Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: A Sleek Midranger

The Samsung Galaxy F55 5G adds a stylish flair to the mid-range market and comes with solid features. But does it have what it takes to outshine its rivals?

Samsung’s Galaxy F-series has always been known for combining unique features with solid performance. Having tried many Galaxy F-series phones, I can confidently say they strike a good balance between design and functionality, all while being reasonably priced for the mid-range market. Samsung’s latest release, the Galaxy F55 5G, continues this trend, introducing vegan leather and features like an in-display fingerprint reader and 45W fast charging. But is this stylish mid-ranger all about looks, or does it also deliver on performance? Let’s dive in and see.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Price in India

The Samsung Galaxy F55 5G is competitively priced for its features. The base model, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, is priced at Rs. 26,999. The mid-tier variant, offering 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, costs Rs. 29,999. The top-tier option, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, is available for Rs. 32,999. The phone comes in two color options: Apricot Crush and Raisin Black. For this review, I will go for the top-end model in Apricot Crush.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Design

Samsung has embraced the trend of offering a vegan leather finish with its new Galaxy F55 5G. This vegan leather back, particularly in the apricot color with red stitching along the edges, stands out in the mid-range segment. The design is complemented by gold-colored rings around each camera lens, adding a touch of elegance to the Apricot Crush variant.

While taking photos, a passerby even asked about the device and was surprised to learn it was a Samsung at this price point, showing that the design definitely grabs attention. The leather finish feels soft to the touch and offers a better grip than glass or polycarbonate backs. However, it needs regular cleaning to maintain its look, unlike other materials. The protruding camera modules also cause the phone to wobble when placed on a flat surface.

The matte gold frame with slightly rounded sides is made of polycarbonate. The display is flat with narrow bezels, and at 180 grams, the phone feels light and slim, measuring 7.8 millimeters thick. The IP67 rating for dust and water resistance means it can handle spills and splashes easily. Its design closely resembles the Galaxy M55 5G, making it feel like a more stylish version of that model.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Specifications and Software

The Samsung Galaxy F55 5G runs on One UI 6.1, based on Android 14. This latest version offers stable performance and a smoother software experience compared to previous iterations. The animations are more polished, and scrolling feels more fluid.

The user interface provides various customization options, including a Work Profile feature that helps separate work and personal accounts. The ‘Modes and Routines’ feature lets you customize settings based on your activities, while the Edge Panel offers quick access to favorite apps with a tap on the screen’s edge.

However, the phone comes with a significant amount of pre-installed apps like PhonePe, Snapchat, and LinkedIn, which can be tedious to remove manually. Additionally, the Glance feature is enabled by default, which can sometimes be distracting.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Performance

Switching to a Qualcomm chipset with the Galaxy F55 5G, Samsung has made notable improvements. The phone scored 573,167 in AnTuTu v10, and in Geekbench 6, it achieved 894 in single-core and 2,265 in multi-core tests. For graphics, it reached 112 FPS in GFXBench T-rex, 59 FPS in Manhattan 3.1, and 29 FPS in Car Chase.

The phone’s day-to-day performance is generally stable. It handles tasks like scrolling through Reels, watching YouTube videos, chatting on WhatsApp, and making calls without issues. However, occasional lag was noticeable when switching between apps.

Gaming performance is decent. By default, games are only displayed in the Gaming Hub, but you can change this setting to show them in the app drawer and on the home screen. Playing Asphalt 9: Legends was smooth, running at 60 FPS with high-quality graphics. In Call of Duty: Mobile, the default settings were Very High Graphics and High Frame Rate, performing without lag or stutter. However, setting the Frame Rate to Max introduced some lag.

The Super AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy F55 5G is impressive, showing vibrant colors and deep blacks, making video content enjoyable. While streaming “Godzilla: Minus One,” the color reproduction was excellent, and dark scenes were detailed. The device is Widevine L1 certified, allowing for full HD streaming from OTT services.

The adaptive screen refresh rate, which switches between 60Hz and 120Hz based on usage, enhances the viewing experience. Brightness is sufficient for outdoor content viewing. However, the stereo speaker output could be better, as the sound, though loud, lacked detail in the highs and mids.

In a battery loop test, the phone lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes. Under heavy usage, including news browsing, YouTube watching, photography, gaming, regular email checking, and ending the day with an anime episode, the battery lasted a full day. With casual usage, it can easily last almost two days.

The phone features a large battery with 45W fast-charging support, which is above average for a mid-range Samsung device but still slower than some competitors. Unfortunately, Samsung does not include a 45W charger in the box, so you’ll need to buy one separately. Using a 65W GaN charger, the device charged to 48% in 30 minutes and 96% in an hour.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Cameras

The Galaxy F55 5G’s camera performance is commendable for a mid-range smartphone. It features a triple-camera setup on the rear, including a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter.

During daylight, the primary sensor captures photos with natural colors and decent sharpness. However, the white balance can be slightly off in some shots. Low-light performance is average, with the Night Mode helping to take decent photos, although it takes some time to process. Without Night Mode, the images tend to lose a lot of detail.

The ultra-wide camera works well in daylight but suffers from a noticeable fish-eye effect at the corners and slight color tone differences compared to the primary camera. In low light, the ultra-wide photos often turn out to be unusable.

The front-facing camera performs adequately, capturing selfies with natural-looking skin tones. The portrait mode works well in daylight but introduces some noise in low-light conditions.

For video, the Galaxy F55 5G can shoot 4K at 30fps. The optical image stabilization (OIS) helps in capturing stable videos with good detail in daylight. However, the video quality in low light could be improved.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Verdict

In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy F55 5G stands out with its premium design. Its slim profile and luxurious vegan leather finish make it an attractive choice at its price point. The IP67 rating adds to its appeal, and the Super AMOLED display is excellent for media consumption. If you seek a stylish mid-range phone with a balanced mix of performance and premium design, the Galaxy F55 5G is a strong contender.

However, the competition in this price range is fierce. The Nothing Phone 2a (starting at Rs. 23,999) offers a unique design, better performance, and superior cameras. The Poco F6 (from Rs. 29,999) features the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, providing better raw and gaming performance, faster 90W charging, and gaming-centric features.

Realme’s 12 Pro+ (starting at Rs. 29,999) also presents a strong case with a similar vegan-leather finish, faster 67W charging, and an excellent camera setup, including an OIS 3X telephoto camera, making it a formidable competitor in the mid-range segment.

Editor’s Rating: 7.5 / 10

Pros

Premium Design: The vegan leather back adds a stylish and luxurious feel to the device.
Impressive Display: The Super AMOLED screen delivers vibrant colors, high contrast, and a smooth viewing experience.
Daylight Camera Performance: The 50MP OIS primary camera and selfie camera capture clear and detailed photos in good lighting conditions.

Cons

No Included Charger: You’ll need to purchase a charger separately, as it’s not provided in the box.
Subpar Low-Light Shots: Long exposure photography in low-light settings can result in blurred images.

Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Specifications

Key Specifications

RAM: 8 GB
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
Rear Camera: 50 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP
Front Camera: 50 MP
Battery: 5000 mAh
Display: 6.7 inches (17.02 cm)

General Information

Launch Date: May 27, 2024 (Official)
Operating System: Android v14
Custom UI: Samsung One UI

Performance

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
CPU: Octa-core (2.4 GHz Single core, Cortex A710 + 2.36 GHz Tri core, Cortex A710 + 1.8 GHz Quad core, Cortex A510)
Fabrication: 4 nm
Architecture: 64-bit
Graphics: Adreno 644
RAM: 8 GB

Display

Type: Super AMOLED Plus
Size: 6.7 inches (17.02 cm)
Resolution: 1080×2400 px (FHD+)
Pixel Density: 393 ppi
Screen-to-Body Ratio: 86.44%
Bezel-less: Yes, with punch-hole display
Touch Screen: Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch
Peak Brightness: 1000 nits
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz

Design

Height: 163.9 mm
Width: 76.5 mm
Thickness: 7.8 mm
Weight: 180 grams
Build Material: Vegan Leather back
Colors: Apricot Crush, Raisin Black

Camera

Main Camera Setup: Triple
Primary Camera: 50 MP f/1.8, Wide Angle (1.56″ sensor size, 1µm pixel size)
Ultra-Wide Angle Camera: 8 MP f/2.2
Macro Camera: 2 MP f/2.4
Autofocus: Yes
OIS: Yes
Flash: LED Flash
Image Resolution: 8150 x 6150 Pixels
Camera Features: Exposure compensation, ISO control, Continuous Shooting, HDR, Macro Mode, Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus
Video Recording: 4K @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps
Video Recording Features: Dual Video Recording, Slow-motion, Video Pro Mode
Front Camera: 50 MP f/2.4, Wide Angle
Front Camera Features: Fixed Focus
Front Camera Video Recording: 4K @ 30 fps, 1080p @ 30 fps