prologue
Same, but different (but almost the same) – the Galaxy A54 is proof that it doesn’t change the winning formula. Or at least that’s how Samsung sees it. Whether we’re fully on board with it or not, you should read the next page to find out.
Right off the bat, the A54’s MSRP of around €500 should raise some eyebrows. The A53 5G launch prices were actually quite similar to those of the A54, which is a bit of a trend as numbers tend to drop precipitously in just a month or two. Please be more open with them.
If you look at the spec sheet and find the difference in materials, more The it-new model exceeds even the 200g weight threshold alone. It’s even more surprising that the screen diagonal has been slightly reduced, especially since the battery capacity remains the same.
The chipset is new. It’s clear. The extra 100 on this Exynos 1380 means 2 extra powerful cores to the CPU and an extra GPU core compared to the 1280 on the older model. It’s shaping up to be the most significant hardware improvement of the year, and could be worth a few grams.
The depth sensor is gone (which is unlikely to be missed), and the triple camera setup on the back now features a 50MP unit instead of the A53 5G’s 64MP unit. As with the selfie camera, the ultra-wide and macro cameras appear unchanged.
Of course, no change is not a good thing either. Take the IP67 rating for example, the Galaxy A-series mid-rangers have been offering dust and water resistance for several generations, and the A54 continues that path. Stereo speakers are also available as before, and the microSD slot will live for another year.
Samsung Galaxy A54 specs summary:
- body: 158.2×76.7×8.2mm, 202g; IP67 dust/water resistant (1m for 30 minutes).
- screen: 6.40″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1000 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 403ppi.
- Chipset: Exynos 1380 (5 nm): Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68 MP5.
- memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM. microSDXC (using shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 13, One UI 5.1.
- Rear camera: wide (main): 50MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS; super wide angle: 12MP, f/2.2, 123°, 1.12µm; big: 5MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 32MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm.
- Video capture: rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@480fps; front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
- battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired.
- others: fingerprint reader (under-display, optical); stereo speakers; virtual proximity sensing;
Samsung Galaxy A54 Unboxing
The A54’s retail packaging is as bare bones as last year. A52(s) is the last package that includes a power adapter in the box. The only accessories available for the A54 are a SIM eject tool and a USB-C cable (white cable).
For what it’s worth, the fact that the cable is still in the box means you can “save” on buying the cable when you get the charger – it’s about as close to the silver lining is.
