The Galaxy A54 5G from Samsung has some huge shoes to fill. As a replacement for the Galaxy A53 5G, which we gave five stars and the coveted Best Buy award in 2022, it joins the portfolio.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G: Important information
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G’s price has increased a touch, but its features have seen some fantastic new improvements this year, keeping it in the typical mid-range bracket.
Switching to Samsung’s Exynos 1380 CPU is the first improvement. With up to 20% better CPU and GPU speeds than the Exynos 1280 chipset of the previous model, this takes its place. Additionally, you receive a 5,000mAh battery with Android 13. The 120Hz Super AMOLED display’s size is somewhat reduced (6.4 in. vs. 6.5 in. ), but its FHD+ resolution remains the same. It is rated as 1,000 nits, which is a lot brighter.
Three cameras are built into the back of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G. A basic 5MP macro sensor and a 12MP, f/2.2 123-degree ultrawide camera are added to the 50MP f/1.8 main camera. On the front is a selfie camera with 32MP and an f/2.2 aperture.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G: Cost and Rivalry
The entry-level 128GB A54 now costs £50 more than the A53 5G at £449 this year due to a slight price rise for the A54 5G. The cost increases to £499 when the storage is doubled to 256GB.
That puts some very potent competitors directly in the sights of the A54 5G. The major competitor in this situation, the Nothing Phone (1) makes a statement with its Glyph Interface illumination. At £399, this is a little less expensive than the A54 5G. Consider the Google Pixel 6a as well, which has the best camera system at this price point and is also available for £399.
The price of the Apple iPhone SE (2022) is the same as that of Samsung’s mid-range model, but its feature set isn’t truly comparable. With a 4.7-inch screen and just one 12MP camera, it is a more compact phone. The only selling point is Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset, which outperforms Samsung’s Exynos 1380 by a wide margin in the Galaxy A54.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G’s design and main features
Given how well-received the A53 5G was, it makes natural that the A54 5G’s general design isn’t much different, despite some minor adjustments here and there.
The raised rear camera hump has been removed in favor of a “floating” camera design, and the display is marginally smaller, measuring 6.4in across the diagonal as opposed to the A53’s 6.5in. Four “Awesome” colors—Awesome Graphite, Awesome White, Awesome Lime, and Awesome Violet (seen here)—are offered for the Galaxy A54 5G.
The Galaxy A54 5G is certified to IP67, making it dustproof and capable of withstanding being submerged in 1 m of water for up to 30 minutes. The display and rear panel are both covered in a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 5 to avoid scuffs and scratches. Despite being the less expensive phone, the A34 5G, which was unveiled alongside the A54 5G, has a matte rear panel and a similar build to the more expensive model.
As the name suggests, Wi-Fi 6 compatibility is added here to the 5G capability that was present in the prior edition. Last but not least, unlike the S23 series, there is room for a microSD card. Alternatively, if you’d like, you may put a second nano-SIM in the same slot.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G: Display
The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display on the A54 has shrunk a little, but it still has a lot going for it, including a brilliant 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate that make it perfectly snappy in everyday use. The 32MP selfie camera is situated in a small hole-punch notch, which appears cleaner than the teardrop cutout used on the A34 5G, while a fingerprint sensor is positioned beneath the screen on the front.
The screen’s general quality is also rather good. The display on the phone covered 96.2% of the sRGB gamut in “Natural” mode, with a volume of 100% overall and an average Delta E (color variance) score of 2.04. The red and dark green tones did have a few inconsistencies, but everything else was flawless. Additionally, brightness has significantly increased this year, rising from the A53’s 706cd/m2 to a total peak luminance of 947cd/m2 in auto-brightness mode.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G in terms of efficiency and endurance
The Galaxy A54 5G offers you the option of 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage, both of which can be upgraded with a microSD card up to 1TB in size, unlike the A53 5G, which only came in one configuration. The Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset, which replaces the Exynos 1280 of the previous edition, and 8GB of RAM round out the internals.
Review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G: Cameras
On paper, the A54’s primary camera does not support this claim. Despite the resolution being downgraded from 64MP to 50MP, the rest of the hardware is unquestionably much superior.
The sensor is physically larger than the one used in the A53 5G; the pixels have increased in size from 0.8 to 1.0 mm, measuring 1/1.56 in. Additionally, optical image stabilization (OIS) has enhanced.
For the price, the quality is outstanding overall. My old A53 is no longer available for comparison, but I was surprised by the main camera’s ability to capture beautiful colors and a lot of detail, especially when it came to outdoor pictures shot in the daytime.
The new Auto Night feature of the camera is also quite useful, detecting the amount of light and automatically switching to night mode to enhance images in low light. While there is a minor loss of clarity, the effects are also rather good. Darker areas are well enhanced, while highlights are expertly softened.
The remaining camera components are carried over from the A53 5G and consist of a 5MP macro camera below and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide module above the primary camera.
The ultrawide camera was helpful in some situations, but I didn’t think it captured details well, especially in dim light. In a pinch, the macro camera can take some respectable close-up pictures, but again, it does need a lot of natural light to get usable results.
Conclusion of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review
Although the A54 5G had its work cut out for it, I believe it just about succeeds in fully justifying the price hike. The more recent chipset not only offers a significant performance gain, but also significantly increases endurance. Additionally, the main camera is good, and the display is brighter.
