I have a secret, or I did until today: I have been using Samsung’s first modern smartphone with a leather back for almost three weeks. Samsung India sent over a Galaxy F55 review unit to me a few days before it was supposed to go official, and it has been my secondary phone since then.
Why a secondary phone, you ask? Well, the Galaxy F55, or the Galaxy C55, is the same phone as the Galaxy M55 in all but design, and we have already reviewed the Galaxy M55. I liked the Galaxy M55 for what it is, and I got excited when it was announced that the M55’s spin-off, the C55, will be coming to India as the Galaxy F55.
I carried the Galaxy F55 around for a few days to see what kind of a difference the leather back makes, and I’m in love. First, it’s cool to see Samsung finally doing something, well, cool again. Chinese manufacturers often play around with the rear design of their phones, and it’s great to see Samsung opting to do the same and breaking the monotony that has plagued Galaxy smartphone design for so long.
Then there’s the protection aspect. Until last year, Samsung used plastic rear panels on all its mid-range phones and glass backs on flagship devices (with a couple of exceptions from time to time). While the latter is easily the more premium choice, I’ve never really been a fan of either plastic backs or glass backs because of how slippery they both can be.
While some of my colleagues are daredevils who trust themselves with using a phone without a case, I don’t share that bravado. Pretty much every phone that has been my daily driver in the last four years has been a loaner unit from Samsung, yet I never dared use them naked and I always slapped on a case once our review went up.
Samsung and other mobile brands that send out loaner phones never ask reviewers to pay for any damage that we may cause to a device. But even though I know that no money will be spent from my pocket, I’m just not comfortable with the idea of living on the edge, so to speak, as far as smartphones go, whether they cost $200 or upwards of $1500.
Money doesn’t grow on trees, and with phones being so important in our lives, I want them to remain undamaged as long as possible. You may have the best luck in the world and see minimal damage after dropping your phone a few times, but you never know when that luck might run out.
So, there’s no two ways about it: if you want your phone to be safe, you should be using a case. Well, unless you buy a phone with a leather back, like the Galaxy F55 (or Galaxy C55, if you’re in China). Finally, and after what seems like ages, I got to use a phone that I don’t have to put in a case because it isn’t trying to slip out from my hand every chance it gets.
The leather doesn’t feel as premium as glass or metal, but it feels notably better than the polycarbonate rear panels Samsung typically uses on mid-range devices. It also feels better than the faux leather backs Samsung used on phones like the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 4. It doesn't feel as luxurious as glass, but I think the benefits more than make up for that.
I just hope Samsung won’t treat this as a one-time experiment. Since the company has launched a dedicated new lineup with the Galaxy C55 in China, there’s a smaller chance it will give up on the idea too quickly, but you never know.
After all, this is Samsung, which is a company that still has to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks and is often rushing to match the trends created by the competition in the mid-range segment. So yes, I am skeptical, but Samsung is welcome to allay my skepticism by keeping the leather back intact with next year's inevitable sequel(s).
So, if you are in India, China, or any market where the Galaxy F55 or C55 may launch in the future and are thinking of getting the Galaxy M55, don't. Get the F55 or C55 instead.
