Samsung launched the new Galaxy A series smartphones last March 15, 2023. These are the successors to the Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53 from last year. in this review, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.
At first glance, the device may be slightly smaller than the Galaxy A53, but it still packs decent specs, a nice camera, and much more. Let’s jump right in and see the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G and what’s new with Samsung’s latest midranger.
Table of Contents
Design and Construction
From the outside, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G has matte reflective sides with a premium back glass panel and a glossy finish unlike with the A53’s plastic frame. Samsung removed the camera island that they used to have in their A53 models and replaced it with a similar camera design from the S23 series. The rear camera has an embossed design that is more elevated than the S23 series. Another thing to point out is that it is made with eco-friendly and recycled materials.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is 6.23 inches long, so you should have no problems handling it. It’s nice to hold and it’s very easy to use with just one hand as the buttons for both the volume and power are on the right side. Since the design on the back panel is glass, it is smudge resistant but it isn’t that noticeable from a first glance specifically for the unit we have in hand which is the Lime variation.
The speakers and ports are seen at the bottom, while then SIM tray is now located at the top side of the phone. The on-display fingerprint sensor on the screen is still in the same location.
The display of the A54 is responsive and snappy with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a max refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a 1080×2340 resolution. The choice to switch to adaptive or standard resolution is available which lowers the refresh rate down to 60Hz. The bezels are a bit thicker, but it isn’t unpleasing. Its brightness can go up to 1000 nits and it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It also has an IP67 rating for water and dust-resistant so you shouldn’t be too worried about its overall durability.
The colors are great as well. They are vibrant but aren’t too intense, as you are able to see qualities like true blacks and vivid colors. This makes it ideal for watching movies. Because to the display’s realistic and vibrant colors, editing photographs and videos is also a breeze.
Cameras
The device features a triple-rear camera setup with a 50MP OIS main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP macro while the front camera shoots at 32MP. It can shoot up to 2k@30fps. The colors are a tiny bit dull for my taste as compared to most Samsung phones, but the phone is still able to capture details with ease. The system is able to focus on its subject and blur out the surroundings around it.
One notable feature to the Galaxy A54 5G is the ability to edit out unnecessary elements in pictures without downloading any third-party apps. Got a pesky item in the background that ruined your shot? Simply edit out using Samsung’s built-in tools.
Another feature is its photo remaster where it can reduce noise and blur in a photo using an AI-powered tool.
Though it is advertised to capture photos using its nightography, noise is a bit visible in shots taken in nighttime or in the dark so do take note on that.
OS, Apps, UI
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G runs on Android 13 skinned with Samsung’s OneUI 5.1.
Previous Samsung users will be able to pick this phone up with ease while taking advantage of all shortcuts and multitasking features. There’s Samsung’s AI assistant, Bixby and other useful features like digital well-being, parental controls, floating notifications and one-handed mode.
Performance and Benchmarks
From the Exynos 1280 that was used on the A53, the A54 is powered by an Exynos 1380 chipset made for Samsung devices. It comes with an octa-core processor headlines by a quad-core Cortex-A78 running at 2.4GHz and paired with a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU.
Right out the box, the device comes with 8GB of RAM. It is able to run games such as Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact on low settings without any noticeable drops on framerate. If you do increase the settings, however, take note that there may be chances that your frames do drop and the phone heats up.
Internal storage space for the A54 5G are 128GB and 256GB. Users are able to insert a microSD card up to 1TB at the cost of using the second SIM card slot. With this, you can have a lot of space to store your apps, photos, and videos.
Here are the benchmark results that we got for the Galaxy A54 5G:
AnTuTu v9.5.7: 504,935
Geekbench Single: 769
Geekbench Multi: 2,665
3D Mark Sling Shot Extreme: 4,593 (42.1 Avg FPS)
PCMark Work 3.0: 12,543
Battery and Connectivity
Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy A54 5G packs a 5000mAh battery which can last you about a day with moderate use. However, it’s limited to 25W wired fast charging as well and does not have any wireless charging feature either.
In my experience with the phone, it lasted me over a day when I’m not using it as much. Once I started playing games and taking pictures with the device, however, the battery started to drain faster. I would have around 15-20 percent left before charging it at night.
In the PCMark battery test, the phone scored 13 hours and 27 minutes. For our battery loop test where the video is 1080p, while the phone has 50% brightness, 0% volume and on airplane mode, it lasted up to 12 hour and 30 minutes.
For connectivity, 5G, 4G/LTE, WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax 2.4G+ 5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and more.
Conclusion
Overall, Samsung has created a solid device that has a great design, ergonomic grip and a decent camera.
When comparing the A53 and A54 5G, it is a slight upgrade on specs especially when it comes to chipset and brightness. Nonetheless, the Samsung is able to deliver a decent smartphone for its price range.
Speaking of the price, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G start at PHP 24,990 for the 8GB+128GB variant and PHP 26,990 for the 8GB+256GB combo. The device is available in three colors — Lime, Violet, and Graphite.
Pros:
- Clean design; nice phone colors
- Smooth and reactive software with One UI
- Great and vibrant display in watching movies
- Decent battery life
Cons:
- Average camera
- Underwhelming night photography
- Colors in photos and videos taken from camera are slightly dull
- Games stutter in medium or high settings
So what do you guys think of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G? Let us know in the comments!
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G specs:
6.4″ FHD+ @ 1080×2340 pixels, Super AMOLED, 120Hz
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 1380 octa-core chip
4x Cortex-A78 2.4GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 2.0GHz
Mali-G68 MP5
8GB RAM
128GB, 256GB internal storage
Up to 1TB via microSD
50MP f/1.8 OIS main camera
12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide
5MP f/2.4 macro
4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps
32MP f/2.2 front camera
4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps
Dual SIM 5G, 4G/LTE
WiFi-6
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS with aGPs support
IP67 dust and water resistance
Dolby Atmos
5000mAh Li-Po battery, 25W Fast Charging
OneUI 5.1 (Android 13)
Dimensions: 76.7 x 158.2 x 8.2 mm
Weight: 202 grams
