Galaxy A55 review: Samsung rests (too much) on its laurels

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While the Galaxy S (high-end) and Galaxy Z (folding) are the stuff of dreams for fans of new technologies, most of Samsung's smartphone sales are concentrated on the Galaxy A range. In 2024, the Galaxy A55 will take on the role of the most high-end of the Korean mid-range.

In this segment, the competition is fierce. Google shines in the photographic part with its Pixel 7a (while waiting for the 8a in mid-2024) and Nothing has just launched a Phone 2(a) with an unbeatable quality-price ratio. Xiaomi, Honor and Motorola are also present with interesting offers.

Sold from 499 euros, the Galaxy A55 is therefore positioned in the high end of this segment. Is this price justified ? Is Samsung marking time ? Will its A55, like its predecessors, be among the manufacturer's top sellers ? Answer after a few days of testing.

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The Galaxy A55 is available at a price of 499 euros (128 GB) and 549 euros (256 GB). It comes in four colors: blue (our test model), midnight blue, lilac and lime (yellow).

For the launch, Samsung is offering a €50 trade-in bonus for any purchase of a Galaxy A55. Until April 16, 2024, a pair of Galaxy Buds FE headphones is offered.

Its impeccable design

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To design its Galaxy A55, Samsung has chosen premium materials, just to make a good impression right out of the box. Clad entirely in glass, the A55 is built around an aluminum chassis, a first.

Like the Galaxy S24, the new mid-range vintage takes up the aesthetics of its predecessors: sharp edges, rounded corners, flat screen. Above all, the manufacturer pays particular attention to the homogeneity between its products, all ranges combined.

Thus, the Galaxy A55 looks a lot like the S24 with its back devoid of any artifice and its three optics directly integrated into the shell. The dimensions and weight (161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2 for 213 g) are more or less the same as the A54, which is not to displease us.

If we had to give an idea of ​​the format, we would compare the A55 to the Galaxy S24+. It is therefore neither among the most compact smartphones nor among the behemoths. A good compromise between good handling and display comfort.

Precisely, in the hands, the Galaxy A55 is very pleasant despite slightly too prominent edges. While one-handed use remains possible (with some contortion efforts), we still recommend two-handed manipulations to eliminate any risk of falling. Its Gorilla Glass coating and IP68 certification will limit breakage in the event of an accident, but caution is still preferable.

Finally – and this is rare enough to be emphasized – the Galaxy A55 includes a microSD port to expand the storage memory. Thank you Samsung!

Its magnificent screen

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If there is one area in which Samsung outclasses all its competitors, it is that of screens. With its experience as a panel manufacturer (Samsung Display supplies the best screen technologies to market leaders, including Apple), the Korean company can afford, thanks to economies of scale, to integrate state-of-the-art panels into its more affordable smartphones.

Thus, the Galaxy A55 is equipped with a Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The pleasant surprise comes from the size of the panel, which increases to 6.6'' (compared to 6.4'' for the A54). A significant gain for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts, especially since Samsung has barely touched the dimensions of the phone.

Mid-range requires, the refresh rate is not adaptive. If this does not change much in terms of display, the fixed rate of 120 Hz has an impact on the autonomy (we will come back to it).

Very bright (up to 1 000 nits with the Vision Booster option), the screen of the Galaxy A55 is without a doubt its best asset. If the competition has improved a lot on this point in recent years, Samsung remains the reference in the field, all segments combined. A pure pleasure in everyday life.

Always uneven in photos

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Last year, the Galaxy A54 did not leave us with an unforgettable memory in photography. Far from disappointing, it proved to be uneven and, above all, less convincing than its competitors.

With these criticisms shared by many testers around the world, Samsung has therefore … took exactly the same photographic configuration as the A54 to design its Galaxy A55. Thus, we find:

• a 50 Mpxl sensor with wide-angle lens (f/1.8) and optical stabilization
• a 12 Mpxl sensor with ultra-wide-angle lens (f/2.2)
• a sensor 5MP with macro lens (f/2.4)

Like last year, Samsung persists with a useless macro lens, the ultra wide-angle allowing to obtain equally convincing results. On the other hand, still no telephoto lens which would have brought more versatility.

Macro

The 2x digital zoom is fortunately convincing outdoors. A welcome consolation prize, even if not enough for a model sold for 500 euros. The ultra wide-angle is also a bit lacking, due to very average sharpness and a passable distortion management.

© Ultra wide angle

© Wide-angle

© Zoom 2x

© Zoom 4x

© Zoom 10x

In low light, the Galaxy A55 shows the same weaknesses as its predecessor: digital noise is still too present and the management of light points always complicated. Night mode slightly improves the whole but nothing really satisfactory.

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Night mode activated

Night mode enabled

Not everything is to be thrown away. < strong>The main camera actually saves the photographic experience: during the day, the sharpness is convincing and the flattering colors specific to Samsung smartphones (which tend to disappear from premium models) are still their effect, especially on social networks.

The Galaxy A55 also shines in capturing portraits with precise cropping and a controlled bokeh. Finally, the 32 MP front camera will delight selfie and self-portrait lovers.

Portrait

Portrait

Portrait

Portrait

selfie

Self-portrait

The Galaxy A55 stands out in video.Capable of recording in 4K at 30 fps, it stands out for its excellent stabilization. In this price segment, it suffers from no competition. The same cannot be said for the photographic part, an area in which the Pixel 7a, released last year, remains the reference. While waiting for the Pixel 8a, expected in the first half of the year.

Its autonomy

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Despite the integration of a 5,000 mAh battery, the Galaxy A55 (like its predecessor) does not shine in terms of battery life. The cause is a sluggish processor (see below) which cannot handle complex tasks.Photo editing, photography, video or gaming will drain your battery at a crazy speed.

Without overdoing it, you can hope to get a day of use, or even a little more by using the energy-saving modes. Most of the time, you have to recharge the Galaxy A55 every night. Too little for a mid-range reference.

Its slow recharge

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A high-performance charging system could have partially compensated for this poor autonomy. On its official website, Samsung also promises ” super fast charging “. In reality, The Galaxy A55 can only handle 25W of power, which in 2024 is no longer very fast, let alone great.

The 5,000 mAh battery recovers all its energy in just over 90 minutes: too long, even in this price range. Above all, Samsung has not made any improvements over the Galaxy A54, which had exactly the same performance.

Last but not least, the Korean company still reserves wireless charging for its premium models. And the charging block is not included in the box. It's starting to be a lot.

His performances too fair

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Like last year (and the previous ones), Samsung is snubbing Qualcomm and relying on its own chips. This choice, which allows to reduce manufacturing costs, has not proven convincing so far. Unfortunately, the Exynos 1480 integrated into this new generation is part of the same (bad) dynamic.

Thus, the Galaxy A55 is satisfactory in basic uses (web browsing, consulting social networks, messaging, etc.) but s runs out of steam pretty quickly with more resource-intensive applications. Photography, video recording, editing or even gaming are punctuated by slowdowns or even small bugs.

Gamers are also forced to choose between good graphics quality and smooth animations with the most advanced 3D games (Call of Duty Mobile for example) if they want to enjoy a comfortable experience. Even more annoying, the Galaxy A55 heats up a little too quickly for our taste.

In this area, Samsung disappoints: we have already been highlighting these technical weaknesses for several years without it correcting its copy. Be careful, the competition is fierce.

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This is the other big disappointment of this Galaxy A55. Despite the presence of the latest One UI 6 update, the AI ​​features launched at the beginning of the year are absent.

Samsung has indeed decided to reserve these tools for premium models for two reasons. First, because Galaxy AI requires a chip powerful enough to function over time. Second, because it is necessary to keep some exclusive features for more expensive models, in order to justify the move upmarket.

The interface of the Galaxy A55 is no less attractive. Samsung keeps the ingredients of past versions and refines its recipe. Highly customizable, One UI shines with its simplicity, readability and fluidity. A pleasure to use every day.

Samsung also promises four years of major updates and five years of security support. Enough to last a few years before changing it… if the weak processor keeps up until then.

After a few days of testing, our conclusion is clear: the Galaxy A55 disappoints. Despite very good ingredients (premium design and magnificent screen), this new generation fails to excite us. The cause is flaws that we already found in previous models and that Samsung did not see fit to correct.

Thus, the Galaxy A55 suffers from its average performance and battery life, as well as its charging system, which is fast in name only. We should also point out Samsung's lack of panache in terms of photography: the Korean manufacturer uses the exact same recipe as the A54, which is not really flamboyant.

In the same segment, other manufacturers are more daring and/or offer better value for money (Nothing, Xiaomi, Google). Above all, the Galaxy A55 doesn't bring much to the table compared to the Galaxy A54, which makes last year's model a real bargain. At the start of 2024, it can be found for around 300 euros. There is no comparison.

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