Samsung A35 5G 2024 – lots of great features at a low price (smartphone review)

The Samsung A35 5G 2024 is a feature-rich phone at a reasonable price. It and the A55 5G 2024 are largely responsible for Samsung’s leading market share. Samsung may push the Galaxy S, but its bread and butter is the A-series.

That is a good segue into the difference between the Galaxy S-series and A-series moving forward. The S-series is promoting AI, although that is really limited to some photo editing tricks and AI search. It will be a few years before we see real on-device AI processing. By that time, the A-series may have some off-device AI cloud processing.

New review format

We are experimenting with our review format. Where we used to put all the raw data in tables at the end, we will now break them up and briefly comment on the various parts. Why? Readers who want to know more will paw over the tables. Readers who want to see if it’s a good phone can just read the comments.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

Australian Review: Samsung A35 5G 2024 6/128GB model SN-A356/DS (dual sim/hybrid)

Brand	Samsung
Model	Samsung A35 5G 2024
Model Number	SM-A356E
Price Base	6/128GB
Price base	$549
Warranty months	24
Tier	lower mid-range
Website	Product Page
From	Samsung Online and approved retailers – see Made for Australia and Don’t buy a grey market smartphone
Country of Origin	Not disclosed – China or Vietnam
Company	Samsung is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics (the world’s largest information technology company, consumer electronics maker and chipmaker.
Test date	1-7 April 2024
Ambient temp	18-26°
Release	April 2024
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	B, N, or U model. E is for Australia.
More	CyberShack Samsung news and reviews CyberShack smartphone news and reviews

 Screen – Pass+

This is a good, bright, reasonably colour-accurate 1080p sAMOLED screen for the price. It is daylight-readable and bright enough for some HDR content to show decent detail in dark and light areas. It uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming, which will be evident to people who are not tolerant.

Size	6.6″
Type	sAMOLED
Flat, Curve	Flat, centre O-hole
Resolution	2340 x 1080
PPI	390
Ratio	19.5:9
Screen to Body %	84.8%
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7M colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	Fixed 60Hz or Adaptive stepped 60 or 120Hz
Touch response	240Hz
Nits typical, test	Not disclosed (436)
Nits max, test	1000 nits HDR/HBM (High Brightness Mode). Tested 937 nits. Peak Brightness: Not disclosed (Tested 1600 nits 2-5% window)
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	Not disclosed, but assume 100%
DCI-P3	Not disclosed, but assume 100% of the 16.7 million gamut.
Rec.2020	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	2.8 – Colours are reasonably accurate.
HDR Level	HDR10+ but most streaming content shows as SDR or HDR.
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	Yes
PWM dimming	All Samsung AMOLED use PWM 240-250Hz approx. and then at 480-500Hz. This is critical for PWM-intolerant people.
Daylight readable	Yes
Always on Display	Yes
Edge display	Yes
Accessibility	Full suite of enhancements
DRM	Widevine L1 FOR 1080P SDR. You can get HDR10 on YouTube.
Gaming	Not Tested.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus+
Comment	See DXOMARK Display Test Poor palm rejection It often requires more than one touch. Noticeable PWM flicker Off-angle colour tints Photo preview colours are off Low-cost AMOLED on a low-cost phone with lower performance.

Processor – Pass

This is a low-cost System-on-a-Chip. It performs well for simple tasks, but it slows down as you load it up (video, photos, and games). Not for gamers. RAM and storage speeds seem slower than specified.

Brand, Model	Samsung Exynos 1380  used in 2023 A54
nm	5nm
Cores	4 x2.4GHz & 4 x 2.0Ghz
Modem	Samsung
AI TOPS	NPU 4.9
Geekbench 6 Single-core	903
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2852
Like	Full Benchmarks Like SD6 Gen 1 or MediaTek Dimensity 920
GPU	Mali G68 MP5
GPU Test
Open CL	2983
Vulcan	3040
RAM, type	6GB LPDDR4X
Storage, free, type	128GB 3.1 (seems slower like UFS 2.2) 92GB free.
micro-SD	Yes – a hybrid with SIM 2 to 1TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained	525 (Jazz 532.22)
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained	330 (Jazz 389.95)
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	75/50MBps
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	Seen in ‘Files’ but not mountable.
Comment	It is fit for purpose. Exynos gives reasonable performance. Videographers and vloggers will soon run out of space without mountable storage, which is seen as internal storage.

Throttle test – Pass

It throttles 23% under load – acceptable for typical use.

Max GIPS	249906
Average GIPS	214919
Minimum GIPS	186929
% Throttle	23%
CPU Temp	50
Comment	It has acceptable throttling but shows this SoC is not for gamers.

Comms – Pass

It has Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz, 6, 2 x 2 MIMO and can connect at a maximum of 1200/1200Mbps. It holds the connection quite well to 10m from the router.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6 AX 2×2 MIMO
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-24/1200/1150 (See tests below)
Test 5m	-40/1160/1200
Test 10m	-53/915/816
BT Type	5.3
GPS single, dual	Single – 2m accuracy fine for in-car use.
USB type	USB-C 2.0
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes – combo with Gyro
Gyro	Yes – combo with Gyro
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor	Yes
Proximity	Virtual
Other	Fingerprint
Comment	It is Wi-Fi 6 AX 2×2 MIMO, with a maximum connection speed of 1200/1200. Overall, it performed to spec but there was quite a difference in maximum and minimum speeds over three distance tests.

LTE and 5G

SIM	Dual Sim hybrid micro-SD (double-sided) DS model. No eSIM.
Active	One at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Carrier Dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier Dependent
4G Bands	B1, 2, 3, 4, 5,7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41 66
Comment	All Australian bands and most world bands
5G sub-6Ghz	N1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 26 28, 40, 66, 77, 78
Comment	All Australian sub-6GHz and low bands
mmWave	No
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	34.4/22.7/30 – good speed but slow ping
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	From -76 to -85 and 3.2 to 25.1pW – very strong single tower strength.
Tower 2	No
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	It has a very strong single-tower signal, but as we have come to expect from Exynos modems, they won’t find the following three nearest towers. For city and suburban use.

Battery – Pass

Typical users will get a full day’s use, but heavy users may need to top up more frequently.

It can charge in 90 minutes with a 9V/2.77AA/25W charger (Samsung genuine but not supplied). it is a little slower with a 25W or more PD charger.

The battery is rated for 500 recharge cycles, so it should give three years of more use.

mAh	5000mAh. 4905mAh/19.04Wh actual installed 500 recharge cycles
Charger, type, supplied	No Samsung suggests 90 minutes with its 25W (9V/2.77A/25W)
PD, QC level	25W capable or any PD/PPS charger
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable.	No
Test (60Hz or adaptive)	Adaptive refresh
Charge 0-100%	Genuine Samsung 25W charger: 1 hour 21 minutes GaN PD3 charger: 1 hour 45 minutes
Charge 5V, 2A	3 hours 6 minutes
Video loop 50%, aeroplane mode	14 hours 47 minutes (Claimed 24 hours)
PC Mark 3 battery	14 hours 11 minutes Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	446.3 minutes (7.44 hours) 4515 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours 47 minutes Accubattery 4 hours 54 minutes
mA full load	2200-2300mA – reasonably high accounting for shorter battery life
mA Watt idle Screen on	250-300mA
Estimate loss at max refresh	20%
Estimate typical use	Typical users will get 24 hours plus.
Comment	Unless you use the Samsung charger with a fixed 9V/2.77A/25W output, PD/PPS chargers will take longer as they vary the voltage to better care for the battery.

Sound – Pass

It gets quite loud at 84dB, but the lack of bass and some clipping mean you should use Bluetooth headphones.

It has Dolby Atmos decode and its EQ for better sound.

Speakers	Stereo – top earpiece and bottom down-firing.
Tuning	No
AMP	2 x TFA9879 MPX Class-D stereo amp and DPS 1.6, 2.65W@8, 4OHM .2% THD
Dolby Atmos decode	Yes
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	No
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX (free), LDAC, and SSC (Samsung scalable codec for Samsung devices only). 16-bit/44100Hz/Stereo
Multipoint	Should be
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes, and DA gaming
EQ	Dolby – Normal, Pop, Classic, Jazz, Rock and custom
Mics	One top and two bottom
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	84 – louder than average
Media (music)	80
Ring	80
Alarm	80
Notifications	80
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	The bottom two mics are for voice only, and the top is for noise reduction. It has good hands-free pick-up to about 600mm and good speaker loudness.
BT headphones	Excellent separation and volume.

Samsung A35 5G 2024 Sound Quality – Passable

Read: How to tell if you have good music – sound signature is the key

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	No
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	No
High Bass 100-200Hz	Building slowly past 200Hz to 300Hz
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Flattening
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Flattening
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat but choppy
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Linear decline to 10Hz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Linear decline to 20Hz
Sound Signature type	Bright Vocal (bass recessed, mid, treble boosted) – for vocal tracks and string instruments, but can make them harsh.
Soundstage	Stereo: as wide as the phone Dolby Atmos: wider by about 10cm with some 3D height and better clarity.
Comment	I am pleasantly surprised at 84dB (loud), but as usual, the lack of bass makes this a candidate for listening via headphones (no 3.5mm).

Build – Pass+

You do not expect Gorilla Glass Victus+ at this price level. IP67 is also a bonus.

Size (H X W x D)	161.7 x 78 x 8.2
Weight grams	209 – quite heavy for this class
Front glass	GG Victus+
Rear material	Glass (could be Acrylic Glass PMMA)
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	IPX4 10L water spray for 5 minutes IP67 1m water for 30 minutes Not warranted for water ingress
Colours	Awesome Navy Awesome Ice blue
Pen, Stylus support	No
Repairability	easy  to repair

In the box – Passable

No matter how much we criticise a manufacturer for not including a charger (and it costs $99 to buy a 65W Samsung one plus $20 for 3W cable), people only focus on the phone’s price. This is really a $669 phone!

Charger	No
USB cable	No (possibly on the retail version)
Buds	No
Bumper cover	No
Comment	More Samsung penny-pinching

Operating System – Pass+

Here is the strength of this device: it has a two-year warranty, four OS upgrades, and five years of regular security patches.

But there is about 10GB of Bloatware that Samsung receives payment to pre-load. We recommend using Google Apps instead and removing Samsung-specific apps. This makes it easy to swap to any brand of Android device.

We are also concerned that there are massive privacy implications of accepting all of Samsung’s seven legal ‘policies’ totalling 25,214 words – just to use a phone. That is on top of Google Android policies, any app policies, and Microsoft 365 and OneDrive if you use those for backup. The policies are at the end of the document. Our take – extreme arse covering! You can also use the phone without a Samsung account but it does nag you.

Android	14
Security patch date	1 February 2024 (we would expect quarterly)
UI	6.1 (No AI as on the S24-series)
OS upgrade policy	Up to 4 OS upgrades
Security patch policy	Up to 5 years
Bloatware	It has 92GB free, and about 10GB is from bloatware. There are 33 Samsung Apps (we recommend using Google equivalents also loaded), Facebook, Galaxy Store, Gaming Hub, Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, Netflix, Spotify, etc.
Comment	Samsung has an excellent upgrade policy, and One UI is easy to use. Privacy can be an issue, as Samsung encourages you to log in and create a Samsung account, but you can avoid that. You can’t avoid Google!
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Optical under glass – lots of fails
Face ID	2D
Other	Knox and Secure folder
Comment	One of the more secure Android phones.

Samsung A35 5G 2024 rear camera – Pass

What do you want from a $549 smartphone camera? The answer should be decent daylight and office light images with some low-light capability.

Yes, you get all this, but not a lot more. The DXOMARK test rated it 104 or 125^th in the ranking. That is average all around, and it is flanked by smartphone cameras from 2021-22.

Our take

• Decent outdoor photos
• Struggles in low light.
• Post-processing is weak and slow (courtesy of low Exynos TOPs).
• The photo preview is way off the finished shot.
• Video is only successful at 1080p.
  

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	S5KGN8
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.8 bins to 1.6
FOV° (stated, actual)	69.7 (H) x 82 (D)
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	10X digital zoom
Rear 2	Ultra-wide
MP	8MP
Sensor	GalaxyCore GC08A3
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	96.2 (H) X 108.7 (D)
Stabilisation	Super Steady 1080p
Zoom	8X digital
Rear 3	Macro
MP	5MP
Sensor	GalaxyCore GC5035
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	4cm focus
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Special
Video max	4K@30fps No Zoom and 1080p with Zoom
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Yes
QR code reader	Yes
Night mode	Nightography (binning)

Comment DXOMARK is pretty spot on – this is an average camera producing average shots on good day and in office light. We tried 4K@30fps video on both the selfie and primary camera. Results were average. 1080p at 30fps is far better with OIS and EIS.

Samsung A35 5G 2024 Front Camera – Pass

Selfie has decent natural skin tones but its tight field of view and fixed focus make is a single selfie lens.

MP	13MP (Actually 12.8MP and images are cropped to 9.5MP)
Sensor	Samsung SK53L6
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	62.7 (H) x 73 (D) – more for single selfies
Stabilisation	EIS
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	4K@30fps, but don’t try.

CyberShack’s view – Samsung A35 5G 2024 is a good all-rounder

I can see why Samsung sells bucketloads of A-series. It has all you need, and people trust a non-Chinese brand.

It looks good, feels nice in the hand, and the AMOLED screen is a cut above average for the price.

Competition

At $549 (plus $119 for Samsung’s charger and cable—a total of $668), it is not really low-cost, but people will pay a premium for the name.

I would suggest you look at

• Motorola g82 5G 2023 128GB $499 with a Qualcomm SD695 SoC and 30W charger inbox. Motorola g82 5G – exceptional value/features
• OPPO Reno IIF 5G 2024 256GB $599 (review coming) with a very impressive camera and charger inbox
• OPPO A98 2024 256GB $649 OPPO A98 5G 2023 – a class leader in many ways with charger inbox.

Samsung A35 5G 2024 ratings

This uses a new scale where Pass is closer to 70/100 and we mark up or down from there.

Features	80
	It has everything you need
Value	80
	It is the same price as the 2022 A34
Performance	75
	The Exynos is an average-performance chip. Phone signal strengths make this a city, suburbs phone.
Ease of Use	90
	Excellent 4-year OS upgrade, 5-year update policy, and 2-year warranty but take time to read the privacy policies.
Design	80
	Nice, but a little bland
Rating out of 10	8
Final comment	It is a worthy successor to the 2023 A34 5G and a safe buy for the price. AMOLED screen and excellent updates – no downside.

Pro
1	Decent all-day battery life and faster charging capability
2	2-year warranty, OS updates for four years, security updates for five years
3	Bright sAMOLED screen
4	Privacy policies are ridiculously complex.
5	AMOLED, IP67 and NFC are not usually found at this price.
Con
1	The 2024 A35 is an incremental update to the A34
2	No charger inbox
3	Privacy polices are ridiculously complex.
4	Phone signal strengths are good but limited to one tower.
5	Samsung is becoming more of its own ecosystem with a little too much Samsung bloatware – Apple-like.

Brought to you by CyberShack.com.au