After the euphoria of the launch of the Galaxy S24 flagships, Samsung is now focusing on the terminals of the “medium” A range, yesterday with the local launch of the Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 smartphones. And after having the opportunity to “button” them, I don’t think we’re being too bold when we say that the two new phones from Samsung will probably end 2024 somewhere among the first in a ranking of the best-selling smartphones from Romania. With a few conditions, which we will discuss a little later.
Samsung Galaxy A35
The A3x models weren’t exactly the most attractive in years past, with certain build-related elements betraying their ‘budget phone’ status, even in Samsung’s mid-range. Fortunately, the Galaxy A35 seems to have gotten rid of these shortcomings: the selfie camera is no longer a teardrop (now adopting the already classic hole punch recipe centered at the top of the screen), and the edges of the display seem to no longer be so thick.
Yes, the phone still has plastic bezels, but they have exactly the same straight design as the bigger A55 or S24 siblings, and this time Samsung has opted for Gorilla Glass protection for both the front and back of the phone (the screen is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus+). At first glance, you can hardly tell an A35 from an S24 (except for that disturbance on the bezel, where the buttons are placed, quite comfortable and ergonomic though), and the visual differences between the A35 and A55 are almost non-existent.
And the screen took a step forward, being a Super AMOLED panel with a diagonal of 6.6 inches, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a maximum brightness of 1000 nits. In other words, a display that no phone in a higher price range would be ashamed of.
For this model, Samsung chose its own Exynos 1380 processor, the same one used by the South Korean company for last year’s A54 models. It works in tandem with 6 or 8 GB of RAM, accompanied by a storage space of 128 GB or 256 GB. Because we’re not talking about a flagship, the A35 also offers support for additional microSD storage of up to 1TB. In terms of connectivity, this model boasts Wi-Fi 6, 5G and eSIM support.
When it comes to cameras, the Samsung Galaxy A35 betrays its nature as an entry-level phone through its secondary sensors, an ultra-wide one of only 8 MP and a macro one of 5 MP. Instead, the main camera is based on a quality 50 MP sensor with support for optical stabilization and capable of shooting in HDR at 1080p resolution. The selfie sensor is 13 MP and is designed to cover the basic needs of such a camera.
The battery comes with good news – the 5000 mAh capacity should ensure a more than satisfactory autonomy – but also with some less pleasant ones: the maximum charging speed is still 25W, the charger not being included in the box.
Samsung Galaxy A55
Even if very difficult to distinguish from the A35 at first glance, the basic design of the two phones being identical, the Galaxy A55 scores subtly in terms of superior construction: the phone retains Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on the front and back, benefits from water and dust with IP67 certification (like the A35), but has metal frames, constructed from aluminum. Thus, when you hold it in your hand, you realize that you are dealing with a “more premium” device than its brother A35.
The screen and its specifications are identical to those on the A35, but the differences are made by the phone’s hardware: the A55 uses the new Exynos 1480 processor, manufactured on 4nm, which promises better performance by 15% on the CPU side and by 32% higher in terms of GPU. In other words, aided by 8GB of RAM, you shouldn’t have any major problems running games on this device, even if not always with high graphics settings. Connectivity is the same as the A35, including microSD support of up to 1TB, with two options for included storage: 128GB or 256GB.
Also, the camera set on the Galaxy A55 is a step up from the A35: the main camera has a 50 MP sensor with optical stabilization and the ability to shoot HDR in 4K resolution, the ultra-wide sensor steps up to 12 MP, and the front to 32 MP. However, the 5 MP macro camera remains, whose usefulness is debatable. However, Samsung also boasts some AI improvements when it comes to portraits taken with the A55.
In terms of battery, the Galaxy A55 offers the same capacity of 5000 mAh and the more than modest charging speed of 25W. Again, don’t expect to get a charger in the box.
Preliminary conclusions
Even though at the launch event Samsung talked about phones “suitable for content creators”, I’d hardly put the A35 or A55 in that category. Rather, the A35 seems suitable to me as a phone for children or teenagers, with enough features to cope with normal daily use, social media and even some basic photo sessions for Instagram or amateur videos for TikTok.
The Galaxy A55, on the other hand, seems to me to be one of the most balanced mid-range phones and an ideal choice for the “ordinary user”, with a quite capable camera, a decent processor for most tasks (including games) and a display of quality. Unless you’re a keen photographer who can benefit from higher-spec cameras, you don’t need more.
As I said at the beginning, with certain conditions: those related to costs. The official prices for the Samsung Galaxy A55 and A35 start, in Romania, from 2399.99 lei and 1899.99 lei, respectively, a bit high for the categories to which these phones belong. Indeed, Samsung promises that everyone who orders such a phone until April 20, 2024 will receive a Samsung Fit3 fitness bracelet as a gift. Also, the South Korean manufacturer boasts four years of software updates for these devices, and five years of security updates (they come with Android 14 / One UI 6.1 on board).
Even so, our recommendation is to wait a little longer. The “A” range phones are the company’s favorites when it comes to discounts or promotions of all kinds. Once the Galaxy A55 will drop below 2000 lei (or even below), and the A35 below 1500 lei, the two Samsung terminals will deserve all the attention. Until then, please be patient.
