Samsung Galaxy A55 Review: Mid-Range Champion for 2024?

The mid-range smartphone market is arguably the most competitive segment, with manufacturers constantly vying to offer the best balance of features, performance, and price. Samsung has consistently been a strong contender in this space with its popular A-series, and the Galaxy A55 arrives as its latest weapon. Building on the success of its predecessors, the A55 aims to elevate the mid-range experience with a more premium design, an enhanced display, and a new processor. This in-depth review explores whether the Samsung Galaxy A55 has what it takes to be the mid-range champion of 2024.

For many consumers, a flagship smartphone is an unnecessary luxury. The sweet spot lies in devices that offer a great everyday experience without breaking the bank. The Galaxy A55 is designed precisely for this audience, promising a blend of reliable performance, a capable camera, and long-lasting battery life. Our comprehensive testing reveals a device that largely delivers on these promises, making it a strong contender for anyone looking for excellent value in the sub-$500 category.

Design and Build Quality: Premium Feel, Mid-Range Price

One of the most significant upgrades in the Galaxy A55 is its design and build quality. Samsung has brought a more premium aesthetic to the mid-range, featuring a metal frame (a first for the A5x series) and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both the front and back. This gives the phone a much more robust and high-end feel compared to its plastic-clad predecessors. The flat edges and subtle curves make it comfortable to hold, despite its relatively large size.

Measuring 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2mm and weighing 213 grams, the A55 is a substantial device, but its weight is well-distributed. The camera lenses protrude individually from the back, maintaining Samsung's signature clean look. The phone is available in several attractive colors, including Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lemon, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Navy, adding a touch of personality.

Crucially, the Galaxy A55 retains its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it can be submerged in up to 1 meter of fresh water for 30 minutes. This is a significant advantage over many competitors in its price bracket, offering added durability and peace of mind for everyday accidents. The overall build quality feels solid and capable of withstanding daily wear and tear.

Display: Vibrant and Smooth

The Galaxy A55 features a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, a hallmark of Samsung's smartphones. With a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels (FHD+) and a 120Hz refresh rate, the display delivers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and incredibly smooth scrolling. The AMOLED technology ensures excellent contrast and true-to-life color reproduction, making content consumption a joy.

Brightness levels are impressive for a mid-range device, reaching up to 1000 nits (HBM) and a peak brightness of 1600 nits. This ensures good visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, offering enhanced durability against scratches and drops. The punch-hole cutout for the front camera is small and unobtrusive, contributing to an immersive viewing experience.

The always-on display feature provides glanceable information without needing to fully wake the screen, and its customization options add to the user experience. Whether you're browsing social media, watching videos, or playing games, the Galaxy A55's display is a standout feature that punches above its weight class.

Performance: A Step Up with Exynos 1480

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A55 is powered by the new Exynos 1480 chipset, paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD). This new processor brings a noticeable improvement in performance compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 1380 in the A54.

In daily use, the A55 feels smooth and responsive. Apps open quickly, multitasking is handled well, and general navigation is fluid. While it won't break any benchmark records against flagship phones, it comfortably handles most popular games at medium to high settings. The GPU performance, in particular, has seen a significant boost, making it more capable for graphically intensive tasks.

Samsung's commitment to software updates is also a key factor here. The A55 is promised four generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates, ensuring the phone remains current and secure for a long time. This long-term support adds significant value to the device, making it a more future-proof investment.

Camera System: Reliable and Versatile

The Samsung Galaxy A55 features a versatile triple-camera setup on the rear: a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro lens. The front camera is a 32MP shooter, capable of capturing detailed selfies.

The 50MP main camera is the star of the show, consistently producing sharp, well-exposed photos with vibrant colors in good lighting conditions. The optical image stabilization (OIS) helps in low-light scenarios and for stable video recording. Photos taken in challenging lighting are decent for a mid-range phone, with Samsung's processing doing a good job of managing noise.

The 12MP ultrawide camera offers a wide field of view, perfect for landscapes and group shots, though detail can drop off towards the edges. The 5MP macro lens is a welcome addition for close-up photography, allowing users to capture intricate details of small objects. While it's not a professional-grade macro, it's fun to experiment with.

Video recording is supported up to 4K at 30fps on both the front and rear cameras, which is excellent for a mid-range device. The stabilization is effective, producing smooth footage for casual use. Overall, the Galaxy A55's camera system is reliable and versatile, capable of capturing good photos and videos for social media and everyday memories.

Battery Life and Charging: All-Day Power

The Galaxy A55 is equipped with a large 5000mAh battery, a common capacity for Samsung's mid-range phones, and it delivers excellent battery life. Most users will comfortably get a full day of heavy usage, and lighter users might even stretch it to two days on a single charge. The efficient Exynos 1480 processor and Samsung's software optimizations contribute to this impressive longevity.

In our testing, the A55 consistently provided over 8 hours of screen-on time, making it a reliable companion for long days out. Whether you're browsing, streaming, gaming, or navigating, the battery holds up exceptionally well, reducing battery anxiety.

When it comes to charging, the Galaxy A55 supports 25W wired fast charging. While not the fastest on the market, it's decent for its price point, allowing the phone to charge from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes. A full charge takes approximately 85 minutes. Unfortunately, Samsung does not include a charger in the box, which is a common trend but still a minor inconvenience for some users.

Software: One UI 6.1 and Long-Term Support

The Samsung Galaxy A55 runs on One UI 6.1, based on Android 14. Samsung's One UI is known for its feature-rich interface, extensive customization options, and user-friendly design. It offers a clean and intuitive experience, with plenty of tweaks and enhancements that add to the overall usability.

One UI 6.1 brings several improvements, including enhanced privacy features, new customization options for the lock screen and widgets, and a more refined notification panel. Samsung's ecosystem integration is also a strong point, with seamless connectivity to other Galaxy devices like smartwatches and tablets.

As mentioned earlier, Samsung's commitment to four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates is a significant selling point for the Galaxy A55. This ensures that the device will receive new features and remain secure for many years, providing excellent long-term value and making it a smart investment for budget-conscious consumers.

Value Proposition and Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is a highly compelling mid-range smartphone that offers a premium experience without the flagship price tag. Its standout features include a beautiful Super AMOLED display, a surprisingly capable camera system, excellent battery life, and a more premium design with a metal frame and glass back. The IP67 rating and Samsung's long-term software support further enhance its value proposition.

While the Exynos 1480 processor might not compete with the raw power of flagship chipsets, it delivers more than enough performance for everyday tasks and even moderate gaming. The lack of an included charger is a minor drawback, but it's a trend across the industry.

For consumers looking for a reliable, stylish, and feature-packed smartphone that won't break the bank, the Samsung Galaxy A55 is an excellent choice. It successfully bridges the gap between budget-friendly devices and high-end flagships, offering a balanced and satisfying user experience. It's a strong contender for the title of mid-range champion in 2024, delivering great value for its price.