I previously reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G and said it was the safest mid-range device as it offers six years of Android and software update support. But what about the Samsung Galaxy A37 5G that launched at the same time? Does it still offer the same value? Here’s a quick review. Samsung Galaxy A37 5G.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G
Screen 6.7″ AMOLED,
FHD+, 120Hz, HDR, 1900 nits
Processor Exynos 1480 (4nm)
Chip 4 x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A78
4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55
GPU Xclipse 530
RAM 8/12 GB LPDDR4x
12GB Virtual memory
Storage 256 GB UFS 3.1
Main Camera 50MP f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
8MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
5MP f/2.4 (Macro)
Front Camera 12 MP f/2.2
Battery 5000 mAh
Wired charging 45W
Dual SIM/Telephony/5G
NFC Yes
Audio Jack No
Waterproof IP68
Fingerprint Scanning System Optical under-screen
Scanning face
Price RM 1899 (8/256GB)
RM 1999 (12/256GB)
Screen
The screen is a 6.7″ AMOLED with FHD+ resolution and supports a 120Hz refresh rate but not the LTPO type. This is the same screen as the A57 but with a thicker bottom bezel.
The screen can only display HDR content in some popular streaming apps and not HDR10+. The color display is still beautiful and the brightness is satisfactory even under the hot sun. It is also responsive to detect touches and scrolling always looks smooth when the 120Hz adaptive mode is activated. The same experience although the appearance is different from the more premium A57.
Biometrics
An optical fingerprint scanner is placed under the screen with a rather low position making the process of unlocking the device a little less ergonomic. It still works quickly as long as your fingers are not wet or dirty. The facial recognition system is also fast but only responsive in situations where there is enough light for the front camera to see the user's face.
Design
The design is the same as the Galaxy A57 as both devices are the same size. See the picture below where the A37 is on the left and the A57 on the right. It is really hard to tell the difference between the two. The sides and aluminum metal frame of the device are flat. On the right side there is a higher notch to house the power button and audio controls. Both of these buttons are made of metal and are comfortable to press with your fingers. In the hand, the device feels comfortable and well-balanced.
Galaxy A37 (left) and Galaxy A57 (right)
The dual nano SIM slot is placed at the bottom without micro SD card support. The speaker and USB-C charger slots are also placed at the bottom. Finally, on the top there is a hole for the microphone.
The back panel is made of plastic with a large bump housing the three camera lenses which is now made of translucent plastic. The bump of the device is not very high but still high enough to make the A37 not be placed flat on a table surface. This back panel collects dirt easily so I recommend purchasing a case because Samsung does not offer a free case with every purchase.
The A37's body passes the IP68 standard, making it splash-proof and submersible in water. This is an improvement over the IP67 rating of the A36. So it makes the device suitable for those who frequently do outdoor activities such as school children or ride-hailing service dispatchers.
Usage and Software
The One UI 8.5 operating system is used, which is based on Android 16. It is the same version as the A57. The Galaxy A series is equipped with the Awesome Intelligence artificial intelligence feature instead of Galaxy AI. So there is no Now Brief, Now Bar, Creative Studio or built-in AI agent support.
This is also a more recent version of One UI than the one I used on the S25 Ultra and Z Fold7. So it is strange that a mid-range device has a more recent operating system. The interface is cheerful and easy to understand. The Side Panel provides quick access to several interesting features such as AI Select for smarter screenshots and generating GIFs from on-screen videos.
Awesome Intelligence brings Google Circle to Search, Object Eraser, Custom Filters, AI Select, Read Aloud and Voice Transcription features. This is less support as there is no Auto Trim, Best Face, and Edit Suggestion like on the A57. Samsung's strategy is to offer more powerful AI features on the flagship models with the more affordable models having more limited AI offerings.
The 8/12GB memory is quite small compared to other manufacturers' devices but up to 12GB of virtual memory can be added using RAM Plus. With the RAM crisis still showing no signs of ending, Android devices with more RAM will be a luxury. I still recommend buying a device with 12GB RAM as 8GB RAM is too minimal for current usage needs.
Samsung is providing 6 Android version support and 6 years of security patches on the A37 and all Galaxy A series this year. It is the best long-term device support for mid-range Android devices in Malaysia. However, it is still behind the Galaxy S series and Google Pixel which are supported for 7+7 years.
Benchmarks
The Exynos 1480 chip is an entry-level 4nm chip with a core configuration of 1 x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A78
4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 paired with an Xclipse 530 GPU. The CPU cores used are quite old so I feel it is compatible compared to the devices below.
Infinix Note Edge – Dimensity 7100 (6nm)
Honor 600 Lite – Dimensity 7100 Elite (6nm)
Nothing Phone (3a) – Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4nm)
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL – Tensor G4 (4nm)
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G – Exynos 1680 (4nm)
Realme 16 Pro+ – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
Antutu 3D
Score Device
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G 1,059,377
Infinix Note Edge 805,806
Honor 600 Lite 726,401
Nothing Phone (3a) 803,992
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 1,016,712
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1,373,996
Realme 16 Pro+ 1,424,007
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Device
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G 1138 3489
Infinix Note Edge 972 2827
Honor 600 Lite 867 2660
Nothing Phone (3a) 1146 3123
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 1916 4644
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1238 4410
Realme 16 Pro+ 1337 4132
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Score Device
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G 1042
Infinix Note Edge 692
Honor 600 Lite 640
Nothing Phone (3a) 1043
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 2567
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1713
Realme 16 Pro+ 2108
The performance of using common applications is smooth and satisfactory. I only noticed a slight slowdown when launching graphics-heavy games like COD Mobile. It felt like I had to wait longer for the game to fully load. Especially when I had to update and download various additional files.
Games can also only be played at medium settings because the Cortex A78 core is old. It was launched in 2020. Other mid-range devices already use the more powerful Cortex A720. But for basic 2D or 3D games like Roblox, the gaming performance is sufficient.
Camera
The main camera consists of a 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens (OIS), an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle, and a 5MP f/2.4 macro. This is matched by a 12MP f/2.2 front camera. The camera combination is only different in the ultra-wide lens when compared to the Galaxy A57.
Therefore, the camera performance is almost comparable to the Galaxy A57. The pictures produced look bright and sharp when taken using the wide-angle main camera. The OIS system ensures that the pictures always look sharp even in night mode.
The ultra-wide angle lens takes pictures at 8MP quality which is clearly not as sharp as the main lens. By 2026 standards, the picture quality of the ultra-wide lens is just average. Not amazing and not too disappointing either.
The zoom is fully digital so at the zoom setting up to 10X only but the picture quality only looks good up to 2X zoom. Beyond this limit, the processing done by the device makes the picture look like it was generated by AI. The detail and sharpness are lost with the picture like a watercolor painting.
1X zoom
4X zoom
10X zoom
Audio
There are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The sound is loud and balanced even though the configuration of one of the speakers shoots to the side. However, at the loudest audio setting the sound starts to muffle a little and the bass is not deep. It is the standard speaker sound on a mid-range device. At least Dolby Atmos prevents the audio from sounding flat.
Battery
The 5000 mAh battery used can now be categorized as just average because there are other mid-range devices with larger battery capacities. It can provide up to 18 hours of usage time per day and SOT up to 8-9 hours.
The battery recharges with a 45W charger in around 70 minutes. Not the fastest charging time around but luckily it's not the 25W used on previous mid-range devices. The charger is not provided with every device purchase by Samsung.
Competitors
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G Infinix Note Edge Honor 600 Lite
6.7″ SAMOLED, 120Hz
HDR10, 1900 nits 6.78″ AMOLED, 120Hz
HDR, 4500 nits 6.6″ AMOLED, 120Hz
HDR, 6500 nits
Exynos 1480 (4nm)
4 x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A78
4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 Dimensity 7100 (6 nm)
4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78
4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 Dimensity 7100 Elite (6 nm)
4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78
4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55
Xclipse 530 Mali-G610 MC2 Mali-G610 MC2
8/12 GB LPDDR5X 8GB LPDDR5X 8/12 GB LPDDR4X
256 GB UFS 3.1 256 GB UFS 2.2 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
Main Camera
50 MP, f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
8 MP, f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
5 MP, f/2.4 (Macro) Main Camera
50MP f/1.8, EIS (Wide Angle) Main Camera
108MP f/1.8, EIS (Wide Angle)
5MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
Front Camera
12 MP f/2.2 Front Camera
13MP f/2.2 Front Camera
16MP f/2.5
IP68 IP65 IP66
No audio jack No audio jack No audio jack
Stereo Audio Stereo Audio Stereo Audio
5000 mAh
Wired 45W 6500 mAh
Wired 45W 6520 mAh
Wired 45W
RM 1899 (8/256GB)
RM 1999 (12/256GB) RM 999 (8/256GB) RM 1399 (12/256GB)
In the Box
Here's what you get in the box with each purchase.
1x Samsung Galaxy A37 5G
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is a mid-range device that we can honestly say is less interesting because it only brings minor changes compared to the Galaxy A36. The only changes are the processor chip, faster RAM and storage. The rest is the same. The processor and camera performance are also mediocre. The strength still lies in the support for 6 Android version updates and 6 years of security patches.
The device is sold at a starting price of RM1899 which makes it quite expensive compared to competitors with comparable specifications. Samsung Malaysia is offering a rebate that allows you to buy the Galaxy A37 at a promotional price of RM1699 at this time.
So who is this device for? I think it's for parents who are looking for a starter device for their child that is supported for 6 years which is not offered on other devices in its class. Admittedly, the price is expensive but the reality is that this year's RAM crisis will make all devices less affordable.
Pros
Comfortable design in the hand.
Satisfactory performance for an entry-level device.
IP68 waterproof and dustproof
6+6 years of software support.
LPDDR5X RAM and faster UFS 3.1 storage.
Cons
No change in camera specifications and performance compared to last year.
No charging head provided.
