Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Unboxing & First Impressions
April 18, 2023Performance: 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
Price: RM1899
Samsung’s Galaxy A 5series is very popular because it caters to the vast majority of average users. They are mid-range devices that are really good at everything south of taking super crisp pictures and offering PC-like computing power. Those attributes are reserved for the flagship S series phones.
Each year, we’ve noticed incremental improvement to the Galaxy A 5series. For 2023 however, Samsung may have outdone itself, but more on that later. Say you do opt for the Galaxy A54 5G, what would you expect to get in the box? The package itself is very slim and compact, just enough to house the phone and essential accessories.
As a means to reduce excess packaging materials and e-waste, Samsung has shrunken the box down to the bare minimum, which is made possible by the omission of a power brick. This is evident the moment you open the top cover. On the top is the Galaxy A54 5G, wrapped securely in plastic film.
Underneath you’ll find a thin pack containing the USB Type-C power cable. Since the Galaxy A54 5G is capable of 25W fast charging, you’ll need to already have one on hand or purchase a new unit to experience the maximum charging rate that the phone supports. If you choose to use a lower-wattage power brick, expect lengthy charging times.
Besides the cable, you also get a sim ejection tool and a few user and warranty manuals. These items make up the full list of “accessories” that are provided in the box. Though it isn’t ideal to not have a charging brick included, it’s something we have to live with.
Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t support wireless charging. We were hoping that for 2023, Samsung would have been a little more generous in this department. Alas, this wasn’t the case. We will need to wait longer for this technology to eventually trickle down into the Galaxy A 5series phones.
Our review unit comes in Violet, but the phone can also be purchased in four other colours which are Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite and Awesome White. Choosing between them depends on your individual preference. Each one gives off a unique shine that boosts the overall appeal.
Once you unwrap the Galaxy A54 to get a better look at it, you’ll notice that you’ve received more than what you paid for. This is because, unlike previous generation of Galaxy A 5series phones, which were mild facelifts of their respective predecessors, this year’s model looks spectacular. It has a chunky build, making it feel like a far more expensive phone.
The frame, though plastic, makes for an elegant border between the screen and the rear panel. Flip the phone on its back and you’ll notice the prominent, individual camera lenses protruding from the gorilla glass 5 coated, rear glass panel. This gives the phone a glossy, premium feel that’s similar to what you’d expect from an S series device.
It’s an elegant looking phone, which allows it to mimic the look of a flagship device minus the hefty price tag. You will definitely be getting your money’s worth here both in terms of looks and overall build quality. This makes us wonder what else Samsung is able to offer the average Joe at fairly affordable prices.
Compared to its predecessor, the new phone is slightly heavier at 202g compared to 189g. This is due in part to the use of better materials and the presence of a sheet of glass covering the entire phone’s rear. Battery capacity is still the same at 5,000mAh, which should guarantee all-day service life.
The Galaxy A54 5G gets a FHD+ (1080 x 2340), super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s covered by Gorilla Glass 5, which is a little tougher than what protected its predecessors. That said, I’d still recommend installing a screen protector for added peace of mind.
Last year’s Galaxy A53 had a 6.5-inch display but for 2023, Samsung chose to make a change. The Galaxy A54 gets a 6.4-inch unit that supports HDR10+ and offers 1000 nits of brightness. It’s able to output punchy colors with remarkable contrast, allowing for enjoyable viewing and gaming experiences. Nothing to complain about here.
Samsung has given this phone the Exynos 1380 (5nm), which consists of four Cortex A78 cores running at 2.4GHz and four Cortex A55 cores running at 2.0GHz. It’s being marketed as a power-packed chipset that has an AI engine and enhanced NPU that supports up to 4.9 trillion operations per second.
This makes it suitable for advanced language recognition as well as supporting multiple object recognition in images for enhanced overall quality. The Exynos 1380 features an advanced triple image signal processor (ISP) that is said to be based on technology utilized by flagship processors.
As for its graphics, the phone gets the Mali-G68 (5 cores running at 950MHz), which may not be considered “top end” but will definitely allow you to play most games without any trouble. This coupled with the fact that the phone comes with 8GB RAM, should allow you to play for lengthy periods of time without encountering any performance issues.
In the camera department, there are three on the rear instead of four which were on the Galaxy A53. This year’s phone forgoes a depth sensor and instead consists of a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro sensor. We are currently putting them through a series of tests to gauge how they stack up against their predecessors. We will let you know more, soon.
On the front, there’s a 32MP selfie camera, which like last year’s model should capture pleasant selfies and portrait shots. However, more time is needed here before we can tell you what’s what.
Though the Galaxy A53 had a 64MP sensor, the Galaxy A54’s 50MP unit serves as proof that megapixel count isn’t an accurate metric that should be used to judge overall capability. Preliminary results show that the device is able to produce decent pictures in varying lighting conditions. That said, we would like to reserve judgment until we’ve completed our full review.
Samsung’s Galaxy A54 5G has an IP67 water & dust resistance rating, which should allow it to withstand moderate abuse without issue. But as usual, we will put this phone through the wringer first, in order to let you know if it’s worth your money. Till then, stay tuned.
