This year marks the 12th anniversary of the Galaxy A series, which was launched as a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S series with lower specifications. However, it still offers flagship features such as AMOLED screens, waterproof and dustproof capabilities (which were previously considered luxury) and a premium design. After a decade of existence, does the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G still continue the original legacy or the opposite?
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G
6.7″ AMOLED screen, LTPO
FHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
Exynos 1680 processor (4nm)
1x Cortex-A720 2.9 GHz chip
3x Cortex-A720 2.6 GHz
4x Cortex-A520 1.95 GHz
Xclipse 550 GPU
RAM 12 GB LPDDR5x
8GB virtual Memory
Storage 256/512 GB UFS 3.1
Primary Camera 50MP f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
12MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
5MP f/2.4 (Macro)
Front Camera 12 MP f/2.2
5000 mAh battery
45W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM/5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof IP68
Optical under-screen fingerprint scanner
Face scan
Price RM 2399 (12/256GB)
RM 2699 (12/512GB)
Screen
The screen is a 6.7″ AMOLED with FHD+ resolution and supports a 120Hz refresh rate but is not of the LTPO type. Like the A56 screen, the bezels are uneven on all four sides with a larger bezel at the bottom. If symmetry is important to you, only the Galaxy S series offers it on Samsung devices.
The screen can only display HDR content in some popular streaming apps and not HDR10+. The color display is still beautiful and the clarity 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 haptic system is satisfactory but not as good as the Galaxy S series.
Biometrics
An optical fingerprint scanner is placed under the screen with a lower position than the Galaxy S series. This is common in mid-range devices with the scanner not placed in a more ergonomic position. It works quickly as long as the finger is not wet or dirty.
If the fingerprint scanner does not want to be used, there is still a face scanning system that is still quite fast. Without an IR emitter system, the face scanner only works well in bright environmental situations.
Design
The design is the same as the Galaxy A56. The sides are flattened with the screen also flat. The aluminum metal frame has the same color as the back panel which makes the device look uniform. On the right side there is a higher notch to house the power button and audio adjustment. Both of these buttons are made of metal and are comfortable to press with your fingers,
The dual nano SIM slot is placed at the bottom without micro SD card support. The cutout for the speaker and USB-C charger is 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. It looks less attractive compared to the A56, which I think looks more stylish and neat. Like the Pixel 10a and Pixel 9a, there are no major external changes that I can see compared to last year's model.
The A57's body passes the IP68 standard, which is an increase from IP67 last year. This can be said to be a positive development, but manufacturers from China such as the Realme 16 Pro+ already offer devices with IP69 standards in Malaysia.
Usage and Software
The One UI 8.5 operating system is used and it is based on Android 16. It is the same version as the one used on the Galaxy S26 series, but without more of the latest artificial intelligence features. The Galaxy A series uses 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 creating GIFs from on-screen videos.
Awesome Intelligence brings Google Circle to Search, Object Eraser, Auto Trim, Best Face, Custom Filter, Edit Suggestion, AI Select, Read Aloud and Voice Transcription. Google Gemini can be invoked using the power button. The AI features offered are not many but the majority are useful.
The device is smooth to use with the Exynos 1680 chip providing performance comparable to mid-range chips such as the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. Running multiple apps is fast as well as multiple themes. The 12GB memory is quite small compared to other manufacturers' devices but up to 8GB of virtual memory can be added using RAM Plus.
Samsung is providing support for 6 Android versions and 6 years of security patches on the A57 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 1680 chip is a mid-range chip with a core configuration of 1x Cortex-A720 2.9 GHz, 3x Cortex-A720 2.6 GHz and 4x Cortex-A520 1.95 GHz paired with an Xclipse 550 GPU. This puts it on par with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip. So below is a comparison of the benchmark scores of the Exynos 1680 with some other mid-range chips on the market.
Realme 16 Pro+ – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
Poco X8 Pro – Dimensity 8500 Ultra (4 nm)
Vivo V70 – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
Oppo Reno15 – Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
Oppo Reno14 Pro – Dimensity 8450 (4 nm)
Honor 400 Pro – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Tensor G5 (3 nm)
AnTuTu 3D
Score Device
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1,373,996
Realme 16 Pro+ 1,424,007
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro 1,408,711
Poco X8 Pro 2,086,502
Vivo V70 1,464,284
Oppo Reno15 1,412,018
Oppo Reno14 Pro 1,437,541
Honor 400 Pro 1,861,573
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 1,214,735
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Device
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1238 4410
Realme 16 Pro+ 1337 4132
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro 1282 3907
Poco X8 Pro 1721 6340
Vivo V70 1361 4181
Oppo Reno15 1280 3857
Oppo Reno14 Pro 1615 6174
Honor 400 Pro 1224 6083
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 2303 6134
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Chip Score
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G 1713
Realme 16 Pro+ 2108
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro 1993
Poco X8 Pro 4120
Vivo X70 2093
Oppo Reno15 2082
Oppo Reno14 Pro 3780
Honor 400 Pro 4467
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 2567
The performance of using common applications is smooth and very satisfactory. There are no issues with installing and launching applications quickly. The use of LPDDR5X this year makes the device feel lighter. The use of UFS 3.1 storage, although not the fastest, still makes the process of installing large applications not take too long. Overall, the performance of regular apps and mobile games on the Galaxy A57 is comparable to that offered by the Realme 16 Pro+ and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip.
Camera
The main camera consists of a 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens (OIS), a 12MP 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 not very impressive because the macro lens is rarely used and less practical. I would prefer if manufacturers included only two good lenses (like Apple) instead of a tri-camera with a third lens that is just a gimmick.
Camera performance is only average. The images produced look bright and sharp when taken using the wide-angle camera. The OIS system ensures that the images always look sharp even in night mode. The ultra-wide-angle lens takes pictures at a lower quality because the smaller sensor makes the images look softer. The macro mode produces images that are not very satisfactory.
The zoom is fully digital so at zoom settings up to 5X the resulting images start to have an awkward AI post-processing effect. The images are not only less sharp but also look fake. There is no major improvement over last year's performance as it is the same camera combination.
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 settings the sound starts to get a little choppy and the bass is less 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 capacity. It is capable of providing up to 18 hours of use per day and SOT up to 8 hours.
The battery is recharged with a 45W charger in around 70 minutes. It is not the fastest charging time now but luckily it is not the 25W used on previous mid-range devices. The charger is not provided with every device purchase by Samsung.
Competitors
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G Realme 16 Pro+ Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
6.7″ SAMOLED, 120Hz
HDR10, 1900 nits 6.8″ AMOLED, 144Hz
HDR10+, 6500 nits 6.83″ AMOLED, 144Hz
HDR10+, 5000 nits
Exynos 1580 (4nm)
1x Cortex-A720 2.9 GHz
3x Cortex-A720 2.6 GHz
4x Cortex-A520 1.95 GHz Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
1 x 2.8 GHz Cortex-720
4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-720
3 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-520) Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
1 x 2.8 GHz Cortex-720
4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-720
3 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-520)
Xclipse 540 Adreno 722 Adreno 722
12 GB LPDDR5X 12 GB LPDDR5X 8/12 GB LPDDR5X
256/512 GB UFS 3.1 512 GB UFS 3.1 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
Primary Camera
50 MP, f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
12 MP, f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
5 MP, f/2.4 (Macro) Primary Camera
200MP f/1.9, OIS (Wide Angle)
8MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
50MP f/2.8, OIS (Telephoto 3.5X) Primary Camera
50MP f/1.9, OIS (Wide Angle)
8MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide)
50MP f/2.9, OIS (3.5X Telephoto)
Front Camera
12 MP f/2.2 Front Camera
50MP f/2.4 Front Camera
32MP f/2.2
IP68 IP69K IP65
No audio jack No audio jack No audio jack
Audio Stereo Audio Stereo Audio Stereo
5000 mAh
Wired 45W 7000 mAh
Wired 80W 5080 mAh
Wired 50W
Reverse 7.5W
RM 2399 (12/256GB)
RM 2699 (12/512GB) RM 2,399 (12/512GB) RM 2,299 (12/256GB)
In the Box
Here's what you get in the box with every purchase.
1x Samsung Galaxy A57 5G
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G is like Return of The Jedi. The majority of the design and specifications are the same as the Galaxy A56 with the majority of the changes being in the software and the body which is now more waterproof. Its strengths still lie in its attractive design, a chip with satisfactory performance and 6+6 years of software support which is best in its class. If long-term support is important to you, there is no better option in the mid-range at this time.
Admittedly, its camera capabilities are not very impressive and the battery capacity is also only modest. The selling price now starts at RM2399 for 256GB storage which is RM200 more expensive than last year's A56. With the RAM crisis, this is not a surprising price increase. But for a limited time Samsung is offering the A57 at RM2047 (256GB) and RM2199 (512GB) which makes it the safest mid-range device.
Pros
A very attractive design and comfortable in the hand.
Smooth, fast and satisfying performance.
IP68 waterproof and dustproof
6+6 years software support.
Faster RAM.
Larger storage.
Cons
No significant change in camera performance compared to last year.
Battery is quite small and charging is slow compared to competitors.
No charging head provided.
