The Samsung Galaxy A55 continues to build on the solid foundation of its predecessor, but is unfortunately a rather small upgrade.

You can’t keep up great innovations every year. Last year, the Samsung Galaxy A54 did extremely well for us. This year, its successor, the Samsung Galaxy A55 (449 euros including VAT), is doing a little better. On the other hand, there is a higher price that reinforces the doubts.

We’ll start with Samsung’s biggest plus point: its update policy. You can expect four major Android OS updates and five years of security updates. Only the Google Pixel 8a does better in this price range, with seven years of security and OS updates. The competition, including Xiaomi, Oppo and OnePlus, can’t match that today, with barely two major Android OS updates and three years of security updates.

Samsung makes sure that you can buy the Samsung Galaxy A55 without any worries if you don’t upgrade regularly. And you don’t need to, because we can find few pain points across the board.

Aluminium frame

With the Samsung Galaxy A55, the manufacturer is targeting the middle class in the smartphone segment. From the outside, you could almost think that the phone is in the upper price segment. The aluminum frame feels particularly pleasant and is a nice upgrade compared to the plastic frame of the predecessor.

On the front and back we find two glass surfaces, the front being extra strong (Gorilla Glass Victus+). This glass is less likely to break if you drop your device. We recommend that you don’t test this in practice. If you want to do that, choose a sturdy case or a rugged phone like the Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro.

The 6.6-inch screen is 0.2 inches larger than its predecessor. Small smartphone enthusiasts see fewer options every year. The screen quality is excellent (OLED, 120 Hz, HDR10+). We measured a maximum brightness of 980 nits, more than enough to see everything in sunlight.

Performance

Inside the Galaxy A55 is Samsung’s own Exynos 1480 chip, which is baked using a four-nanometer process. Its predecessor had a five-nanometer Exynos 1380 chip, and that is noticeable in the test results. You can also see that in the battery life, but more on that later.

Only the Google Pixel 8a performs better, but you pay 100 euros more for it. In addition, we have to say that the performance of both the Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A54 never felt sluggish. Everything responds quickly enough, don’t worry about it.

We see a bigger difference in 3D performance. Anyone who enjoys playing games on their phone should take this into account.

Camera performance

At the beginning of the year, the Galaxy A54 impressed us with its excellent camera in the mass test of smartphones under 500 euros. The Samsung Galaxy A55 builds on this with small improvements. The main camera is the same at first glance, but the sensor is larger. The result: sharper photos that look better even in the dark.

Even more striking: the photos look sharper than before. The Google Pixel 8a and even the Google Pixel 7a remain the benchmark in this price range, but with the Galaxy A55 you sit in the front row.

The wide-angle camera deserves extra points from us. Manufacturers often see it as an extra that doesn’t get the same attention. Here we notice how good the photos often are and how close they are to the main camera in terms of color.

Battery life

The biggest leap forward Samsung has made is in terms of battery life compared to the previous generation. We can easily get through a whole day at work, and if we use it sparingly, we can sometimes manage to get to the end of the next day quite well. The Exynos 1480 chip is economical and this is clearly reflected in the numbers.

Under light load (video test), no phone in this price range performs better. If we put the Samsung Galaxy A55 under a little more pressure (performance test), we see that the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite narrowly steals the crown. Nevertheless, the Galaxy A55 delivers an excellent result.

Fast charging is still something that Samsung devices rarely do. Here again we see the same results compared to last year. We don’t know why Samsung doesn’t want to follow the trend of OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi.

Getting 50 percent in half an hour is not a “fast charge.” Charging this phone at breakfast is not enough to get you through the day for many. That’s the case with most other brands. That makes it more likely you’ll need to charge overnight, which is never really a good idea.

Diploma

The Samsung Galaxy A55 (449 euros including VAT) does almost everything well, but plays it safe. The biggest improvement compared to its predecessor is the improved battery life. But it is now available for an average of 100 euros less. The Samsung Galaxy A35 also costs 100 euros less and, apart from the slightly worse camera, can sit next to the Galaxy A55.

Prices in the smartphone sector fluctuate regularly, so keep a close eye on the current situation and then make a decision.

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is available in four colors: blue, ice blue, lilac and lime. The basic model (8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage) costs 449 euros including VAT. The version with 256 GB storage costs 50 euros more. Samsung is temporarily offering a 90 euro discount during the sales period until the end of July 2024. No charger is included in the delivery.

Android update policy: Samsung guarantees that the Galaxy A55 will receive security updates for at least five years and operating system updates for four years. This period begins with the launch of Android 14 on March 11, 2024. The statutory warranty period is two years.