera, a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.
They manage to take pretty decent photos of the local park, really bringing out those beautiful spring colors.
The camera is key for me, facilitating beautiful photography
Photos in darker environments are equally impressive.
Editing options are more limited compared to premium Samsung smartphones – and you don’t get all those fancy AI photography features, either.
That being said, I began to appreciate the simplicity.
Photos get fuzzy with digital zoom, so I wouldn’t mind.
But it records stunning 4K videos at 30 fps (frames per second).
- Samsung Galaxy A55 – buy now from £439 at Samsung.com
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Samsung Galaxy A55: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is a real surprise.
I love the bold and elegant design with the glass back.
The same can be said for the beautiful screen.
The camera is key for me, facilitating beautiful photography.
However, charging the battery is a hurdle when so many others have already embraced fast charging.
And while £439 is very cheap by today’s standards, there are some cheaper mid-range devices.
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing but may have changed since then.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
