We’ve just published the review of the Galaxy A35 a while ago, and now it is time for the new Galaxy A55. This phone might look like a tiny upgrade over the A35, but it actually makes a huge difference.
I am reviewing the A55 with the firmware build number AXBA and I have just gotten the update the day before scripting this review.
Design
When we take a look at the A55, it’ll definitely remind you of the A35’s design. Actually no – it also reminds me of the S24 and S24+’s design, but with two differences.
The first difference is that the A55 has this bulge on the side around the buttons that Samsung is calling the Key Island, and it has this brushed aluminium frame.
I’m not sure how much it shows up on the camera but I can definitely feel those lines with my fingertip. Those grooves are not deep, and I think this is a really nice design choice.
This phone is also available in 4 colors, but their availability varies depending on your region. For me, I got it in the Iceblue color which is just slightly blue in color and otherwise appears kinda white.
If you’re getting it in the Lilac color, then you get this special reflection when light hits it the right way. It’s not my cup of tea but I can see why some people love this design.
Screen
The screen also got slightly bigger as it is now using a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate at 2340×1080 pixels in resolution.
I’m not sure if the A35 and the A55 are using the same screens as the results we obtained from the color accuracy test are different. The color gamut coverage is about the same, but the maximum brightness on the A55 is higher – but so is the ΔE number. Both of these phones are tested using the vivid color profile, by the way. There is no vividness slider like the S24 series.
Either way, the A55 does have one of the best screens for this price range of phones – but those bezels are definitely thick.
One thing I appreciate is the removal of that silver ring around the selfie camera cutout like the previous generations.
Performance
Okay, now let’s talk about the most shocking thing about this phone – the performance. This new Galaxy A55 uses Samsung’s latest Exynos 1480 chipset and before you roll your eyes – let me explain to you. The Exynos 1480, at the time of doing our gaming test, there are many games that do not officially support this chipset nor are optimized for it yet, so the performance is a bit of a hit-and-miss.
Genshin Impact ran fine on this phone. At the low graphical preset – not the lowest, we’re getting around 40fps in the overworld while it is thermal throttling. CarX Street also ran better than some of the other flagship phones that we’ve played as it doesn’t thermal throttle as hard.
COD Warzone is still problematic even after the game has “launched globally” and I have no idea when it’ll be fixed.
The thermal limit of this phone is at 47°C by the way. Some of you might complain that it’s too hot and I can understand why. At this temperature, your fingers will start to be toasty.
The Galaxy A55 also has the battery bypass feature – and you can watch our video at the top right corner to know more. It’s a great feature for those who are constantly gaming on the phone.
Battery life
One more thing that the Exynos 1480 improved is in terms of efficiency. Using our standardized battery life test, the 5,000mAh battery in the Galaxy A55 can last for 13 hours and 35 minutes, which is exactly one hour more than the A35.
That means we’re getting much better performance and more efficiency from the new Exynos 1480 – making it rather huge leap from its predecessor.
Charging speed
However, the charging speed is still the same as before. This A55 can only take in 25W maximum via USB-PD PPS charging standard and it takes around 82 minutes to charge from 15% to completion – which is also identical to the A35.
Cameras
But there is another aspect that I love about the A55 – and that’s the cameras. Now, this phone has a total of 3 cameras but I’ll only consider two of them to be usable as the macro camera is just… well… it takes this type of picture. Samsung should’ve used a tele-macro lens with autofocus if they wanted an actually usable macro camera.
To have a look at all the pictures and video taken with the Galaxy A55, watch our video at the top of this review.
Software
Now, for the software – it’s the same as the Galaxy A35’s situation. As a summary, It is running on the latest Android 14 with One UI 6.1 but does not have the Galaxy AI features like the S24 series.
This A55 also has all of the usual Samsung features like Samsung Wallet, Edge Panel, Modes & Routines, and Samsung Knox.
Samsung Knox is not something that we can interact with but it works in the background to keep our files and data protected. We also have features like the Secure Folder that acts like a sandbox that runs without the main system. Within that sandbox, it is like there’s another operating system. We can log in to a different Google account and install completely different apps within the Secure Folder. Files and apps within the Secure Folder do not interact with your other apps unless explicitly stated to do so.
Features like the App Protection is literally a built-in malware scanner made in collaboration with McAfee and there’s another another feature called Auto Blocker that prevents any sort of sideloading, so scammers can’t send you files and accidentally install them on your phone. It’s a great feature to enable if your kids, parents, and grandparents are using this phone. Practically anyone who’s not tech-savvy should enable this feature.
Samsung also promised 4 generations of Android OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches for the A55, which I think is great. It provides more updates than some of the flagships that are available in the market today.
Few more things to mention
And a few more things to mention before we end this review. The Galaxy A55 uses a USB 2.0 port at the bottom – which is to be expected, and it does not have display output via USB-C.
It does not have an audio jack but it does have a dual SIM slot or a microSD card slot, and also has IP67 dust and water resistance.
Should you buy the Galaxy A55?
The final question that I want to answer in this review is – should you buy the Galaxy A55? Actually, let me rephrase that – is the Galaxy A55 worth the price? In Malaysia it’s at RM1,999. I still think it’s a bit too high but Samsung Malaysia is perpetually having a sale for their phones anyway. If you can get the A55 at around – let’s say RM1,600, then I think it’s actually worth the price.
Yes, it’s a mid-range phone but it’s a very capable phone. The photos taken at night is what surprised me the most. I think the A55 just takes better night shots than the S24 Ultra – at least during the firmware version during out test.
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