Samsung’s Galaxy A50-series has been one of the most popular smartphones at its price point for a while now.
While 2022’s Galaxy A53 was a rare misstep, the Galaxy A54 re-established it as one of the best phones under $500/£400.
Its successor – the Galaxy A55 – is now official. On paper, it looks like another excellent phone for the price, but availability is more limited than its predecessor.
When will the Samsung Galaxy A55 be released?
Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy A55 on 11 March 2024.
The phone is on sale now, having been released on 20 March 2024. You can buy one direct from Samsung, but also via Amazon and Currys.
Unfortunately, Samsung has confirmed to CNET that the phone won’t be coming to the US. You might be able to import one, though.
It’s no surprise to see the phone launch in March – it’s the same month we’ve seen all recent generations come to market:
- Galaxy A54 – 15 March 2023
- Galaxy A53 – 17 March 2022
- Galaxy A52 – 17 March 2021
How much does the Samsung Galaxy A55 cost?
It’s no secret that inflation is pushing up prices of everything, including tech. And while the price of the Galaxy A50-series has fluctuating a bit over the years, fortunately, Samsung has decided to reduce the starting price of the Galaxy A55 in the UK by £10:
- 8GB/128GB: £439
- 8GB/256GB: £489
While some areas will also receive a 12GB/256GB variant, UK customers will have to do without it. At that price, it’s very much a mid-range phone.
As a reminder, here’s the cost of previous generations:
- Galaxy A54: £449/$449
- Galaxy A53: £399/$449
- Galaxy A52: £399/$499
What specs and features does the Samsung Galaxy A55 have?
As Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy A55, we already know all the key details.
Design
The Galaxy A55 has a lot in common with its predecessor, the Galaxy A54.
However, the power and volume controls are now located on the ‘Key Island,’ an elevated section of the side of the phone which you’ll notice straight away. For the first time, the frame is also metal – aluminium, to be precise.
Aside from that, the frame has rounded corners, and both the front and back are completely flat aside from the protruding rear camera module. It consists of three lenses, resembling the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy S23 designs. There’s also an LED flash positioned next to the vertical camera module.
Interestingly, the Gorilla Glass Victus+, a reasonably premium substance for a phone at this budget, covers the front of the Galaxy A55. However, the Gorilla Glass can be also found on the back. While the device measures 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2mm and weighs 213g, dust and water resistance remained at IP67.
The phone is available in ‘Awesome Ice Blue’, ‘Awesome Lemon’, ‘Awesome Lilac’, and ‘Awesome Navy’ finishes.
Galaxy A55 5G
Samsung
Display
With a 6.6-inch OLED display, the Galaxy A55 is marginally larger than the 6.4-inch Galaxy A54. The screen supports a dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz, plus a FHD+ resolution.
Its flat display features a fairly noticeable bezels, but the ‘chin’ is slightly thicker than the other three sides, resulting in a slightly asymmetrical bezel. There’s also a punch-hole camera cutout.
Performance
The performance of the Galaxy A50-series has probably been its most controversial aspect. For two years, with the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A53, Samsung used its Exynos 1280 chip, which was severely underpowered compared to the competition and fared worse when it comes to power efficiency.
With Galaxy A54, the Korean manufacturer opted for a newer version: Exynos 1380. Again, it wasn’t the top performer for its class, but it was a significant improvement over its predecessor, so it was generally received favourably, even though many people were hoping for a switch to Qualcomm chips.
It appears that Samsung is adamant about using its in-house chips in mid-range phones, as the Galaxy A55 is powered by the Exynos 1480 chip. Samsung claims the chip has up to 32% better GPU performance and up to 15% better CPU performance than the predecessor.
The Galaxy A55 will be available in 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB options in the UK, while some other countrieswill also receive a 12GB/256GB variant. If you need more storage, the phone can also use a microSD card up to 1TB.
Cameras
The Galaxy A55 has a 50Mp (f/1.8, OIS) main camera, a 12 Mp (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera, a 5Mp macro camera (f/2.4), and 32Mp selfie camera is up to 32Mp (f/2.2). This is exactly the same setup found in last year’s model.
The photos from Galaxy A54 were already great for the price, so sticking to the package from the previous model isn’t a bad move, especially if Samsung continues to improve its software processing.
Samsung
Battery & charging
Just like last year, the Galaxy A55 is powered by a 5000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging. The Galaxy A54 already had decent battery life, so this isn’t too much of an issue.
It seems that Samsung is maintaining a consistent approach to fast charging in its mid-range phones, with even the base Galaxy S24 capping at 25W fast charging.
Additionally, wireless charging is not included and you still have to make without a charging brick in the box.
Software
The Galaxy A55 runs on One UI 6.1, which based on Android 14. Samsung promises four major OS updates and five years of security patches, which is among the best at this price.
Connectivity
On the connectivity front, the Galaxy A55 comes with 5G, as well as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC.
It’s also got a satellite navigation receiver, a USB-C port, stereo speakers and an in-display fingerprint scanner for added security.
You may also fancy the Galaxy A35, which has been announced at the same time as the A55.
Can’t wait for the Galaxy A55 to hit the shelves? Browse our recommendations of the best Android phones available right now.
Author: Artur Tomala, Mobile Writer, Tech Advisor
Artur is a Mobile Writer at Tech Advisor, where he covers a range of smartphone, tablet and smartwatch-related topics. He has been working in the tech industry since 2021, including time spent leading a team focused on mobile news, reviews and product rankings. As an ambassador for the productivity app Notion, he runs training workshops and creates advanced templates to help people stay organised and productive.