Samsung's new mid-range Galaxy A35 is finally available in the USA. Samsung announced the phone yesterday, and now, you can buy it through the company's online shop for $399, unlocked with no carrier strings attached.
The Galaxy A35 is a budget phone, but don't let that relatively low price and mid-range label fool you. This device punches above its weight class and sometimes surpasses expectations — even Samsung's.
If you are in the market for a Samsung mid-range budget phone that offers good value for money, the Galaxy A35 might be your best bet unless you want to spend extra for a Galaxy S23 FE. If you're on a tighter, sub-$500 budget, the S23 FE is out, and the Galaxy A35 is it! Here are our top five reasons why we believe it's worth every penny.
Fantastic build quality for the price range
The only thing holding the Galaxy A35 back in terms of build is its plastic frame. Otherwise, this phone is nearly as well-constructed as Samsung's high-end phones.
The Galaxy A35 has a glass back panel, Gorilla Glass Victus+ screen protection, and an IP67 dust and water resistance rating.
The A35 is the cheapest Samsung Galaxy A phone with an IP rating for water resistance, which will give you peace of mind against accidental spills, water dunks, or heavy rain.
A modern design with an Infinity-O screen
Not only is the Galaxy A35 a phone that's put together well, but it also looks modern and stylish. It shares many design qualities with pricier phones, such as the Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy S24.
The Galaxy A35 has a flat frame with a Key Island element, a flat back panel, and a flat display. It also sports individual camera cutouts at the back, adhering to Samsung's latest design language.
And now, the Galaxy A35 is also the first in the A3x series to adopt an Infinity-O display cutout, making it look even better and stand apart from cheaper Galaxy A phones such as the A15 and A25, which have Infinity-U designs.
A display so good even Samsung underestimates
Despite the $399 price tag, the Galaxy A35 is equipped with a fantastic 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display that boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, Always-On capabilities, and a 2340 x 1080 resolution.
Samsung also says that the Galaxy A35's Super AMOLED can reach 1,000 nits of brightness, but the company seems to have underestimated just how bright this panel can get. Independent tests show the Galaxy A35's 6.6-inch display can reach 1,620 nits of peak brightness, which is on par with much pricier phones.
Aside from the high brightness, the Galaxy A35's screen also offers great colors without color shifting in bright environments. It benefits from the same Vision Booster color calibration technology as Samsung's more expensive Galaxy phones.
A respectable 50MP primary camera
If you plan on capturing photos and videos with a mid-range $399 phone, you'll have to compromise. The Galaxy A35 is not perfect, and as we explained in our review, its ultra-wide and macro cameras are nothing to write home about.
However, the phone's primary 50MP shooter works surprisingly well in most lighting conditions, especially during the day. Here are a few sample shots.
The Galaxy A35's 50MP camera offers good detail and dynamic range, mostly accurate colors, and excellent portrait photos. It can even capture Super HDR videos, though it's worth noting that using Super HDR on the A35 doesn't seem to make much of a difference.
With the Galaxy A35, you can record 4K videos at 30 frames per second and FHD videos at up to 60fps.
A decent cooling system for your mobile gaming needs
The fifth and last but not least reason why you should consider buying the Galaxy A35 is its improved cooling system. Samsung says it is 70% larger than the Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54's cooling. And we can confirm it does work.
The Galaxy A35 is powered by the Exynos 1380 chip, and, truth be told, you won't be able to push heavy mobile games like Call of Duty to their limits. When playing demanding games, you'll mostly stick to default graphics settings.
However, this new cooling system does an excellent job keeping the Exynos chip's performance consistent even during prolonged gaming sessions, which is a real treat if you plan on gaming.
Many low-cost phones pride themselves on good burst performance in benchmarks. However, they often lose a lot of that performance in longer gaming sessions once the internals start heating up. At the very least, the Galaxy A35 seems to offer better performance consistency, which is a boon.
The Galaxy A35 is available in the USA with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, which you can complement through the RAM Plus software feature. Samsung also offers trade-in values of up to $198, and if you bundle the Galaxy A35 with the Galaxy Buds FE earbuds, you can get the accessory for just $69 and save $30. Hit the Buy button below for more details.
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