© Lemon squeezer
If the Galaxy S (high-end) and Galaxy Z (folding) are a dream for fans of new technologies, the majority of Samsung smartphone sales are focused on the Galaxy A range. In 2024, the Galaxy A55 takes on the costume of the most high-end Korean mid-range.
In this segment, competition is fierce. Google shines on the photographic side with its Pixel 7a (while waiting for the 8a in mid-2024) and Nothing has just launched a Phone 2(a) with unbeatable value for money. Xiaomi, Honor and Motorola are also present with interesting proposals.
Marketed from 499 euros, the Galaxy A55 is therefore positioned at the upper end of this segment. Is this price justified ? Is Samsung standing still ? Will its A55 appear, like its predecessors, in the manufacturer's top sales ? Response 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 trade-in bonus of 50 euros for any purchase of a Galaxy A55. Until April 16, 2024, a pair of Galaxy Buds FE headphones are free.
Its impeccable design
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To design its Galaxy A55, Samsung chose premium materials, just to make a good impression as soon as you open the box. Clad entirely in glass, the A55 is built around an aluminum chassis, a first.
Like the Galaxy S24, the new mid-range model 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 lenses 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 does not 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 the edges being a bit too protruding. While one-handed use remains possible (with some contortion), two-handed operation is still recommended to eliminate any risk of falling. Its Gorilla Glass coating and its IP68 certification will limit breakage in the event of an accident, but caution remains preferable.
Finally – and it’s rare enough to underline it – 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 outperforms 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 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 Super AMOLED Full HD+ 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. While this doesn't change much in terms of display, the fixed rate of 120 Hz has an impact on battery life (we'll come back to that).< /p>
Very bright (up to 1,000 nits with Vision Booster option), l The Galaxy A55's screen is undoubtedly its greatest asset. If the competition has improved a lot on this point in recent years, Samsung remains the benchmark in this area, all segments combined. Pure pleasure every day.
Always uneven in photo
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Last year, the Galaxy A54 did not leave us with lasting memories in photography. Far from disappointing, it showed itself to be unequal and, above all, less convincing than its competitors.
Based on these reviews shared by numerous testers around the world, Samsung therefore… took exactly the photographic configuration of 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 5 Mpxl sensor with macro lens (f/2.4)
Like last year, Samsung persists with a useless macro lens, the ultra wide-angle allowing to obtain results equally convincing. On the other hand, still no telephoto lens which would have provided more versatility.
Macro
The 2x digital zoom fortunately proves convincing outdoors. A welcome consolation prize even if insufficient for a model sold for 500 euros. The ultra-wide angle is also a little struggling, due to very average sharpness and 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 is still complicated. Night mode slightly improves everything but nothing really satisfactory.
Night mode activated
Night mode activated
Not everything has to be thrown away. The main camera indeed saves the photographic experience: during the day, the sharpness proves convincing and the flattering colors specific to Samsung smartphones (which tend to disappear from premium models ) still have an effect, especially on social networks.
The Galaxy A55 also shines in capturing portraits with precise clipping and controlled bokeh. Finally, the 32 MP front camera will delight lovers of selfies and self-portraits.
Portrait
Portrait
Portrait
Portrait
selfie
Self-portrait
The Galaxy A55 performs well 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 about the photographic part, an area in which the Pixel 7a, released last year, remains the benchmark. While waiting for the Pixel 8a, planned for 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 with its autonomy.The cause is a sluggish processor (see below) which cannot handle complex tasks. Photo editing, photography, video, or gaming drains the battery at breakneck speed.
Without overdoing the good things, we can hope to achieve a day of use, or even a little more by using energy saving modes. Most of the time, we therefore have to recharge the Galaxy A55 every evening. Too tight for a mid-range reference.
Its slow recharge
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An efficient charging system could have partially compensated for this mediocre autonomy. On its official website, Samsung also promises “super fast charging”. In reality, the Galaxy A55 can only handle a power of 25W which, in 2024, is no longer really fast, let alone super.
The 5,000 mAh battery recovers all its energy in just over 90 minutes: too long, even in this price range. Above all, Samsung does not provide any improvement compared to the Galaxy A54 which displayed exactly the same performance.
Last but not least, the Korean always reserves wireless charging for its premium models. And the charging pad is not provided in the box. It's starting to be a lot.
His performances too accurate
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Like last year (and the previous ones), Samsung is ignoring Qualcomm and relying on its in-house chips. This choice, which makes it possible to reduce manufacturing costs, has not proven convincing until now. 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 runs out of steam quite quickly with more resource-intensive applications. Photography, video recording, editing and even gaming are punctuated by slowdowns and even small bugs.
Players are also forced to choose between good graphics quality and fluidity of 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 liking.
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 inaugurated at the beginning of the year are absent for subscribers.
Samsung has in fact decided to reserve these tools for premium models for two reasons. Firstly because Galaxy AI requires a sufficiently powerful chip to function over time. Then, because it is necessary to maintain some exclusivity for more expensive models, just to justify the move upmarket.
The interface of the Galaxy A55 remains 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 monitoring. Enough to last a few years before changing… 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. This is due to defects that we already found in previous models and which Samsung did not see fit to correct.
Thus, the Galaxy A55 falls short with its average performance and autonomy as well as its charging system which is fast in name only. Let's also highlight Samsung's lack of panache in terms of photography: the Korean uses the exact same recipe as that of the A54, 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 offer much compared to the Galaxy A54, which makes last year's model a real good deal. At the start of 2024, it can be found around 300 euros. There is no photo.
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