Samsung Galaxy A54 review: Everything is awesome

The Galaxy A54 brings a dash of colour and dollop of future-proofing at an affordable price, provided you agree with Samsung’s definition of what’s affordable. The phone in question starts at Rs 38,999 (8GB/128GB). The top-spec 8GB/256GB model can set you back by Rs 40,999. For most people, the A54 may seem a bit overpriced, especially when you start to factor in the competition. Samsung’s own Galaxy S20 FE, even though dated, would seem better value on paper. You can get it for as low as Rs 27,999 at the time of writing.

But Samsung overshooting itself in pricing is nothing new. It tends to do that, all the time. And the upward margin means, its phones are much more likely to get more desirable over time, either directly from the brand or third-party sales. (The S20 FE was launched at Rs 47,999.) So, we have reason to believe the Galaxy A54 should get more desirable, too, in due course of time. Because, otherwise, everything else about this phone literally screams out, “awesome.” It won’t be wrong to call it a Galaxy S23 Lite in spirit, as a matter of fact. These phones have strived to bring grade-A features to the masses since day-1 and the song remains the same to this day.

Samsung Galaxy A54— design and features

The A54 is made of glass, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to be more specific. It is glossy but not fully mirror-like which makes it both easy on the eyes and resistant to smudge and fingerprints at the same time. The design is very Galaxy S23-like with its flat sides and floating camera array. The resemblance is uncanny. The only way to tell it’s a “budget” Samsung phone is if you probe carefully around the frame. It is made of plastic but here, too, a matte finish springs in a touch of premium. Another big differentiator is the choice of colours. The A54 comes in a bevy of brighter, bolder, more energetic colours in sharp contrast to the relatively more muted S23 phones.

The dimensions are fairly respectable. At about 202g and 8.2mm, it is neither too big nor too small. Technically it slots between the 6.1-inch S23 and 6.6-inch S23 Plus – the A54 is 6.4-inch— and so, Samsung has actually done well with the weight distribution (relative to the size), although the phone’s flat sides could take some time getting used to if you’re coming from a curvier phone. What matters is that the ergonomics are mostly on point and button placement is spot on— tactile feedback, too, is refreshingly stellar. Rounding off the package is a proper IP67 rating which makes it resistant to dust, spills, and splashes.

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Flip over to the front and you’ll find a Super AMOLED panel with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It can top 1,000nits. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, too, and a tiny hole punch cutout at the centre. The credentials are top-notch and there’s very little to complain about in real-world use. Samsung pairs this setup with an equally impressive stereo speaker set, making the A54 a good all-round multimedia package on the go. You get an in-screen fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. It is fast and reliable.    

Samsung Galaxy A54— performance and cameras

Under the hood, the A54 has Samsung’s Eynos 1380 processor. It’s not the most powerful hardware in the world. Far from it. Even the Google Pixel 7a with Tensor G2 overpowers it in benchmarks, but it’s more than competitive enough to chug more than satisfactory performance in regular day-to-day use and the occasional high-end gaming as well.

What impressed us the most was the optimisation and thermal management. We had come prepared for the worse but the A54 actually exceeded our expectations. In a word, it is a consistently good performer with little to no perceivable throttling except for maybe a few fringe cases here and there. You get ample RAM (up to 8GB) and storage (up to 256GB) which is further expandable. Battery life is also stellar with the 5,000mAh battery seemingly built from ground-up for the long-haul. Think one to one and a half days. There is support for 25W fast charging baked in but Samsung won’t give you a charger in the box.

The underlying software and Samsung’s long-term support commitment are second to none. The A54 runs the latest One UI 5.1 based on Android 13, same as the Galaxy S23 phones. There’s been a big change in how people buy smartphones post the pandemic with most wanting to stick with theirs for longer than before, and for that group the A54 is a no-brainer with 4 years of major OS and 5 years of guaranteed support. There is no other brand that can give you this level of future-proofing in the segment.

As for the experience itself, it’s fast and slick with barely a stutter and features galore. We did not encounter any weird bugs or issues during our testing phase. The phone could do with less duplicate apps, though.

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Speaking of cameras, the A54 5G gets you a triple camera system on the rear headlined by a 50MP main sensor (f/1.8 OIS). This is mated to a 12MP ultrawide and another 5MP macro. The output does full justice to the specs, at least when you give them lots of light. Photos come out sharp, have ample detail and wide dynamic range to such an extent, it is difficult to say the A54 is not a flagship. Low-light photos are also quite alright, though the ultrawide can occasionally produce softer photos in challenging conditions. Video recording can go up to 4K@30fps but stabilisation tops out at 1080p@30fps. The 32MP front camera takes excellent selfies regardless of the light situation.

Samsung Galaxy A54— should you buy it?

The Samsung Galaxy A54, as you can probably tell after reading this review, gets most things right. Surely it could have done with a faster chip or smaller screen bezels, or even less bloatware, but none of that is a deal-breaker. The phone stands out with its premium design, colourful display, dependable performance and battery life, and capable cameras. It’s just a very, very good phone is what it is.

There’s very little reason to not recommend this phone to anyone looking for a complete package deal such as itself, but because this is a review and we’re supposed to tell you both sides as transparently as possible, we recommend not buying it at launch price. Not unless you absolutely want one and have the cash at spare, we suggest you to wait for a price cut, or online sales, to get the most out of what is otherwise an awesome smartphone.