Samsung's Galaxy A55 has arrived to refresh the company's mid-priced smartphone line-up, and we're excited to see what it's capable of.
There have been some notable spec bumps and other quality-increasing upgrades compared to the Galaxy A54, a phone we were already big fans of. However it may also be the case that this model doesn't get offered to U.S. customers, which would be disappointing indeed.
Whatever happens, we know the important parts of the Galaxy A55's kit already, so let's check it out.
Samsung Galaxy A55 specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Galaxy A55 |
| Starting price | £439 / AU$699 |
| Display | 6.6-inch FHD AMOLED |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Rear cameras | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro |
| Front camera | 32MP selfie |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired |
| Software | Android 14 with One UI 6.1 |
| Colors | Awesome Ice Blue, Awesome Yellow, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Navy |
Samsung Galaxy A55: Price and release date
We have UK and Australian pricing for the Galaxy A55: £439 or AU$699 for the standard 8GB RAM/128GB storage option. There's also a 256GB variant offered in the U.K. for £489.
Sales begin on March 20 in the U.K. and March 25 in Australia. It's looking like the U.S. market won't get this model though, instead getting the cheaper but similar Galaxy A35.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Design and display
The look of the Galaxy A55 is similar to that of the Galaxy S24, except for its Key Island. That's the extended area of the side rail where the power and volume buttons live.
The colors are also different - the Galaxy A55 comes in four "Awesome"-branded colors - Ice Blue, Navy, Lemon and Lilac.
The display's a 6.6-inch FHD OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, making almost as large as a Galaxy S24 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Cameras
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A55 with a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, 5MP macro camera and a 32MP selfie camera. We're not keen on macro cameras on phones (they tend to be very difficult to get good shots from) but we're happy to treat it as a small bonus on top of the standard camera layout for phones of this price.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Specs
Running the show is an Exynos 1480 chip, coupled with either 8GB or 12GB RAM. We aren't holding out hopes of incredible performance for the mid-range Exynos chip, but it's impressive to see that much RAM offered on a cheaper Samsung phone. It doesn't look like the 12GB version is offered in the U.K., U.S. or Australia but anyone who can buy it and does will find they have more RAM than even the Galaxy S24.
A 5,000 mAh battery with 25W wired charging will keep the Galaxy A55 running, while the actual software underpinning the phone is Android 14 with One UI 6.1. This will receive at least four years of full updates and five years of security updates, which is less than Samsung promises for the Galaxy S24 series (a whopping seven years) but should mean you get plenty of life out of the A55 post-launch.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Outlook
The Samsung Galaxy A54 currently tops our list of the best cheap phones, ahead of heavy hitters like the Google Pixel 7a and the OnePlus 12R. The Galaxy A55 could do the same, but we'll have to test it first to be sure.
Other than the disappointment of this model not being sold in the U.S., the Galaxy A55 looks on paper like a convincing value buy. The performance weakness of the previous phones in the series may stick around, but the rest of the phone, especially its large display, big battery and generous set of cameras, may be all you need to convince you to buy it. Fingers crossed we'll get back to you soon with a full review.
