Check out Forbes’ report on the ten best-selling phones in the first half of 2023. The Galaxy A54 sold 8.8 million units, very close to the S23 Ultra’s 9.6 million units. The A34 followed closely behind, with sales of 7.1 million units. The Galaxy A series is a big deal (the A14 actually sells more units than the Ultra).
Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35
This week we saw the launch of their successors. Samsung Galaxy A55 shows huge improvements. It comes with a larger 6.6-inch display that now comes with Gorilla Glass Victus+. The A54’s plastic frame and back are replaced by aluminum and Gorilla Glass.
Both feature the same 6.6-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display
Most importantly, this phone is powered by Exynos 1480. It may not be able to challenge the Exynos 2200 in the Galaxy S23 FE in terms of raw performance, but it may have its advantage in terms of efficiency. There is also excitement about the arrival of the first AMD GPU in mid-range phones.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 comes with minor changes compared to its predecessor. The screen has new glass and the 13MP selfie camera is in a punch hole instead of a notch, but the AMOLED panel is the same. Additionally, the camera is now 50MP instead of 48MP (the sensor size is actually the same), and the frame and back are still plastic.
Camera: Galaxy A55 • Galaxy A35
Again, the chipset is the biggest change – it’s the Exynos 1380 used in last year’s A54. At least we know how it performs compared to the Dimensity 1080 it replaces – a slight improvement overall.
Both phones come pre-installed with Android 14 and will receive 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches. Not on the level of the S24 series, but just as good as the old S23 FE, and as good or better than any Android not named Pixel (or Fairphone, but more niche).
Let’s take a quick look at the prices, and then we’ll have to discuss the unlisted prices.
| Samsung Galaxy A35 | Samsung Galaxy A55 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/128GB | 8/128GB | 8/256GB | 8/128GB | 8/256GB | 12/256GB | |
| European Union | – | 380 euros | 450 euros | 480 euros | 530 euros | – |
| U.K. | – | £340 | £390 | £440 | £490 | – |
| MX | MYR 7,000 | – | – | MYR 9,000 | MYR 10,000 | – |
| African Union | – | AUD 550 | ? | AUD 700 | ? | – |
| exist | – | Rs 31,000 | Rs 34,000 | Rs 40,000 | Rs 43,000 | Rs 46,000 |
| ID | – | Rs 5,00,000 | Rs 5,50,000 | – | Rs 6,00,000 | Rs 6,90,000 |
| pH value | – | ? | Php 21,000 | – | Php 25,000 | – |
In case you missed it, the A55 isn’t coming to the US, and Samsung will only be selling the Galaxy A35. The same goes for Canada. Mexico is the only place in North America with the A55.
Note that in some places like India and Indonesia, the A55 is available in a 12GB RAM (and 256GB storage) variant. Yes, the Galaxy S23, S23 FE and even the new S24 only have 8GB RAM. Some flagships. If that makes you feel better, we don’t think the 12GB model will be coming to Europe. In some regions, the A35 will come with 6GB of RAM instead of 8GB.
Samsung Galaxy A55 and A35 will be launched starting next week. Will you line up to buy one? Let’s start with the A55. Keep in mind that Google will launch the Pixel 8a soon, and at the same time, Apple will eventually release a completely redesigned iPhone SE (probably in mid-2025). There’s also the Nothing Phone (2a) and other things to worry about (well, not in the US).
So what about the Galaxy A35 – great, good enough, because the A55 either didn’t show up or was just not good at all? The same argument applies to the A35, although we’ve heard the new Pixel 8a will be more expensive than the 7a.