Samsung launched the Galaxy A57 5G smartphone last month as the successor to the Galaxy A56 5G. This gets a faster Exynos 1680 4nm SoC, sleeker design while retaining the same screen, camera and battery. The price has also increased. Is this a good upgrade compared to the Galaxy A56 5G? Let us dive into the review to find out.
| Box Contents |
| Camera |
| Battery Life |
| Conclusion |
Box Contents
- Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 12GB + 256GB in Awesome Navy color
- USB Type-C to C cable
- SIM ejector tool
- User manual
Display, Hardware and Design
The phone comes with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Infinity-O Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels at about 384 PPI. The display looks bright, thanks to 1900 nits of peak brightness and up to 1200 nits of HBM (high brightness mode), the same as the predecessor. It also has good colour reproduction, and the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection, same as the A56.
It has a 120Hz refresh rate screen that offers a fluid user experience with smoother animations, scrolling and gaming. Similar to the other Samsung phones, there is an Eye comfort shield that limits blue light emitted by the screen. There is also dark mode. You can choose from Vivid or Natural screen modes based on your preference or set the white balance manually.
The phone doesn’t have DC dimming or a low-brightness anti-flicker mode that is present in some AMOLED-screen phones in the price range. I didn’t notice any screen flicker issues in low brightness on the phone. It doesn’t have a notification LED, but there is an always-on display option.
On the top, there is a 12-megapixel camera, and the earpiece is present on the top edge, which doubles up as a secondary speaker. The punch hole is small, and it is not intrusive.
The phone still has huge bottom bezels, and the side bezels are also bigger compared to the competitors. The phone has an in-display optical fingerprint sensor.
Coming to the button placements, the power button and the volume rockers are present on the right side. There is nothing on the left side. The dual SIM slot, primary microphone, USB Type-C port and the loudspeaker grill are on the bottom. The secondary microphone is on the top. The phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack. The A57 continues to feature a brushed aluminium frame which looks and feels premium and doesn’t slip out of your hands easily.
On the back, there is a triple camera module arranged vertically, and this time the camera deco has a silver ring. There is a single LED flash next to it. It is just 6.9 mm thin, making it 0.5 mm thinner than the predecessor, and the phone is also 19 g lighter than the A56 at 179 grams.
It also comes in Awesome Icyblue, and Awesome Lilac colors colours in India. The phone has IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance compared to IP67 ratings in the older models.
Since it has a glossy glass back, it attracts fingerprints easily. The back also has Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. I have been using the phone without a case, and it didn’t slip out of my hands even once.
Camera
- 50MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, OIS
- 12MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
- 5MP macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture
- 12MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture
Even though there is no major change in the camera setup, there are some minor changes in the UI with the One UI 8.5. You can choose the 50MP option from the aspect ratio settings on the top, and the default output is 12MP instead of 12.5MP after pixel binning. It also has AR stickers, a scene optimizer, panorama, hyperlapse, food, dual rec, and more modes.
Coming to the image quality, daylight shots look good with a good amount of detail and dynamic range and detailing, and the image looks similar to the A56 since the sensor is similar. Ultra-wide shots from the 12MP camera are good in daylight and could be better in low-light.
2X macro shots from the main camera are good, and there is a dedicated macro camera mode which is average, and you have to keep it at a 3-5cm distance. Live focus is good at detecting the edges. Low-light performance is slightly better, thanks to the upgraded Image Signal Processors (ISP) and enhanced Nightography capabilities for improved low-light photography.
The shutter speed has also improved compared to the A56, thanks to advanced image processing for noise reduction and better contrast balancing in challenging lighting conditions. 50-megapixel shots have a good amount of details, but the image size is huge. The 12-megapixel front camera is similar.
Check out some camera samples.
It can record videos at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30 fps from both front, rear and ultra-wide cameras. The rear camera can also shoot 1080p 60fps videos, but the stabilization works only in 30fps when it’s enabled in the settings. The phone supports 10-bit HDR recording on both the front and rear cameras.
Software, UI and Apps
Coming to the software, the phone runs on Android 16 with One UI 8.5, and it still has January 2026 Android security patch, but we can expect an update soon. Similar to the other latest Samsung devices, the company has confirmed 6 OS updates and 6 years of security updates for the A57 5G.
Unlike the AI features in the flagship S series phones, the A57 5G only gets some AI features such as generative wallpapers; the voice transcription feature in the Voice Recorder app AI Select, accessible via the Edge Panel, to extract text, create content, and utilize Drag & Drop functionality in Multi-Window layouts; a better Object Eraser tool for more natural background removal; and Best Face for continuous shooting optimization in group photos, as well as an “Auto Trim” tool for video editing. With One UI 8 Now Bar that was introduced with the One UI 7, it delivers customized insights and suggestions via curated AI information, supporting task management and daily routines.
The device maintenance option lets you manage your device’s battery life, storage, RAM usage, and security all in one place. Out of 256GB (UFS 3.1) storage in our unit, 222.9GB is free. Out of 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, about 11.16GB is usable and 6GB is free when default apps are running in the background.
There is also a RAM Plus feature, which uses the internal memory of the phone to expand the RAM by an extra 8GB, in addition to the existing 12GB of RAM. This is enabled automatically, but you can turn it off.
Apart from the usual set of utility apps and Google apps, the smartphone comes with Netflix, Truecaller, Spotify, Snapchat and Microsoft apps such as Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Outlook and LinkedIn. You get the option to install apps when you are setting up the phone, which you can choose not to. It also has Samsung Wallet via NFC. The phone doesn’t have ads but shows notifications of new Samsung products occasionally.
Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock
The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor that immediately unlocks the phone even when the phone is locked. It is good, but not as fast as a physical fingerprint scanner. You can add up to 3 fingerprints, and adding fingerprint is easy. It has support for face recognition, which doesn’t work well if the lighting is poor in the room or if you are wearing hats or heavy makeup. Both these are protected by Knox security.
Music Player and Multimedia
YouTube Music is the default music player. It has equalizer, Dolby Atmos, UHQ upscaler, and Adapt that can be enabled from the settings. All these improve the audio when listening through earphones, and Dolby Atmos also works with speakers. It doesn’t have FM radio support. That said, audio through earphones is good. Loudspeaker output from the stereo speakers is good as well.
The phone comes with Widevine L1 support out-of-the-box so that you can enjoy HD content on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar and other streaming apps. There is also HDR playback support for YouTube and Netflix.
Dual SIM and Connectivity
The Galaxy A57 5G has support for N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28, N38, N40, N41, N66, N77 and N78 network bands in India. There is dual SIM 5G, and Airtel and Jio 5G works out of the box. There is also 4G Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and support for LTE-A or Carrier Aggregation and VoNR support for Jio. It also has eSIM support, but this disables the second SIM.
Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 6E ax (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Wi-Fi Calling or Vo-Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0 and GPS with GLONASS. It has support for USB OTG and NFC that works with supported payment apps.
The Galaxy A57 5G’s head SAR is 1.273 W/Kg, which is slightly less than the A56, and is well under the limit of 1.6 W/kg (over 1 g) for India.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Galaxy A56 5G is the first Samsung phone to be powered by the new Exynos 1680 4nm SoC. This has 1x Cortex-A720 @ 2.90GHz, 4x Cortex-A720 @ 2.60GHz, 3x Cortex-A520 @ 1.95GHz. This is a 1+4+3 revised architecture, which promises a 16% performance boost over the previous generation. I didn’t face any performance issues; it was smooth.
There is also a new AMD-powered Xclipse 550 GPU, and the company mentions that the GPU based on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture has 2 Work Group Processors (WGPs) and 2RB (Render Backend) configurations.
Even though the performance is good, it is not the best phone for gaming when you get flagship-range chips in phones in the price range. However, you can still run games. In BGMI you only get the Smooth Extreme option, so it is only 60 fps even. There is a 120Hz gaming motion smoothness feature. It has a 13% larger vapor chamber compared to the A56, says the company, without revealing any other specifics.
In the 3D Mark Wildlife stress test, it scored 99.4%, which is better than the A56%, and the temperature shot up from 27 to 35 degrees, which is lower, so the A57 definitely runs cool. That said, check out some synthetic benchmark scores below.
Battery life
The Galaxy A57 5G retains the 5000mAh battery from the last 4 generations. I got about 6 hours of screen on time, mostly on Wi-Fi and occasionally on 5G, with over 2 days of use in 120Hz refresh rate, thanks to the One UI 8.5 optimization. It should last for a day easily even with heavy use.
Samsung doesn’t offer a charger in the box, but the phone supports 45W charging. With the official 45W PPS fast charger, it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes for 100%, and 50% took about 22 minutes. It is still less compared to the competitors.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G is a textbook example of “refinement over revolution.” By slimming the chassis down to a sleek 6.9 mm and upgrading the build to a premium IP68-rated aluminum and glass design, Samsung has created one of the most ergonomic and durable devices in its class. The jump to the Exynos 1680 chip doesn’t just offer a performance bump; it brings significantly better thermal management and efficiency, ensuring the phone stays cool even under pressure.
However, the “A” series’ identity is shifting. With a starting price of Rs. 56,999, the A57 5G is no longer a simple mid-ranger—it is encroaching on entry-level flagship territory. While the 6 years of OS updates and the stellar 120Hz Super AMOLED display provide incredible long-term value, the recycled camera hardware and the lack of a telephoto lens are hard to ignore at this price point.
Is it a good upgrade? Yes, if you are coming from a Galaxy A54 or older, the improvements in design, charging speed (45W), and software longevity are massive.
No, if you currently own a Galaxy A56 5G, the upgrades are largely cosmetic and efficiency-based. You might be better off waiting for a price drop or looking toward the S25 FE for a more capable camera system.
The Galaxy A57 5G is a polished, “safe” smartphone for those who prioritize a premium feel and software peace of mind over raw gaming power or cutting-edge camera tech.
Alternatives
The iQOO 15R is a direct competitor at a cheaper rate with a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is available at a cheaper rate during the discount that will get you a telephoto camera.
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy A57 5G 8GB + 256GB model is priced at Rs. 56,999, and the 12GB + 256GB model costs Rs. 62,999. It is already available from Samsung exclusive and partner stores, Samsung.com, and other online platforms.
Pros
- 120Hz AMOLED display is good
- Solid build quality, IP68 ratings
- Smooth performance
- Promise of 6 OS updates and 6 years of security updates
- Good battery life, 45W charging
Cons
- Same old camera setup, and no telephoto camera
- Significant price hike compared to the previous generation