Galaxy A55 5G vs Pixel 7a: With great quality comes great responsibility

 

Introduction

Samsung has already started 2024, launching the Galaxy S24 series earlier than usual. It's by no means ready to call it quits for the first half of the year, though, as it still has a full roster of updated mid-range devices.The first and perhaps most exciting of them is the new Galaxy A55 5G. The Galaxy A54 succeeds, one of Samsung's more important announcements in 2023, and will hopefully correct some of the mistakes we disliked in last year's best-selling Samsung phones. yes,

The Galaxy A54 was a hot commodity, and it looks like the Galaxy A55 5G could repeat that success, which is great news for Samsung! Google's Pixel 7a cannot be ignored. It's actually one of the better affordable devices you can get in the US, and the Pixel 7a needs to be considered for any market success. Which of these will be the best budget devices to get in 2024? Comparison time!

Galaxy A55 5G vs Pixel 7a Differences Explained:

Design and display quality

Both the Galaxy A55 5G and the Pixel 7a don't stray far from the classic and well-established candybar paradigm. Standard device, with standard design and traditional exterior. Both the Galaxy A55 5G and Pixel 7a are glass-aluminum sandwiches, but each has a unique design element.On the Pixel 7a, we have the metallic 3D visor that houses the dual cameras and mimics the flagship Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series. Sure, it rattles easily and may not be everyone's cup of tea, but hey, it certainly fits Google's unique recent design language.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy A55 5G comes with the so-called Key Island, which is a bump on the right side of the frame. It has power button and volume rocker. An interesting design element, for sure.Both phones are IP67-rated and will withstand immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, giving you peace of mind.

Now, both the phones are quite different in terms of display. The Galaxy A55 5G is a much larger device thanks to a 6.6-inch FHD+ OLED display, which is quite a bit brighter than last year's Galaxy A54. The Galaxy A55 5G has 120Hz as well as clarity-maximizing Vision Booster, which should make the display look even better, especially at this price.Meanwhile, with the Pixel 7a, we get a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, so we're getting a smaller display that isn't as smooth. It can also be very dim, as maximum brightness is not great Of course, the display might be one of the Pixel 7a's weak points.

Performance and software

Each manufacturer puts their own chipset flavors in their respective devices.

Google has put the flagship-grade Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7a, which is the same chip that powers the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Fold. So, for the most part, you can expect flagship grade performance that will age well, albeit slightly weaker in terms of raw performance.Meanwhile, Samsung's Galaxy A55 5G has its new Exynos 1480 inside, which might not be a terribly powerful powerplant either. Last year's Galaxy A54 wasn't too impressive in terms of performance, so there's definitely room for improvement. Still, we probably shouldn't expect too much from an iterative mid-range refresh.

Both devices will come with 128GB of native storage in the base version, which is a standard mid-range amount these days. The Pixel 7a comes with 8GB of RAM and so does the base version of the Galaxy A55 5G. It should also outdo the multitasking capabilities of these two hot-headed rivals.

The Camera

The Galaxy A55 5G is equipped with a triple-camera system, but let's not kid ourselves: one of them is the mostly useless macro camera. So, for all intents and purposes, think of the phone as having two real cameras, a 50MP wide and a 12MP ultra-wide. At the front, a 32MP selfie camera is found inside the punch-hole.

At the same time, the Pixel 7a comes with a Sony IMX787-powered 64MP main camera that's mostly on par with the flagship Pixel and takes photos that look just as good. There's also a new camera sensor for the ultra-wide camera, which is now a 13MP Sony IMX712 and performs admirably in most situations.The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G boasts improved low-light photography, as well as advanced image processing.

Audio quality and haptics

We expect the Galaxy A55 5G to deliver an audio experience that is above average. Of course, you can't expect it to be at the level of the Galaxy S24 series, but not terrible at all.

Meanwhile, we were mostly satisfied with the audio coming from the Pixel 7a's loudspeakers. We said it produced "a very decent soundstage that doesn't shine with deep bass or ultra-clear highs, but delivers a powerful and punchy sound with bright mids". We were quick to point out that the Galaxy A54 sounded more vibrant, so our expectations for the new Galaxy A55 5G are already relatively high.Haptics is one area where the Pixel 7a doesn't excel, and we really don't expect anything mind-blowing from the Galaxy A55 5G.

Battery life and charging

The Galaxy A55 5G comes with a traditional 5,000mAh battery that has been the de facto benchmark for multiple Android flagships for years. Hopefully, it will pair well with the Exynos 1480 and offer great battery life. Judging from the Galaxy A54, the Galaxy A55 5G could offer outstanding battery life compared to its rivals.

Summary and Final Judgment

So, which of these two could be the affordable phone recommendation for 2024? Well, it depends on how good and expensive the Galaxy A55 5G is! The Pixel 7a is already a safe choice in the $500 mid-range bracket and is often our default answer for low-cost, but great-value devices.

In Europe, the Galaxy A55 5G carries a slightly higher price tag than last year's Galaxy A54, so there's likely to be a price hike in the US as well. It will likely cost more than the Galaxy A54, but it remains to be seen if the refreshed design and new chipset will justify this potential price hike.

Could the Galaxy A55 5G be another best-seller like the Galaxy A54? We will live and we will see.