Samsung Galaxy A55 Review

The Samsung Galaxy A55 emerges as a formidable contender in the mid-range smartphone market, offering the Korean manufacturer's familiar blend of premium features and affordability.

So, while the S-series typically goes out guns blazing, the A-phones are Samsung's stealth volume driver, offering a surprising number of top-flight specs at wallet-friendly price points.

With its sleek design, impressive camera capabilities, and robust performance, the Galaxy A55 is poised to make both a style statement and a great option for staying connected.

Design and Build

The Galaxy A55 sports a slender, curvy design and marks the debut of a tapered aluminium frame, providing enhanced aesthetics over previous models and a reassuring tactile feel.

Its iconic flat housing ensures an easy and intuitive grip, whilst its smaller size makes it perfect for a pocket or purse.

Durability is covered as the A55 is built with a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ screen, making it tougher and more damage-resistant thanks to an official IP67 rating.

There's also no shortage of cool colourways, such as Iceblue, Lilac (the variant reviewed), Navy, and Lemon. The Galaxy A55 is seen as the ideal complement for those seeking a bit of coordination between their outfits and their tech.

The fact that all of these are officially prefixed with the word 'awesome' indicates the demographic Samsung is aiming for - something a bit more playful than the S-series, and it's a welcome departure!

On the topic of colours, one impressive feature is the pearlescent sheen on the back of the device. Depending on how it hits the sunlight, it creates a swirl of vibrant reflections that look nothing short of gorgeous at times.

Display and Audio

The 6.6-inch Full HD+ display is a standout feature. With an impressive adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ compatibility - great features at this price point - the A55's AMOLED screen offers vibrant colours, smooth animations, and excellent visibility even under direct sunlight.

A 1080 by 2340 resolution makes for a striking visual experience, with enhancements to the screen-to-body ratio - but bezels are still very much present - bringing the device ever closer to an interactive pane of glass in your hand, continuing the premium feel of the A55.

The display's peak brightness of 1000 nits ensures crisp viewing, whether streaming, gaming, or viewing images.

Audio is delivered via a stereo speaker setup with decent clarity and a fair amount of bass. Thanks to support from a wealth of formats, including Dolby Atmos, it is perfectly suited to a personal listening experience.

Unfortunately, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack, so it's wireless or USB-C for your audio thrills. However, it delivers a solid all-around aural selection, which is the ideal complement to its decent visual capabilities.

Camera

On the topic of images, the Galaxy A55's trio of cameras on the rear covers all bases.

This includes a 50MP main wide-angle lens for capturing vibrant colours and details. A 12MP ultrawide sensor quickly follows suit for excellent sharpness and detail in more expansive shots.

A 5MP macro camera rounds out the set, capturing the tiniest details and dynamic colours in close-up situations.

Real-world testing saw solid results in a variety of lighting conditions. A particularly dreary day at a local farm still managed to deliver clear and realistic photos with a minimum of oversaturation to compensate.

The shutter speed was snappy—essential in capturing fast-moving subjects—while the main camera absorbed more light, resulting in bright, sharp, and accurate colours with low noise.

Low-light conditions were a little more challenging—but commendable in this price range—but some clever AI smarts courtesy of the Exynos 1480 chip (more on that later) and the wide-angle lens are specifically suited to capturing great nighttime images.

There's also a decent 32MP selfie camera, which allows for high-quality portraits and allows users to choose between warmer or more natural tones.

The suite of editing tools is present and correct, including a dedicated Portrait Mode to sharpen focus on the subject with precise bokeh and background blur effects, lending a professional sheen to shots, as well as the ability to 'clip' elements from an image and slot it into another, directly on the device.

Video isn't skipped, as the A55 supports optical and digital image stabilisation and 4K at 30 frames per second, making it an equally interesting device for budding videographers and social media stars alike.

Whilst not quite reaching the dizzy heights of Samsung's flagship Galaxy devices, the A55 still has impressive photography credentials in its own right.

Performance

At the heart of the A55 lies Samsung's own Exynos 1480 processor, a new 8-core arrival paired with 8GB of RAM and options for 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage in the UK.

Whilst it handled most tasks smoothly as a daily driver for a couple of weeks, there was also the rare stutter if you had a few too many apps open concurrently...but for everyday features and functions, it performed beyond our expectations for a phone of this calibre.

A welcome feature is also the support for up to 1TB of additional storage via MicroSD card, meaning all of your important downloads can travel with you.

The Exynos 1480 chipset also means that the A55 is no slouch for mobile gaming, with official tests noting significant performance boosts over previous incarnations and the ability to run top-flight titles on higher settings at stable frame rates.

Whilst it certainly won't be troubling a dedicated gaming handset for smartphone supremacy, it's another reassuring value-add for the Galaxy A55.

Battery Life

The 5000mAh battery ensures extended usage without frequent recharges, making it perfect for power users and travellers alike.

The two-day battery life touted was more than met in a real-world setting, and the 25W wired fast charging gives that extra shot of juice when you need it.

However, the device does stop short of offering wireless charging.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A55 strikes a delicate balance between affordability and performance throughout.

Its metal chassis, large AMOLED display, and strong battery life make it an immediate and attractive choice.

However, when pushed harder, the processor’s occasional stutters are a point to consider.

With a price tag of just £289 for the 128GB version and £339 for the 256GB model (thanks to an absolutely ridiculous £ 150 discount from the RRP at the time of writing), the Galaxy A55 positions itself incredibly favourably in a crowded market.

If you want premium build quality and an impressive screen with more than a hint of flair, the Galaxy A55 is a great option.

Naturally, if your tastes veer toward top-tier camera performance and a flawless gaming experience, there are other—significantly more costly—options available.

In summary, the Samsung Galaxy A55 is a strong mid-range device that caters to users seeking a larger display and better battery life whilst compromising on very few features.

While it faces stiff competition, its combination of affordability and functionality makes it a worthy contender in the mid-tier smartphone landscape.