Samsung aims for a new mid-range champion with the Galaxy A55 5G (Update)

Update: March 14, 2024 (7:35 AM ET): Samsung has come back to us after we asked why the Galaxy A55 5G was skipping the US:

We can confirm that Galaxy A35 5G will be coming to the US market and look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks. While we will not be carrying Galaxy A55 5G at this time, consumers can still take advantage of our Galaxy innovation at great value with Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 FE.

That’s a real shame as the A55 5G brings a few improvements over the A35 5G, such as a more powerful chipset and better camera hardware.

Original article: March 11, 2024 (5:20 AM ET): Samsung’s Galaxy S series and Galaxy Z foldable series may get all the attention from enthusiasts, but it’s the Galaxy A devices that are Samsung’s best selling smartphones. Year after year, consumers worldwide prefer Galaxy A smartphones for their reliability and no-nonsense approach. The new Samsung Galaxy A55 5G succeeds the Galaxy A54 5G as the primary recommendation in the premium mid-range choice in Samsung’s lineup, and there’s a lot to like about this phone. Samsung is also launching the Galaxy A35 5G, providing users with an option if they want to save some more money.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: Release date, price, and availability

• Samsung Galaxy A55 5G (8GB/128GB): €479 (~$525) / £439 / Rs 39,999
• Samsung Galaxy A55 5G (8GB/256GB): €529 (~$580) / £489 / Rs 42,999
• Samsung Galaxy A55 5G (12GB/256GB): Rs 45,999

Samsung has launched the Galaxy A55 5G in several regions of the world on March 11, 2024. Regions in the first wave of release include Europe, India, and the UK, though we expect the Galaxy A55 to also be sold in the US in the future. In the UK, the Galaxy A55 5G will be available from March 20, 2024.

Launch offers will differ across regions. Some regions are getting a free storage upgrade to the 256GB variant as a pre-order offer, alongside enhanced trade-in credits and a discount when purchasing a Galaxy Buds FE.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G comes with a 6.6-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits brightness in high brightness mode. The phone sports an aluminum mid-frame and a glass back, upgrading the premium quotient on this mid-range phone.

The design of the device is unmistakably Samsung, as we see in the camera lenses, but we do see some newer elements, like a raised side frame element for the power buttons and volume rockers. The device measures 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2mm and weighs 213g. Overall, it’s a familiar phone that consumers will continue to relate to.

On the inside, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G comes with the new Exynos 1480 SoC, which is a 4nm octa-core SoC that claims up to 32% better GPU performance and up to 15% better CPU performance than the predecessor. The Galaxy A55 5G will be available in 8GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB variants in most markets, but some regions will also get a 12GB + 256GB variant. The phone can also accept a microSD card up to 1TB for more storage.

The Galaxy A55 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery, with support for 25W fast charging. It also has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

Cameras

For cameras, there is a 50MP f/1.8 primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture, and a 5MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture. On the front, you get a 32MP f/2.2 selfie camera.

Software and updates

The Galaxy A55 5G launches with One UI 6.1 based on Android 14. Samsung is promising up to four generations of Android OS updates and five years of security updates.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: Colors

The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G will come in Awesome Ice Blue, Awesome Lemon, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Navy colors, though availability could vary across regions.