Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review

If there’s a standard of features and performance that makes a flagship phone, the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a quick push against it. This $449 device sits on the table next to the $999 Galaxy S23 Plus. Sometimes I can barely distinguish between the two until I get close enough to pick them up.

Naturally, there are noticeable differences in how they are constructed. The S23 Plus has all the sleek, durable metal frame of a $1,000 phone. The A54 can’t match it in terms of style. But in everyday use, they are surprisingly similar. Reading emails, scrolling through Instagram, navigating around town, it all feels the same. The only thing I really notice a difference between the two is the camera.

It’s only when you actually push the A54 that the difference becomes apparent. As always, you get what you pay for.The Exynos does a respectable job, but like the Qualcomm chip it doesn’t chew up rapid-fire portrait mode shots or graphics-intensive games. You can not.

As far as midrange phones go, the A54 has it all. A large 6.4-inch screen, exceptional battery life, durable construction to withstand water and dust, and a support policy that promises five years of security updates. If you squint at that spec list, you can almost see a $1000 flagship phone.

Let’s start with build quality. The Galaxy A54 features durable glass panels on the front and back. Many other mid-range devices, including the Google Pixel 6A, use composite plastic for their back panels, so this is a nice bonus. However, the A54’s exterior frame is made of plastic. It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s less flashy than the S23’s and Pixel 6A’s aluminum frames. It has an IP67 rating for robust dust resistance and some protection against submersion in water. This is not typical for budget phones.

what teeth The A54’s screen is a bit fancy. The large he is a 6.4 inch 1080p OLED panel with a top refresh rate of 120Hz. That’s bigger and faster than his 6.1-inch OLED-equipped Pixel 6A with its standard 60Hz refresh rate. Its fast refresh rate does a lot to make the A54 feel more expensive than it really is, and scrolling through websites and home screen pages is very smooth. The A54’s screen is slightly brighter than last year’s Galaxy A53 5G. Currently up to 1000 nits in very bright outdoor light. It’s not as bright as the S23 Plus, but it’s enough to make on-screen text readable even in direct sunlight.

The A54 also makes a big appearance on the battery front with a 5,000 mAh cell. That’s roughly the price of a smartphone these days.Battery stamina is very good as well, but it’s not banana-Like Moto G Powers in the world. The A54’s screen draws more power than most budget phones, so it needs a bigger battery to make up for it. It can be charged up to 25W with a suitable wired charger (sold separately of course), wireless charging is not included.

During testing, I enabled always-on display and kept the screen refresh rate at the highest setting (which is the default). Even when throttled, the battery lasted a full day — this included hours of mobile gaming on a data connection, navigating Google Maps, and general Internet use while waiting for jury service (modern American tradition). ). The A54’s battery was in the single digits at the end of the day, and it achieved it despite 4+ hours of screen-on time and battery-intensive activities. Nearly 50% remained in the tank at that time.

As configured in the US, the A54 5G comes with 128 GB of storage, which is more than enough for most people. It also has ample 6GB of RAM to prevent apps from running too often in the background, giving you the freedom to go about your daily tasks. His Exynos 1380 chipset is capable of handling graphics-intensive games. genshin impactwith the occasional stutter here and there, but nothing that seriously impacts gameplay. pocket city 2much less demanding and easier for the A54.

There’s 5G, of course, and the phone is certified with all three major US carriers. The unlocked version, sold by Samsung, T-Mobile, and AT&T, costs $449. won’t Includes mmWave 5G. Verizon, on the other hand, sells a $500 model that includes mmWave. (That’s his 5G method, which is actually quite fast you’ll occasionally come across, but it’s range is so limited that it’s not really that useful.)

Far more important than being able to use hard-to-find 5G frequencies, the A54 5G comes with a strong software support policy. Samsung promises up to four his OS version updates and up to five years of security patches. This is one of the best policies on Android for smartphones in any price range. Even Google’s Pixel 7 flagship only promises 3 OS updates and 5 years of security support. The frequency of these security patches is likely to slow towards the end of their lifespan, maybe twice a year, but they are enough to address security loopholes and keep your phone safe into the future. It’s the big bright checkmark in the A54’s “Pro” column.

The Galaxy A54 exceeds my expectations for a mid-range phone, but the camera starts out where it looks far more average. It is equipped with a 50-megapixel F/1.8 main rear camera with Stabilization in particular is good in the middle tier as it helps the camera use longer shutter speeds to clean up images in low light. selfie camera, a flawless 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a nearly useless 5-megapixel macro.

Pictures from the main camera in good light look fine, but that’s true of almost all smartphones made after 2018. Video clips are fine too, and can record up to 4K/30p. There’s a mode that helps with extra stabilization, but you have to record at 1080/30p to use it.

But when you push the A54’s camera system in more difficult situations, it doesn’t hold up. In moderate lighting, portrait mode has a harder time capturing subjects than the S23 Plus, and subject separation isn’t as good.

Besides portrait mode, there’s a night mode that can be used in very low light, an option when the subject isn’t moving.But if your subject teeth Moving makes it even more difficult. The camera struggles to keep shutter speeds faster than 1/20th of a second. This filters out sharp photos of children and pets running around the kitchen. This, to be fair, is a challenge for most phone cameras to some extent.

but! In the same conditions, the Pixel 6A is clearly better. You’re more likely to keep your shutter speed around 1/120th of a second, so you’re more likely to freeze motion. Even if both cameras take sharp shots, the 6A’s image has much finer detail. You don’t even have to zoom in to see the difference. 6A doesn’t even have the latest in his Pixel camera hardware. Just a lot of smart image processing thanks to the company’s Tensor chipset, which is no match for the A54.

There’s a simple equation to determine if the Galaxy A54 is the best option at this price point. If you care more about creature comforts, you should pick the Samsung over the Pixel 6A. , you get a big screen with the beauty of the rear glass panel. If you care more about photo quality than getting a bigger screen for your money, you should go for the Pixel 6A (or wait a few weeks, as the Pixel 7A will likely debut). Nearly a year after its release, low-light performance is still arguably superior and unmatched in the midrange class, and there are still good reasons to pay more for something like the S23 Plus. Things like better camera handling and a polished build, but not as much as you might think.

Otherwise the A54 has many advantages. The screen is exceptional for its class, day-to-day performance is dependable, and its IP67 rating combined with a strong support policy makes it a very promising long-term owner. Regardless of the upgrades the Pixel 7A offers, unless camera quality is your primary concern, the A54 ticks more than Google’s mid-ranger.

Photo by Alison Johnson/The Verge