Samsung M55 5G Review: Best Mid-Range Smartphone
Tech Rove Mind | April 10/2024
The Samsung Galaxy M55 that retails for some $ 294. When Samsung launched this phone, looking at the specs, my initial impression was, okay, this looks like a decent phone for the price. A Snapdragon chipset, 4 years of updates, 45W charging, Samsung’s AMOLED screen, nothing much to complain about, right? But after using this phone for around 60 days, well, I have mixed feelings.
Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display, 120Hz refresh rate
- Resolution: Full HD+ (1080×2400 pixels)
- Processor: Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4nm)
- Software & UI: One UI 6.1 based on Android 14
- Rear Camera: Triple
– 50MP main, OIS
– 8MP ultrawide
– 2MP macro - Front Camera: 50MP (hole-punch cutout)
- Video: 4Ko@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 5G, GPS, VoLTE
- Battery: 5000mAh with 45W charging (25W charger free with every purchase)
- Color Options: Black and Light Green
- Price in USA – 8GB + 128GB $ 294 8GB + 256GB $ 309
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Design
Color Available
- DarkBlue, LightGreen
If you look at the M55, it resembles the flagships with the same three-camera housing system. And they used plastic to keep the price down. But it still doesn’t look cheap, you know, with the matte finish frosted look. So, it doesn’t look cheap. I mean, I think it looks really good and it feels really good in the hand. And it doesn’t seem like the back will attract any fingerprints or dust, and you know, even though the M series phones have been known to be a bit heavy in the past, it feels a lot thinner and lighter. Also, the back panel has a slight curve, so as you hold it in the palm, it sits well and gives you a nice comfortable grip.
And you can enjoy that sleek design without the case. Also, the frame, which is again plastic, has a smooth metallic finish, so it looks really good. And I like that they have slightly thicker buttons, which makes them very easy to press usability-wise. You know, a lot of phones in this price segment by other brands tend to have curved displays, and those displays tend to have very thin buttons that are a little weird to click.
Samsung M55 Review: Display
Typical Samsung AMOLED pane.
- 6.7-inches FHD+ OLED
- 120/240Hz refresh/ 1000 nits (HBM)
you get a nice 6.7-inch AMOLED screen that is really rich in contrast, has pleasing color reproduction, and is bright. I know it does not support insanely high peak brightness levels, but in real-life usage, I haven’t faced any visibility issues on this phone.
And I appreciate that the bezels here are actually thinner than the Galaxy A35 or even the A55 for that matter.
You get a tiny punch-hole notch that is not obtrusive at all, and overall, this is a nice, pleasant display to interact with. So, it’s safe to say that the display here is as good as you get with the more expensive A35. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor here, which is a first for Samsung’s M series, by the way.
This is a welcome step up, but unlocking the phone might feel a little slow and I wish the placement of it was better too. It’s just too down below for my liking. For some reason, you also don’t get HDR video playback support in apps like Netflix on the M55, but I will not complain about it since the core quality of this display is top-notch.
Samsung M55 Review: Performance
Octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4nm)
Samsung M55’s performance, and no hate for Exynos, but I am happy that Samsung chose to go with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 on this phone. It’s not the most competitive in its price range, but it performs slightly better than the Exynos 1380 that we get on the more expensive Galaxy A35.
And this is quite noticeable from the gaming results. I was able to play the game at 60fps on the M55 while testing PUBG, whereas the gameplay stuttered a bit at the same settings on the A35. The same goes for games like Genshin Impact, where you can expect somewhat smoother gameplay. Even running everyday chores is no problem here at all, and the phone is fast enough while opening apps, multitasking, and the like. But I do have to tell you that there were one or two instances when I randomly faced lags and stutters in the UI.
However, I found the thermal capacity of this phone to not be very good, at least not as good as the A35. Part of the reason is the fact that this phone does not feature a vapor chamber cooling system as the A35 does. When playing PUBG or Genshin Impact for around 30 minutes or so, the phone would heat up to 40 degrees or even more.
Samsung M55 Review: Camera
Rear Camera: Triple
- 50MP main, OIS
- 8MP ultrawide
- 2MP macro
Front Camera: 50MP
In the Samsung M55, you get a triple camera setup, which includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. On the front, there’s a 50-megapixel sensor for selfies. Now, you might think it’s the same camera setup as the Galaxy A35, so the camera performance should also be similar, right? Wrong. It’s quite the opposite.
While the A35 favors the classic Samsung color processing with a bit of a pop in blues and greens, the M55 goes in with a ton of contrast and extremely laid-back color processing. And I prefer the eye-catching colors of the A35, to be honest. A35 also does a great job in highlight management, which the M55 misses out on a little bit. Both phones feature pretty average ultra-wide-angle sensors, so I don’t think it’s necessary to label one as better than the other.
M55 Photo
During nighttime, once again, the A35 pulls off a punchy output with good exposure management, while the M55, again, has toned-down colors with subpar highlight management.
Both phones process human subjects very differently, too. The M55 brightens and smoothens the subject’s face a lot, while the A35 tries to keep things a tad bit natural. Honestly, I would go for the A35’s portraits any day of the week.
Samsung M55 Review: Software
Software
- Android 14 with OneUI 6.1 on top
- 4 generations of OS updates, 5 years of security updates
The thing you will notice about this phone is its software. A separate folder has been created in it. For example, there is a folder for Samsung Apps, a folder for Google Apps, and a separate folder for Microsoft apps. You will find many apps, but almost all are apps that you will use in your daily life. If you want to uninstall them, you can do it. There are some other pre-installed applications like Daily Hunt, PhonePe, and Amazon. Maybe you use them, maybe you don’t.
But the software information says it has One UI 6.1. For those who don’t know what that means, this is the software that comes with Samsung’s budget or mid-range phones. It’s not exclusive to Samsung’s top phones; they also try to keep the same software. It has many benefits and little harm. You will get many features, whether you need to set modes and routines or customize One UI. Even when the camera is open, it offers many modes and some AI features, like when
you visit the gallery. If you open an image, you can go to edit and actually remove objects from it.
If you want to delete your friends, don’t delete your boyfriend. Never erase love. Brother, can love be erased? There’s a lot to Knox security. Like a secure folder, everything is safe in it. Apart from this, there is a security privacy dashboard. It’s very easy to quickly share between devices. And they have also added their own Samsung Wallet where you can store different cards, including metro cards, debit cards, and credit cards. You can tap to pay with it. It used to be a $1500 phone, but now these features have become quite accessible.
Samsung promises Android updates for 4 years and security updates for 5 years for this phone.
Samsung M55 Review: Battery and Charging
- 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support
- 25W charger provided
you get the same 5000 mAh battery capacity. This time, the M55 supports a 45-watt charging speed that can charge your M55 from zero to 50% in under 25 minutes. And you know, this is quite a step forward because up until now, Samsung has only given 45 watts of charging speeds to ultra variants of its flagship series.
But to see it in the M series, you know, a mid-range segment smartphone from Samsung and supporting higher charging speeds—I think it’s very promising. So, I think it’s a very big moment to see Samsung embracing 45-watt charging speeds, and it makes me very hopeful that I will see this in more and more phones from Samsung.
Samsung M55 Review: Verdict
- So, is the Galaxy M55 a good option for the price? Honestly, if I were looking for a Samsung option at that price range, I would rather go with the A35 instead, and that too for many reasons. First, you get a premium design, better IP67 ingress protection, better display protection, and better cameras on the A35.
- I know some of you might think that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 will save this phone, but no, even the Exynos 1380 can pull off almost similar gaming results with much less heating.
- Then again, at an even cheaper price, I honestly think the best all-rounder offering right now is the OnePlus Nord CE 4. But if you absolutely, absolutely need the Samsung experience, my suggestion to you is to better add some money and get the Galaxy A35 instead. That is a better investment.
what i like
- Beautiful flat 120Hz displayPremium water-resistant design
- Runs fast and cool
- Good battery life
- Upgraded cameras bring better image quality
- 5G, Wi-Fi 6E support
The ones I don’t like
- Big bezels give mid-range vibes
- Zoom photos a little too soft
