Galaxy A55 5G vs Galaxy A54 5G: barely a generation-worth of upgrades،
Introduction
Samsung announced the Galaxy A55 5G, the successor to the A54 5G, but it might be a little difficult for some to consider it a worthwhile upgrade. We're looking at a slightly different design, a faster chipset, some display improvements, and that's it. Of course, it's best to look at the details before jumping to conclusions, so let's dig in.
| Galaxy A55 5G | Galaxy A54 5G |
|---|---|
| Exynos 1480 | Exynos 1380 |
| A larger phone with a 6.6-inch screen | Smaller body with a 6.4-inch screen |
| Vision Booster = higher brightness | Lower screen brightness |
| 12 GB of RAM for the most expensive variant | Up to 8 GB of RAM |
Contents:
Design and size
Grown in many ways
The rear panel is reminiscent of the higher models, however, with three protruding cameras in the upper left corner. At the front, the bezels appear to have shrunk, which is particularly noticeable with the bottom one.
The A55 5G continues to benefit from an IP67 certification, which means the phone is protected against temporary immersion underwater. The glass, however, has improved and is now called Gorilla Glass Victus, which is more durable than the A54 5G's Gorilla Glass 5.
Galaxy A55 5G colors:
- Awesome Blue
- Awesome Black
- Gorgeous pink
- Awesome yellow
Galaxy A54 5G colors:
- Superb graphite
- Awesome White
- Awesome Violet
- Awesome Lime
Unboxing these phones is an identical experience. Samsung is pretty minimalist in how it ships its products, and that includes the A55 5G and A54 5G, both of which come with just a cable for charging and some documentation.
Display differences
Samsung has some of the best (if not the best) phone screens on the market. And that's still the case even when we're talking about the company's most affordable phones, such as the Galaxy A55 5G.
The company has now increased its size from 6.4 inches on the A54 5G to 6.6 inches on the A55 5G.
The A55 5G's display comes with 1080 x 2340 pixels and the same smooth 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ content. The new addition here is something Samsung calls Vision Booster, which is supposed to make the screen clear and bright in various lighting conditions. Whether this means the A55 has a higher maximum brightness in our display tests remains to be seen.
Performance and software
More power!
The performance segment is where Samsung has focused the most with the A55 5G, giving it the new and more powerful Exynos 1480. Samsung doesn't specify how much faster the new chip is, but we'll figure it out during our testing and benchmarking, so stay tuned for the results.
Besides the new chip, the A55 5G also comes with up to 12GB of RAM, while the A54 5G only increased by 8GB of RAM. The storage options are the same though, with 128GB and 256GB variants.
Here are all the memory/storage combinations for both phones.
Galaxy A55 5G RAM/Storage Options:
Galaxy A54 5G RAM/Storage Options:
The software update situation remains the same as last year's generation (despite hopes of 7 years of software updates). In other words, you get 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of security patches, which will keep your A55 5G up to Android 18.
Camera
Same, same (but maybe different)
Galaxy A55 5G cameras and Galaxy A54 5G:
- Wide (main) – 50MP, f/1.8, AF, OIS
- Ultra-wide – 12MP, f/2.2
- Macro-5MP, f/2.4
- Front (selfie) – 32MP, f/2.2
Suffice it to say, if we see any improvement in image quality when recording photos and videos, it would be thanks to the new processor built into the A55 5G, as well as the AI capabilities that he allows. Specifically, we're talking about the advanced AI Image Signal Processing (ISP) mentioned by Samsung in its announcement, which apparently produces stunning low-light images never before seen on the Galaxy A series.
Audio and haptic quality
Samsung doesn't specify any changes to its mid-range speakers, but the A55 5G should offer pleasant audio quality from its dual-firing speakers. At least that's what we got with the Galaxy A54 5G, aside from its distortion issues at maximum volume, especially with lower-pitched music and sounds. The haptics should also feel good if they're anything like their predecessor.
Battery life and charging
No change on this front
Both Galaxy A55 Both the 5G and A54 5G come with massive 5,000mAh batteries. If battery life has changed in any way, it would be because of the new processor in the 2024 model, but we'll let you know more once we put the A55 5G through our testing battery life.
Specification Comparison
This is a quick overview of the Galaxy A55 5G compared to the Galaxy A54 5G specifications. For the most part, the two are quite similar. The only visible difference is the size, weight, some display features and chipset.
| Galaxy A55 5G | Galaxy A54 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Size weight | 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2 mm, 213 g | 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm, 202 g |
| Screen | 6.6-inch AMOLED 1080 x 2340 pixels 120Hz Vision booster |
6.4-inch AMOLED 1080 x 2340 pixels 120Hz |
| Processor | Exynos 1480 | Exynos 1380 |
| RAM, storage | 8/128 GB 8/256 GB 12/256 GB |
6/128 GB 6/256 GB 8/256 GB |
| Cameras | 50MP main 12MP ultra 5MP Macro 32MP front |
50MP main 12MP ultra 5MP Macro 32MP front |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| Loading | USB-C 25W wired No wireless network |
USB-C 25W wired No wireless network |
Summary
So basically, Samsung has given its new Galaxy A55 5G a new processor, a slightly different look and a slightly larger screen and body. Whether this is a worthwhile set of upgrades will largely depend on how much better that processor is and whether that performance increase would affect the camera system in any significant way.
We're a little disappointed that there isn't an increase in the software support window, we were really hoping for that here, as it would have made purchasing this new generation more cost-effective. Stay tuned for our full comparison where you can see a more detailed view of the camera, battery life, and display stats.
