Many people continue to use the Galaxy A52s today, and it's no coincidence. If you own the Galaxy A52s, you likely have an eye for spotting gems in the rough. The A52s may share its design with the regular A52 5G, but it is a superior phone thanks to its upgraded chip and connectivity. The question, however, is whether all of its advantages can still hold up today.
Here's a fun little fact only Galaxy A52s users might know: The phone had Wi-Fi 6 when even the Galaxy A53 didn't. The Galaxy A5x series had to wait until 2023 to regain Wi-Fi 6, but the A52s had it all the way back in 2021.
And here's another: The Galaxy A52s outperformed the sequel Galaxy A53 model thanks to its Snapdragon 778G 5G chip. And chances are that many A52s users preferred not to take their chances with the Galaxy A54 powered by the Exynos 1380.
Nevertheless, as legendary as the Galaxy A52s might be, times change and Samsung has just announced the new Galaxy A55. And for once, this new model might be the sequel Galaxy A52s users have been waiting for.
Galaxy A52s users, it might be time for an upgrade
I probably won't surprise Galaxy A52s users by saying this, but your phone will no longer receive major Android OS upgrades. Even though Samsung has continued to support the phone at a steady pace, the Galaxy A52s won't move past the point of Android 14 and One UI 6.1.
No more big updates might be a good enough reason to move on to a newer device, and thankfully, the Galaxy A55 may have arrived at just the right time.
One reason why you should consider the A55 is build quality. The Galaxy A55 really is blurring the line between mid-range and high-end phones, as it boasts Gorilla Glass Victus+ front and back panels and an aluminum frame — a first for the series.
Another is performance. Indeed, the Galaxy A55 appears to be more powerful than the Galaxy A52s, thanks to its new Exynos 1480 chip. Even if you have an aversion for Exynos, you have to keep in mind that the 1480 SoC is built on a 4nm process and has an AMD RDNA-based GPU.
Furthermore, the Galaxy A55 starts at 8GB of RAM and offers a 12GB option, which is staggering when you think about it. Even the base Galaxy S24 flagship model doesn't benefit from such treatment.
Finally, there's all the rest and little bits that add up. The Galaxy A55 is bound to capture better photos and videos for you in all lighting conditions, and it likely outperforms the A52s in terms of battery life, especially after all these years. It also has a bigger 5,000mAh unit.
Plus, you get newer Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and don't lose out on Wi-Fi 6. Furthermore, the Galaxy A55's screen is brighter at 1000 nits, and it does look significantly better thanks to Vision Booster technology, which is something that didn't even exist back when the Galaxy A52s was released.
This legend will be remembered
The one thing you'll have to give up if you move up to the Galaxy A55 is the 3.5mm audio port. But you will get better stereo speakers and, as mentioned above, better Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with superior audio capabilities.
If the missing 3.5mm port worries you, I'm afraid you'll have to accept that the future is wireless, and you will eventually have to let go of this standard if you plan on upgrading your phone. You might as well do it now when the budget Galaxy Buds FE wireless earbuds are still fresh and cheap enough not to break the bank.
All in all, the Galaxy A52s is quite a legendary phone in its own right, and you likely had good reasons to keep using it all these years. But if you have been waiting for a worthy upgrade, the Galaxy A55 really looks like it might be it. Stay tuned for our upcoming review.
