Samsung Galaxy A54 5G – mid-range, full-featured smartphone (review)
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is its mid-range A-series offering that, at $699, offers a good feature set, value, and Samsung’s pedigree. It is going to sell heaps.
It is an update of the 2022 Galaxy A53 5G using a later Exynos 1380 CPU and a faster Mali MP5 GPU, but it is similar overall. The weight has crept up from 189g to 202g – it is heavier and slightly wider.
It is a more unified design language with the S23 series. Applesque, with almost flat sides, but thankfully uses a centre O-hole selfie instead of the polarising Apple notch.
Samsung is banking on its reputation, Android enterprise chops, and non-China manufacture to entice consumers and businesses. There is a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.
2023 A-series
Unlike 2022, there will be no A74 5G which, at $799 with a Qualcomm SD788, made it a very desirable mid-range fleet phone.
You can read more about the Samsung A-series 2023 – every person’s phone.
Grey market – Don’t do it
Only buy Model SM-A546E or A546E/DS (dual sim). Do not buy models with B, 0, V or U (instead of E).
It will also have some letters after the model for RAM/Storage and Colours. Samsung has more information at Made for Australia.
Approved resellers are:
Telstra | Optus | Vodafone | JB Hi-Fi | Harvey Norman |
The Good Guys | Amazon (Samsung Store) | Officeworks | Bing Lee | Woolworths |
David Jones | Myer | Costco | BIG W | Target |
Radio Rentals | RT Edwards | Retravision | Betta | Australia Post |
The following are not Samsung Approved and may not sell genuine Australian versions.
Kogan/Dick Smith | Mobileciti | Microless | eXpansys | Etoren | BecexTech |
dbrand | Big Apple Buddy | Strike | Oz Digital Online | Xtreme Communications | And many more |
Australian Review: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Model SM-A546E (Hybrid SIM/MicroSD), 6/128GB
Website | Product page |
RRP | $699 for Awesome Violet or Awesome Graphite |
From | Samsung Online. See Approved resellers above. |
Warranty | 2-years ACL |
Made in | South Korea |
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. |
More | CyberShack Samsung News and Reviews |
Deep-Dive review format
It is now in two parts – a summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.
We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.
First impression – Pass+
This is a good phone with all the expected mid-range specs and performance. Looks are very Applesque with straight sides, Gorilla Glass 5 front and back and a plastic frame (could be alloy).
It has a discrete centre top o=hole selfie camera, power and volume rockers on the right and a 2mm, three-ring camera protrusion on the back. It wobbles on a desk.
It has larger bezels than expected, giving it a lower screen-to-body ratio of 82.9% – the 2022 A-series was closer to 90%. It also has a 19.5:9 screen ratio making it a little wider than the 2022 A-series.
Screen – 2340 x 1080, 403ppi, 8-bit/126.7m colours sAMOLED
This is an excellent screen for the price. It has a typical/peak brightness (HBM in 2% of the screen) of 500/1000 nits and can display HDR10+ content. It does not support Dolby Vision content which shows as the inferior HDR10. DRM Info shows Widevine L1 and supports FHD SDR on Netflix and FHD HDR on YouTube.
The colours are accurate, and you can select Neutral (sRGB gamut) or Vivid (98% DCI-P3 of 16.7M colours). Being sAMOLED, it has an Always on Display, Edge panel (if you want it), and is eminently daylight readable. Pulse Width Modulation (no DC dimming) is at 250Hz – it should not bother you.
Processor – Exynos 1380 – Pass
Samsung Exynos is an alternative to Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others. I suspect we will see more Samsung smartphones using Exynos as it reduces its reliance on China and external suppliers. It already makes the screen, memory, storage, 4/5G/Wi-Fi/BT/GPS/NFC, motherboard, and many components.
This is a 5nm System on a Chip Soc) similar in performance to the Qualcomm SD778G (in the 2022 A-73). It has 4.9 TOPs to help with AI photography (the S23 has 27+).
It has 6GB RAM that you can extend up to an additional 6GB using RAM Plus – virtual ram that runs at the slower SSD speed.
Storage is 128GB plus a microSD to 1TB. You can alter the saving path for pictures to this card. The only issue here is that you cannot mount an external SSD as live storage (for video streaming etc.), but you can cut and paste to it as external storage at slow USB-C 2.0 speeds.
Samsung has mastered the heat issues of the previous Exynos 1280 (in the A53), and it has a minimal 8% throttle under 100% load over 15 minutes.
Summary: A good choice of SoC for this mid-range device.
Gaming – Passable
While the AMOLED screen is 120Hz capable, the processor is less than half as powerful as the Google Pixel 6/6a, which also uses an Exynos-based SoC. In the GENSHIN IMPACT test, it barely maintained 1080@25fps. If you lower the graphics quality, you can get to 40fps. We also noticed lag under load. It is more for web-based games.
Comms – Pass
Exynos typically performs less than Qualcomm, although it performs perfectly well for the price.
- Wi-Fi 6 AX 5Ghz connect speed is a maximum of -33dbm/1200/1200 full duplex tested at 2m from Netgear Orbi RBKE963 Quad-band Wi-Fi 6E AX 11000 mesh. It drops to -49/1020 at 5m and -55/1020 at 10m.
- BT5.3 supports multi-point connections and Google Fast Pair.
- NFC
- GPS is single with a 4m accuracy – fine for in-car navigation.
- USB-C 2.0 is a maximum of 480mbps (60MBps) full duplex. It has no alt DP audio/video/data capability for cable streaming.
Summary: Fine for a mid-range phone.
4/5G – Pass
Exynos typically has a strong antenna strength but only finds the closest tower. It ranged between 1 and 3 pW, suitable for major city and suburban use with good tower coverage (Tested on Boost Mobile using the Telstra network). Data speeds on 4G were low at DL/UL – 19.5/16.1/22ms.
Summary: It is very similar in performance to the 2022 A53.
Battery – Pass+
It has a 5000mAh battery which is standard for phones in this class. However, we cannot hide our displeasure at Samsung not including a charger inbox, just a 2W USB cable. The genuine 25W Samsung charger costs $29, but you must buy a 3W capable cable.
Tests at 60Hz screen
- Video loop 1080p, 50% brightness/volume, aeroplane mode: 20 hours
- PC Mark 3 battery life: 14 hours 4 minutes
- GFX Bench Manhattan (game): Would not run
- GFX Bench T-Rex low-end graphics game: 343.5 minutes (5.73 hours), 5286 frames
- Full load screen on: 2200-2500mA
- Idle screen on: 230-250mA
- Recharge (25W Samsung charger): 1 hour 38 minutes
- Recharge (10W): 4 hours and 10 minutes
- Estimated battery life at 120HZ: about 20% less overall.
Summary: This phone should last two days under typical use and one day for heavier use. Buy the 25W charger or use a GaN PPS charger, or you will wait over 4 hours for a charge.
Speakers – Pass
It has a stereo earpiece and a bottom-firing speaker. Maximum volume is 83dB, but the system sounds are in the early 70s – a little low.
Bluetooth supports SBC, AAC, LDAC and Samsung scalable (for Samsung buds) codecs but not Qualcomm aptX.
Hands-free is reasonable, but the volume is a little low. Dual mics provide some noise cancellation, but keep the bottom mic pointed towards your mouth.
Sound – thin – Pass
It has no low/mid-bass, a gradual building of high bass, building mid and strong low treble but weak high treble. That means it misses the most critical bass, where you get all the musically important bass and a sense of sound direction – a reality as though the music were there.
It is an Analytical sound signature: (bass/mid-recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music.
It has a strong imbalance towards the bottom speaker, which skews the sound stage. Dolby Atmos content widens the sound stage a little, but there are no 3D spatial height effects.
Some readers have suggested we are too picky, but we know good sound How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key – guide.
Inbox – zip, nada, zilch – Fail
The phone and a 2W charge cable – that is it. You must buy a 25W charger and 3W cable for a faster charge.
Missing
- 3.5mm 4-pole port, but most use USB-C earphones or a USB-C-3.5mm DAC
- Charger
Operating system – up to four years of upgrades and five years of security patches
Samsung’s policy makes owning one better and more secure for longer. That means Android 13 may reach Android 17!
One UI 5.1 is a light touch over Android, allowing for Samsung’s customisations. But we are growing more concerned at the need to sign up for a Samsung Account to access anything in its Theme or Galaxy App Store – it is bad enough that Google knows all about us.
Our advice is not to use Samsung apps where they substitute for Google ones, especially if you brand swap and want seamless changeovers.
Build – Pass+
Gorilla Glass 5 front and back and a plastic frame/chassis (it could be alloy – that does not make a difference here). It is well-built, and the flat screen is entirely usable. The camera sensors stick out 2mm, and you must invest in a case to protect these.
Camera – Samsung Galaxy A54 5G – Pass
Samsung does not publish camera sensor specs, and the Exynos processor does not reveal this – we don’t know why! Our root test software indicates that it has a Primary 50MP (bins to 12.5MP) Sony IMX766, an Ultra-wide 12MP Samsung S5K3LD sensor and a Macro 5MP GalaxyCore GC5035 sensor. The selfie is a 32MP (bins to 8MP), with a Sony IMX616 sensor.
Overall, this is a good mid-range setup, but the lack of a depth sensor means that Bokeh shots use AI to separate the background from the foreground – sometimes, it gets wrong.
DXOMARK rates this camera at 107 – a couple of points below the 2020 Google Pixel 5 at 109 and the Samsung GalaxyZ Flip 4 at 113. The top phones are the OPPO FindX6 Pro (153), Google Pixel 7 Pro (149 and iPhone 14 Pro M (146).
This ranking is not too shoddy for the money – anything above 100 is good. It lost points for Bokeh, telephoto, and the colour difference between the preview screen and the finished image (AI).
For a mid-range point-and-shoot camera, it is fine for daylight and office light but struggles a little in lower light. It is certainly a step up from the 2022 A53, mainly due to the processor’s AI post-processing.
Reviewer’s camera tests comments
- 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are excellent with good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights.
- 4X Day Primary sensor – colours are excellent with good dynamic range. The background is getting noisy.
- 10X Day: Primary sensor: Forget it
- Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor: Good colour and details, although you can tell it is a different sensor from the primary.
- Macro: The 5MP sensor takes reasonable macro shots, but a 4cm focus is critical.
- Indoor office light: The colours are a little muted, and the dog’s face/ears are grey instead of deep black.
- Bokeh Depth: AI has helped bring out the darker black ears and suitably blurred the background.
- Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is quite good, with decent details, although some noise exists.
- Night mode brings up the detail, saturates the colour, and removes much of the noise
- Selfie: The 32/8MP selfie has natural skin tones, details and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light
- Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 4K@30fps with OIS (optical image stabilisation). Overall it is better at 1080p@30fp. Sound recording is reasonably effective.
CyberShack’s view – The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a decent mid-range phone
The A-series is Samsung’s bread and butter, as only a small percentage of the world can afford its S-series. It is a safe, solid, slightly bland option if you have $699.
Its competitors are:
- Nokia X30 5G – interesting pure Android smartphone (128/256GB RRP $749/899 but at JB for $599/699) – a serious challenger
- Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Fan Edition (smartphone review) (128GB RRP 949 but at JB for $749) and a strong alternative
- Google Pixel 6a – a smaller, more affordable 6 (128GB RRP $749, but the 7a will be released in May, so look for discounts)
- Motorola Edge 30 Neo – Pantone colours for the trendy set (128GB RRP $599)
- OPPO Find X5 Lite – $799 uber-value (RRP $699 but at JB for $599)
Rating Explanation 87/100
- Features: 90 – it has everything you need including IP67
- Value: 85 – at $699, it faces some stiff competition
- Performance: 80 – The Exynos SoC is fine, but the phone antenna strength (good tower coverage areas only) lets it down.
- Ease of Use: 95 – Hard to beat 2+4+5 (Warranty/OS/Patches)
- Design: 85 – Applesque, but that is what Joe and Jane Average want
- Final Comment: It is a good successor to the 2022 A53 5G and a safe buy for the price. AMOLED, great warranty, OS and updates – no downside.
CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.7 (E&OE)
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Brand | Samsung |
Model | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G |
Model Number | SM-A546E and SM-A546E/DS (dual SIM) |
Price Base | 6/128 |
Price base | 699 |
Warranty months | 24 |
Tier | mid-mid range |
Website | AU Website |
From | Samsung Online and approved retailers |
Country of Origin | Either Vietnam or Korea |
Company | Samsung |
Test date | 1-20 April 2023 |
Ambient temp | 20° |
Release | 44986 |
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy) | SM-A546V, SM-A546U, SM-A546U1, SM-A546B, SM-A546B/DS, SM-A5460 |
Screen
Size | 6.4″ |
Type | sAMOLED |
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D | Flat, centre O-hole |
Resolution | 2340 x 1080 |
PPI | 403 |
Ratio | 19.5:9 |
Screen to Body % | 0.829 |
Colours bits | 8-bit 16.7M colours |
Refresh Hz, adaptive | 60Hz fixed or 120Hz Adaptive (240Hz touch rate) |
Nit typical, test | 500 (Tested 467) |
Nits max, test | 1000 HBM (tested 920) |
Contrast | Infinite |
sRGB | Natural Mode 100%+ |
DCI-P3 | Tested 98% in vivid mode |
Rec.2020 or other | N/A |
Delta E (<4 is excellent) | 1.65 |
HDR Level | HDR10+ (HBM) |
SDR Upscale | No |
Blue Light Control | Yes |
PWM if known | All Samsung AMOLED use PWM 250Hz approx. |
Daylight readable | Yes |
Always on Display | Yes |
Edge display | Yes |
Accessibility | Yes |
DRM | Widevine L1 FOR 1080P SDR (HDR capable) |
Gaming | Game mode. While the AMOLED screen is 120Hz capable, the processor is less than half as powerful as the Google Pixel 6/6a, which also uses an Exynos-based SoC. In the GENSHIN IMPACT test, it barely maintained 1080@25fps. If you lower graphics, you can get to 40fps. We also noticed lag under load. It is more for web-based games. |
Screen protection | GG5 |
Comment | Lovely bright, sAMOLED screen |
Processor
Brand, Model | Exynos 1380 https://semiconductor.samsung.com/us/processor/mobile-processor/exynos-1380/ |
nm | 5 |
Cores | 4×2.4GHz + 4×2.0GHz |
Modem | Samsung |
AI TOPS | 4.9 |
Geekbench 5 Single-core | 1008 |
Geekbench 5 multi-core | 2802 |
Like | Similar to SD778G |
GPU | Mail G68 MP5 (950Hz) |
GPU Test | |
Open CL | 3091 |
Like | |
Vulcan | 3018 |
RAM, type | 6GB LPDDR4X |
Storage, free, type | 128GB UFS 2.1 (94GB free) |
micro-SD | Yes, to 1TB (dedicated slot in the single sim version) |
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps | 482 |
CPDT internal seq. write MBps | 91 |
CPDT microSD read, write MBps | 82/27 |
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps | Won’t test – seen as external storage but can’t mount as internal storage |
Comment | It is fit for purpose. Exynos gives reasonable performance. Videographers and vloggers will soon run out of space without mountable storage, seen as internal storage. |
Throttle test | |
Max GIPS | 200977 |
Average GIPS | 190526 |
Minimum GIPS | 182889 |
% Throttle | 8 |
CPU Temp | 50 |
Comment | Good thermal management with minimal throttling. |
Comms
Wi-Fi Type, model | Wi-Fi 6 AX max 1200Mbps |
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps | -33/1200 |
Test 5m | -49/1020 |
Test 10m | -55/1020 |
BT Type | 5.3 |
GPS single, dual | Single, accuracy 4m. |
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 | Yes |
Other | Fingerprint under glass |
Comment | The SoC supports up to 2400Mbps Wi-Fi 6, so it’s a shame to see it throttled to 1200Mbps. It is also a lost opportunity to use USB-C 2.0 when the SoC supports 3.1 |
LTE and 5G
SIM | Single Sim and Dedicated micro-SD We assume the dual sim has a shared micro-SD and Sim 2 |
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, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 |
Comment | All Australian bands and most world bands |
5G sub-6Ghz | N1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 66, 77 78 |
Comment | All Australian sub-6GHz and low bands |
mmWave | No |
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra | |
UL, DL, ms | 19.5/16.1/22ms |
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW | -88-90/1 to 3 pW |
Tower 2 | No |
Tower 3 | No |
Tower 4 | No |
Comment | While it finds the first tower at reasonable strength, it also varies, especially if your hand covers the bottom. City and suburbs phone only where there is good tower coverage. |
Battery
mAh | 5000 |
Charger, type, supplied | No |
PD, QC level | 25W capable PDO : 9V/2.77A/24.93W PPS: 3.3-5.9 V or 3.3-11.0 V/ at 2.25 or 3 for a maximum of 25W. |
Qi, wattage | No |
Reverse Qi or cable | No |
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen) | 60Hz |
Charge % 30mins | 0.45 |
Charge 0-100% | 1 hour 38 minutes |
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge | N/A |
Charge 5V, 2A | 4 hours and 10 minutes |
Video loop 50%, aeroplane | 20 hours |
PC Mark 3 battery | 14 hours 4 minutes |
GFX Bench Manhattan battery | Would not run |
GFX Bench T-Rex | 343.5 minutes (5.73 hours) 5286 frames |
Drain 100-0% full load screen on | 5 hours 31 minutes |
mA full load | 2200mA |
mA Watt idle Screen on | 230-250mA |
Estimate loss at max refresh | 20-30% |
Estimate typical use | We estimate this phone will go two days of typical use and one day under heavier use. |
Comment | Tests were at 60Hz screen refresh, and the full load drain at 120Hz gave just under 4 hours. |
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, downmix to two speakers |
Hi-Res | No |
3.5mm | No |
BT Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC and Samsung Scalable. No Qualcomm aptX codecs. |
Multipoint | Should be |
Dolby Atmos (DA) | Auto, Movie, Music, Voice |
EQ | Normal, Pop, Classic, Jazz, Rock, Custom |
Mics | Dual with top for noise-cancelling |
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off | |
Volume max | 83 |
Media (music) | 72 |
Ring | 77 |
Alarm | 70 |
Notifications | 73 |
Earpiece | 53 |
Hands-free | Volume is a little low. Dual mics provide some noise cancellation, but keep the bottom mic pointed towards your mouth. |
BT headphones | Good sound and volume, although I could only get SBC Codec on LDAC-capable headphones. |
Sound quality
Deep Bass 20-40Hz | No |
Middle Bass 40-100Hz | No |
High Bass 100-200Hz | Gradual build |
Low Mid 200-400Hz | Gradual build |
Mid 4000-1000Hz | Flattening |
High-Mid 1-2kHz | Flattening |
Low Treble 2-4kHz | Flat |
Mid Treble 4-6kHz | Flat |
High Treble 6-10kHz | Slow decline |
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz | Slow decline |
Sound Signature type | Analytical: (bass, mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music. Dolby Atmos content widens the sound stage but does not give any 3D spatial effects. |
Soundstage | Strong imbalance to the bottom speaker – so the soundstage sounds skewed. |
Comment | The sound is OK but needs more punch, definition, and depth – listenable for high-mid and low-mid treble vocals. |
Build
Size (H X W x D) | 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 |
Weight grams | 202 |
Front glass | GG5 |
Rear material | GG5 |
Frame | Plastic (could be alloy) |
IP rating | 67 1m for 30min |
Colours | Awesome Violet Awesome Graphite |
Pen, Stylus support | No |
In the box | |
Charger | No |
USB cable | Yes 2W (you need a 3W cable if you want to charge at 25W) |
Buds | No |
Bumper cover | No |
Comment | More Samsung penny-pinching |
OS
Android | 13 |
Security patch date | 45017 |
UI | UI 5.1 |
OS upgrade policy | Up to 4 OS upgrades |
Security patch policy | Up to 5 years |
Bloatware | Samsung alternative to Google Suite. Microsoft Suite and OneDrive (requires subscription) |
Other | Selection of Galaxy Apps |
Comment | 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 |
Face ID | Yes |
Other | Knox and Secure folder |
Camera – Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Rear Primary | Wide |
MP | 50MP bins to 12.5MP |
Sensor | IMX766 |
Focus | PDAF |
f-stop | 1.8 |
um | 1 bins to 2 |
FOV° (stated, actual) | 72.7-85.3 |
Stabilisation | OIS (Soc provides VDIS – crops video to add stability) |
Zoom | 10X |
Rear 2 | Ultra-Wide |
MP | 12 |
Sensor | Samsung S5K3Ld |
Focus | Fixed |
f-stop | 2.2 |
um | 1.12 |
FOV (stated, actual) | 123° (104.3-116.3) |
Stabilisation | No |
Zoom | No |
Rear 3 | Macro |
MP | 5MP |
Sensor | GC5035 |
Focus | Fixed |
f-stop | 2.4 |
um | 1.12 |
FOV (stated, actual) | N/A |
Stabilisation | No |
Zoom | N/A |
Video max | 4K@30fps |
Flash | Single LED |
Auto-HDR | Yes |
QR code reader | Yes |
Night mode | Nightography |
Front – Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
MP | 32MP bins tol 8MP |
Sensor | IMX616 |
Focus | Fixed |
f-stop | 2.2 |
um | 0.8 bins to 1.6 |
FOV (stated, actual) | 70.1-82.5 |
Stabilisation | No |
Flash | Screen fill |
Zoom | 4x digital |
Video max | 4K@30fps |
Features | Photo remaster Object eraser |
Comment
Comment | • 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are excellent with good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights. • 4X Day Primary sensor – colours are excellent with good dynamic range. Background is getting noisy. • 10X Day: Primary sensor: Forget it • Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor: Good colour and details, although you can tell it is a different sensor to the primary. • Macro: The 5MP sensor takes reasonable macro shots, but 4cm focus is critical as usual. • Indoor office light: The colours are a little muted, and the dog’s face/ears are grey instead of deep black. • Bokeh Depth: AI has helped bring out the darker black ears and suitably blurred the background. • Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is quite good, with decent details, although some noise exists. • Night mode brings up the detail, saturates the colour, and removes a lot of noise • Selfie: The 32/8MP selfie has natural skin tones, details and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light • Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 4K@30fps with OIS (optical image stabilisation). Overall it is better at 1080p@30fp. Sound recording is reasonably effective. |
Ratings
Features | 9 |
It has everything you need | |
Value | 8.5 |
It is the same price as the 2022 A53 | |
Performance | 8 |
The Exynos is an average-performance chip. Phone signal strengths make this a city, suburbs phone. | |
Ease of Use | 9.5 |
Excellent OS upgrade, patch update policy and 2-year warranty. | |
Design | 8.5 |
Nice but a little bland Applesque. | |
Rating out of 10 | 8.7 |
Final comment | It is a good successor to the A53 5G and a safe buy for the price. AMOLED, great warranty and updates – no downside. |
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
$699Pros
- Good looking, well-built, mid-range
- Bright, 120Hz refresh rate, colour-accurate sAMOLED
- Decent day or two battery life.
- Great Android and One UI upgrade policy 2+4+5 (Warranty/OS/Patches)
- Better than social media class camera
Cons
- No charger inbox.
- Video stabilisation is only available in 1080p.
- Phone antenna signal strength only for good tower coverage areas
- Can’t mount external SSD for live storage
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