Galaxy A55 5G vs Pixel 7a: Affordable, but with great value

Galaxy A55 5G vs Pixel 7a: Affordable, but with great value،

Introduction

Samsung has already kicked off 2024 with a bang, launching the Galaxy S24 series earlier than usual. It's by no means ready to shut down for the first half, however, as it has a full slate of mid-range devices to update.

The first and probably the most exciting of these is the new Galaxy A55 5G. Ssucceeding the Galaxy A54, one of Samsung's biggest announcements of 2023, and will hopefully right some of the wrongs we didn't like about last year's best-selling Samsung phone. Yes, the Galaxy A54 is a hot product, and it looks like the Galaxy A55 5G could repeat this success, which is excellent news for Samsung!

Again. Google Pixel 7a cannot be ignored. This is actually one of the most affordable devices that can be found in the United States, and any success in the market will have to take into account the Pixel 7a. Which of these devices would be the best budget to acquire in 2024? It's time to compare!

Galaxy A55 5G against Pixel 7a differences explained:

Galaxy A55 5G	Pixel 7a
A modest Exynos 1480 chipset	Tensor G2 on board, a flagship chipset
A larger phone with a 6.6-inch screen	A much more compact device with a 6.1-inch screen
8 GB of RAM in the base version, 2 more than last year's model	Also 8 GB of RAM
Large 5,000 mAh battery	Built-in smaller 4,385 mAh battery with wireless charging
Triple camera setup with a macro camera	Dual camera setup
Metal and Gorilla Glass Victus+ exterior, IP67 water resistance	Aluminum, glass and plastic, and IP67 water resistance too
Mainly flat design, similar to the Galaxy S24	Follows design language from Pixel 6/7 to T

Design and display quality

Candy bars never go out of style

Both Galaxy A55 5G and Pixel 7a don't stray from the classic, well-established candy bar paradigm. Standard devices, with a standard design and a traditional exterior. Both Galaxy A55 5G and Pixel 7a are glass-aluminum sandwiches, but each has a unique design element.

On the Pixel 7awe have the metal 3D visor which houses the dual cameras and mimics the flagship Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 series. Of course, it scratches easily and may not be everyone's cup of tea , but hey, it surely fits into Google's recent and unique design language.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy A55 5G comes with what's called Key Island, which is a bump on the right side of the frame. It houses the power button and volume rocker. An intriguing design element, of course.

Both phones are IP67 rated and will withstand submersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, which should give you peace of mind.

Now, the two phones have quite different things when it comes to screens. THE Galaxy A55 5G is the much larger device thanks to a 6.6-inch FHD+ OLED display, perhaps brighter than last year's Galaxy A54 by far. There is 120 Hz as well as the Vision Booster which maximizes readability on the Galaxy A55 5G, which should make the screen even more impressive, especially at this price point.

Meanwhile, with the Pixel 7a, we get a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, so we get a smaller screen that isn't as smooth. It may also be much dimmer, as the peak brightness isn't great. The display could surely be one of the weakest aspects of the Pixel 7a.

Performance and software

Exynos vs Tensor, we meet again

Each manufacturer puts their own flavor of chipset on their respective device.

Google has put the flagship-grade Tensor G2 on the Pixel 7awhich is the same chip that powered the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Fold. So for the most part, you can expect flagship performances that will age well although they are a little lackluster in terms of raw performance.

Meanwhile, Samsung has its new Exynos 1480 inside the Galaxy A55 5G, which may not be a very powerful engine either. Last year's Galaxy A54 wasn't very impressive in terms of performance, so there's definitely room for improvement. Still, we probably shouldn't expect too much from an iterative mid-range refresh.

Both devices will come with 128GB of native storage in the base version, which is a standard mid-range amount these days. THE Pixel 7a comes with 8GB of RAM, just like the base version of the Galaxy A55 5G. This should even out the multitasking capabilities of these two hot-headed rivals.

Camera

Who needs a macro?

THE Galaxy A55 5G has a three-camera system, but let's make no mistake: one of them is a mostly useless macro camera. So, for all intents and purposes, think of the phone as having two real cameras, a 50MP wide and a 12MP ultra-wide. On the front, an imposing 32 MP selfie camera is found inside the punch hole.

At the same time, the Pixel 7a comes with the 64MP main camera powered by Sony IMX787, which is essentially on par with the flagship Pixels and takes equally good photos. There's also a new camera sensor for the ultra-wide camera, which is now a 13 MP Sony IMX712 and also performs admirably in most situations.

Samsung offers improved low-light photography on the Galaxy A55 5G, as well as improved image processing.

Audio and haptic quality

We expect that the Galaxy A55 5G will deliver an above-average audio experience. Of course, this cannot be expected to happen at the level of Galaxy S24 series, but not too bad at all. Meanwhile, we were happy with the audio quality coming from the Pixel 7A. We said that this created “a very decent soundstage that doesn't shine with deep bass or super clear treble, but delivers strong, punchy sound with bright mids.” We were quick to point out that the Galaxy A54 sounds livelier, so our expectations are already relatively high.

Haptics is an area in which the Pixel 7a didn't excel, and we don't really expect anything mind-blowing from the Galaxy A55 Neither does 5G.

Battery life and charging

Long-term champions?

THE Galaxy A55 5G comes with a traditional 5,000mAh battery that has become the de facto standard for several Android flagships over the years. Hopefully it will pair well with the Exynos 1480 and provide excellent battery life. Judging by the Galaxy A54, the Galaxy A55 5G could offer exceptional battery life compared to its competitors.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a did well compared to Galaxy A55 5G's predecessor, beating it in our video streaming test, but narrowly losing in the web browsing test. It also took a beating in the 3D gaming test, where the Galaxy A54 performed much better. There's a smaller 4,385mAh battery on board, so there's that.

From a charging point of view, the Pixel 7a supports 18W slow wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging, so nothing too impressive. In fact, it takes a full two hours for the phone to fully charge from 0 to 100, which isn't great at all. THE Galaxy A55 5G should charge much faster thanks to its rumored support for 25W charging speeds.

Specifications

Specifications	Galaxy A55 5G	GooglePixel 7a
Dimensions	161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2mm	152.4 x 72.9 x 9mm
Weight	213gr	193gr
Screen	6.5-inch FHD+ display, 120Hz refresh rate	6.1-inch FHD+ display, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	Exynos 1480	Google Tensor G2
RAM, storage and price	8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB 12GB/256GB microSD up to 1TB	8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB
Cameras	Wide: 50MP F1.8 Ultra-wide: 5MP F2.2 Macro: 5 MP F2.4 Front: 32 MP F2.2	Wide: 64 MP Ultra-wide: 13 MP Front: 13 MP
Battery size	5000mAh	4,385mAh
Charging Speeds	25W wired charging	18W wired charging, 7.5W wireless charging

Summary and final verdict

So which of these two could be the ultimate affordable phone recommendation for 2024? Well, it all depends on the quality and price of the Galaxy A55 5G is it! THE Pixel 7a is already a safe choice in the mid-$500 bracket and is often our default answer for a low-cost but high-value device.

In Europe, the Galaxy A55 5G is priced slightly higher than last year's Galaxy A54, so a price hike may also be possible in the US. It will likely cost more than the Galaxy A54, but it remains to be seen whether this potential price increase would be justified by the refreshed design and new chipset.

THE Galaxy A55 Will 5G eventually become another bestseller like the Galaxy A54? We will live and we will see.