Galaxy A55 Preview: a smaller refresh that will probably leave us wanting more

Galaxy A55 Preview: a smaller refresh that will probably leave us wanting more،

Introducing the Galaxy A55

March is just around the corner, which means we're not too far away from Samsung's next generation of mid-range Galaxy phones, the Galaxy A55 and A35. Here you will find everything about the most expensive option, the Galaxy A55, released so far.

Samsung hasn't released any teasers or official information about the A55, but we have a lot going on when it comes to rumors, leaks, and reports. For starters, we know what the phone will likely look like, thanks to several design renders that have surfaced online.

We also get an idea of Samsung's plans for the Galaxy A55's camera system, the chipset that will power it, and some educated guesses to fill in any remaining gaps. For now, the speculation exceeds the number of leaks and rumors, but building an image of the A55 is nevertheless already possible.

What's new on the Galaxy A55

New chipset: Exynos 1480
A refreshed design with a slightly larger body
Maybe 7 years of software updates
Some features of Samsung AI

Contents:

Galaxy A55 specifications

For now, the Galaxy A55's specs look somewhat uninspiring. The obvious changes are in screen size, chipset and brightness. However, more upgrades could be coming before the announcement, so stay tuned.

Specifications	Galaxy A55
Height and weight	161.1 x 77.3 x 8.2mm Weight is unclear
Display	6.5″ AMOLED 120Hz variable refresh rate At least 1,600 nits of peak brightness
Processor	Exynos 1480
Software	Android 14
Cameras	50MP main, f/1.8 aperture 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 5MP macro, f/2.4 32MP front, f/2.2
Battery size	5000mAh
Charging Speeds	25W per cable No wireless charging
Prices	8/128 GB for $449 to $500

Galaxy A55 design and colors

The Galaxy “A” series has retained a look so close to Samsung's flagship “S” series that some might even have trouble distinguishing it from the more premium range. This time around, however, the Galaxy A55 is expected to feature a small but visible change in its design that will set it apart.

Take a look at the following renders of the Galaxy A55 and see if you can spot this design change for yourself:

Renders of the Galaxy A55.

Have you spotted it? This is a bump/island for the power and volume buttons on the side, also called a “Key Island”, with the top and bottom ends of this island angled downward, blending into the frame in aluminum. This is a design that Samsung first tested on the even more budget-friendly Galaxy A15 and A25.

Besides Key Island, the renders show us that Samsung has made the Galaxy A55 as square as the S24 series, with flat sides and curved corners. Given the A55's larger size, it would probably feel like holding a Galaxy S24 Plus.

In terms of protection, there have been no leaks, but we expect Samsung to protect the A55's screen with Gorilla Glass Victus (upgraded from Gorilla Glass 5) and keep the same rating IP67 dust and water resistance.

In terms of colors, three options were mentioned, including Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Navy. There may be some exclusive ones for orders through Samsung's website, but that's not certain.

When it comes to the Galaxy A55 unboxing experience, Samsung is rather simplistic in this regard, unlike other players like OnePlus. The Galaxy A54 comes without a charger in the box, without a case and without a screen protector. All that was inside was the charging cable, some documentation, and the phone itself. We expect the same for the A55.

Galaxy A55 screen

The Galaxy A54 comes with a pretty nice display, being a Samsung phone and all, but by recent standards it's a bit lacking in some aspects. With that in mind, we expect Samsung to bump brightness levels from 1,000 nits to at least 1,650 nits.

Of course, it will also inherit what already made the A54's screen great, like its 120Hz screen refresh rate for smooth animations and gaming, as well as support for HDR10+ (the standard from Samsung for HDR content).

The A55's screen may be a bit larger than its predecessor, increasing from 6.4″ to 6.5″, but given its already large size, there shouldn't be too much increase in size.

When it comes to biometrics, Samsung has yet to include an ultrasonic fingerprint reader in any of its budget phones, and it's more than likely that won't change with the Galaxy A55. That said, the optical fingerprint readers the company uses on its mid-range phones are still very fast and accurate, so this wouldn't be too big of a disappointment.

Galaxy A55 camera

Some rumors say that, unfortunately, the Galaxy A55 will retain the 5MP macro camera seen on the A54. Needless to say, this is a bit disappointing, as a telephoto lens would give the A55 an edge over its main competitor.

The lack of a telephoto lens isn't that surprising, however. However, the rest of the camera system would also remain the same, including the 50 MP main shooter and a 12 MP ultra-wide. The good news is that the new chipset will likely result in better image quality and camera performance improvements.

Galaxy A55 performance

The Galaxy A55 is shaping up to be a more basic upgrade to the A5x series, which means one of the few major changes will be to the chipset. Last year, Samsung put its own Exynos 1380 inside the A54. So this year we should see the Exynos 1480 powering the new mid-ranger.

As for RAM, so far the US version of the Galaxy A5x models included 6GB, but there is a good chance that number will increase to 8GB, making the phone more scalable and capable of handling multiple process at a time.

Galaxy A55 OneUI / Android version

Until recently, Samsung was the leading manufacturer when it came to software support provided for its phones. Last year, however, Google won this title by increasing its software support to 7 years. Samsung quickly followed up with a 7-year window for its flagship Galaxy S24 series.

The question is whether these additional years will also be offered to Galaxy A55 customers. For now, we expect this to be the case, which would be a major advantage for the A55 since its main competitor doesn't offer such support at this price point. The A54 comes with 4 years of major OS updates, while we're hoping for 6-7 years for the Galaxy A55.

Galaxy A55 battery and charging

The Galaxy A54 has a 5,000mAh battery that can easily last a full day and can be charged at a maximum speed of 25W, taking it from 0 to 100% in around 1 hour and 21 minutes, as we found we discovered during our tests. .

Since there are no rumors that the A55 will have a bigger battery or faster charging, we expect it to have the same level of battery performance as its predecessor. The only thing that may be different is battery life, in case the new chipset is more power efficient.

Don't get your hopes up when it comes to wireless charging, the chances of Samsung including this feature are slim at the moment.

Galaxy A55 audio and haptic quality

We were quite disappointed with the audio quality coming out of the Galaxy A54's speakers. The sound became severely distorted at higher volumes, especially in the low frequencies where the bass should be.

To that end, we're crossing our fingers that Samsung introduces some upgrades here, albeit with slightly disappointing performance on the Galaxy S24 speakers, it feels like the company isn't paying too much attention to this aspect of its phones at the moment.

Competitors of the Galaxy A55

The expected price for the Galaxy A55 is the same as its predecessor was launched at, which is $449. There is a slight chance of a $50 price hike, but even if that turns out to be the case, Samsung has plenty of discounts and deals, including pre-order deals, this issue would be easily mitigated.

So, in this price bracket, there are a few competitors that easily come to mind: the just-released OnePlus 12R and last year's Pixel 7a. Now, the OnePlus is an absolute beast and a phone worthy of the flagship killer moniker. THE Pixel 7aon the other hand, is a little late in some respects, but remember that this May we expect to see the Pixel 8a, which will undoubtedly be a better competition to the Galaxy A55.

Galaxy A55 Summary and Final Verdict

Samsung seems to be having a bit of trouble with the Galaxy A55. If it does not include any of the AI pazzaz that comes with the Galaxy S24 series, all it has to offer is longer software support, an upgraded chipset and a new look.

Of course, there's still a lot we don't know about the A55, so there's plenty of room for surprise to arise and make it a better competitor in the market. mid-range phone segment, but for now it looks like the competition could end up being overwhelming this year.

Stay tuned as we will update this preview with any new information that emerges, as there is still some time before Samsung's expected announcement of the Galaxy A55 and A35.