Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: A Promising Phone with Some Drawbacks

Samsung has been a pioneer in the smartphone industry, known for its cutting-edge technology and innovative features. The Galaxy A54 5G is one of the latest additions to Samsung's mid-range lineup, promising to deliver fast 5G connectivity and a host of impressive features. However, as our review reveals, this phone falls short of being perfect, with some notable drawbacks that may leave users wanting more.

Design and Display

The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G features a sleek design with a plastic back panel and a metal frame. It has a modern and minimalist look, with a quad-camera setup on the rear and a hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. The device feels sturdy and well-built in hand, but the plastic back can be a fingerprint magnet and may scratch easily.

The phone boasts a 6.5-inch FHD+ Infinity-O display, which offers vibrant colors and good brightness levels. However, the display could be brighter under direct sunlight, making it challenging to use the phone outdoors on a bright day. Additionally, the 60Hz refresh rate feels outdated, especially when compared to some of the competitors in this price range that offer higher refresh rates for smoother scrolling and gaming experience.

Performance and Software

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset with 6GB of RAM, the Galaxy A54 5G delivers decent performance for day-to-day tasks and casual gaming. However, it struggles with heavy multitasking and demanding games, as evident from occasional lags and stutters. The device runs on Samsung's One UI 3.1 based on Android 11, which offers a clean and user-friendly interface. Samsung's software experience is generally smooth, but the device comes with a fair amount of pre-installed apps and bloatware, which may not be to everyone's liking.

Camera

The Galaxy A54 5G boasts a quad-camera setup, including a 48MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. The camera performance is decent in well-lit conditions, capturing detailed and sharp images with accurate colors. However, the camera struggles in low-light situations, resulting in noise and loss of detail. The ultra-wide sensor also lacks sharpness and tends to distort the edges of the frame. The macro sensor is fun to use for close-up shots, but the results may not always be impressive.

Battery Life and Connectivity

The Galaxy A54 5G comes with a 5000mAh battery, which offers good battery life for a day of moderate usage. The device also supports 15W fast charging, which charges the phone relatively quickly. However, it's worth noting that some of the competitors in this price range offer faster charging speeds.

As the name suggests, the Galaxy A54 5G comes with 5G connectivity, which promises faster download and streaming speeds. The phone also supports other connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and USB Type-C. However, the lack of support for high-band mmWave 5G may limit its 5G capabilities in some regions.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a mid-range phone that offers some attractive features such as 5G connectivity, a decent camera setup, and a sleek design. However, it falls short in some key areas, such as the display refresh rate, performance under heavy usage, and camera performance in low-light conditions. With tough competition in the mid-range segment, there are other smartphones available that offer better value for money. If you're specifically looking for 5G connectivity, the Galaxy A54 5G may be worth considering, but there are better options available