What the reviewers said
Tom's Guide US
3/5Apr 21, 2026Budget phone with a premium-feeling design and long software support, but sluggish performance, poor battery life, dim screen and weak camera make it hard to recommend.
- Premium-feeling plastic design with IP54 rating
- Six years of software support
- Very affordable $199 starting price
- Triple camera system and 90Hz display
- 25W wired charging
- Exynos 1330 performance lags on basic tasks
- Short battery life, about 7h52m in drain test
- Very dim screen, 657 nits peak brightness
- Camera struggles in low light, no telephoto
- Video recording capped at 1080p
PCMag US
4/5Editors' ChoiceFeb 19, 2026A respectable entry-level Samsung phone with a good screen, solid battery life and six years of updates, though its processor and memory are unchanged from last year.
- Large, crisp 6.7-inch AMOLED with 90Hz refresh
- Battery lasts about 15 hours 45 minutes in video test
- Six-year upgrade commitment
- Optical image stabilization for video at this price
- Good cameras for a sub-$200 phone
- Exynos 1330 processor and 4GB RAM show no year-over-year gain
- Wi-Fi 5 instead of newer Wi-Fi 6 or 7
- Screen struggles with glare outdoors
- Mono speaker lacks bass depth
- Macro and ultra-wide cameras are soft
A affordable Samsung phone with a bright screen, good value and long update promise, but sluggish multitasking and modest cameras hold it back from enthusiastic recommendation.
- Big, bright 90Hz 1080p display
- Good photos for the price
- Six years of software and security updates
- Samsung Now bar and Smart View features
- Fast 25W wired charging
- Multitasking with navigation and music is rough
- Sluggish performance on basic tasks
- Only 4GB of memory
- Selfies and zoom shots are mediocre
- No headphone jack
Affordable and long-supported, but sluggish performance and unreliable multitasking make it frustrating daily; a $300 phone or used flagship is better.
- Long six-year software update promise
- Bright, sharp 90Hz AMOLED display
- Decent daytime main camera
- Day-long battery life with 25W charging
- Expandable storage via microSD
- Frustratingly slow performance with 4GB RAM
- Lag, app refreshes, and delayed notifications
- Weak low-light camera performance
- No headphone jack
- Camera app sometimes fails to load photos
Phonandroid FR
No scoreDec 1, 2025A functional budget Samsung phone with good screen, battery and stable heat, but slow performance, 4GB RAM and little real innovation over its predecessors.
- Very good screen with well-calibrated colours
- Good battery life
- Does not overheat
- Glass-fibre back is sturdier than before
- Long-term update promise and Dolby Atmos support
- Exynos 1330 with 4GB RAM feels sluggish
- Weak GPU performance in graphics benchmarks
- Single mono speaker sounds thin
- Video capped at 30fps, weak zoom and night footage
- Recycled design and hardware from earlier models
PC-Welt DE
3.5/5Nov 25, 2025A solid budget Samsung phone, but it is nearly identical to the A16 5G with few real innovations, so the predecessor is often the better buy.
- Slim and light design for its class
- Six years of software updates
- Large 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 90Hz
- Unchanged low price, 128GB model from 174.90 euros
- OIS added to the main camera
- Almost identical to the Galaxy A16 5G
- Weak secondary cameras; zoom results poor
- No eSIM support; Wi-Fi 5 only
- Mono speaker only; IP54 rating
- Display defaults to 60Hz; modest 25W charging
Tech Advisor UK
3.5/5Nov 5, 2025A solid budget Android phone with long software support, but it is nearly identical to the A16 5G with little innovation. Check for discounts on the predecessor first.
- Sleek, slightly thinner and lighter design
- Long software support, six years of updates
- Large, vibrant 6.7-inch 90Hz AMOLED display
- Smooth, slick One UI 7 interface
- Decent daytime photos from main camera
- Almost identical to the Galaxy A16 5G
- Lacklustre ultrawide and macro cameras
- No eSIM support in UK model
- Only IP54 protection; mono speaker
- Frequent stutters; display defaults to 60Hz
SmartWorld IT
7/10Sep 15, 2025A budget Galaxy phone with a large good-looking display and long update promise, but weak performance, average cameras and a high launch price make it hard to recommend.
- Large, bright Super AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh
- Six years of OS and security updates
- Decent main 50MP camera in good light
- 25W charging is good for the price
- Expandable storage and IP54 rating
- Disappointing performance from Exynos 1330 chipset
- Plastic build quality feels only acceptable
- Two of three rear cameras are nearly useless
- Mono speaker and no HDR or always-on display
- Launch price of 329 euros too high for specs
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
