Within the Samsung Galaxy smartphones nomenclature, the A-Series is regarded as the mid-tier representative, aimed at the common, practical user.

A substantial step up from the M-Series which is framed as the ‘entry model’ and significantly more affordable than the flagship S-tier, it is a workhorse of a device that punches well above its weight when it comes to performance without severely putting a dent on your bank account.

Some might call it ‘The Goldilocks Zone’ where price and performance remain at a great balance, making high-performance smartphones even more accessible to the general public which, in Samsung’s case, is a good thing in bringing in the uninitiated into the ecosystem.

This may sound odd to some but we honestly feel that the A-Series is the best gateway for non-Samsung users to dip their toes into the ecosystem sans a sizeable financial commitment.

Above Average

In any given year pre-2026, the Samsung Galaxy A57 can easily be repackaged as an S-tier FE model or even full-fledged S-tier device. Both the internals and outer body tick all the right boxes that would bestow the ‘flagship’ badge if it was released by any other brand apart from Samsung.

The combination of Gorilla Glass Victus+ and aluminum frame ensures the A57 stay free from minor dinks and scratches yet also light to carry. In fact, it is the lightest A50-model released in years, sitting at a comfortable 179g. While we, again, lament Samsung’s decision of not using titanium as the smartphone’s frame, aluminum works just fine and actually performs best if heat dissipation ranks high in your list.

Like past models it is replacing, the A57 feels great in hand no matter when texting, navigating through the menus or enjoying your favorite movies on stream or mobile gaming. The ergonomics makes one-hand navigation seamless although to be honest, the A57 might be too thin for some users. A non-issue of course as users can easily address this by slapping on a phone case over it.

However, we aren’t huge fans of the glossy back which; 1. A magnet for fingerprints and 2. Potential eyesore due to cracking after accidental drops. The fact that Samsung uses the Gorilla Glass Victus+ for the back glass does provide assurances of toughness but we always recommend slapping on added protection.

For the past couple of years, artificial intelligence has always been the major selling point for Samsung mobile devices but for the A57, they shifted the attention to Samsung’s camera performance, especially under low-light conditions. The result? It’s safe to say that unless you are a pixel peeping photography enthusiasts who dabbles with ISO and shutter speed, the A57 performs well above average for daily snapshots for most situations.

* Photos above were all taken with the Samsung Galaxy A57 phone. Quick Shot, no settings fiddled with. Just like how 99% of the general populace take their photos. Some distortion may have occurred due to file compression.

Three rear solid shooters are at the ready – a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro cameras – to capture important moments while a 12MP front-facing camera is also included for your selfies. Whether it’s for snapping sceneries, pets or family members – the A57 is a stellar performer ensuring crisp, sharp photographs taken nine times out of ten. The odd one being due to skill issue, of course. Then again, it is nothing that cannot be remedied with the built-in AI photo enhancing apps.

As a daily driver, the A57 performs admirably thanks to its large battery at 5000mAh which comfortably fits up to about 36 hours of normal usage. No daily charging required here save for the heaviest of users. When required, juicing up the phone is relatively quick too thanks to its 45W charging capacity. Sadly though, no wireless charging is available for the A57 which means you’ll have to keep a charging cable on standby.

For gaming and entertainment uses, the A57’s relatively large, 120Hz screen makes it a great device for your rounds on CoD Mobile, Arena of Valor or any of the HoYoverse titles. The slim-ish construction sits the phone conveniently in the palm and you should not encounter wrist fatigue over long gaming sessions. The rounded edges certainly helps too by not digging into the base of your palms even after supporting it for hours end. However we implore you to game responsibly regardless of how the phone build allows comfy gaming.

On whether your KDR will improve with the A57, that’s still, totally up to you.

A’s All Around

Like the model the it is replacing, the Samsung Galaxy A57 performs well as a mid-ranger device which delivers not only to what’s written on the tin, but heaps more.  It has proven to be a good device for your average mobile phone user and also doubles up as a very affordable gaming device whose performance rivals many flagship devices of other brands. Only available in a 12GB memory variant, the A57 is available from RM2,249.00 for the 256GB storage and RM2,399.00 for the 512GB. The color variants for this year’s model isn’t much, though, with only three available; navy, gray and icy blue.

Would we recommend the A57? Definitely will. And as of time of writing, Samsung has got several ongoing promotions for the A57 on their official website  so you should check it out.

Final Score: 80/100

Vital Statistics

Platform: Android 16, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 8.5
Body: 161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9 mm ~179g
Frame: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame IP68 water & dust resistant
Chipset: Exynos 1680 (4 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (1×2.9 GHz Cortex-720 & 4×2.6 GHz Cortex-720 & 3×1.95 GHz Cortex-520)
GPU: Xclipse 550
Display: Super AMOLED+, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits (peak), 6.7 inches
Memory (Internal): 256GB 12GB RAM
Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide); 12 MP, f/2.2, 123? (ultrawide); 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro); 12 MP, f/2.2, (wide) (selfie)
Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 10-bit HDR
Sound: Stereo speakers, no jacks given
Battery: Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Price: Starts from RM 1,999