Samsung Galaxy A35 review

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is crafted for individuals seeking the excellence of South Korea’s premier tech giant without the premium price tag associated with Samsung’s top-tier phones.

When we talk about the “finest tech,” we’re referring to the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, the latest flagship line that commands a price higher than most of our monthly rents. Fortunately, those who prefer budget-friendly options can still enjoy some of Samsung’s best technology with the Galaxy A35.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Galaxy A range, it serves as Samsung’s mid-tier line, positioned below the flagship Galaxy S series (and not as basic as the M or J series available in certain regions). The ‘3’ in the model name signifies its position on the spectrum of premium features—’0′ denotes super-affordable models, with higher numbers indicating progressively better specifications. The ‘5’ indicates this is part of the fifth generation of Galaxy A phones since Samsung adopted this numbering system.

These phones incorporate select high-end Samsung tech while maintaining an affordable price by trimming some corners. The Galaxy A35 exemplifies this approach beautifully.

Display and Design Samsung’s renowned display technology shines on the Galaxy A35. The screen is large, vivid, and bright—ideal for binge-watching Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney Plus. If you primarily use your phone as a streaming device, the Galaxy A35 won’t disappoint.

Software Running on Samsung’s OneUI, the Galaxy A35 offers extensive customization options, programmable routines, and a colorful, user-friendly interface. However, it also comes with pre-installed Samsung and Google apps, along with some third-party bloatware.

Performance Surprisingly, the chipset, despite being a low-end Samsung model on paper, handles prolonged gaming sessions and intensive tasks effortlessly. Mobile gamers will find it capable and responsive.

Cameras The cameras, however, are a weak point. While low-light photos are vibrant, the AI-driven scene optimizations and the performance of the ultra-wide lens are lackluster compared to other models.

Other Features Typical low-end phone limitations are present: slow charging, a utilitarian design, and a subpar fingerprint sensor. It’s advisable to use facial recognition or a PIN/password instead.

Despite these shortcomings, the Galaxy A35 offers solid performance for its price. You won’t feel shortchanged purchasing this device, as many of its features exceed expectations for a phone in this price range.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Price and Availability

Release Date: March 2024
Availability: US, UK, Australia, and other regions
Price: $399.99 / £339.99 / AU$549.99 (one variant)

The Samsung Galaxy A35, announced and released in March 2024, is part of Samsung’s 2024 lineup of budget smartphones. It is available for $399.99 / £339.99 / AU$549.99 in a single 128GB configuration. However, you can choose from a few color options for some level of customization.

At this price point, the Galaxy A35 offers a budget-friendly alternative to the $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 Samsung Galaxy S24, featuring some of the premium specs and features at a much lower cost.

While not the cheapest Samsung phone—there are more affordable options in the Galaxy A0X, A1X, and A2X lines—many of those models have specs that make them less desirable, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy A25.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy A35 features a mix of low-end and high-end specs:

Samsung Galaxy A35 Specs

Feature	Specification
Dimensions	161.7 x 78 x 8.2mm
Weight	209g
Screen	6.6-inch 19.5:9 FHD (1080×2340) 120Hz Super AMOLED
Chipset	Exynos 1380
RAM	6GB
Storage	128GB
OS	Android 14, OneUI 6.1
Primary Camera	50MP, f/1.8
Ultra-wide Camera	8MP, f/2.2
Macro Camera	5MP, f/2.4
Front Camera	16MP, f/2.4
Audio	Stereo speakers
Battery	5,000mAh
Charging	25W wired
Colors	Awesome Lemon, Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Navy

The Galaxy A35 provides a compelling combination of features and affordability, making it a strong contender in the budget smartphone market.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Design

Design: Standard chocolate bar-style Android phone
Color Options: Vary by region
Fingerprint Scanner: Unreliable

The Samsung Galaxy A35 maintains the familiar design of its A-series predecessors. It features a standard chocolate bar shape with a large body and flat edges. Weighing in at 209g and measuring 161.7 x 78 x 8.2mm, it’s relatively hefty but not as bulky as Samsung’s ‘Ultra’ models, though it is larger than the Galaxy S24.

The phone sports a glass front and back, providing a more premium feel compared to other mid-range devices. It is available in several colors depending on the region: navy and lilac in the US, navy and pale blue in Australia, and navy, pale blue, and pale yellow in the UK. These colors are more subdued compared to some of Samsung’s previous vibrant options.

Unlike some cheaper A-series models, the Galaxy A35 lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, featuring only a USB-C port on the bottom edge. The volume rocker and power button are on the right edge, which might require some stretching to reach for those with smaller hands.

The under-display fingerprint sensor is less reliable, often failing to recognize fingerprints, leading to frequent use of passwords instead.

The phone boasts an IP67 rating, ensuring protection against dust and small particles, and it can survive being submerged in water up to a meter deep for a limited time.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Display

Screen Size: 6.6 inches
Resolution: 1080 x 2340
Technology: Super AMOLED
Refresh Rate: 120Hz

The display of the Samsung Galaxy A35 is its standout feature, making it easy to forget you’re using a budget phone. It boasts a large 6.6-inch screen, larger than most Galaxy A-series models and the Galaxy S24. The 1080 x 2340 resolution is standard for many phones, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

Samsung’s expertise in display technology is evident here. The Super AMOLED panel with a high brightness of 1000 nits ensures vibrant and bright visuals, enhancing streaming and gaming experiences.

The 120Hz refresh rate is a significant advantage, providing smoother motion and a better scrolling experience, a feature not commonly found in this price range.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Software

Operating System: Android 14 with One UI 6.1
Customization: High, with bloatware present
Update Promise: Four years of OS updates, five years of security updates

The Samsung Galaxy A35 shares software similarities with the Galaxy S24, featuring Android 14 with One UI 6.1. Samsung promises four years of OS updates and an additional year of security updates, ensuring longevity.

One UI 6.1 is visually distinct, with colorful menus, pebble-shaped icons, and easy-to-navigate quick settings. However, the phone comes with considerable bloatware, including Samsung, Google, and third-party apps.

Customization options in One UI include widgets, wallpapers, and system-wide color palettes. While not as extensive as some other Android forks, these options are sufficient for most users.

The ‘Modes and Routines’ feature allows for quick transitions between different modes like sleep, driving, or workout, offering tailored settings for various activities. Initial setup takes some time, but the functionality is worth it.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Cameras

Rear Cameras: 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro
Selfie Camera: 13MP
Photography & Video Modes: Variety of additional modes

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is equipped with three rear cameras, typical for mid-range phones in this price bracket, though it doesn’t quite match the capabilities of the Galaxy S24 series or more expensive A-series models.

The primary camera is a 50MP f/1.8 sensor, supported by an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens and a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens. In good lighting, the main camera captures bright and colorful images, making close-up shots like flowers or food look vibrant, thanks to Samsung’s scene optimization AI which enhances contrast, saturation, sharpening, and HDR effects. While seasoned photographers might find this AI enhancement excessive, it is ideal for social media posts and selfies.

However, wider shots suffer from pixel binning, leading to noticeable quality degradation, and low-light conditions result in loss of detail and poor contrast. Sometimes, scene optimization casts an unnatural blue hue over photos, as seen in some overcast conditions.

The ultra-wide camera struggles with dull and lifeless images, lacking the AI enhancement of the main sensor. The macro camera is situational, used for close-ups where the main camera fails to focus, but it’s not frequently necessary.

The front 13MP f/2.2 selfie camera benefits from the same optimization as the rear camera, ideal for close-up shots with good lighting. In Portrait mode, the device effectively blurs the background, creating well-balanced selfies.

For video, the Galaxy A35 supports up to 4K at 30fps or FHD at 60fps, with various slow-motion modes. Standard modes like night, time-lapse, and portrait are included, along with Samsung’s Food and Fun modes, which enhance saturation and add AR effects, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Performance and Audio

Chipset: Exynos 1380
Storage and RAM: 128GB (expandable to 1TB), 6GB RAM
Audio: No 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is powered by the Exynos 1380 chipset, previously used in the pricier Galaxy A54. In Geekbench 5 tests, it scored an average multi-core result of 2,868, which varies slightly with temperature. This score is adequate for most everyday tasks.

In real-world performance, the A35 handled games like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG Mobile smoothly, with minimal lag or crashes, though the device did warm up during extended play. Navigation was responsive and fast, a pleasant surprise for a phone in this price range.

The phone includes 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with the option to expand up to 1TB via microSD. However, it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, so audio options are limited to USB-C or Bluetooth 5.3. The stereo speakers are adequate for gaming, but even cheap headphones offer better audio quality for music. A USB-C to 3.5mm adapter is an option for those needing wired audio.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Battery Life

Battery: 5,000mAh
Charging: 25W wired, no wireless charging

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, a common feature among budget and mid-range phones. This capacity allows the phone to last a full day of use, even with its bright display and 5G connectivity. It can stretch into the second day, though charging by lunchtime is advisable.

Charging through the USB-C port at 25W isn’t particularly fast, taking over two hours for a full charge, making overnight charging the most convenient option. Wireless charging is not available, which is typical for mid-range phones.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Value

The Samsung Galaxy A35 offers substantial value for its price, with standout features in display, software, and performance that exceed expectations for its mid-range tier. While it has some shortcomings, particularly with the fingerprint sensor and camera performance in certain conditions, it generally meets or exceeds expectations for its price range, making it a budget-friendly alternative to higher-end models.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A35 provides a balanced mix of performance, design, and affordability, making it a compelling option for budget-conscious buyers looking for a reliable mid-range smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Summary

The Samsung Galaxy A35 exceeds its price tag with a great-looking display, impressive gaming performance, and highly customizable software. The phone exhibits its mid-range status almost everywhere else, but it still justifies itself as a commendable, low-cost Galaxy S24 alternative.

Pros

Good-looking display: The Super AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate provides vibrant visuals and smooth scrolling.
Valiant chipset: The Exynos 1380 chipset ensures solid performance for everyday tasks and gaming.
Handy software tricks: One UI 6.1 offers extensive customization options and useful modes and routines.

Cons

Slow charging: The 25W wired charging takes over two hours for a full charge.
Unimpressive cameras: The camera performance, especially in low light and with the ultra-wide lens, is lackluster.
Unresponsive fingerprint scanner: The under-display fingerprint sensor often fails to recognize the user’s fingerprint.