Samsung Galaxy A57 5G Review —
The Awesome Mid-Ranger Grows Up
First IP68 in A series history, 6.9mm ultra-slim, Exynos 1680 (4nm), 50MP OIS camera, 45W charging, Galaxy AI and Wi-Fi 6E — at around ₹50,000 is the A57 5G the smartest mid-range buy of 2026? Here’s everything you need to know.
⚡ Quick Summary — A57 5G at a Glance
On A56 or older? This is a meaningful upgrade across the board — slimmer, lighter, tougher, smarter. On A55 or older? An even bigger jump — go for it. Price has gone up to ~₹50,000 which is a lot for mid-range, but the build quality, IP68 and 6 years of updates justify the ask.
Design & Build — Slimmest A Series Ever
Picking up the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G for the first time genuinely surprises you. The first reaction from multiple reviewers was the same: “This doesn’t feel like an A series phone.” It feels like an S series phone. The combination of a metal frame, glass front and back, and a 6.9mm slim profile gives it a flagship-grade in-hand experience that the A series has never delivered before.
At just 179 grams, it’s also the lightest A57-tier phone Samsung has made. Compare this to the A56 which was 7.4mm thick — the A57 is half a millimetre slimmer, and that difference is noticeable. The phone feels compact despite the 6.7-inch display. One-handed use is comfortable in a way that larger phones can’t match.
The camera island design is a significant visual change from the A56’s individual camera rings. The A57 5G now uses the same pill-shaped ambient island camera layout seen on the Z Fold 7 and S26 series — all three cameras grouped under a unified housing with a translucent effect around the lenses. It looks premium and modern. From a distance, you would genuinely mistake this for an S series phone.
Build materials are properly premium: Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both front and back, a full metal (aluminum) frame, and — for the first time in any Galaxy A series phone — IP68 water and dust resistance. This is a huge milestone. The A56 had IP67; the A57 can survive full submersion up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. The glossy back does attract fingerprints, so a case is recommended — and one slight concern: the camera module on A56 had a metal housing which looked more premium; the A57’s translucent plastic camera surround looks different, though still good.
Colors available: Awesome Navy, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Icy Blue, Awesome Gray. True to the A series tradition, all colors are branded “Awesome.” The Navy is the most popular and the only option in some markets like the US.
✅ Design Strengths
- 6.9mm — slimmest A series ever
- 179g — very comfortable weight
- Metal (aluminum) frame — premium feel
- Gorilla Glass Victus Plus front + back
- IP68 — first ever in A series
- Ambient Island camera design — modern
- Feels like an S series phone
❌ Design Weaknesses
- Glossy back — fingerprint magnet
- Camera surround plastic, not metal (A56 had metal)
- No charger in box
- No microSD card slot
- Visible chin bezel (not uniform)
Display — Super AMOLED Plus Upgrade
The display upgrade on the A57 5G is more significant than it first appears. The A56 had a Super AMOLED panel; the A57 5G steps up to Super AMOLED Plus. This isn’t just a naming change — Super AMOLED Plus is a thinner display technology that consumes less power, which is one of the reasons the A57 can be 0.5mm slimmer than the A56 despite carrying the same size battery.
Colors on this display literally pop. It is punchy, vivid, and well-suited to the kind of photos this camera produces — bright, saturated shots that look great on this screen. This is genuinely a social-media-first camera-and-display combination. HDR10 support means Netflix and YouTube HDR content looks noticeably better. The display is also HDR10 certified.
At 1900 nits peak brightness and 1200 nits in High Brightness Mode, outdoor visibility is excellent. Samsung’s Vision Booster technology further adapts the display in direct sunlight to keep content clearly visible. The adaptive 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling through feeds and apps.
One thing to note: bezels are not completely symmetrical. The top and sides have thin, uniform bezels but the bottom chin is slightly thicker. This is something some competitors at this price point have eliminated, but it’s not a deal-breaker in daily use.
Performance — Exynos 1680 (4nm)
⚡ Exynos 1680 — Samsung’s Newest Mid-Range Chip
The Galaxy A57 5G is the first phone in the world with the Exynos 1680 processor. Built on a 4nm process, this is Samsung’s most advanced mid-range chip yet. Compared to the Exynos 1580 in the A56, the 1680 delivers 15% faster CPU, 15% better GPU, and 33% faster NPU for AI tasks.
Antutu scores reach 1.4 to 1.45 million — a significant jump from the A56’s approximately 0.9-1.1 million. Geekbench single core: ~1381. Multi core: ~4474. For everyday tasks, the phone feels fast and fluid. For light-to-medium gaming, it handles BGMI and COD Mobile at 60fps (90fps may come with future optimization updates).
The vapor chamber is 13% larger than the A56’s — and Samsung says it’s the same size as the one used in the Galaxy S25 Plus. That is a flagship-grade thermal solution in a mid-ranger. In testing, the phone reached around 41-42°C under sustained load — warm but not uncomfortable, with good heat distribution.
The Exynos 1680 is not a gaming chip — Samsung isn’t positioning the A57 5G as a gaming phone. But it is more than capable for normal to moderate use. Switching between apps, browsing, streaming, social media — all feel snappy and responsive. The LPDDR5X RAM means memory bandwidth is faster than the older LPDDR4X standard.
BGMI runs at 60fps currently. Some reviewers noted that since this is a brand new processor, game optimization takes time — 90fps may be unlocked via future software updates. COD Mobile also runs well within the 60fps cap. For casual gaming, the experience is perfectly satisfying.
The 4nm process means the A57 5G runs cooler and more efficiently than an equivalent phone with an older process node. This directly contributes to better battery life. Day-to-day, the phone smooths out quickly — initial setup can feel slightly slower as background processes complete, but regular use is fluid.
Storage warning: UFS 3.1 is fast for a mid-ranger but not as fast as the UFS 4.0 found in flagship phones. No microSD card expansion — 256GB is the base storage which should be enough for most users.
Camera — 50MP OIS Triple Setup
The camera hardware is largely unchanged from the A56 — the same 50MP main with OIS, 5MP macro. But the ultrawide steps up from 8MP to 12MP, a meaningful improvement, and the ISP (Image Signal Processor) in the Exynos 1680 is new and improved, which directly affects photo quality especially in low light.
Main camera (50MP): The photos this camera produces are bright, punchy and saturated — exactly what gets likes on Instagram. Colors are vivid and warm. Skin tones are balanced and flattering. Samsung’s A series camera DNA is intact here — this is a social-media-first camera that delivers impressive-looking results even without much photography knowledge. Portrait mode at 2X delivers lossless quality with good subject separation.
Nightography (low-light): The enhanced ISP in the 1680 makes a noticeable difference here. Low-light shots have less noise, more shadow detail, and better dynamic range than the A56. Night mode works well — not flagship level, but very impressive for this price class. One review tested it at Qutub Minar at night under harsh, uneven lighting — the results were clean, detailed and Instagram-worthy.
Ultrawide (12MP, ~123°): The wider field of view — approximately 123 degrees — is one of the widest in any mid-range phone. Landscape and group shots benefit significantly. Corner sharpness is decent and colors match the main camera well.
Selfie camera (12MP): Skin tones are balanced, colors are natural, and the wide angle helps with group selfies. HDR video support on the selfie camera is a useful addition for content creators who film themselves.
✅ Camera Strengths
- 50MP OIS — sharp, vivid shots
- Improved ISP — better nightography
- 12MP ultrawide — 123° wide FOV
- Blur-free zoom transitions (first in A series)
- 4K 30fps all cameras incl. front
- 240fps slow motion
- Lossless 2X portrait shots
- Social media-ready colors
- 230ms shot-to-shot speed
❌ Camera Weaknesses
- No telephoto lens
- No 4K 60fps (max is 4K 30fps)
- 5MP macro is mostly cosmetic
- 10X digital zoom degrades fast
- Not a videographer’s phone
Galaxy AI — Smarter Than Before
Circle to Search
Circle anything on screen — Google Search it. Now with follow-up question support after circling.
Best Face
Capture group shots — AI picks the best expression for each person. Never miss a shot because someone blinked.
Auto Trim
AI automatically finds and extracts the best highlights from your videos into a shareable reel.
Object Eraser
Remove unwanted objects from photos. Works reasonably well for a mid-range phone — not S series level but still very usable.
Instant Slow Motion
AI converts regular speed videos into slow-motion clips after the fact.
Agentic AI
AI that works across multiple apps. Ask it to find the best vegetarian restaurant nearby and message a friend — it handles the whole flow.
The A57 5G does not get the full Galaxy AI experience that you find on the S26 series — features like Now Nudge, Privacy Display-linked AI, and APV Codec are not here. But what it does offer is more AI capability than any previous A series phone.
The most interesting new AI capability is Agentic AI — the ability to perform multi-step tasks across different apps. Previously, AI could only act within a single app. Now, you can tell the assistant to find a good restaurant in a specific area, compose a message, and send it to a contact — all in one command. This is genuinely useful and represents a step forward for mid-range AI.
You get a choice of AI assistant: Bixby, Gemini, or Perplexity — whichever fits your workflow best. The Galaxy and Google integrations work well together. Circle to Search now supports follow-up questions after the initial search, making it more conversational.
In the Gallery app, AI-powered Edit Suggestions proactively tells you what edits might improve a photo. Object Eraser works, though not as cleanly as the S series — for simple removals it does a decent job. Best Face and Auto Trim are genuinely useful practical tools, especially for families who shoot a lot of videos and group shots.
Battery & 45W Charging
The 5000mAh battery combined with the power-efficient 4nm Exynos 1680 is one of the A57 5G’s strongest practical advantages. Samsung claims 1 to 1.5 days of battery life for average users, and based on testing, that holds up. Light users may see closer to 2 days. The 4nm process makes a genuine difference in efficiency over older chips.
45W SuperFast charging is genuinely fast for a mid-range phone. This is the same charging speed as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus — faster than the base S26’s 25W. You can get about 60% charge in 30 minutes. Full charge takes around 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on conditions.
Interestingly, the base S26 only charges at 25W, while this A57 5G charges at 45W — the A series outspeeds the base flagship at charging, which is a notable detail.
Connectivity — Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 6.0
Wi-Fi 6E is a meaningful upgrade over the standard Wi-Fi 6 found on the A37 and many competitors. The 6GHz band means less congestion, faster speeds, and better performance in crowded environments like offices and apartments with multiple connected devices.
Bluetooth 6.0 is also new and improved over the A56’s older Bluetooth version. Better connection stability, lower latency for audio, and improved power efficiency — all practical benefits for anyone using wireless earbuds or speakers regularly.
NFC is present for Samsung Wallet and tap-to-pay — important for daily digital payments. Dual physical SIM + eSIM support means you can carry two numbers plus a digital SIM on one phone. Useful for people who travel or maintain separate personal and work numbers.
One notable limitation: USB 2.0 rather than USB 3.x means data transfer speeds are slower when connecting to a computer. For transferring large 4K video files, this will be a bottleneck. No IR blaster either — something competitors sometimes include.
Software — One UI 8.5 + 6 Years Updates
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G ships with Android 16 and One UI 8.5 — the same software version as the flagship S26 series. Samsung has promised 6 years of major OS updates and 6 years of security updates (7 years for business customers). This is one of the longest software support windows in Android, matching what Apple offers with iPhones.
One UI remains one of the best Android skins available. It is clean, stable, and feature-rich. Good Lock support is available for customization. Knox security framework provides enterprise-grade protection including Private Album for sensitive photos and alerts for suspicious app activity in the background.
Samsung Wallet (tap and pay), Samsung Health, and the full suite of Samsung apps come pre-installed. There are some third-party apps including Netflix pre-installed — some of these can be uninstalled, some cannot. A mild annoyance especially on the international model. Good Lock is fully supported.
Price & Variants — India
A56 vs A57 vs A37 — Full Comparison
| Feature | A56 5G (2025) | A57 5G (2026) | A37 5G (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 1580 | Exynos 1680 (4nm) | Exynos 1480 |
| Thickness | 7.4mm | 6.9mm | 7.4mm |
| Weight | ~198g | 179g | ~196g |
| Frame Material | Metal | Metal | Plastic |
| Water Resistance | IP67 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Display Panel | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED Plus | Super AMOLED |
| Display Size | 6.7″ | 6.7″ | 6.7″ |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Main Camera | 50MP OIS | 50MP OIS | 50MP OIS |
| Ultrawide Camera | 12MP | 12MP | 8MP |
| Zoom Transition | Jumpy | Blur-free (first in A) | Jumpy |
| Shot-to-Shot | ~300ms | 230ms | 400ms |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| Wired Charging | 45W | 45W | 45W |
| Wireless Charging | No | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.x | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Base Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 128GB |
| OS Updates | 4 years | 6 years | 6 years |
| Starting Price | ~₹42,000 | ~₹49,999 | ~₹35,000 |
💬 Our Honest Opinion — No Sugar Coating
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G is the best A series phone Samsung has ever made. That is a genuine statement, not marketing. The 6.9mm slim build, metal frame, Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both sides, and IP68 — all together in a mid-range phone — this is new territory for the A series.
The price increase to ~₹50,000 is real and worth acknowledging. The original A50 launched at ₹20,000. The A57 is more than double that. The phone has evolved significantly but so has the price. At ₹50,000, you are in a competitive bracket where phones like the S25 FE (if available in your region) or some Snapdragon-powered competitors put up a fight.
The Exynos 1680 is a solid mid-range processor — not a gaming powerhouse, not a flagship competitor, but more than enough for everything most people need a phone to do. The 4nm efficiency means battery life is genuinely good for the size.
Camera-wise, this is a dependable everyday camera that produces beautiful social media shots. The nightography improvement is real. But without a telephoto lens and without 4K 60fps, content creators and photography enthusiasts will feel the ceiling quickly.
The biggest missing feature is wireless charging. At ₹50,000, not having wireless charging feels like a deliberate omission to protect the S series. For a phone that otherwise feels premium, this is a frustrating gap.
Bottom line: If you’re coming from A55, A53, A52 or anything older — the A57 5G will feel like a massive leap forward. If you’re on A56 — it’s a good upgrade but not urgent. If ₹50,000 feels high, wait for a sale or look at the A37 at a lower price point.
🎯 Final Verdict — Buy or Skip?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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