Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: Premium Looks and Reliable Performance

Samsung has recently added two new smartphones to its mid-range Galaxy A series, namely the A34 5G and A54 5G. In this review, we will be focusing on the latter, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, which boasts of a premium appearance at an affordable price.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, this device features a powerful chipset that offers reliable everyday performance, complemented by a 120Hz AMOLED display that delivers an outstanding content viewing experience. Furthermore, the A54 5G is equipped with a sizable 5000mAh battery that can provide up to two days of usage on a single charge.

However, it should be noted that the phone's 25W fast charging support may seem relatively slow for its price. Putting that aside, is the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G the best smartphone under 40K? Let's explore that question in this review.

Samsung Galaxy A54 Price in India

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G price in India starts from Rs 40999 for the sole model with 8GB RAM and 256 GB of Storage.

The Samsung galaxy A54 is available in three colours including Awesome Lime, Awesome Violet and Awesome Graphite.

Design

At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy A54 exudes a high-end smartphone feel, bearing a striking resemblance to the flagship Samsung Galaxy S23 from the rear panel. It features a glass back with a matte finish that provides a comfortable and secure grip when held. The curved edges of the phone further enhance the grip. Additionally, the camera lenses at the back closely resemble those seen on the S23.

I have the violet colour variant of the phone, which looks very appealing. The Samsung Galaxy A54 is also available in two other colour options, namely Graphite and Lime. All in all, the Samsung Galaxy A54 appears to be a premium flagship smartphone that can be easily distinguished as such.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A54 boasts a fantastic FHD+ 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that is sure to impress. You can trust that you won't have any complaints about the display quality of the A54, as it delivers an outstanding viewing experience with its vibrant and clear visuals.

The display features a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, making it exceptionally smooth during everyday use with excellent touch response. When scrolling through apps like Instagram reels, the experience feels as smooth as butter.

Moreover, the display is bright enough to be comfortably used outdoors, even under direct sunlight. The icons and texts appear sharp and clear, and video playback on apps like YouTube is also a pleasurable experience.

Performance

The Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset is what drives the Samsung Galaxy A54, alongside up to 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM. Day-to-day tasks are easily handled by the device, with apps opening quickly and seamless switching between them.

The phone is also capable of handling more demanding tasks such as gaming and photo/video editing, as demonstrated by playing heavy games such as Asphalt 9 and Apex Legends Mobile.

The phone runs on One UI 5.1, which is built on Android 13, and it's noteworthy that the phone comes with the latest version of Android pre-installed. The UI is user-friendly and intuitive, although there is some bloatware which can be easily removed.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A54 boasts a triple camera setup on the rear, with a 50 MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP macro camera. On the front, there is a 32 MP selfie camera located within the punch-hole cut-out.

During daylight conditions, the primary camera captured impressive shots with clear and detailed images, vibrant colours, and a wide dynamic range. Portrait shots also looked good, with accurate edge detection.

In low-light conditions, pictures were acceptable but had some noise. However, the dedicated night mode enhanced the overall image quality. Ultra-wide shots were decent, with good detail levels unless zoomed in.

The 32 MP front camera produced superb selfies, which were sharp, clear, and with natural-looking skin tones, with good overall details.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is equipped with a large 5000mAh battery that provides an impressive battery backup. In fact, with casual usage, the battery can last for up to two days, which is quite solid. During my usage, I was able to get over 6 hours of screen on time.

Even if you are a heavy user, the battery life still lasts for a full day. However, while the battery life is good, the charging speed is not as impressive. The phone supports only 25W fast charging, which is not particularly fast. If you have the 25W adaptor, it takes less than 2 hours to fully charge the phone.

It's worth noting that Samsung does not include a charger in the box, which is disappointing as at the same time Samsung makes fun of Apple for not including charger in the box.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is a reliable mid-range smartphone with 5G capabilities. It has a premium design and a sturdy build, which makes it appear almost like a flagship phone. In addition to its looks, the phone performs exceptionally well too.

During my everyday usage, including gaming, I did not experience any issues. The display quality is excellent, and the battery backup is superb. While the 25W fast charging support isn't particularly speedy, everything else is impressive.