Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Review: A Flagship Contender with Stunning Visuals
June 15, 2023
Are good looks and a mid-range processor enough to win over the Average Joe?
Performance: Samsung Exynos 1380, 8GB RAM
Main Display: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED (1080×2340)
Weight: 202g
Storage: 256
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Charging: 25W wired
Features: 4K UHD / 1080p / 720p HD video recording
Rear Camera: 12 MP Ultra-wide, 50 MP Main Camera, 5MP Macro Camera
Front Camera: 32 MP, 4K Video recording
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, LTE, 5G
Colour: Violet
Rating: 8.5/10
Price: RM1899
Samsung’s A50 series phones have always served as “middle of the road” devices meant to do a little bit of everything but without breaking the bank. They are usually constructed with conservative plastic materials. The same is true with the hardware.
I’ve been a fan of the model line for quite some time, and have followed the development of every new iteration with intrigue. After all, this is the device that the average Joe will look to buy. It’s meant for those of us who aren’t willing to splurge on a flagship phone. Instead, we’re looking for a Jack-Of-All-Trades.
In recent years, Samsung designers have stepped up their game for the mid-range market and the new Galaxy A54 5G exemplifies said effort. It’s well designed, sturdily built device that’s a spitting image of the more expensive, S23 Series. From the glossy rear panel to the chunky frame, everything about this phone screams high quality.
The frame is made from plastic but resembles metal and is tough and chunky enough to keep up the facade. This is a phone that takes the term “fake it until you make it” to the next level. Everything from its contours to the way the triple rear lenses protrude slightly from the glass rear panel, scream premium quality. It’s a nice touch that adds to the overall premium feel.
The noticeably appealing looks should make it a great option for people who want a device that looks as good as it feels. It’s slightly wider and thicker than the phone it replaces, which makes it feel far more substantial in the hand. The rear panel is covered in Gorilla Glass 5, giving it a satisfying look, regardless if you’ve chosen Lime, Graphite, Violet or White as your chosen color scheme.
Pivoting away from the understated, matte finishing of last year’s model was a good choice. The new look lends the phone a bubbly and attractive vibe, which should suit a wider demographic. While there’s a fan base for matte finishes, the A54 5G’s chrome colored lens housing, rear glass panel and chunky frame blend well with all four glossy colour options.
Samsung has given the phone 256GB of storage space, which should be enough for most people. There isn’t another storage option available to purchase. However, if you require more space, you can add a microSD card, which is a rarity these days. The A54 5G supports up to 1TB of external storage space, so make sure you don’t exceed said capacity and that the speed rating is compatible with the phone.
Compared to its predecessor the A53 5G, the new phone has a slightly smaller screen of 6.4-inches. It’s still an AMOLED panel but with a slightly lower pixel density at 1080×2340. It’s a bright display that produces punchy and vibrant colours. It’s just as good as the display it replaces. It’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5, which should be good enough to within stand light dings or scratches.
The phone comes with IP67 water & dust resistance, which means it should be able to handle light splashes of water without any issue. It’s the same rating given to its predecessor, and we’ve not had any problems with it during our review period. As such we are quite confident that the A54 5G should also prove to be a tough nut to crack.
Despite it being smaller in size, you won’t be able to notice the difference. It’s a well calibrated 120Hz display that should make most content enjoyable and to watch. This high refresh rate coupled with the Exynos 1380 chipset make animations and app launches seem instant. This also makes the UI feel buttery smooth.
There’s’ no lagging or stuttering to speak of. That said, the Exynos 1380 is still a mid-range chipset and as such it won’t offer the same instant responses as that of flagship phones. You’ll notice this when juggling between multiple apps or trying to do some light video editing. The performance deficit is noticeable when the phone is pushed to its limits.
Treat the A54 5G as a regular phone and it should serve you very well. We opened several apps at once, switched between them and accessed several chrome tabs without much fuss. It tends to be very cooperative as long as you temper your expectations. This may look like a flagship but lacks the performance chops to be one.
The chipset consists of 4 Cortex A78 cores and 4 A55 ones. There’s a Mali G68 MPS GPU that is supposed to be good for gaming, but more on that later. The Eyxnos 1380 adaptive tone control technology adjusts brightness and contrast to suit the ambient lighting conditions around you. It works well to make sure that the screen’s brightness is clearly visible anywhere.
Samsung says that the new chipset is designed to enable new mobile experiences with an AI engine and enhanced NPU. This allows on-device AI capabilities such as better advanced language recognition and voice assistance. It also plays a big part in ensuring the cameras take decent pictures. Its advanced image signal processor (ISP) is supposed to offer flagship level camera features.
It also promises zero shutter-lag at up to 64MP, high dynamic range and electronic image stabilization. Thanks to AI imaging technology, the Exynos 1380 can recognize objects in a photo and provide the best image processing work to produce good quality pictures.
Most games run smoothly thanks to the Mali G68 GPU, but for the more demanding ones, you’ll need to lower the detail level. Even if you stubbornly choose not to do so, said games will still be playable but the frame rate won’t remain constant.
There’s a speaker at the bottom and another near the earpiece, which produces decent quality audio that’s good enough to watch content or listen to music. It’s nowhere near the performance of a pair wireless earbuds but serves a s a decent stand-in for when you’ve left them behind. Dolby Atmos support makes for a better listening experience compared to its predecessors.
The Camera
This year’s phone forgoes a depth sensor and instead makes do with the main 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro one. Working together, they offer a compelling reason to pick this phone over the competition. Truth be told, the photos that the A54 5G can capture are nothing short of impressive. The color science, depth of focus and exposure are on point.
The main sensor performs well during daylight conditions by offering a good level of detail for both foreground and background. And when it reaches its limit, the AI technology kicks in and works with the sensor to deliver the best possible results.
During our testing we also found that it produced similar results to the Galaxy S23 series, although it lagged considerably behind the S23 Ultra. That wasn’t a surprise to anyone. It offers a good comprise of clarity and saturation.
You can effortlessly snap and instantly share photos without the need to add filters or edit them. When it comes to daylight photography, there are no complaints here. It’s easy to hold one handed and capture images quickly. Towards the late evening, and with the sunlight fading, you’ll still be able to capture great shots with relative ease.
However, the real challenges arise when capturing photos at night. The pictures may appear too dark due to insufficient exposure and the lack of proper nighttime optimization. Here, flagship devices like the S23 Series show the A54 5G a clean pair of heels. Their superior sensors and AI image processing are simply unmatched here.
That said, the A54 won’t disappoint you when capturing shots at night. Though not great, the results are decent enough that you’d be able to share them on Instagram or Facebook. With some clever movement and positioning, you’ll still be able to achieve amazing results.
The front camera with its 32MP sensor ensures that no matter the circumstances, you won’t face any issues, achieving decent quality selfies. The AI helps to smoothen imperfections but doesn’t go overboard with said settings. In portrait mode, it’s able to accurately distinguish the subject and the background with only minimal overlapping.
When it comes to recording videos, the A54 5G is up to the task. Thanks to a decent sensor, clever AI and optical image stabilization, you should be able to capture crisp shots easily. However, the phone does take a few seconds to detect a subject. This can prove to be somewhat of an annoyance when trying to capture the moment.
Moreover, if you are recording while in a moving car, you’ll need to be cautious about panning the phone around too quickly. We observed that the AI system takes some time to recognize objects which could through off the focus. If you’re moving too fast, you may end up with some blurry footage.
A fun feature of this phone is the ability to take pictures while recording a scene. To do so, you can simply click on the small camera icon to capture a photo. The editing tools built into the software are simple and user-friendly. You can easily cut and rearrange your favorite parts or even create a movie to create a timeless memory.
Battery life
Despite the glass rear panel, the A54 5G doesn’t support wireless charging. You’d think that by 2023, the technology would be ripe for the mid-range market, but alas, it isn’t so. Wishful thinking aside, the tech could be a decent “convenience” feature enabling users to set their phones down on a charger instead of having it tethered to a charging brick.
Thankfully, the A54 has the same 5,000mAh battery as its predecessor, so lasting the entire day will not be an issue. With average to medium-high usage, you should still have about 30% residual charge by the evening. That number should decrease drastically if you’re constantly streaming content or playing demanding mobile games.
The phone supports up to 25W wired, fast charging. However, since the charging brick isn’t included in the box, you’ll need to already have one a purchase a new brick to enjoy the quick charging rate. Even when the battery is fully depleted you should expect to have the phone to be fully charged in about an hour and a half.
Should you buy this phone?
The smartphone market is becoming increasingly crowded especially with the likes of Infinix and Realme throwing their hats into the ring. But the A54 5G can hold its own by offering a very attractive look, solid build quality and robust user interface in the form of One UI 5.1. Then there’s the software and hardware security measures kept in place to safeguard your data.
That and the guaranteed 4 generations of OS updates as well as 5-year security updates make this phone a no brainer. Samsung wants to make sure that the A54 5G that you purchase today will still be secure to use for the next half a decade. It’s the kind assurance that’s difficult to come by in the Android space.
If I were looking for a phone that is priced reasonably, supports 5G, performs well for most tasks and is secure enough for mobile banking, then I’d pick this phone over anything else. It’s a dependable device that would be suitable for a college student, young working adult or an elderly family member who wants something dependable to use for several years to come.
