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With the Samsung Galaxy A54, Samsung is expanding its mid-range range with another solid addition. But is it enough to keep up with the ever-increasing competition in this
With the Samsung Galaxy A54, Samsung is expanding its mid-range range with another solid addition. But is it enough to keep up with the ever-increasing competition in this segment?
Make no mistake: the flagship Galaxy S and foldable Galaxy Z may draw a lot of attention, but the A-series is Samsung’s true stronghold. The South Korean brand knows all too well that the key to commercial success lies in the lower and mid-range segment. Over the years, Samsung has built up a strong mid-range range and released two new additions in one fell swoop in March with the Galaxy A54 and A34.
In this review we take a closer look at the Galaxy A54. The Galaxy A51, A52 and A53 have always been a hit, so there are high expectations for the device to live up to. With a few targeted improvements, Samsung is hoping for another bull’s eye.
It’s easy to mistake the Galaxy A54 for the S23 on store shelves. The Galaxy A54 inherits the stacked camera setup from its premium cousin. With this choice, Samsung may want to make fewer distinctions between its premium and mid-range devices. The cheap-looking plastic back is therefore replaced by Gorilla Glass.
The Galaxy A54 is also a thick smartphone. By that we don’t just mean the thick, visible bezels all around the screen, but also the case (made of plastic) looks a lot thicker than we’re used to. The overall weight of the smartphone is just over 200 grams. A strict diet is certainly not necessary, as the device is easy to hold and easy to use.
The display has shrunk by a tenth of an inch from 6.5 inches to 6.4 inches. This also means there are fewer pixels behind the screen (1080 x 2340 pixels compared to 1080 x 2400 pixels on the Galaxy A53), but you won’t see that difference with the naked eye.
What is more visible is the high brightness of the screen. According to Samsung, it’s increased from 800 nits to 1000 nits, and in our tests the peak brightness wasn’t far off. This gives you a screen that remains legible even in sunlight. A maximum refresh rate of up to 120 Hz no longer surprises us, even in the middle segment.
The biggest downside of the Galaxy A53 was the slower processor. The fact that Samsung is once again using its own Exynos chip for the successor causes frowns. According to the manufacturer, the Exynos 1380 has received an increase in performance. Negligible according to our benchmark tests.
If you compare the results with those of cheaper devices like the Galaxy A34 (MediaTek Dimension 1080) or the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (Qualcomm Snapdragon 695), the Galaxy A54 just manages it. The processor is not up to the direct competitor OnePlus Nord 3 (MediaTek Dimensity 9000). The device performs well in everyday use, but is significantly slower than one might expect in this price range.
For the GPU, the choice fell on a Mali-G68 based on the ARM architecture. The A34 also relies on such a processor. Again, we see a big gap to the OnePlus Nord 3, which has a Mali-G710 on board.
There is another downside to opting for an Exynos chip: the processor turns out to be not the most energy-efficient. The Samsung Galaxy A54 achieved rather disappointing results in our fitness test. The difference to the Galaxy A34 is striking.
The cheaper cousin lasts longer with the same battery capacity but a different processor. The Galaxy S23 also drains less quickly with a much smaller battery. With “normal” usage, the A54’s battery can last you a day to a day and a half.
If the battery runs out, allow enough time to charge your device again. We’ve mentioned it in several reviews, but Samsung doesn’t score well when it comes to fast charging. Charging the Samsung Galaxy A54 to fifty and eighty percent takes almost twice as long as the OnePlus Nord 3. Within the Samsung family, the Galaxy A54 does reasonably well, charging the device faster than the A34 and even the S23, which is what the paper is also the case both have a charging power of 25 W.
Compared to the Galaxy A53, we have to do without a camera. No problem, quality rather than quantity and admittedly we don’t use this depth sensor that often. The main camera gets a “downgrade” from 64MP to 50MP, but don’t let that fool you either: more pixels doesn’t always mean better photos.
The pictures taken by the main sensor (f/1.8) look good and sharp. The software enables “Scene Enhancement” by default, which can add an artificial tone to your photos. Particularly bright color elements are sometimes magnified against a gray background. Luckily, when it gets dark, the software can itself control the addition of additional lighting, resulting in realistic results.
It’s not uncommon for a mid-range car to have the focus solely on the main camera, but Samsung manages to strike a reasonably good balance on this device. The wide-angle camera offers an angle of 123 degrees. At first glance, there’s nothing crazy about pictures taken with this camera, but if you look closely you can see that objects are fading towards the edges. We see this phenomenon returning on many smartphones. There is no telephoto lens, this is only available in the S series. You can zoom in properly with the main camera, but you will inevitably lose sharpness.
That leaves the macro camera. While we said pixel count isn’t everything, mid-range cars often come with a 2MP macro sensor that’s just there for bacon and beans. Samsung is a bit more generous with a 5 MP macro camera, which already delivers slightly better results. Applying the portrait mode delivers rather mixed results, which we certainly don’t want to say that we miss a depth sensor. For the sake of completeness, there is another 32 MP front camera, which is hidden behind a not-so-discreet punch hole.
Every Samsung smartphone comes with OneUI, and the Galaxy A54 comes with the latest version, OneUI 5, based on Android 13. Whether you like certain software or not is always a bit of a matter of taste, but we find OneUI very clear and user-friendly. Samsung is usually also quick to integrate new Android functionalities into its own shell.
Of course there are points of discussion. For example, there’s always a lot of homemade bloatware apps that you get unsolicited. Bixby needs to intervene every time you touch the power button. That way, usage stats might stay high enough to keep the virtual assistant alive. Fortunately, Samsung now offers you the option not to install certain apps during configuration. The manufacturer is thus relaxing the influence on your app preferences somewhat.
Samsung guarantees long-term support and this trend continues with the Galaxy A54. You can expect four major software updates up to and including Android 17 and security updates through 2028. This makes the device a sustainable purchase in the long term. We’re seeing the support policies for Android phones in all price ranges getting better every year, and the South Koreans are making a name for themselves by leading by example.
With the Galaxy A54, Samsung remains true to the well-known recipe of the mid-range A series. The manufacturer keeps the good but also the not so good from the previous editions. Overall, the Galaxy A54 is an excellent addition to the mid-range, but it does not come without compromises. The external similarities with the premium S23 consist of a clean appearance that the device cannot maintain for long.
However, Samsung should not forget that the competition does not stand still. While the focus of the never-ending struggle with Apple is at the high end of the market, other manufacturers lurk in the lower tiers. The OnePlus Nord 3 in particular seems to be a formidable opponent that can dethrone the Galaxy A54 in the mid-range.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is available in four colors: green, black, purple and white. The basic version gets 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB of storage and costs 399 euros. You pay 489 euros for 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. All above prices include VAT.
Android update policy: Samsung guarantees that the Galaxy A54 will receive security updates for at least five years and OS updates for four years. This period begins with the launch on March 15, 2023 with Android 13.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
