As one of Engadget’s resident mobile geeks, I’ve reviewed dozens of midrange phones and have found that a great smartphone doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Years of commoditization have brought features once exclusive to high-end devices – including big batteries, multi-camera arrays and high refresh rate displays – down to their more affordable siblings. While there are still some things you’ll only find on flagship smartphones, you don’t have to compromise as much anymore if you’re looking to find the best buy at a lower price point. If you have less than $600 to spend, I can help you figure out what features to prioritize when trying to find the best midrange smartphone.
Editor’s note (5/9/24): Google has announced the Pixel 8a, its latest midrange smartphone. The 6.1-inch handset starts at $499 and, as expected, takes many of its cues from last year’s flagship Pixel 8 series. We’ll have a full review in the coming days and will update this guide accordingly. For now, you can check out our hands-on preview for more details on what to expect. Google says it’ll continue to sell the Pixel 7a, our current toppick, at a reduced price, so it may continue to be worthwhile. Most should hold off until we put the new Pixel through its paces, though.
What is a midrange phone, anyway?
While the term shows up frequently in articles and videos, there isn’t an agreed-upon definition for “midrange” beyond a phone that isn’t a flagship or an entry-level option. Our recommendations for the best midrange smartphones cost between $400 and $600 — any less and you should expect significant compromises. If your budget is higher, though, you should consider flagships like the Apple iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22.
What factors should you consider when buying a midrange smartphone?
Buying a new device can be intimidating, but a few questions can help guide you through the process. First: what platform do you want to use? If the answer is iOS, that narrows your options down to exactly one phone. (Thankfully, it’s great.) And if you’re an Android fan, there’s no shortage of compelling options. Both platforms have their strengths, so you shouldn’t rule either out.
Obviously, also consider how much you’re comfortable spending. Even increasing your budget by $100 more can get you a dramatically better product. And manufacturers tend to support their more expensive devices for longer. It’s definitely worth buying something toward the top limit of what you can afford.
Having an idea of your priorities will help inform your budget. Do you want a long battery life or fast charging speed? Do you value speedy performance above all else? Or would you like the best possible cameras? While they continue to improve every year, even the best midrange smartphones still demand some compromises, and knowing what’s important to you will make choosing one easier.
Lastly, pay attention to wireless bands and network compatibility. If you don’t want to worry about that, your best bet is to buy directly from your carrier. To make things easier, all the phones we recommend are compatible with every major US wireless provider and can be purchased unlocked.
What won’t you get from a midrange smartphone?
Every year, the line between midrange and flagship phones gets blurrier as more upmarket features and specs trickle down to more affordable models. When we first published this guide in 2020, it was difficult to find $500 devices with waterproofing or 5G. Now, the biggest thing you might miss out on is wireless charging. Just remember to budget for a power adapter too – many companies have stopped including chargers with their smartphones. Performance has improved in recent years, but can still be hit or miss as most midrange phones use slower processors that can struggle with multitasking. Thankfully, their cameras have improved dramatically, and you can typically expect at least a dual-lens system on most midrange smartphones below $600.
The best midrange phones for 2024
Google Pixel 7a: The best midrange Android phone
Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
The $500 Pixel 7a delivers everything we look for in a great affordable phone. New features include a faster Tensor G2 chip, a smoother 90Hz display and for the first time on one of Google’s A-series phones: support for wireless charging. And with a refreshed design with IP67 water resistance, it looks and feels like the standard Pixel 7 but for $100 less. You also get great support thanks to five years of security updates and at least three OS upgrades. The phone’s only shortcomings are rather small and include a lack of a dedicated zoom lens and no support for mmWave 5G (unless you purchase a slightly more expensive $550 model from Verizon).
iPhone SE (3rd generation): The best iPhone under $600
Apple
If you can get past its dated design and small 5.4-inch display, the Apple iPhone SE is the fastest phone you can buy for less than $600. No other device on this list has a processor that comes close to the SE’s A15 Bionic. What’s more, you can expect Apple to support the 2022 model for years to come. The company is only just ending support for the first-generation SE after six years. The company hasn’t said how long it intends to furnish the latest SE with new software, but it’s likely to support the device for a similar length of time.
For all its strengths, the iPhone SE is held back by a dated display. Not only is the SE’s screen small and slow, but it also uses an IPS panel instead of an OLED display, meaning it can’t deliver deep blacks. Additionally, that screen is surrounded by some of the largest bezels you’ll find on a modern phone. That’s not surprising. The SE uses the design of the iPhone 6, which will be a decade old in two years. And if the SE looks dated now, it will only feel more tired in a few years.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: The midrange phone with the best display for streaming
Photo by Mat Smith / Engaget
For the best possible display at this price, look no further than Samsung’s $450 Galaxy A53 5G. It features a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display that is ideal for watching TV shows and movies. Plus the 120Hz panel is the fastest on this list. Other standout features of this Samsung phone include a 5,000mAh battery and versatile camera system. The A53’s three shooters may not deliver photos with the same detail and natural colors as the Pixel 7a, but it can capture bigger scenes with its two wide-angle rear cameras.
Like the other Android smartphones on this list, the Samsung Galaxy A53 isn’t the fastest performer. At best, Samsung’s Exynos 1280 is a lateral move from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G found in the Galaxy A52 5G. And though the A53 is $50 cheaper than its predecessor, this Samsung phone no longer comes with a power adapter and headphone jack, so the difference may not end up being much.
OnePlus Nord N200 5G: The best cheap smartphone when on a budget
Photo by Brian Oh / Engadget
If you only have around $200 to spend on your next phone, you could do a lot worse than the OnePlus Nord N200. To start, this budget phone features a big 5,000mAh battery that will easily last you a full day. The N200 also has a 90Hz display and 5G connectivity, which are tricky to find at this price. Best of all, it doesn’t look like a cheap phone.
But the N200 is also a good illustration of why you should spend more on a budget phone if you can. It’s the slowest device on this list, due to its Snapdragon 480 chipset and paltry 4GB of RAM. Its triple main camera setup is serviceable during the day but struggles in low light and doesn’t offer much versatility beyond a disappointing macro lens. OnePlus also doesn’t plan to update the phone beyond the soon-to-be-outdated Android 12. In short, the N200 is unlikely to last you as long as any of the other affordable phones on this list.
The time has never been better to consider a new mid-range graphics card now that AMD made its latest GPU available worldwide. Naturally, potential buyers are going to compare the RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070, given their close proximity in price, but it’s also important to consider what they each offer in terms of performance, features, and overall value for your money.
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is a curious graphics card, launching in February 2024 after being launched exclusively in China back in June 2023, but it’s now available to the rest of the world and offers phenomenal performance for a far more palatable price tag than many of the best graphics cards on the market right now. With the promise of the Big Navi 31 die and 16GB VRAM under the hood, it even proves itself to be one of the best 4K graphics cards for those who are on a tighter budget but want some of that sweet, sweet 2160p gaming (with appropriate settings tweaks).
The RTX 4070 has had something of a resurgence recently, having been effectively replaced by the RTX 4070 Super back in January of this year. The latter card offered 20% more CUDA cores at the same $599 price point, essentially getting you significantly more performance without the need to splash out. But that release also dropped Nvidia‘s suggested retail price of the Nvidia RTX 4070 by about 10%, making it an even stronger contender for the title of best 1440p graphics card.
But there’s more to it than all that, and while we’re fond of both mid-range GPUs, we wouldn’t be TechRadar if we didn’t dig deep into our test bench to put each of these fan-favorites to our extensive battery of performance tests to find out which one comes out on top.
RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070: Price
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
When weighing up a mid-range graphics card, the pricing is always paramount. The brand new RX 7900 GRE comes in clutch with an advantage straight out of the gate with its recommended retail price of just $549 / £529.99 / AU$929. In contrast, the RTX 4070 launched at $599 / £589.99 / AU$999 for the Founders Edition model, but has also dropped down to $549 / £529.99 / AU$929 in February.
What’s particularly aggressive about the RX 7900 GRE is how it slots into the current RDNA 3 lineup, being just $50 more than the excellent AMD RX 7800 XT from last year. In comparison, the RTX 4070 is quite the jump up from its sibling, the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, which starts at $399 in the US.
On price alone, then, this would appear to be a tie between the RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070, but price isn’t the same thing as value, and in the case of the RX 7900 GRE, it’s overall performance-to-price ratio after our testing reveals that it gives you more for that investment, giving it the decisive edge here.
Winner: AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070: Specs
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
AMD’s RX 7900 GRE immediately stands out as a mid-range GPU by offering 16GB GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus. It’s built on the AMD Navi 31 die with a total of 5,120 Stream Processors. By comparison, the RTX 4070 is built on the AD104 die with a total of 5,888 CUDA cores and 12GB GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit memory bus.
There we see the immediate architectural differences between mid-range RDNA 3 and Ada respectively. The former opts for a larger memory bus with a higher amount of slower memory, compared to the latter’s lower memory pool that’s considerably quicker. Despite their differences, the two models are remarkably close in total bandwidth available with the GRE boosting 576 GB/sec to the RTX 4070’s 504.2 GB/sec.
That slight lead in bandwidth comes at the price of increased power draw, however. That’s because the 7900 GRE has a 260W TDP compared to the 4070’s 200W TDP, for a difference of 30%. Ada’s architecture is therefore considerably more efficient than its rival. With that said, the red corner wins favor by fitting its latest GPU out with the standard two 8-pin PCIe connectors with no need for the likes of a 16-pin adapter, though.
The design languages of both are similar at base level. The 7900 GRE and 4070 are both dual-slot GPUs which means they should be ideal for a smaller form factor mini-ITX build just as much as a wider tower.
It’s worth noting that the GRE uses the same chip as the AMD RX 7900 XT and AMD RX 7900 XTX, just with substantially less VRAM and a smaller memory bus to utilize, and the memory interface matches that of the RX 7800 XT, even with slightly slower memory speed. It’s interesting to see how Team Red has effectively repurposed the Navi 31 silicon for a value play, though.
In the end, then, AMD’s offering has more VRAM, a larger memory bus, and a higher bandwidth for less money, so for that reason, we’re giving Team Red the edge here.
Winner: AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070: Performance
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
It all comes down to performance as to whether you should invest in either an RX 7900 GRE or the RTX 4070, and here we’ve done an unhealthy amount of benchmarking and testing on these two cards and collected reams of data to help highlight what you can expect from each. Measuring their general performance using synthetic benchmarks, some things become pretty clear right out the gate.
The lead taken by the RX 7900 GRE extends into our industry-standard synthetic benchmarks as well.
Taking 3DMark Sky Diver and Fire Strike Extreme as prime examples, AMD’s GPU achieved scores of 169,170 and 27,595 when compared to Nvidia’s offering of 120,719 and 20,457, trailing behind by quite a significant margin.
This is also true with the ray tracing-focused Port Royal with the RX 7900 GRE scoring 11,768 against the RTX 4070’s 10,415. The RTX 4070 does manage to score well ahead of the RX 7900 GRE when it comes to raw compute performance though, so data scientists and ML researchers are going to want to opt for the Nvidia RTX card.
Where we deviate from the script somewhat is with creative workloads where the Nvidia GPU pulls out some very solid wins.
This is most evident in Blender 4.0 with the Monster, Junkshop, and Classroom benchmarks with respective scores of 2,657, 1,267, and 1,332. There’s no other way to phrase this, the GRE just can’t match the output with scores of 1,252, 623, and 618, respectively.
In AdobePhotoshop, AMD does manage a better showing, with the RX 7900 GRE beating the RTX 4070 in the PugetBench for Creators 1.0 Photoshop benchmark, 10,650 to 9,695, though the RTX 4070 beats the RX 7900 GRE in Adobe Premiere, getting a score of 12,317 to the RX 7900 GRE’s 11,200 in PugetBench. The RX 7900 GRE also manages to encode 4K video into 1080p about 10 FPS faster than the RTX 4070, though both still perform exceptionally well in this test.
But these are really gaming graphics cards at the end of the day, and putting the RX 7900 GRE vs RTX 4070 across several gaming benchmarks really did surprise us.
These cards have more than enough resources to game well above 1080p, but for those who might be using older monitors or might want to bring things down to full HD to take advantage of faster frame rates will have a lot to like about both cards, but the RX 7900 GRE still comes out well ahead of the RTX 4070.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at max settings without RT or upscaling enabled, the RX 7900 GRE manages to pull out a blazing fast 151 FPS compared to the RTX 4070’s 97 FPS, a difference of about 55% in the RX 7900 GRE’s favor. The RX 7900 GRE is even able to match the RTX 4070’s ray-tracing performance in Cyberpunk 2077 (both scoring 46 FPS with Psycho RT on Ultra quality), though notably, the RX 7900 GRE’s minimum FPS is nearly twice that of the RTX 4070’s, so you’ll get much smoother gameplay overall.
In total, the RX 7900 GRE averages about 111 FPS at 1080p, compared to the RTX 4070’s 82 FPS, a difference of about 35% in the RX 7900 GRE’s favor.
Starting with AMD’s latest offering, the RX 7900 GRE was able to achieve 60 FPS average in Metro Exodus with Extreme settings, as well as 102 FPS average in Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra. Impressively, this streak continued in Returnal with 121 FPS average at Epic settings, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland at 116 FPS on Badass.
The RTX 4070 is no slouch either. The mid-range Ada also got an average of 60 FPS in Metro Exodus on the Extreme preset but just 65 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 when set to Ultra. Scores are similar with Returnal and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, with averages of 88 FPS and 97 FPS, falling just short of what the RX 7900 GRE was able to output. This is likely due to the smaller memory pool available.
Neither card flourishes in 4K, sadly, so if you’re considering either GPU you’ll want to keep things locked to QHD for the most part.
Looking at Metro: Exodus, you’re going to get around half the framerate with the GRE pulling in only 35 FPS; playable, but far from ideal. It’s a similar story with Cyberpunk 2077 with the RX 7900 GRE scoring 43 FPS on average. Returnal fared better with 68 FPS on average and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland keeping rock solid at 60 FPS. Playing at 2160p is possible with the RX 7900 GRE, but your results will be less consistent unless you tinker with the settings some.
The RTX 4070 falls well short of the RX 7900 GRE at 4K. You’re looking at quite the reduction in Metro: Exodus and Cyberpunk 2077 with an average of just 29 FPS apiece, falling just short of playability. Returnal does a bit better at 51 FPS but is well behind the 4K@60+ offered by the RX 7900 GRE. Tiny Tina’s Wonderland also lags behind with 50 FPS – a full 10 FPS deficit – or about 18% slower.
In the end, its not really all that close, with the RX 7900 GRE outperforming the RTX 4070 across all but a few benchmarks, and it only gets soundly beaten in Blender 4.0 3D rendering, a test that Nvidia has a natural advantage thanks to it being tied so heavily to Nvidia’s CUDA graphics language.
Other than that, though, the RX 7900 GRE scores nearly 27% better than the RTX 4070, which is incredible considering that they are both the same price. In Nvidia’s favor though, it’s taking a lot of power for the RX 7900 GRE to pull this off, so if efficiency and sustainability are important to you, the Nvidia RTX 4070 gets a lot of performance with much lower power.
Winner: AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
Which one should you buy?
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
Which GPU you should buy will ultimately come down to your needs.
If you primarily want a mid-range graphics card for gaming first and foremost, then you’re going to be better served by the AMD RX 7900 GRE. AMD’s card performs better and more consistently in 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K.
However, if gaming is more of a secondary activity and you want a graphics card for creativity and productivity then there’s a case to be made for the RTX 4070 here. If you’re looking to get into 3D modeling on the (relative) cheap, Nvidia’s midrange card can get you a lot farther than AMD’s, but this is honestly a very narrow advantage, and most people are going to want to get the RX 7900 GRE. Considering there’s no difference in price between the two, it’s an easy call to make on this one.
HMD is breaking into new territory by launching its first smartphone line under an original name. It’ll no longer be known as just a manufacturer of Nokia phones. In total, there are three mid-range devices in the series: the HMD Pulse, Pulse Plus, and Pulse Pro. The third model is meant to be the leader of the pack, although if you look at their respective specifications, you’ll notice they are all very similar to one another with a few differences.
The HMD Pulse Pro houses a Unisoc T606 processor running on a 5,000mAh battery capable of lasting up to 59 hours on a single charge. Buyers can equip the phone with up to 8GB of RAM. Storage capacity peaks at 128Gb although you can expand it up to 256GB with an SD card. On the front, you have a 6.65-inch HD Plus touchscreen with an image resolution of 1,612 x 720 pixels. Up top is a 50 MP selfie camera supported by multiple features. Gesture Navigation, for example, lets you use hand gestures like a finger heart or a thumbs up to instruct the selfie lens to take a photo. And pictures taken at night are, the company claims, “clear as day” thanks to AI Super Portrait boosting the luminosity.
(Image credit: HMD)
Around the back is a two-camera setup consisting of another 50MP lens and a 2MP depth option. They too have their own set of supporting features. Skin tone optimization ensures people of different skin complexions look good in photographs no matter what. You also have Flash Shot for taking multiple pictures in quick succession.
Performance gap
When it comes to the other two models, they have nearly identical configurations. The same chipset, the same battery, the same display, and so on. Differences among the trio are centered around their camera system. HMD states the Pulse Plus has a 50MP rear camera (even though you see two lenses) and an 8MP selfie. The standard Pulse phone bumps the rear lens down to just 13MP. Some of the Pulse Pro’s image-enhancing software is found on the pair, like the skin tone optimization, but the hand gestures aren’t.
(Image credit: HMD)
It’s also important to mention that all three are repairable. HMD is partnering up with iFixit in providing spare parts. Users will be able to replace cracked screens, bent charging ports, or a completely dead battery. No word on when the repair kits and parts will launch. They’re not available on iFixit’s website at the time of this writing.
Availability
The standard Pulse phone is available for purchase in the UK for £99.99 on HMD’s website in Meteor Black. The Dreamy Pink variant is out of stock at the moment. Both the Pulse Plus and Pulse Pro will roll out in the United Kingdom soon, however an exact date was not given.
(Image credit: HMD)
There are plans to launch an independent phone in the United States known as the HMD Vibe. It’ll be similar to the others in that it’ll have a two-day battery life, 4GB of memory, and a dual camera setup. However, the Vibe will house a Snapdragon chipset rather than the Unisoc processor.
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There are also plans to release the trio in the EU. But if you try to buy any of them on the international page, you’ll just run into an error message. We reached out to the brand for more information.
After a few weeks of waiting, Samsung is officially launching the Galaxy A35 in the USA. The phone is not yet listed in the online shop as of this writing, but the official announcement is out, and the device should show up in Samsung’s e-shop momentarily to join the existing Galaxy A15 and A25.
Samsung’s Galaxy A35 is a pricier mid-range phone with a great feature set, and it is the company’s cheapest A-series phone to boast an IP rating for dust and water resistance — IP67, to be precise.
Speaking of build quality, the Galaxy A35 has a plastic frame but boasts a glass back panel and Gorilla Glass Victus+ screen protection. The Infinity-O display has a 6.6-inch diagonal, a resolution of 2340 x 1080, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a brightness of up to 1,000 nits with Vision Booster technology.
More specs and pricing details for the USA
At nighttime, the Galaxy A35 offers enhanced Nightography and Night Portrait mode. The camera system supports 12-bit HDR and boasts OIS (optical image stabilization) and VDIS (video digital image stabilization).
The A35 has a 50MP primary camera with PDAF and OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 13MP selfie camera. You can record 4K@30fps videos with the front and rear shooters.
Other specs include expandable storage, an under-display fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, Android 14 with One UI 6.1 (sans Galaxy AI), and a 5,000mAh battery with 25W charging. The Galaxy A35 also benefits from Samsung Knox Vault, which makes it a good low-cost choice for business users.
While the lower-cost Galaxy A25 uses the Exynos 1280 chip, the Galaxy A35 is powered by the same Exynos 1380 SoC employed by the Galaxy A54 last year. It is superior to the Exynos 1280.
The official launch announcement mentions only one memory configuration: 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. However, Samsung could release other memory specs soon.
In the USA, the Galaxy A35 starts at $399. For a limited time, buyers can bundle the A35 with the Galaxy Buds FE and receive a 30% discount on the wireless earbuds. The phone arrives in the USA in two color options: Awesome Lilac and Awesome Navy.
We recommend checking out our full Galaxy A35 review if you want to read more about this device and its pros and cons.
If you have read our reviews of the recently launched Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, you may have noticed us complaining about Samsung’s 25W charging technology feeling a little outdated in this day and age, even on a mid-range smartphone.
Well, Samsung may have heard our cries, as it recently launched the first mid-range Galaxy smartphone that supports 45W charging, or Super Fast Charging 2.0 as Samsung calls it. That phone is the Galaxy M55, which was made available for pre-order in Brazil a week ago.
Galaxy M55 can be charged up to 70% in 30 minutes with 45W charger
According to Samsung, the Galaxy M55’s 5,000 mAh battery can be charged to 70% in just 30 minutes with a 45W charger. The Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 sport the same battery capacities, but a half hour charge only gets them up to around 40% and 30% respectively as they charge at 25W.
Some will rightfully point out that the difference between 25W and 45W charging isn’t huge. But that’s only applicable to the time it takes for the battery to go from 0 to 100%. 45W charging has a sizable advantage in the first half hour, as evident from the testing we have done here at SamMobile and as Samsung itself confirms in the Galaxy M55’s promotional material.
However, we will have to wait and see if Samsung will bring 45W charging to the Galaxy A series next year with the Galaxy A55 or Galaxy A35’s sequel or to other Galaxy M smartphones. Samsung still limits even some of its flagship phones to 25W charging, so we can see the Galaxy M55 being an exception instead of a sign of 45W becoming more common across Samsung smartphones in the future.
Galaxy M55 is also the first Samsung phone with a 50MP front camera
While the M55’s 45W charging is a first for mid-range Samsung phones, it also has something we have never seen on any Galaxy device before: a 50MP front camera. 40MP is the highest we have seen on Galaxy devices until now, and while the megapixel count isn’t everything, we are very interested in checking out what the M55’s 50MP front camera is capable of.
Another first for the Galaxy M55 is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip that powers it. Samsung made heavy use of Snapdragon chips for mid-range phones in 2021 but has gone back to using Exynos and MediaTek chips in recent years.
The Exynos 1480 inside the Galaxy A55 is more powerful than the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, though the M55 probably won’t make users feel like it lacks the processing power for most tasks. Not to mention that the Exynos 1480 may never be used to its full potential, especially in games, as developers don’t usually put extra effort into taking advantage of specific chips.
The Google Pixel 8a isn’t much of a secret at this stage. A new batch of leaks gives further evidence of the handset’s existence and tells us the specs and the design we can look forward to in the upcoming mid-range phone.
Well-known tipster Yogesh Brar (via Android Authority) has posted several specs for the phone, as well as a price estimate of $500 – $550 (that’s about £395 – £435 / AU$760 – AU$835). As for the phone, we can expect a 6.1-inch, 120Hz, OLED screen, a Tensor G3 chip, as well as 128GB and 256GB storage options.
Google Pixel 8a- 6.1″ FHD+ OLED, 120Hz- Tensor G3- 128/256GB storage- 64MP (OIS) + 13MP (UW)- 13MP selfie- Android 14- 4,500mAh (~)- 27W chargingLaunch: May ($500-550)What are your price expectations?April 5, 2024
See more
Apparently, there’s a dual-lens 64MP+13MP camera around the back and a 13MP selfie camera on the front, with power provided by a 4,500mAh battery. Those specs match up well with the Google Pixel 8, though we assume the new phone will come with cheaper materials and a few other compromises to hit a lower price.
The leak lends more credence to some of the earlier rumors we’ve seen, including one about the 120Hz screen on the Pixel 8a. As you’ll see from our full Google Pixel 8 review, that handset retails at $699 / £699 / AU$1,199, so there may not be too much to choose between these phones when the Pixel 8a appears.
Google hints
This couldn’t be the Pixel 8a, could it? (Image credit: Google)
There are a couple of other leaks to tell you about. One, as spotted by MySmartPrice, suggests several Pixel 8a models have now shown up in the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) database. This doesn’t tell us too much, other than that a launch is getting closer.
And lastly, it seems Google is getting in on the leaks. As spotted by GSMArena and others, a new Google Fi Wireless advert shows a phone that doesn’t exactly match the Pixel 8 design, leading to some speculation that this is the Pixel 8a. Of course, it might just be a mockup of a generic Pixel phone.
The biggest changes this year could be around the phone’s design, because leaked renders have pointed to larger bezels and curvier corners. Those extra curves also appeared in a separate leak, making it easier to believe this is the final Pixel 8a design.
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Sony will soon release a new pair of mid-range wireless headphones capable of delivering bassy audio on the same level as high-end models. At least, that’s what this latest leak from industry insider Roland Quandt would lead us to believe. He recently spilled the beans on what may be the Sony WH-ULT900N headphones, which Quandt claims are the successors to the WH-XB910N.
This information comes from German tech news site WinFuture, but we’re going to be using a translation provided by NotebookCheck. According to the report, the pair will sport a feature called “Ultra Power Sound,” giving the pair a frequency range stretching from 5 Hz up to 20 kHz.
Having a bottom as low as 5 Hz is particularly notable because it’s a range close to what you see on high-end headphones such as Sony’s WH-1000XM4. NotebookCheck points out this would allow the WH-ULT900N to output “more bassy sound than many of its competitors.”
(Image credit: Roland Quandt/WinFuture)
Images within the leak also give us our first look at what the headphones may look like. At a glance, they resemble the high-end WH-1000XM4 although with a few design tweaks. The USB-C ports on the outside of the cups are no longer there, having been replaced by what appears to be a speaker grill. And the company logo is in a different position.
(Image credit: Roland Quandt/WinFuture)
Specs
Quandt’s leak goes on to list some of the WH-ULT900N’s specifications. Inside the cups will be 40mm drivers, and its battery will last up to “50 hours of music playback”. That number drops down to 30 hours with ANC (active noise canceling) enabled. It’ll use the company’s own LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Codec) connectivity standard to ensure high resolution audio across wireless connections.
With Bluetooth 5.2, the WH-ULT900N supports Bluetooth Multipoint. This will let future owners hop between simultaneously connected audio sources.
No word on when the Sony WH-ULT900N will launch, but when they do, the pair should cost around $215/£170 and come in three different colors: Black, White, and Forest Grey.
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If you’ve been following the somewhat curious tale of the global launch of the RX 7900 GRE – the ‘Golden Rabbit Edition’ graphics card that was initially exclusive to China – you may recall it was artificially limited to 2.3GHz for the memory clock speed by a bug, as confirmed by AMD. Apparently, this was an issue with an incorrect memory tuning limit.
Well, that glitch has now been remedied with AMD’s new Adrenalin Edition 24.3.1 driver. As Team Red says in the release notes, there’s a fix for the “maximum memory tuning limit [being] incorrectly reported on AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE graphics products.”
VideoCardz noticed this development and reports that with the new driver, Tech Powerup has found it can ramp up the memory clock by 300MHz, giving a sizeable leap in performance. Running at 2.6GHz rather than 2.3GHz results in a 15% boost in 3DMark (Time Spy).
Note that this is the memory clock, which is distinct from the GPU clock speed, and not to be confused with that. The GPU chip is also limited for overclocking as our previous report highlighted, but AMD hasn’t taken action on that front.
Analysis: Going GREat guns
This is just one synthetic test, so we need to be a bit cautious, but other benchmarking online from Hardware Unboxed shows similarly impressive results (in gaming tests, and a host of them, too).
However, we should point out that other reports online suggest that RX 7900 GRE owners are far from guaranteed to be able to run a VRAM overclock as ambitious as 2.6GHz, or even get past 2.5GHz (for that matter, cresting 2.4GHz is proving challenging for some graphics cards anecdotally).
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As ever with any chip, the mileage you’ll get out of your video memory will be different from others – but even so, everyone should be able to realize a worthwhile performance benefit here. If not 10-15%, there should still be some decent headroom now AMD has fixed this bug, and many folks are reporting around a 5% boost or close to that at the very least.
With this extra chunk of frame rates under its belt, the 7900 GRE is now looking an even more tempting proposition. Assuming, of course, that you’re confident enough with PC hardware to engage in overclocking shenanigans – not everyone will want to do so.
The RX 7900 GRE was already a great mid-range performer before this happened, anyway, and at its current price, this seems to be the best GPU in this price bracket now, for those willing to push it with an overclock, certainly. It’s looking better than the rival RTX 4070 Super with this new AMD driver, and the RX 7900 GRE is about 7% cheaper than Team Green’s graphics card going by current pricing on Newegg in the US (for the cheapest models in stock).
Relative pricing may be a different story in your region, but you get the point. Also, with the 7900 GRE being within 10% of the performance of the much pricier 7900 XT now, as Hardware Unboxed points out, it’s a possible alternative to the latter.
We’d be remiss to mention that with the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super comparison, you are losing out on the ray tracing and DLSS 3 front, of course – but for pure rasterization it’s the 7900 GRE all the way as pricing stands, with this extra driver boost. Nvidia and its partners may need to respond here…
The Panasonic MZ980 is the brand’s mid-range OLED TV offering from 2023. Although it stands out as a great all-rounder, it’s a bit unfortunate – and actually ultimately unfair, as we’ll see – that the most headline-grabbing thing about the MZ980 is stuff it doesn’t have. Namely the brightness-enhancing Micro Lens Array and proprietary heat sink hardware that you get with the brand’s step up MZ1500 and MZ2000 models.
The MZ980 does still get a premium OLED panel, though, as well as the latest version of Panasonic’s Hollywood-influenced HCX Pro AI picture processor. Plus, of course, it’s significantly cheaper than its more highly specified siblings, coming in at just £1,399 for the 55-inch sized model at the time of writing.
Making this price look all the more tempting is the simple fact that the MZ980 is a brilliant performer, holding its own against the best OLED TVs. Its picture quality benefits from all of OLED’s traditional benefits – spectacular local contrast, beautifully inky black colours, rich but subtle colours and wide viewing angles – while the excellent video processor adds a truly cinematic finish to proceedings.
The MZ980 sounds good too, despite lacking the forward-facing speakers carried by Panasonic’s step-up models, and while its smart system might not be the most sophisticated in the world, it’s easy to use and these days carries all of the most important streaming services.
Panasonic’s step up OLED TVs are even better, of course – but unless you have a particularly bright room to cope with, the MZ980’s value proposition is hard to resist.
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Release date: Late 2023
Price: starting at £1,399 for the 55-inch model
Having launched a few months back at an already then tempting £1,799, the 55MZ980 is now widely available for just £1,399. Panasonic does not currently sell its TVs in the US or Australia.
The MZ980s are, unusually for a mid-range OLED series, only available in relatively small screen sizes. The 55-inch model we’re looking at here is actually the biggest in the range, being joined only by 48- and 42-inch models.
As we’ll see, though, you shouldn’t let this fool you into thinking that the MZ980 is only good enough to be considered as a ‘second TV’. This is still a very serious TV – just one aimed at people who don’t have cavernous living rooms.
Panasonic MZ980 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
4K OLED TV
HCX Pro AI processor
Supports all four key HDR formats
So we can get it out of the way and put behind us, let’s start with things the MZ980 does not have. Either the combination of a new high-end Micro Lens Array panel with advanced proprietary heat sink hardware that Panasonic’s MZ2000 flagship OLEDs get, or the same heat sink hardware (minus the MLA technology) that the brand’s MZ1500s get.
It does still use a mid-grade OLED panel rather than an ‘entry level’ one, but even before we got our measuring gear out we know it wouldn’t be as bright as those step up models.
Tests confirm that while the MZ2000 hits brightness peaks on a 10% white HDR test window of around 1650 nits in Dynamic mode and 1432 nits in its more stable Cinema mode, and the MZ1500 hits around 950 nits in its Cinema mode, the 55MZ980’s Cinema mode peaks at just over 700 nits. That’s basically a 50% brightness drop versus the MZ2000, and a still significant 250 nits versus the MZ1500. You will certainly feel this with HDR content, especially if your TV is typically used in a bright room.
It’s worth noting, too, that the MZ980 measures slightly less bright than LG’s rival C3 models – though I should stress right away that while brightness certainly matters in the HDR world, it absolutely is not the only thing that makes a great HDR picture. Especially when a TV’s picture processing knows how to get the maximum performance from the hardware available to it – something Panasonic has been a master of with self-emissive displays like OLED since its plasma days.
With this in mind, the big positive news about the MZ980 is that it retains the top-line HCX Pro AI processor also used by its step-up MZ1500 and MZ2000 siblings. Powered and endlessly refined by Panasonic’s engineers with years of experience dealing with both Hollywood creatives and self-emissive panel technologies, always with a strong focus on recreating creative intent, HCX engines can usually be relied on to achieve subtleties, balances and details precious few other TVs can. Especially when it comes to handling the sort of ‘near dark’ image content that’s typically one of the most difficult things for OLED TVs to manage.
While the MZ980 continues Panasonic’s obsession with accuracy, though, especially with its Filmmaker Mode, and True Cinema presets, it’s also open minded enough to provide an unusually wide-ranging roster of other picture presets that put more of an emphasis on pushing the panel to its colour and brightness limits.
The same spirit of trying to cater for everyone extends, happily, to the MZ980’s HDR format support. While many brands, including, most notably, Sony, LG and Samsung, only support three of the ‘big four’ HDR formats on even their flagship TVs, the MZ980 will play all four: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. So the 55MZ980 will always be able to take in the best version of whatever HDR content you feed it.
Gamers, meanwhile, will be pleased to learn that the MZ980 supports 4K/120Hz gaming and variable refresh rates over two of its four HDMI ports, including the AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync VRR formats. We’ll cover the TV’s gaming abilities in more detail later.
Besides the four HDMIs, the MZ980’s connections include three USBs (two side, one bottom, one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0), an Ethernet port, an analogue video inout, an optical digital audio output, and a headphone jack that unusually does double duty as a potential line out for attaching an optional external subwoofer.
Smart features are provided by the eighth generation of Panasonic’s own My Home Screen operating system. Again we’ll cover this in more detail in a dedicated section later, so all I’ll add here is that this is actually the final outing for My Home Screen before it’s replaced on Panasonic’s future high-end TVs by a fully integrated version of Amazon’s Fire TV interface.
As mentioned in passing earlier, the MZ980 doesn’t have a forward facing, truly multi-channel sound system like its step up OLED siblings do. Its 2 x 15W set up, though, still has enough power to potentially deliver some reasonably cinematic thrills, especially as it’s backed up by Theater Surround Pro processing designed to create a more immersive sound with the Dolby Atmos soundtracks the TV supports than you might expect to hear from a mere stereo speaker set up.
Features score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Picture quality
(Image credit: Future)
Exceptional light and colour subtlety
Outstanding picture processing
Brilliant contrast disguises limited brightness
While the MZ980 might not deliver the razzle dazzle of the latest high-end OLED TVs, its pictures are so refined and immersive that it’s hard to believe they’re coming out of a 55-inch TV that only costs £1,399.
This finesse is at its peerless best when it comes to the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes. The screen’s ability to distinguish between incredibly small differences in light in even the darkest corners of the darkest pictures is mesmerising, giving such imagery a unique sense of depth and detail that feels as if it’s jumped straight off a professional mastering monitor. Especially as this extreme subtlety is delivered without a hint of the sort of instabilities, blocking or fizzing noise that can crop up with other OLED screens with near-black content. Dark scenes on the 55MZ980 are as clean and pure as bright ones, in fact.
Since this is an OLED screen there’s no need to worry about backlight clouding or blooming of the sort you would expect to see with LCD TVs. Nor is there any residual greyness hanging over dark scenes, completing the sense of insight and immersion that started with the immaculate near-dark detailing.
While it’s the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes and picture areas that makes the strongest immediate impression, its handling of light is in truth just as effective. From the subtle dark scene shading through to the brightest HDR peaks, the MZ980 delivers levels of light control (right down to individual pixel level, don’t forget, given this is an OLED screen) that appear flawless across every shade. As a result, the picture always feels completely authentic and natural, perfectly balanced and full of depth, while different objects in the image always look impeccably three dimensional, realistic and contextualised.
Again you actually feel like you’re getting a gorgeously full sense of the subtleties of the professional masterer’s art. Despite this TV costing just £1,399 versus the many tens of thousands of pounds a professional mastering display costs.
While the processing and light control is at its most effective with the 55MZ980’s most ‘accurate’ picture settings, its profound understanding of the screen’s hardware strengths and limitations also means that it typically ensures that even the more ‘dramatic’ picture presets never stray into distractingly excessive territory.
The set’s tone mapping is astute enough, meanwhile, to pretty much exclude clipping (loss of subtle details) from the brightest parts of the picture, continuing the sense of ‘sweating the small stuff’ that’s the MZ980’s trade mark.
Colours, meanwhile, look surprisingly vibrant for a TV of relatively limited brightness – aided and abetted by a combination of the immaculate light control, exceptional colour mapping and outstanding contributions, again, from the HCX Pro AI picture processor. It helps, too, that colours are able to appear against a foundation of such deep and natural black colours.
Obviously some picture presets push more vibrant colours than others, as you’d expect with any TV, but the True Cinema and Filmmaker Modes achieve outstanding accuracy and refinement, while even the punchier settings retain more colour balance and control than similar modes on most rival models.
Not surprisingly with a TV that puts so much store in precision, native 4K images on the 55MZ980 look gorgeously detailed and textured. The HCX Pro AI processor also manages to retain a startling amount of this detail and texture, too, when upscaling HD sources. Motion when watching 24p movies can look a touch juddery with no motion processing active (as it can on most OLED TVs, actually), but the lowest setting of Panasonic’s Intelligent Frame Creation motion compensation system is now clever enough to slightly massage the judder effect without making the image look uncinematically smooth or adding too many distracting processing side effects.
The only major elephant in the room with the MZ980’s pictures is their brightness – or lack thereof. There’s no denying that its images don’t look nearly as light and bold as those of the latest generation of MLA-equipped OLED TVs. Nor are they quite as consistently punchy as LG’s similarly priced and specified C3 OLED range, especially where a scene or shot fills the whole screen with brightness.
While this does mean you need to treat the 55MZ980 with respect by lowering light levels in your room when you want to enjoy a serious movie night, though, the MZ980’s infinite subtlety and richly cinematic qualities make it worthy of as much respect as you can muster.
Picture quality: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Good volume and projection
Solid, clean bass handling
Male voices occasionally sound muffled
The bad news about the MZ980’s sound is that it doesn’t deliver either the scale of sound staging you get with Panasonic’s step up models, or as much forward ‘thrust’. This lack of directness might also explain why male voices can sometimes sound a little muffled and contained.
Just because the MZ980 doesn’t sound as big and detailed as its more expensive siblings, though, doesn’t mean it’s not actually a very decent audio performer for its money. Its speakers are powerful enough to get surprisingly loud without succumbing to distortion, for starters, and despite the limited number of speakers on offer a decently wide sound stage is created into which effects are placed with excellent clarity. There’s even a slight sense of height to some effects when playing Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
The speakers are sensitive enough to pick up even the faintest of audio elements in a film mix too, ensuring that soundtracks always sound busy and involving.
Bass doesn’t reach the sort of depths required to unlock the full weight of a potent action scene (so you may want to consider adding a subwoofer via the switchable headphone output at some point), but it does at least delve deep enough to stop loud scenes from sounding harsh or thin. It does so, too, without the low frequencies becoming overwhelming, or causing the speakers to crackle or buzz.
Sound quality score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Slim frame around the screen
Centrally mounted desktop ‘foot’
A bit chunky round the back
Viewed straight on, the MZ980 is an attractive addition to your living room. Its screen and frame exist on the same single plane, the frame is on-trend narrow, and although it’s a bit more plasticky than the stands of Panasonic’s more expensive OLED TVs, its centrally mounted plate-style foot looks premium and robust.
Having its desktop mount placed in the centre of the TV rather than using feet tucked under each bottom corner also means that the 55MZ980 can be placed on even quite narrow bits of furniture.
The MZ980 is not such a great wall mounting option, though, thanks to the way that two to three inches in from the screen’s outer edges the rear panel suddenly juts out a country mile by OLED standards.
Design score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Smart features and menus
(Image credit: Future)
Uses the My Home Screen 8.0 smart interface
Long but comprehensive set up menus
Covers all the main streaming services
With Panasonic announcing recently that it’s moving to Amazon’s Fire TV platform for the smart interfaces of its future premium TVs, the 55MZ980 represents the swan song for Panasonic’s long-running proprietary My Home Screen smart TV interface. And while the platform has certainly had its struggles along the way, this eighth and final generation sees it bowing out on good form for the most part.
It now incorporates all of the key streaming and catch up apps the vast majority of UK and European TV buyers would want, and while its interface looks a little basic at first glance, it’s actually really simple to navigate and, best of all, exceptionally easy to customise. There’s voice control support too (Alexa is built in, while Google Assistant works if you have an external Google listening device).
My Home Screen isn’t as sophisticated as some rival smart platforms when it comes to intelligently recommending content you might like, and it can occasionally become a touch sluggish. For the most part, though, I quite like it and might even miss it a bit when it’s gone.
The 55MZ980’s set up menus contain a vast number of adjustment and tweak options for you to pick your way through. There are, of course pros and cons to this. On the negative side the menus are long, text heavy, full of sub-menus and a bit jargon-heavy in places. On the plus side, if you’re the sort of person who enjoys a good tinker the flexibility the 55MZ980 gives you for adjusting any and all aspects of its picture quality is outstanding.
Smart features and menus score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Gaming
(Image credit: Future)
4K / 120Hz support
Support for multiple VRR systems
Dolby Vision gaming mode
Aside from only two of its four HDMIs delivering the full roster of gaming support, the 55MZ980 is impressively equipped for cutting edge gaming experiences.
Those two high bit-rate HDMIs support 4K resolution graphics at 120Hz frame rates and variable refresh rates, for starters. In fact, the VRR support actually covers both the AMD Freesync and Nvidia G-Sync systems as well as the core HDMI-based format.
The 55MZ980’s Dolby Vision support extends to a proper gaming mode, too, meaning you can game in Dolby Vision HDR from Xboxes and compatible PC cards without having to put up with high levels of input lag. In fact, lag drops to a very respectable 14.5ms with 60Hz sources.
Gamers can call up a dedicated Game Control Board interface containing key signal information and gaming adjustment options, including two different audio profile options optimised for RPG and FPS game types.
There’s even a True Game picture preset alongside the standard Game one, which offers a properly calibrated gaming image for any picture quality enthusiasts who want that.
All of these thoughtful features contribute to a hugely enjoyable gaming experience that looks crisp, ultra-detailed and exceptionally refined. It’s true that HDR graphics don’t look as aggressively bright as they do on some more expensive OLEDs and premium LCD TVs, but as with the 55MZ980’s video performance, the subtleties Panasonic’s screen delivers provide ample compensation.
Gaming score: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Value
Great price for what it offers
£200 cheaper than Panasonic’s step-up model
Slightly more expensive than the LG C3
Now that it’s available for a few hundred pounds less than it was at launch, the 55MZ980 is exceptional value. Just £1,399 really doesn’t feel like a lot to ask for a TV that offers as many features and as much top-notch performance – for both gamers and video fans – as the 55MZ980 does.
There is some pretty tough competition around, though. In particular, LG’s excellent OLED55C3 mid-range OLED model can currently be had for just £1,299, offering four full gaming HDMIs and slightly more brightness. Though it doesn’t provide quite the same picture subtlety as the Panasonic.
Stepping up to Panasonic’s 55MZ1500, with the useful step up in brightness created by its built-in heat sink, will cost you an extra £200. Whether that sounds like a better deal or not will obviously depend on how near the top of your budget you already are with the 55MZ980’s £1,399 asking price.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Panasonic MZ980?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
A mid-range OLED panel powered by Panasonic’s latest top-of-the-line picture processor joins forces with a comprehensive, easy to use smart system, expansive set up options, and support for the full range of HDR formats.
4 / 5
Picture quality
While not as blazingly bright as more expensive OLED and LCD rivals, the 55MZ980 still manages to deliver breathtakingly balanced, nuanced and detailed pictures with preset options that can cater brilliantly for all sorts of tastes and room conditions.
4.5 / 5
Sound quality
Despite only having two speakers to play with, the 55MZ980 still delivers a large, detailed and powerful sound stage.
4 / 5
Design
There’s nothing particularly dramatic about the 55MZ980’s design, and its rear sticks out further than most, reducing its wall-hanging appeal. It’s well built, though, and the narrow frame round the screen gives it an unobtrusive, elegant feel.
4 / 5
Smart features and menus
My HomeScreen 8.0 may not be the most glamorous smart TV interface in town, but it’s actually very easy to use and customise. The TV’s set up menus also offer a huge amount of flexibility for anyone who wants it – plus excellent presets for those who don’t.
4 / 5
Gaming
Aside from only two of its HDMIs supporting a full set of gaming features, the 55MZ980 provides an excellent set of cutting edge gaming features and options, backed up by a beautifully responsive and immersive gaming performance.
4.5 / 5
Value
The 55MZ980 has a lot to offer in both feature and performance terms for its current £1,399 price tag – though there is some stiff competition out there.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Panasonic MZ980 review: Also consider
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Comparison of 55-inch models
Header Cell – Column 0
LG OLED55C3
Samsung QE55S90D
Sony XR55A80L
Price
£1,299
£1,249
£1,499
Screen type
WRGB OLED
QD OLED
WRGB OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
120Hz
HDR support
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Smart TV
WebOS 23
Tizen OS
Google TV
HDMI ports
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4, of which two support 4K/120Hz and VRR
How we tested the Panasonic MZ980
Tested over 10 days
Tested with 4K/HD Blu-ray, streaming and Freeview HD broadcasts
Reviewed in both dark and light dedicated test room conditions, and a regular (corner position) living room set up
Given that the 55MZ980 doesn’t carry either a built-in hardware heat sink or new Micro Lens Array technology like some of the best tvs, we started our testing by measuring its brightness using Spears & Munsil HDR window test screens and a professional light meter to try and get a feel for where it lies in the great (and now more complicated) OLED scheme of things.
With its slightly lower than typical brightness in mind, we then went on to spend time watching both HDR and SDR content on it in a wider range of light and room conditions than we normally would to see how well or otherwise it coped with different environments. Ultimately we ended up spending longer with it in a largely blacked out room than we did in brighter settings, since it was in darker surroundings where the TV most excelled, allowing us to fully appreciate its strengths. The set was tested with a selection of our favourite test 4K Blu-rays – especially Babylon, Pan, It Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049, and the Spears & Munsil test signal disc – to see how it handled key picture attributes such as contrast, colour, sharpness, fine detailing, motion and upscaling of sub-4K sources.
We fed it a variety of resolutions from various streaming and digital broadcast sources too, using both the built-in streaming apps and a Sky Q receiver, to see how well its HCX Pro AI processor dealt with the joys of compression artefacts, while gaming was tested using both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, with a Leo Bodnar input lag testing device being used to measure input lag.
Samsung has launched its 2024 midrange phone lineup, which combines weaker specs and feature sets with more alluring prices than its flagship handsets. The Galaxy A55 and A35 have 6.6-inch Super AMOLED displays. For the first time in its budget handsets, the company included Knox Vault, a walled-off security section that debuted in the Galaxy S21.
Both Android 14-running phones have FHD+ (2220×1080) displays (374 pixels per inch) and variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. Like last year’s Galaxy A54, both include Samsung’s Vision Booster feature, which adjusts the screen’s tone mapping based on ambient lighting conditions. Their 6.6-inch diagonal measurements (not accounting for rounded corners) are a slight bump up from the A54’s 6.4 inches.
Samsung’s official materials didn’t list the phones’ processors, but Android Police reports the A55 uses an Exynos 1480, while the A35 settles for a slower Exynos 1380. RAM comes in different configurations: 8GB or 12GB in the A55 and 6GB or 8GB in the cheaper A35. Your storage options are 128GB or 256GB in each handset, but only the A55 has a microSD card slot.
Galaxy A35 (Samsung)
In addition to performance, cameras will be one of the primary differences between the two phones. The pair has three rear cameras, each with a 50MP main camera and a 5MP macro lens. But the more expensive A55 uses a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, while the A35 has a more pedestrian 8MP ultra-wide lens. In addition, the A55 has a 32MP front-facing camera, compared to the A35’s 13MP front shooter. Both use optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS) to offset camera shake.
Unsurprisingly, neither phone appears to include the generative AI features Samsung uses to differentiate the Galaxy S24 series (and older flagships, via software updates). The closest you may get in this price range is the company’s “advanced AI Image Signal Processing (ISP)” for better photography in low-light conditions, included only on the A55.
Samsung didn’t list the phones’ build material in its press release and official specs, but Android Police says the A55 is the company’s first midrange phone with a metal frame. (Last year’s Galaxy A54 used plastic.) Engadget reached out to Samsung to clarify, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.
The handsets each have a 5,000mAh battery. Samsung estimates two days of battery life, but this could vary greatly depending on usage.
US pricing and launch dates aren’t yet available. However, Samsung says the A55 will start at £439 (US$562) in the UK, while the A35 will begin at £339 ($434). Samsung lists a March 20 release date for both handsets in the UK.
