Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review: Fantastic premium mid-range phone
Recently, Samsung launched two new premium phones-- Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54-- with prices starting at Rs 30,999 in India.
After reviewing the Galaxy A34, I am ready with the top-end model. It comes with a new design language, upgraded processor and more, over the predecessor, Galaxy A53, which by way, happens to be the segment's best-selling device in 2022 in India.
I have been using the device for a little over a week and here're my thoughts on the latest Galaxy A54 5G series.
Design, build quality and display
Similar to the Galaxy A34, the A54 takes inspiration from the design elements of the premium Galaxy S23 series.
It has a refreshing minimalist look featuring three camera islands enclosed in metallic rings alongside LED flash on the top left corner and the rest is a smooth glass panel with Samsung branding at the bottom. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 shield and even the front too, it has the same screen guard against scratches.
But, having said that, the prospective consumer is advised to get a good quality cover case, which will come hand in protecting the device from cracking when accidentally dropping a height of six feet or more.
At the base, it has a Type-C port along with a solid speaker and a couple of mics for a better video/audio call experience.
On the right side, you will find the volume rocker and a power button. And, on the top, there is a lone mic along with a hybrid SIM tray, which has a standalone space for primary SIM and in another slot, users have to make a choice between a second SIM or a MicroSD card for extra storage.
The frame around the edge is said to be made of polycarbonate-based material and the metallic colour finish blends beautifully with the glass-fused back pane. Particularly, the lime green model looks great in sunlight. It seems to be the go-to colour for the spring season for most mobile phone makers in India. Samsung offers two other colour options-- violet and graphite in India.
On the front, it has a fantastic 6.4-inch super AMOLED full HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. I had a really good time watching vlogs, playing games reading news, and e-books. It offers a smooth scrolling experience and also value-added features such eye comfort shield, which can be scheduled, and helps in reducing the harmful emission of blue light (less than 6.5 per cent).
Not just the design language, the Galaxy A54 also shares another Galaxy S23 series feature- Vision booster.
As said in the first impression article preview, once the screen's sensor senses the phone is outdoors and there is more sunlight, it automatically boosts screen brightness to a maximum of 1000 nits. This ensures users have a better reading experience while viewing messages or while consuming multimedia content. This is very unique to a handful of Samsung phones and it really works in ensuring the messages or the multimedia content are clearly visible on the display even under the sunlight. During the entire review period, I never had to squint my eyes to view the content on the Galaxy A54 5G.
The device also comes with an in-screen fingerprint sensor and works as advertised, but only if you keep your fingers clean and dry.
Performance
Samsung's new Galaxy A54 is powered by proprietary 5nm class Exynos 1380 octa-core (2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 x 4 cores + 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 x 4 cores) backed by Mali-G68 MP5, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage.
Our's is 256GB storage model and worked smoothly while doing web browsing, scrolling news feeds on social media plants and watching multimedia content and other day-to-day activities.
Even while playing Asphalt 9: Legends, the phone managed to deliver a stable performance. I am very impressed with thermal dissipation. The phone did not over heat and I have to note that, I played a game indoors. However, the device does get a little warmer during the longer session (more than half an hour) and even more so, if you happen to be outdoors.
Having said that, the heating did not go beyond my comfort level. If you get the back cover, there is less chance of even noticing this aspect.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G runs Android 13-based One UI 5.1 OS out-of-the-box. Except for the pre-loaded apps, I have no qualms with the device. And, thankfully, the company is offering a minimum of 128GB storage and users also 256GB option too.
And, with the RAM Plus feature, users can double the physical memory from 8GB to 16GB, provided there is extra storage space in the device. This feature ensures the device is quick in terms of app loading, and operating other normal tasks.
Samsung is promising four years of Android OS support (up to Android 17) and five years of security software support (up to the year 2028). This is the longest for any brand, as Google offers just three years of support to Pixel. This bodes well with Samsung's efforts to reduce not just its carbon footprint but also its customers too, as the device will stay longer with them and need not have to be replaced every year or two years.
As far as the battery capacity is concerned, it comes with a 5,000mAh battery, the same as the predecessor, but I am not complaining. It gives more than a day of battery life, which all consumers expect in a phone.
The only qualm is that the Galaxy A54 lacks fast charging. It does not come with a charger too. In the retail box, the device comes with just the Type-C-to-Tyce-C cord and consumers to use the old device's adaptor or buy a new one. It can charge up to 25W speed and it takes around 30 minutes to go from zero to 50 per cent.
And, it will take more than one hour to reach the 100 per cent mark.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G supports multiple 5G (SA/NSA) bands-- 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 /Sub6.
Photography
Samsung Galaxy A54 houses a triple-camera module-- 50MP main camera (f/1.8, autofocus, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus, 1.0um pixel size) backed by ultra-wide 12MP (123-degree field of view, f/2.2) fixed-focus camera and 5MP (f/2.4) macro sensor (f/2.4, fixed focus) with LED flash on the back.
The device does a fantastic job of capturing great photos in the sunlight. Of course, like any premium Samsung, it does kind of make the subject's colour warmer and brighter. This ensures the photos look great and vibrant on social media platforms.
I am mighty impressed with the portrait mode too. The camera does a fine job of edge detection around the subject, in this case, the Crossandra flower. The background has a beautiful bokeh effect, which looks natural and not artificial at all.
Even the nightography mode too is good and on par with most of the rival brands in its segment.
The ultra-wide angle mode does justice to its name. It managed to cover quite a wide area of the field and also the stray coconut trees far away come off well in the frame.
It sports a 32MP wide camera (f/2.2, 26mm lens, 1/2.8-inch sensor, 0.8µm pixel size) on the front.
The Galaxy A54 takes pretty decent selfie photos and even videos too, they look great. Also, the native camera app comes with a lot of editing tools and filters to make the face photogenic.
Besides photo remaster and object eraser, users should try out the Fun mode, as it offers great Snapshot-like filters to liven up the photos.
Both the back and front cameras support 4K video at 30 fps (frames per second) and full HD (1080p) at 30/60 fps. The video quality is pretty good and stable too. The device also supports HD 720p slow-motion videos too and comes off on par with rival brands.
Final thoughts (4/5)
Like how the Galaxy A34 series is an excellent phone in its price segment ((Rs 30,000), Samsung has done a good job with the Galaxy A54 5G (Rs 40,000). It is a fantastic premium mid-range phone. It is built pretty well to last long and serve you for at least five years.
It has a solid frame around the edges and has Gorilla Glass 5 shield front and back, which helps protect the device from scratches. Also, it comes with an IP67 rating, protection against water damage during instances, accidental water splashes, moderate rain (for a few minutes) and drops in the swimming pool (for close to 30 minutes for up to three feet).
It is guaranteed to get four major Android OS updates (up to Android 17 in 2026) and another extra of software security. Performance-wise, the Galaxy A54 5G is decent and on par with rivals in its class.
Even the photography hardware is pretty good and with value-added features such as object eraser, photo remaster, AI picture enhancement, GIF remaster and Fun modes with filters and editing tools, give the Galaxy A54 5G, an edge over the peers in the sub-Rs 45,000 segment.
The Galaxy A54 is available in two configurations-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 38,999 and Rs 40,999, respectively in India.
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