Samsung just launched the Galaxy A55 smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!
Samsung Galaxy A55 Hands-On + First Impressions!
The Galaxy A55 is Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!
Same Design, Slightly Larger Display
Samsung retained the same design as last year’s Galaxy A54. It is slightly larger, thanks to its slightly larger 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, which now supports a maximum brightness of 1000 nits.
Otherwise, the display has the same Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smoother graphics.
Better Protection
The first thing you will notice when you pick it up is the heft. It’s quite a thick and solid-feeling phone, with a thick metal frame wrapping all around the sides.
The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is tougher and more damage-resistant. The back is likely protected by Gorilla Glass 5 like in the Galaxy A54, although Samsung never explicitly revealed what glass it’s using.
Samsung also retained the IP67 dust- and water-resistance, from last year’s Galaxy A54.
Recommended : Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!
Samsung Exynos 1480 5G Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is built around the new 4nm Samsung Exynos 1480 mobile platform, which is fabricated on Samsung’s own 4 nm EUV process technology.
It comes with a Samsung Xclipse 530 GPU, an improved 6K MAC NPU, as well as eight CPU cores arranged in two performance clusters:
- four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
- four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores.
The Samsung Exynos 1480 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards, as well as LTE Cat.18 uploads and downloads for current 4G networks.
It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as the four main GPS networks – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo.
32 MP Front Camera
Hidden in its display is a punch hole camera, with a 32 MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. As far as I can tell, it’s the same camera as Galaxy A54, with an 80˚ field of view.
This front camera takes 12 MP photos by default, for better low-light performance. But you can switch it to 32 MP if you need the higher resolution. I recommend you stick with 12 MP though.
This front camera can record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation, albeit at just 30 fps. If you want smoother videos though, you can record 1080p (FHD) videos with video stabilisation at 60 fps.
Triple Camera System
At the back, the Samsung Galaxy A55 sports a triple camera system, that consists of:
- a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
- a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
- a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture
By default, the main camera takes 12 MP photos – combining four pixels into one larger pixel for better low-light performance. You can switch it to the full 50 MP, but unless you need the higher resolution, you are better off sticking with the default 12 MP mode.
Like the front camera, the rear cameras record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation at just 30 fps. I recommend you stick with 1080p (FHD) video recording with video stabilisation enabled, at 60 fps.
Large 5,000 mAh Battery
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports up to 25 watt fast charging.
It does not come with an in-box USB charger, but it comes with a USB cable that supports up to 45 watt fast charging.
Hybrid SIM + microSD Tray
The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with a hybrid tray that supports two nano SIM cards, or one nano SIM card and a microSD card (of up to 1 TB in capacity).
It also supports an eSIM, so it is possible to use two phone numbers using a nano SIM and an eSIM, as well as a microSD card.
Samsung Knox Vault
You may not know this, but the Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with Samsung Knox Vault, which helps to protect your sensitive information like your PIN, password, and security patterns.
You can also store sensitive data and files in the encrypted Samsung Knox Vault storage, which is completely isolated and separate from the main operating system.
Samsung Guarantee
Finally, Samsung guarantees up to 4 generations of OS upgrades, and 5 years of security updates, as well as 2 years of warranty for the Galaxy A55!
Samsung Galaxy A55 : Specifications
Here are the Samsung Galaxy A55’s key specifications:
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy A55 |
| Display | 6.6-inch Super AMOLED – 1080 x 2340 pixels (390 ppi) – 60 Hz / 120 Hz refresh rate |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Victus+ (front) Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (back) |
| Water Resistance | IP67 |
| OS | One UI 6.1 (Android 14) |
| Platform | Samsung Exynos 1480 |
| CPU | 4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.75 GHz) 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz) |
| GPU | Samsung Xclipse 530 |
| Memory | 8 GB |
| Storage Options | 128 GB / 256 GB |
| External Storage | Hybrid microSD slot (up to 1 TB) |
| Front Camera | 32 MP camera, f/2.2, 80˚ FOV |
| Main Cameras | 50 MP wide angle camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 5 MP macro camera, f/2.4 |
| Connectivity | Up to 5G Sub6 FDD/TDD Dual SIM (hybrid) capability Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6 (dual-band) Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB 2.0 Type C |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, Under Display |
| Other Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity |
| GPS | GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery |
| Charging | 25 watt wired charging |
| Dimensions | 77.4 mm wide 618.1 mm tall 8.2 mm thick |
| Weight | 213 grams |
Samsung Galaxy A55 : Price + Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:
- 8 GB + 128 GB : £439 / A$699 / S$618
- 8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,999 / £489 / S$698
Surprisingly, Samsung decided not to bring the Galaxy A55 to the United States, and suggested that customers consider the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 FE instead. However, it is possible to purchase Latin American unlocked devices in the US (see below).
There are four colour options, which are not available in all countries – Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Lemon, and Awesome Navy.
Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :
- MY : 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours
- SG : 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours
- US : Awesome Iceblue | Awesome Lilac
- UK : Iceblue | Lemon | Lilac | Navy
- AU : Awesome Lilac | Awesome Navy
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