Review: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Not much has changed with Samsung’s Galaxy A54 5G smartphone since its predecessor, the Galaxy A53 5G. That's good because it was already a great midrange phone with quite a lot of top-end features, from a bright AMOLED screen to lengthy software updates. You can also say it's not good, because this new model doesn't push the needle.

And yet it's really hard to complain about the lack of advancements with this Android smartphone. In the US, there's a dearth of feature-packed midrange and budget phones: You'd be amazed at the kind of hardware you can get elsewhere in the world for a few hundred bucks. Still, what Samsung offers here is a compelling, well-rounded package you'll be able to keep using for several years, unlike many other sub-$450 phones that end software support after one to two.

Photograph: Samsung

Samsung has been working on creating a cohesive design strategy for all of its smartphones. That means, yes, its $1,000 smartphone doesn't look all that different from its phones less than half the price. This might irk high rollers, but it's great news for anyone with a tight budget! The A54 even comes in a lovely-looking Awesome Violet, though I tested the drab Awesome Graphite color (not as awesome).

It has an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, so you'll want to snag a case, as both sides have the same opportunity to suffer a crack in the event of an accidental drop. Most budget and midrange phones stick with a plasticky backplate, which offers more durability, though you might like the more luxe feel of glass. I prefer something like the Pixel 6A's design, which is a plastic composite that still feels super fancy; the best of both worlds.

Holding this 6.4-inch screen is reasonably comfy. There are times when I need to shuffle it in my hand to reach the top of the screen (note: I have large hands), but I don't have any major complaints. The in-display fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the screen isn't as responsive as what you'll find on pricier phones, but it was never frustratingly slow.

The best part is hands-down the AMOLED screen. This panel nets you inky blacks and punchy colors. The resolution is sharp, but the screen brightness is what impresses the most. It can go up to 1,000 nits! What does that mean? Lo and behold, even the wrath of the sun couldn't stop me from comfortably reading the display. Sure, the colors get a little washed out when it's at its peak brightness, but it's a small price to pay for the pleasure of not having to squint.

Did I mention it's a 120-Hz screen as well? As you scroll through an app like Instagram or Reddit, the frames you see on the screen ratchet up to 120 per second. Phones used to be stuck at 60 Hz, so by seeing double the frames, you're getting a more fluid experience overall. It's nice!

What makes the A54 5G stand out from every other sub-$500 is its software support cycle. Samsung is promising a whopping four major OS Android upgrades. That means since it runs Android 13 out of the box, it'll get Android 17 in 2027. Wowza. That's better than what Google offers. The cherry on top is you'll get five years of security updates. It's nice knowing the phone you spent hundreds of dollars on will still get new features, critical bug fixes, and security patches for years instead of just one. Speaking of, the A54 is IP67-rated, so it can survive the rain and even a drop in the pool, so it can take years of accidents.

That leads me to its performance. Unlike some budget phones that stuff a 120-Hz panel on the display only to deliver a stuttery experience due to a weak processor, the Galaxy A54 5G is powerful enough that you can enjoy that buttery smooth screen to its full extent. It's powered by Samsung's Exynos 1380 processor with 6 gigabytes of RAM, and my benchmark tests show a decent jump from last year's model, but it's firmly a midrange chipset.

For the most part, you won't run into many issues trying to browse your favorite apps or send an email. Even games like Dead Cells and Streets of Rage 4 ran without a hitch. However, I've noticed sluggishness here and there, particularly when you're moving back and forth between multiple apps. This can be annoying when you're in a rush to quickly accomplish a task, but I only ran into this occasionally. The camera also can be a little slow to launch.

Battery-wise, you get a large 5,000-mAh cell, which can easily take you through two full days with light use. However, on days when I was out and about, taking pictures, using the GPS for navigation, and killing time on Reddit, I ended up with roughly 30 percent by bedtime. That's not quite as good as many of Motorola's budget phones that can easily last two full days.

Speaking of, Motorola has started offering 256 gigabytes as its base storage option in its smartphones, and this is a pretty great change. Almost all phones—yes, even those that cost $1,000—still offer a paltry 128 gigs of storage, and the A54 5G is no different. It'd be nice to see Samsung buck the trend here. (You do get a microSD slot to expand space if you need it.) Unlike Motorola, there is an NFC sensor, so you can use Google or Samsung Wallet to pay for that vital kombucha even if you've forgotten the physical wallet at home.

There's still no wireless charging support. This feature is often nixed with most sub-$500 phones, but with the latest Google Pixel 7A rumors claiming the phone will have it, it's weird that Google was able to beat Samsung to the punch. You might also care that there's also no charging adapter in the box (you do get a USB-C cable), and there's no headphone jack.

Thankfully, the cameras are pretty darn great. Oftentimes I find myself not taking as many photos on cheaper phones because I'm just not happy with the results, but I never stopped snapping on the A54 5G. It's not far behind the Google Pixel 6A (dare I say it sometimes performs better!). The 50-megapixel primary camera can take some sharp photos during the day, with usual Samsung flaws like overexposure and oversaturation.

In low-light settings, Samsung's Night mode works on all the cameras. So as long as you can stay reasonably still, the results are actually shareable. Less so on the 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, which you should really only use with good lighting. The third camera on the rear is a 5-megapixel macro camera and, honestly, I don't really care much for it (maybe you do!). I'd have much preferred a 2X optical sensor for zoom, which would be a great way to advance the midrange phone. Hats off to the 32-megapixel selfie camera though. It's much better than what you'll find on the Pixel 6A, and also better than the selfie camera on the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola that I'm currently testing.

Naturally, the Galaxy A54 5G's main competitor in the US is the Google Pixel 7A, which from the rumors seems to be the phone to beat. The A54 likely does beat it in some ways, like software updates (I'm not expecting Google to update its three OS upgrades policy), the presence of a microSD card slot, and its tremendously bright screen (Pixels, in my experience, often suffer in bright daylight). But the 7A will probably be the phone for camera nerds on a budget and anyone who loves the dozens of smart features that make Pixels a joy to use.

If you stick with Samsung, my only advice is to avoid paying the MSRP. Yes, it's affordable at $450, but the phone has already dipped to $375 despite being on the market for a few weeks. Like last year's A53, it'll most likely dip even lower during major sale events like Memorial Day and Amazon Prime Day. At those prices, it's a no-brainer.