Would you buy the Galaxy A55 or wait for the Pixel 8a?

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy A55 5G, pitching it as the next mid-range smartphone for most people. While the Galaxy A55 looks great on paper, there is another smartphone you should be looking at if you plan to pick up a mid-range Android phone: the upcoming Google Pixel 8a. Google is widely expected to refresh the Pixel 8a in the coming months, possibly around Google I/O in May. So that begs the question: Would you buy the Galaxy A55 or wait for the Pixel 8a?

If we rewind to last year, both Samsung and Google were aiming for a share of the mid-range market with the Galaxy A54 and the Pixel 7a, respectively.

Pitching the Galaxy A54 vs the Pixel 7a, Samsung’s key wins were in the design, display, microSD support, and better battery and charging, while Google was ahead when it came to the SoC and inclusion of wireless charging. The Galaxy A54 had a dependable camera, but the Pixel 7a famously led blind camera tests.

While the Pixel 7a won many hearts after its launch, the Galaxy A54 benefitted from Samsung’s vast marketing and distribution network, making it immensely popular globally among the masses.

How will this pan out for 2024? The Galaxy A55 ups the ante with an even better design that now uses metal and glass while also jumping to the newer Exynos 1480 SoC. Samsung took one of its trusted mid-rangers and made it better. The pricing in Europe for the Galaxy A55 is promising, starting at €479 (~$525) for the 8GB + 128GB variant. For reference, the Galaxy A54 started at $449 for the 6GB + 128GB variant, though how the Galaxy A55 will be priced in the US remains to be seen.

The Pixel 8a is also expected to come with some key upgrades. For one, it could refresh its design, looking similar to the Pixel 8 but more rounded off, which wouldn’t be bad at all. The next upgrade will likely be to the Tensor SoC, with the Pixel 8a possibly coming with the Tensor G3. We also expect Google to keep up its camera prowess with the Pixel 8a. Beyond that, leaks have not been very descriptive on the upgrades, so we’d still have to wait to learn more.

With all of this being said, what would you do? Will you choose the Galaxy A55 5G right now? Or would you prefer to wait and pick up the Pixel 8a instead? Or do you have something else entirely on your mind in the mid-range segment? Let us know in the poll below!

We’d also love to hear from you. Why are you choosing the Galaxy A55 over the Pixel 8a? Or, in the alternative, what part of the Galaxy A55 leaves you unsatisfied and leaning over to the Pixel 8a? If you are waiting for another mid-range, which one and why? Let us know your position on this debate in the comments below!