Among the Samsung smartphones lineup, the A-series is considered to be the mid-tier in their list of offerings. Unlike the S-tier devices (e.g S24 Ultra, S24 Plus) which comes with all the flagship bells and whistles like the latest chip, top shelf camera setup and for the creme de la creme, titanium body, A-series devices are more subdued and grounded. However, do not mistaken bring subdued and grounded as being less capable.

The A55 follows up on last year’s very impressive A54 with significant improvements all around. What was good and great with the A54 were retained and refined and if you recall, our ONLY gripe with last year’s model was it feeling rather cheap in the hand. This was particularly due to its plastic body frame sandwiched between two slabs of Gorilla Glass 5s.

With the A55, the plastic has been replaced with an Aluminum frame which provides improved rigidity and in the looks department. Sure, it does not have the Enhanced Armor Aluminum which its more upscale cousins in the S24 lines have, but that’s a minor compromise considering how affordable the A55 is.

A front panel made of Gorilla Victus+, rear Gorilla Glass sandwiching the shiny aluminum build results in the most premium-feeling mid-ranger we’ve ever gotten our paws on. Heck, this combination would easily qualify as top-shelf if you rewind to even a couple years back. Being the penny-pinching Asian consumer we are, we always emphasize on value for money over everything else and you’d be pleasantly surprised at how far the A55 stretches your hard-earned money.

No disrespect intended, the A55 is definitely punching above its paygrade when it comes to the looks department. At a glance, it looks eerily similar to a certain fruity brand down to the curved edges and the angular section where the screen meets the frame. It is that good looking. We are, however, not a fan of the raised camera module at the back which causes the phone to rock when placed flat. This can be easily remedied with a decent phone case – something we highly recommend regardless of how tough the phone makers claim their phones to be.

The A55 comes with a massive 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen capable of a refresh rate of up to 120hz. The screen on the A55 comes equipped with Always On Display and is very much identical to last year’s model, save for the screen to body ratio mostly due to the slightly larger screen. The bezel may be a tad thick for those coming from higher-end models but did not bother us too much since they are even on all ends. The built-in stereo speakers coupled with the relatively wide screen makes the A55 a great device to consume media and play games with but we do not recommend doing it under harsh lighting or when out in the sun due to the screen brightness which maxes out at 1000 nits.

Out of the box, it runs on Android 14 with Samsung’s One U.I 6.1. It is powered by Samsung’s very own Exynos 1480 chip and is more than capable to handle your daily needs, on multiple windows; single or split screen. Speaking of boxes, Samsung again retained the minimalist approach with the A55 with just the instruction manuals, SIM removal tool and a white USB-C to USB-C charging cable.

Thanks to the returning 5000mAh battery, the A55 would easily last over a day’s worth of use and if you really baby it, 2 days is definitely achievable. Unsurprisingly, charging speeds aren’t spectacular at 25W and considering it being a mid-tier device, no wireless charging capability as well.

As a daily-driver, the A55 performs well above what is expected of it. Navigation throughout is smooth with very little flaws. Weighing at about 213g, the A55 sits within the comfortable zone in both in-hand and in-pocket. There isn’t an ounce of the device feeling ‘mid’ throughout our experience of reviewing it save for its relatively slow-ish on-screen fingerprint reader. However, we feel it is unfair to be overtly critical of this aspect considering how well the device performs on all discernible metrics once you cross-check it with its cost. Making up for this is the ability to expand the storage capacity via microSDXC which shares the SIM slot.

As a mobile gaming machine, the A55 performs well overall. Even when playing demanding titles such as Call of Duty Warzone mobile, we didn’t encounter any device-led stutters. The phone does get slightly warm to the touch but thanks to its overall build material, heat is dissipated quite quickly for a relatively comfortable prolonged session. The 6.6-inches screen estate is more than enough to satisfy any of your gaming needs especially games that require proper thumb placements.

In all, considering COD Warzone played smoothly, other games should too. Those who already own controller extensions such as the Backbone attachment would have a field day picking out noobs in the lobby as Mr Whiskers.

The camera setup is very similar to, if not, identical to last year’s A54. Reliable and versatile like its predecessor, the A55 camera does its job as advertised. Unless you are really, really terrible at composition and utilising available light around your subject, you will have more decent to good photos taken rather than bad ones.

We noticed slight improvements on video recording stability but like last year’s model, we would not rely on it for any action shots but instead, retain it as the backup or secondary camera. Under heavy camera usage, the phone does tend to heat up but considering its aluminum frame, heat dissipates much faster now ensuring a more efficient device.

A 12GB RAM and 256GB storage setup will cost you RM1,999 and the A55 comes in three ‘Awesome’ colors; Iceblue, Navy and Lilac which we feel looks the best. But to each their own. Purchasing the device via Samsung official channels would net you some cool bundles so do check them out here.

PROS

• Overall improvements of last year’s model
• Much more premium feel than other mid-range models
• Really good build
• Great battery life
• Looks and feels much more expensive than its actual retail price

CONS

• Screen bezel may be a tad too thick (but we are nitpicking here)

FINAL SCORE: 90/100

Vital Statistics

Platform: Android 14, One UI 6.1
Body: 161.1 x 77.4 x 8.2 mm (6.34 x 3.05 x 0.32 in), ~213g
Frame: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; IP67 water & dust resistant
Chipset: Exynos 1480 (4 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.75 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU: Xclipse 530
Display: Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 6.6 inches
Memory (Internal): 256GB 12GB RAM
Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide); 12 MP, f/2.2, 123? (ultrawide); 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro); 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) (selfie)
Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Sound: Stereo speakers, no jacks given
Battery: Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Price: Starts from RM 1,999

Review unit of the Samsung Galaxy A55 courtesy of Samsung Malaysia.