Samsung Galaxy A55 First Look – Awesome Workhorse Gets Better for 2024

The newly released Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is arguably one of the most anticipated smartphone releases from Suwon this year for those on a budget. Much like its predecessors, the Galaxy A55 culls a host of features from the cutting edge Galaxy S24 series but also does so in a surprisingly affordable fashion. 

We managed to get a sample in their signature Awesome Lilac finish for testing ahead of launch – here’s our Samsung Galaxy A55 first look and unboxing where we check out what kit they’ve added and give a quick rundown on the enhancements that Samsung has integrated into their latest addition to the Galaxy A series.

Samsung Galaxy A55 First Look – What’s new and what’s changed

Intended as the successor to last year’s Galaxy A54, the new Galaxy A55 bears more in common with the Galaxy S24 than its predecessors ever did before.

Beyond the customary upgrades to its hardware, the Galaxy A55 this time around also gets a much welcome improvement in terms of security via the addition of Samsung Knox Vault, a suite of hardware and software features that work in the background to keep the phone secure across regular use cases like web browsing, emails and using apps. Samsung Knox Vault also ensures that critical personal data like passwords remains secure and inaccessible for unauthorised users on your phone in a secure folder for added peace of mind.

At first blush, the Galaxy A55 resembles a long-lost cousin of the Galaxy S24. Those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 line-up will likely think that it’s an S24+ at first blush. Even the design language is similar, emulating the Galaxy S24 series this time around with rounded corners and an otherwise flat front and rear with separate cameras each protected by raised chrome rings.

Closer inspection does however reveal unique aspects to its design especially when compared to its predecessor the Galaxy A54. The new Galaxy A55 is a bit heavier, a bit longer and slightly wider than its predecessor the Galaxy A54 though it still retains a similar thickness at 8.2mm. 

While it is a bit heavier by 11g at 213g, the Galaxy A55 justifies this with the use of a more durable aluminium chassis along with the addition of a slightly larger 6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display upfront which has a 120Hz refresh rate.

Unfortunately, it’s not the tough Armor Aluminum alloy used in the higher end Galaxy S series phones but it’s still a substantial step up from the all-plastic chassis used in its predecessors. Fortunately the phone retains a respectable IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.

Up top, the Super AMOLED display has a tiny punch hole for a 32MP F/2.2 selfie camera with the bottom quadrant of the display featuring an in-display fingerprint reader. This time around, the display also gets Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ which has enhanced resistance to nicks and scratches and which also saw service in the Galaxy S22 series.

In Malaysia, the phone is available in a choice of three colourways which are Awesome Navy, Awesome Iceblue and, in the case of our Galaxy A55 first look sample, its signature shade of Awesome Lilac which dominates the entire backplate.

While it looks like a light pink finish at first glance, Samsung has added a unique iridescent finish that reflects the light like a rainbow when held up to sunlight. It’s a distinctive finish though it also acts as a fingerprint magnet.

The triple camera array is arranged in a row on the rear alongside an LED flash. In terms of camera setup, the Galaxy A55 has the same setup as the older Galaxy A54 with a primary 50MP F/1.8 camera with OIS, a secondary 12MP F/2/2 ultra wide angle camera and a 5MP F/2.4 macro camera but on paper benefits from improvements in computational photography especially in low light.

On the sides, our Galaxy A55 first look sample has slightly different ergonomics with the inclusion of what Samsung refers to as a Key Island design which involves raising the power button and volume rocker on the right side of the phone slightly up from the chassis on a raised island  from the otherwise flat sides – hence the name. This makes it easier to find by touch and is a practical ergonomic improvement.

Up top, you get a hybrid SIM card slot that also allows users to slot in a microSD card to augment the onboard memory.

Samsung Galaxy A55 First Look – The side of the phone hosts what Samsung refers to as a Key Island design which is a raised portion of the chassis for the power button and volume rocker.

While the left side of our Galaxy A55 first look unit is otherwise unremarkable, the base has a slit for a speaker slot with the other emplaced just above the display to form a stereo pair. You also get a USB-C port for 25W wired charging and docking duties.

In terms of hardware, our Galaxy A55 first look sample which is intended for the Malaysia market comes specced with an Exynos 1480 processor running the latest Android 14 with One UI 6.1, 12GB RAM with up to 8GB Plus virtual RAM and 256GB of expandable storage via the aforementioned microSD card.

Better yet, the phone benefits from Samsung’s ongoing 4 years of OS and 5 years of security updates. Keeping the phone charged is a generous 5,000mAh battery with 25W wired fast charging which is identical to the earlier Galaxy A54.

@hitechcentury We get a firsthand look at the all new affordable yet powerful new Samsung Galaxy A55 5G that is coming to Malaysia priced at RM1999! #longervideos #awesome #galaxya55 #galaxyawesome #samsung #unboxing #sembanggadget #tech #malaysia #malaysiatiktok #budgetphone @Samsung Malaysia ♬ France Accordion Swing – MIZUSATO Masaki

Unfortunately, there’s not much else in the box save for a charging cable so you’ll need your own charger. At the time of writing, the Galaxy A55 has just been launched in Malaysia priced at RM1,999 and the early bird specials are solid value with a free pair of Buds FE earbuds thrown in on the house along with an additional one year extended warranty though this is only available until 30th April 2024.

Once we’ve put the Galaxy A55 through its paces, we’ll share our full review – stay tuned!

Samsung Galaxy A55 first look sample courtesy of Samsung Malaysia. For more details and to purchase please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a55-5g-awesome-lilac-256gb-sm-a556elvdxme/buy/