Samsung Galaxy A54 review – GSMArena.com reviews

Introduction

Same, but different (but mostly the same) – the Galaxy A54 is proof that you’re not changing a winning formula. Or that’s how Samsung sees it, at least. Whether we fully agree with this – you’ll have to read the following pages to find out.

Right off the bat, the A54’s MSRP of around €500 is sure to raise some eyebrows. But don’t get upset yet – the A53 5G’s launch price was, in fact, quite similar to the A54, but the numbers tend to drop sharply in just a month or two, so we’ll be somewhat inclined to treat them with more openness.

Looking at the datasheet to find the differences in substance, we notice that there are more of it – the new model passed the 200g weight threshold, if only narrowly. The slightly reduced screen diagonal makes this all the more surprising, especially since the battery capacity has remained the same.

The chipset is new; it’s clear. The extra 100 in this Exynos 1380 means two extra powerful cores in the CPU and one extra GPU core compared to the 1280 in the old model. This is shaping up to be this year’s biggest hardware upgrade and could very well be worth a few grams.

Gone is the depth sensor (unlikely to be missed), and the triple camera setup on the rear is now headlined by a 50MP unit in place of the A53 5G’s 64MP one. The nominal decrease in resolution doesn’t mean much, so we don’t consider it a degradation. The ultrawide and macro camera appear unchanged, as does the selfie camera.

No change can be a good thing too, of course. Take the IP67 rating for example – Galaxy A-series midrangers have offered dust and water resistance for a few generations now, and the A54 continues on that path. You also get stereo speakers as before, and the microSD slot survives another year.

Samsung Galaxy A54 specifications at a glance:

• Body: 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2mm, 202g; IP67 dust and water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.40″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1000 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 403ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 1380 (5nm): Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68 MP5.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• Operating System/Software: Android 13, a 5.1 user interface.
• Rear camera:Wide (main): 50MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1.12µm; Macro: 5MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm.
• Video capture:Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@480fps; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired.
• Various : Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers; Virtual proximity detection.

Unboxing Samsung Galaxy A54

The A54’s retail package is as simple as last year – the A52s were the last to include a power adapter in the box. The accessories you get with the A54 are limited to a SIM eject tool and a USB-C cable (one white).

For what it’s worth, the fact that you still have a cable in the box means you can ‘save’ on buying a charger when shopping – that’s as close as we’ll get to a silver lining .