I’m not going to lie… trying to break out of the mid-range phone market in 2023 can be the trickiest part of writing about smartphones.
Some mid-range phones try to give you more and more; others give enough to keep you happy, and then that’s Samsung Galaxy A54, which is trying to strike balance, However, what’s unique here is that unlike Google and anything else, for example, Samsung has more to gain, and (you guessed it) more to lose. What makes it even more intriguing is that the Galaxy maker makes one billion phones every year. Of course, among them is the Galaxy “S” series, which should be taken into account when creating the Galaxy “A” series – if mid-range phones are “too good”, users will have less reason to buy a flagship. It’s a balancing act that Samsung has been doing for ages.
In fact, the sales of the company’s cheaper phones (especially phones cheaper than the Galaxy A54), actually tell us that the South Korean brand is doing a better job in the budget segment – a bittersweet experience considering the flagship “S” series. Will bring victory High profit margins but Samsung struggles to move as many units as it should.
But to make things more complicated, the new mid-range Galaxy phones also have to be better than their predecessors, and compete with other brands’ mid-ranges. And this is where the new Galaxy A54 may run into its existential crisis. let’s take a look…
Surprisingly, the Galaxy A54 looks older than the four-year-old Galaxy A51 – Samsung has some explaining to do…
There’s the 2019 Galaxy A51 on the left, the 2021 Galaxy A52 in the middle, and the brand new Galaxy A54 on the right. We are seeing a trend of thick display borders on newer phones.
Now, before you tell me about With the iPhone SE down in the comments (and by all means, feel free to do so) and how out-of-date Apple’s mid-ranger looks, I’ll go ahead and tell you this story is about Samsung. But to jump the gun, as for what the iPhone SE looks like in 2023, at least it looks as pristine as its predecessor.
I am bringing this up to make a point. Sure, the new version of the phone shouldn’t look older than the old… old one. are you with me? But this is not the case with the Galaxy A54. To give Samsung some credit, unlike the Galaxy A53, which used plastic, it looks like the back of the A54 is made of glass, which is good if you want a premium feel (it’s not as good). If you drop your phone and break it, but that’s a different story).
But then you turn the Galaxy A54 around, and you’re looking at a ShowSituation It’s telling a slightly different story. Again, the new Galaxy A54’s screen is slightly brighter than its predecessor (that’s great) but then your eye catches those big, black, beautiful… Display borders.
Despite having a bigger screen, the 2019 Galaxy A51 is more compact, more modern looking and 30 grams lighter than the Galaxy A54.
With that being said, although I would argue that most people choose a new phone by looking at/holding it, the aesthetic design is not all that matters about the phone. And if that’s where you expected things to pick up for the Galaxy A54, then… you might be in for a surprise.
Cheaper Galaxy A34 with MediaTek chip beats Samsung’s Exynos-powered Galaxy A54 in early real-world speed test
In a recent real-world speed test, the $300 Galaxy A34 was faster to open apps than the Galaxy A54. final score? 9-20.
Now, design aside, there is another potential problem with the Galaxy A54…
Sure enough, the benchmarks for Samsung’s new Exynos 1380 are out now, and they’re as expected – Samsung opted to go with another mid-range Exynos, and that’s it. But what’s particularly surprising here are the preliminary real-world speed tests I stumbled upon, which seem to be (once again) telling a different story. Yet another story where the Galaxy A54 doesn’t come out as a winner when compared to Samsung’s cheaper phones.
as you can see in youtube ” target=”_blank”>In a speed test between the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 done by Vy Vo Xuan, it seems the new $300 Galaxy A34 is opening apps faster than the more expensive Galaxy A54. Why is that? Well , Since both the phones run the exact same software and come with the same amount of RAM (6/8GB), the obvious difference should be the processor.
Although the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 used in the Galaxy A34 and the Exynos 1380 in the Galaxy A54 are almost on par with the benchmarks, the cheaper phone feels snappier.
Of course, for people in America, it won’t In fact That’s the case, as the Galaxy A34 isn’t expected to launch there – but that can’t be an excuse. The Galaxy A54 is the only Samsung mid-range phone sold in the US, which should only be one reason for it to be… as good as it possibly can be. Correct?
Galaxy A54 – A great $450 package but Google’s Pixel flagships will eat Samsung’s phones for breakfast (Pixel 7a is almost here)
Will you buy Pixel instead of Galaxy A54?
So, yes… the Galaxy A54 remains one of the most attractive mid-range phones on the global scene, but unlike in previous years (I’m specifically referring to the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy A52s), there’s a lot of appeal There’s a reason the A54 is being sold in more regions of the world than competing devices – availability matters. Other than this:
- The Galaxy A54 promises a brighter display than the Galaxy A53
- Galaxy A54 brings a new, bigger primary camera sensor, which should help with photos and videos at night
- The Galaxy A54 offers 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of security patches, which is a valid reason to choose it over a Chinese phone with better specs.
And yet, if the availability stars align for you, the Galaxy A54 is about to face some of the toughest competition Samsung has seen in the mid-range phone segment.
Even if you don’t have an extra $70 or buying refurbished isn’t your thing, waiting Samsung can be your best friend and worst enemy. that’s because Google Pixel 7a (which is now leaking everywhere) is knocking at the door. With a flagship-grade Tensor G2 chip, rumored wireless charging, and Google’s expert camera magic, the Pixel 7a is shaping up to be everything the Galaxy A54 wants to be but can’t be.
Everything is going wrong with Samsung’s mid-range phones at once: how far (back) is Samsung going to go?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Samsung to make the “perfect mid-range phone” because the company also makes the flagship Galaxy S23 and wants people to buy more of it. It’s a tricky balancing act where Samsung has a lot to lose. Unlike Google, which doesn’t even rely on selling phones to make money. One would call it a “perfect storm”.
- global chip shortage
- Global financial crisis and inflation
- Google’s ultra-aggressively priced Pixel phones
- Apple’s incredible ability to sell used/refurbished iPhones
- And most importantly, the high bar that Samsung set for itself sometime back in 2019
Of course, Samsung doesn’t want to make bad phones. However, it looks like the Galaxy A54 is the result Poor Time. Had the A54 been released in 2019, it would have been a hit – well, we don’t know that for sure, but it would have been far more impressive, at least. Instead, Samsung released a great-looking mid-range phone four years ago that now looks like a downgraded (aesthetic-wise) cost-cutting, 2023 version of this phone.
Aggressive mid-range segment competition Google, oneplus, Nothing helps in the case of Xiaomi and even Samsung. And despite all this, if you want a good mid-range Samsung phone, the A54 might still be the best (and maybe even the only) option for some of you! If you look at it in isolation, it’s still… you know – a great package.
is it good enough for you? I’ll wait for our full review to find out. stay tuned!
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