Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
A worthy upgrade for those who want it
Samsung’s Galaxy A54 is the newest mid-range phone from the South Korean company, and it’s got everything you’d expect from a phone of this caliber. With a 120Hz AMOLED display, a 50MP camera that promises to be capable even in low-light situations, and a faster processor, the A54 looks to be a worthy upgrade if you’re still carrying around the A52.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Starting to show its age
The Samsung Galaxy A52 should still be supported with some important updates in the future; however, the device is starting to show its age. With an older, bulkier design, a camera module that doesn’t handle low-light situations as well, and a smaller battery, we wouldn’t blame you for upgraded to the new Galaxy A54.
We’re long been past the point where yearly upgrades on flagship phones — especially thebest Android phones— are necessary. Those premium phones are so powerful and packed with good features that years later, they will still be competent devices, but is it the same when talking about mid-range phones? We’ve already established that when comparing theSamsung Galaxy A54 vs. Samsung Galaxy A53, the case for an upgrade isn’t too strong, but what if you’re still carrying a Galaxy A52 5G as your daily driver? Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering swapping your Galaxy A52 for the new Galaxy A54.
Samsung Galaxy A54 vs. Galaxy A52 5G: Price, availability, and specs
The Galaxy A54 5G, which is Samsung’s newest Galaxy A-series flagship, costs just $450 for its sole 128GB variant in the US. This is $50 less than the launch price of A52 5G in the country. You can buy from Amazon, Samsung.com, and all three major carriers. Like other Samsung devices, the phone is also available via major brick-and-mortar stores. You can even trade in the older A52 5G to get some credit to reduce your overall cost.
In contrast, the Galaxy A52 5G, being an over two-year-old phone, is pretty hard to find nowadays. But that’s not necessarily bad, considering we have much better phones on the market, including the Galaxy A54 5G. But if you still want to buy it for some reason, AT&T is, surprisingly, still offering it. And you’ll have to shell out $500 without a contract, which is a bad deal.
Design and display
The first difference you’ll notice when comparing these two phones is the stark difference in design. The Galaxy A54 has adopted the new look Samsung first showed off with theSamsung Galaxy S23lineup. The camera modules on the A54 now stick out individually amid the back of the phone rather than the big camera bump you see on the A52. Plus, the Galaxy A54 has some new fun colors to go along with its new design, like Awesome Lime and Awesome Violet, so you’re not stuck with the ironically named Awesome Black of the A52.
It’s not just the look of the device that has undergone a big change; it’s also the materials used since the Galaxy A54 has a glass back instead of the plastic back we see on the Galaxy A52. This change weighs down the phone a bit more, making the A54 weigh a bit more (202g instead of 189g) despite the A52 being slightly larger. While the glass back is a nice touch on the Galaxy A54, making the midrange phone feel a bit more premium, the A54 doesn’t have a headphone jack, while the A52 does. So if you have a pair of dedicated wired headphones you like to use with your A52, you’ll need a USB-C adapter if you want to use them.
The aforementioned difference in size also does affect the size of the display, which has been shrunk just a little bit on the A54 to 6.4 inches instead of the 6.5 inches we got on the Galaxy A52. Other than the size change, there isn’t too much that’s changed with the display. Both phones have a Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, so those rich colors and deep blacks you get from the OLED screens are present in both devices, as is the ultra-smooth scrolling experience that the refresh rate enables. The Galaxy A54 can get brighter in sunny conditions though, making it a bit easier to see when you’re out and about in the sun. It’s only a difference of 200 nits — 1000 on the A54 vs. 800 on the A52 —but having a screen that’s more legible as possible when you’re having fun in the sun is handy.
Software and performance
The Galaxy A54 is getting the same great treatment regarding updates that Samsung has been known for in recent years. It will be supported for four years of major Android software updates and receive five security patches. That’s a bit better than the three years of updates we saw with the Galaxy A52 5G. You’re still getting Android updates on the A52, but the A54 will last further into the future since it is newer. you’re able to getAndroid 13(One UI 5.0) on the A52 today.
The Galaxy A54 also continues the tradition set out by the A53 before carrying a Samsung chip instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon like the A52 has. The Exynos 1380 should be a bit faster and more efficient than A532; however, this difference in practical, real-world applications may not be as drastic as Samsung would like you to believe it is.
When we reviewed theGalaxy A53last year, it had the Exynos 1280 inside the Snapdragon 720G found in the A52, and although it was overall better than the Snapdragon chipset, we still noticed some stuttering and sluggish behavior with the phone, especially in the camera app. Updates over time did make that problem slightly less annoying, but Samsung’s chips have a bit of a reputation for being a little clunky, so it’s possible 1380 in the A54 might have a few hiccups. Still, this will be most noticeable when you’re really pushing the phone to its limits. Your basic day-to-day tasks will run just fine on the Galaxy A54 and likely run just a tad smoother than the A52.
When you look at the spec sheet, you may tell that there has been a change in how Samsung approaches its rear camera module on the Galaxy A54. For starters, it only has three cameras not four like the A52.
The four cameras found on the Galaxy A52 were some of the weaker aspects of the phone, to begin with. The main 64MP f1.8 sensor is pretty good and can certainly produce some great pictures, even in some low-light situations, but the 50MP sensor that has replaced it in the Galaxy A54 tends to produce better photos overall. In fact, Samsung has slowly been switching away all its phones over the past couple of years away from that 64MP sensor because the 50MP sensor just performs better. Proof that the number of megapixels really doesn’t mean too much when it comes to the overall quality of your pictures.
Moving down to the ultrawide 12MP sensors (which are the same on both cameras), they certainly can do the job they set out to do, giving you the ability to grab a nice landscape shot or incorporate more of the surrounding around your subjects.
The other camera you find on both devices are pretty much not worth using if our experience is anything to go by. That 5MP macro lens will very rarely ever be useful, and even if you do want to take macro shots, they will likely end up too dark or washed out. The A52 still has that fourth camera, a 5MP depth camera, but once again it doesn’t do much to add to the overall camera experience and has pretty much become obsolete at this point anyway.
Lastly, you won’t see any difference in the selfie camera on the front, the 32MP f2.2 sensor is perfectly serviceable for video calls and taking selfies for your favorite social media services.
Battery and charging
Samsung’s mid-range phones have always had pretty decent battery life. The Galaxy A52 5G could easily cost into a two-day battery life range if you used it moderately, and since the Galaxy A54 has a larger capacity (5,000mAh instead of 4,500mAh), you can likely expect the same.
Of course, if you are pushing your screen time to the limit and gaming long hours, it’s entirely possible you’ll want to charge every night. In any case, the battery life on both phones is pretty solid; however, if you’re noticing some battery degradation on your current Galaxy A52 that could be a good reason for you to consider an upgrade.
Unfortunately, the charging on the A54 hasn’t gotten any better, it’s still capped at 25W wired charging. It’s slow for a battery with decent capacity, and the fact that A54 didn’t get the ability to wirelessly charge even though it has a glass-back design is certainly disappointing. For upgrading purposes, you won’t get any big charging benefits by moving to the Galaxy A54.
Should you upgrade?
There is no doubt that the Galaxy A54 5G packs in several upgrades over the Galaxy A52 5G. You get a newer design, better processor, improved cameras, and even a slightly bigger battery. But does all this mean you should upgrade from A52 to the A54? It depends. If your A52 has become slow, its battery doesn’t last as long as you want, or it has taken a nasty fall and needs a repair. Then, it’s worth investing in the Galaxy A54 5G. Trade in the A52 and get the Galaxy A54 5G. It won’t disappoint you.
With a 120Hz AMOLED display, a 50MP camera that promises to be capable even in low-light situations, and a faster processor, the A54 looks to be a worthy upgrade over the Galaxy A52, especially if you find your A52 is feeling slow or not holding its charge like it used to.
However, if your Galaxy A52 unit works well, there is no reason to spend money just yet. The A54 is an upgrade but not a necessary one. You can probably stick with the A52 for another or a couple more years and then switch to the A-series flagship of that year or some other phone that catches your fancy.
To swap or not to swap?
If your Galaxy A52 5G is feeling sluggish or your battery life s diminished due to time, then upgrading to the Galaxy A54 is a great choice, but don’t feel like you have to if you think your A52 is working well now.
