Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35: Which one will be the better affordable phone?

Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35: Which one will be the better affordable phone?،

Introduction

Flagship season is largely over for Samsung since the Galaxy S24 is already official and in people's pockets, but the mid-ranger era is only just beginning.

THE Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 will both arrive soon to bolster the ranks of Samsung's mid-range lineups, which are expected to be refreshed this spring. Just like the company's flagship phones, the Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 won't be that different from their predecessors and will essentially carry the same general design and hardware loadouts from their predecessors.

So which one could potentially be the best mid-ranger?

Galaxy A55 Differences from the Galaxy A35:

Galaxy A55	Galaxy A35
An Exynos 1480 chipset	A slightly humbler Exynos 1380 chip
A large 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate	Slightly larger 6.6-inch Super AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate as well
A new Key Island design language with side bulge	The same design language of Key Island
5,000 mAh battery with 25W charging	The same 5,000 mAh battery with identical charging speeds at 25W
Rear camera loading probably slightly higher	Less impressive camera system

Contents:

Design and size

Key Archipelago

Both Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 will use Samsung's new Key Island design language, or more correctly, “design feature.” What exactly is this Key Island, you might ask, and we will answer. Apparently, it's a piece on the right side of the device that houses both the power button and volume rocker. The Key Island doesn't seem to have any other different and interesting purpose, but it looks like it would grace the entire A-series lineup.

Aside from this change, nothing else has apparently changed. Just like the Galaxy A55, the Galaxy A35 will have a punch-hole instead of a V-shaped notch, which has certainly been long overdue. Both phones will be aluminum and glass sandwiches with mostly flat side bezels, like the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus.

Both phones will feature IP67 water and dust resistance, which is a great thing to have on a mid-range. Sure, this is a drop from IP68, which lets you submerge your device deeper, but it's basically not a problem.

As for ports and buttons, expect the standard selection of a power button and volume rocker on Key Island as well as a USB Type-C port on the bottom. Although you will be able to plug in the USB cable that will likely be inside the box, don't expect a charger inside. This was the case with the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34, and Samsung rarely reverses its decisions.

Display differences

Similar to last year, the Galaxy A35 will once again feature a slightly larger screen than the Galaxy A55. According to rumors, the difference could be only 0.1 inch in favor of the Galaxy A35, which will feature a 6.6-inch screen compared to the 6.5-inch. Galaxy A55but it is nonetheless a notable difference.

Aside from the slight size contrast, the rest of the display specs will likely be in sync. Both phones will feature Super AMOLED displays that can reach up to 120Hz in terms of refresh rate, providing a very smooth experience.

Apart from that, we would like to see brighter displays with higher maximum brightness. Such a move would be in line with industry trends toward maximizing screen brightness, which is already expected to trickle down to mid-range users.

Performance and software

The reign of Exynos is near

Both Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 will rely on Samsung's Exynos line of mid-range chips, the Exynos 1480 and Exynos 1380 respectively. We probably shouldn't expect too much from them, as these will be mid-range chips after everything, so any comparison with Qualcomm's mid-range Snapdragons would be irrelevant. We hope that despite this, the new phones will offer more than decent performance.

In terms of storage and memory, we expect both devices to be available in two versions, one with 128 GB and the other with 256 GB of storage, along with 8 GB of RAM. Additionally, there is a good chance that users can increase the available storage with a microSD card.

Camera

Triple cameras aren't what they used to be

Both Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 will have three cameras, but you'll definitely have two almost 99% of the time. Why is that? As is tradition, Samsung will once again equip both mid-ranges with unnecessary macro cameras, the usefulness of which is imitated with the ultra-wide camera of many other phones.

In terms of specifications, the main difference could be the megapixel count of the two phones. THE Galaxy A55 will likely come with a 50MP main and 32MP ultrawide, while the Galaxy A35 will likely have slightly less in terms of megapixels. On the quality side, the Galaxy A55 would probably have a slight advantage, but that remains to be seen.

Audio and haptic quality

Neither the Galaxy A54 nor the Galaxy A34 were without weaknesses, so both Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 has a lot of potential improvements they could fix. This applies to both the poor audio quality coming out of the speakers as well as the slightly mushy haptic feedback.

Battery life and charging

Same batteries, same autonomy?

We currently expect both phones to feature 5,000mAh batteries, which is about the standard amount you should expect from an Android phone these days. This strikes a very good balance between capacity and battery life, and we hope that the Exynos chips can deliver results in efficiency, which would have a considerable impact on endurance.

In terms of charging, it seems very logical that Samsung integrates 25W charging support (which is the same as that of the Galaxy S24). Fully charging both devices would probably take an hour and a half, if not more, or less.

Specification Comparison

The hardware specifications of the two phones are far from official, but we can anticipate what the hardware differences would be based on leaks and rumors. For a full comparison, check out our dedicated Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 specs comparison page.

	Galaxy A55	Galaxy A35
Screen	6.5-inch OLED screen 120Hz	6.6-inch OLED screen 120Hz
Processor	Exynos 1480	Exynos 1380
RAM, storage	8/128 GB 8/256 GB	8/128 GB 8/256 GB
Cameras	50MP main 12MP ultra 5MP Macro 32MP front	48MP main 8MP ultra 5MP Macro 12MP front
Battery	5000mAh	5000mAh
Loading	USB-C 25W wired	USB-C 25W wired

Summary

Both Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 are already shaping up to be minor generational improvements over their predecessors. Nothing too radical in terms of new features, but as long as the price doesn't change, both could end up on the bestseller list again.

Even though the Galaxy A34 wasn't available in the US, we hope that will change with the Galaxy A35. Potentially, the phone could cost $400, while the Galaxy A55 should cost around $450. Quite affordable.