Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 were recently launched in India, offering S-series level features. Here’s our review.
Here's Our Review of the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37
Samsung is a well-known brand in the Indian market. It is one of the top global brands, often taking pride in displaying innovation, especially with its Galaxy Z Fold range. While its S series is demarcated for the flagship handsets, usually costing above Rs. 80,000, the Galaxy A lineup is where the real opportunity exists. With no clear segmentation, the Galaxy A series offers phones in the Rs. 11,000 budget range, while also retailing models at above Rs. 55,000, entering the mid-premium pricing. This makes the lineup the most diverse in the company's portfolio.
Recently, Samsung launched two new models as part of the series called the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37, which currently retail in India at Rs. 56,999 and Rs. 41,999, respectively. I got to test the new phones for a reasonable amount of time, and it left me with one significant question: Can they give their Chinese competitors a run for their money?
The Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are identical in design. However, there are subtle differences in the dimensions. The higher-end Galaxy A57 is slightly thinner and lighter than the Galaxy A37. While you barely feel the extra thickness, the additional grams do make themselves known when you hold the Galaxy A37. But neither phone feels heavy compared to its competitors in its respective price range. Moreover, they are significantly thinner than some Chinese OEM offerings.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 carry the same DNA as the S series
In terms of looks, the two phones retain the same “glass-sandwich” design philosophy and feature an aluminum frame. From the front, one can barely tell the phones apart from their predecessors. On the flip side, Samsung's “do not fix it, if it's not broken” strategy has worked well for years, which has evolved into its unique brand identity. When you turn the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 over, you find that the company has made a very subtle yet notable design shift, moving the triple camera deco towards what we see on the premium Galaxy S26 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
The individual lenses, clearly distinguished from one another, are housed in a pill-shaped module, elevating the design of the Galaxy 57 and Galaxy A37. However, the efforts to make the phones look premium do not stop here. The flat, glossy back panels on the handsets are extremely pleasing to the eye. Similarly, the flat aluminium frame, with a slightly elevated plateau for the power button and volume controls, not only looks the part, but also improves its ergonomics.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 USB Type-C ports are present at a familiar place
Despite their larger form factor, the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are great for one-handed operation. While you might have to perform some hand gymnastics to tap the top-left corner of their screens, the physical buttons are always within reach. Further, owing to their relatively thin and light design, you can hold the phones for long hours, scrolling through Reels on Instagram or Shorts on YouTube, without feeling any pain.
Both smartphones are offered in three distinct colour options each. The Galaxy A57 retails in Awesome Navy, Awesome Icyblue, and Awesome Lilac shades, while the Galaxy A37 is sold in Awesome Lavender, Awesome Charcoal, and Awesome Graygreen. I received the Navy and Lavender colourways of the two phones. Both are pleasing to look at, especially Galaxy A37's muted Lavender shade, which would be my personal choice.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are good for one-handed use
Similarly, the Navy option of the Galaxy A57 looks good, just a few tones shy of completely black. But there is a major trade-off. While both phones love smudges and are practically fingerprint magnets, Galaxy A57's this particular shade hands you the short end of the stick. Your thumb impressions not only appear prominently, but they are also hard to remove. Hence, even your brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-box, mint Galaxy A57 starts to look dirty within minutes of use.
However, this might not concern most buyers, as most use a case. But, for those who want that raw handling experience, you could be left disappointed.
Both Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are equipped with 6.7-inch Full-HD+ (1,080x2,340 pixels) displays, delivering up to 120Hz of refresh rate. While the Galaxy A57 gets a “Super AMOLED Plus” screen, the Galaxy A37 features a Super AMOLED panel. However, there is no significant difference between the two visually. The Super AMOLED Plus screens are known for offering enhanced colour sharpness and better power efficiency than the non-Plus panels, which we will talk about later in this.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 displays are bright enough
But, to a layman's eyes, the difference would be almost negligible. The displays on both smartphones are sharp and mostly colour accurate, thanks to their wide colour gamut support. Binge-watching videos, movies, or shows for long hours is a comfortable experience. Samsung's Display division rarely disappoints, and the panel quality is seldom complained about.
The images seem sharp and crisp, making the media consumption experience on the Samsung phones a delight. I watched a season of Fresh Off the Boat on JioCinema, a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory with HDR on Netflix, and a couple of Mr Beast videos on YouTube. I can happily say that the two performed impressively well, never feeling out of their depth. The deeper blacks allow other colours to pop on the screen, offering a well-rounded viewing experience.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 offer crisp visuals
Thanks to their support for up to 120Hz refresh rates, scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram rarely appears jittery or laggy. The fluid display experience can give mid-range smartphones from other OEMs a run for their money. Another thing I noticed, which did bother me a lot initially while using the phones side-by-side, is that the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 units had blue and yellow tints, respectively. Even after playing around with display settings, I could not figure out the reason behind this weird anomaly. However, I eventually started ignoring it, and it is barely noticeable when the handsets are used separately.
Samsung has always offered a great software experience. While a few people might argue against it, favouring stock Android, Samsung fans have stood by the Android-based skin for years. OneUI certainly elevates the Android experience, offering great visual appeal and smooth animations. However, using OneUI on a Galaxy S series phone and an A series phone could be as different as night and day.
While the overall feel of the UI remains barely touched, the ads and bloatware that bog down handset performance really put a damper on the experience. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 also suffer from the same issues that the Rs. 11,000 Galaxy A07 faces.
Even after carefully choosing the right option, while opting out of most things, including personalised ads, I often found the notifications section on the phone crowded with ads and promotions. During the initial setup, the phones virtually strongarm you into downloading apps and games that I do not want. However, if you can make it through this particular stage, you will only be bothered by a few Samsung-branded apps, which you can uninstall whenever you wish.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 ships with the latest OneUI 8.5
But there is an upside as well. Both handsets run on Samsung's latest OneUI 8.5, which is based on Android 16. The company promises six years of OS upgrades and six years of security updates for the phones, so you can rest assured they won't feel outdated for more than half a decade.
As previously mentioned, Samsung has nearly nailed the software game. The ads and bloatware aside, issues that you can eventually learn to live with, the OneUI experience remains smooth. If you have used Samsung phones in the past, the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 will not take you by surprise. The OS feels smooth to navigate through, and I never noticed any significant hiccups. Samsung's OneUI 8.5 is feature-rich, and thankfully, the company did not cut any corners, bringing most of the software features to the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37.
Samsung's Galaxy A series has never been aimed at power users. And, the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are no different. The two phones are not big on numbers and do not feature top-of-the-line Exynos 2000-series chipsets. The Galaxy A57 is powered by an Exynos 1680 chipset, while the Galaxy A37 gets an Exynos 1480 SoC. Both processors, interestingly, are very capable of handling day-to-day tasks, despite not having the best numbers.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are decent at playing games
The two phones seldom stutter or lag. To test it out, I played a YouTube video in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode and began uploading an Instagram story while editing a video in Galley. Both smartphones performed the three tasks simultaneously with utmost ease, without ever becoming out of breath. Samsung's great RAM management also helped me keep over 10 tabs open on Google Chrome with ease.
However, it is worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy A57 feels a tad smooth in daily tasks. There's a minute, yet noticeable, delay on the Galaxy A37 while opening apps or games. For those interested in how the phones performed across different benchmarking platforms, check out the table below.
| Benchmark | Samsung Galaxy A57 | Samsung Galaxy A37 | OnePlus Nord 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Resolution | Full-HD+ | Full-HD+ | 1.5K |
| Chipset | Exynos 1680 | Exynos 1480 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (3nm) |
| AnTuTu v11.1.1 | 13,95,916 | 10,62,726 | 22,66,546 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Single Core | 1,379 | 1,139 | 2,083 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Multi Core | 4,512 | 3,430 | 6,437 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 6,745 | 4,033 | 13,420 |
| Geekbench AI Single Precision | 1,684 | 1,045 | 2,288 |
| Geekbench AI Half Precision | 2,259 | 1,875 | 2,809 |
| Geekbench AI Quantized | 3,380 | 2,373 | 3,760 |
| PCMark Work Performance 3.0 | 15,602 | 13,364 | 12,132 |
| 3DM Wild Life | 6,006 | 3,978 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Steel Nomad Light | 791 | 479 | 1,730 |
Considering the prices of the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37, I pit the phones against the new OnePlus Nord 6, which, justifiably so, beats the Galaxy A37 by miles while also giving the Galaxy A57 a tough fight, which is priced significantly higher. The two are also capable of running light, arcade games with ease. I played Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers, and the phones performed well, with minimal throttling. Moving on to resource-intensive titles like Call of Duty Mobile (COD-M) and Asphalt Legends, I noticed a few hiccups with the Galaxy A37 at higher graphics presets, unlike the Galaxy A57, which remained poised throughout.
Samsung's A series is not meant for serious gamers or power users, but it remains the preferred daily driver for performance.
Now, let's talk about the camera performance of the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37. In their respective price ranges, triple-rear-camera systems have become a must-have. Thankfully, neither handset disappoints on this particular front. The two are very similar in terms of camera configuration, with the only noticeable difference being the ultrawide sensor. The 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter on the Galaxy A57 is definitely better than the 8-megapixel camera on the Galaxy A37.
Both smartphones offer subpar or passable camera performances at best. The 50-megapixel primary sensors on the handsets are great at capturing daytime shots. The phones are the most comfortable and in their element under natural lighting, while also handling the harsh sun rays well. Samsung's post-click image processing further enhances your shots, delivering crisp images with sharp edges.
Portrait photos are also impressive. The autofocus works perfectly, identifying and separating the subject of the images well. As seen in the shots below, during the day, skin tones are close to natural. Surprisingly, the phones are capable of processing lighter and darker skin tones with as much precision, making them perfect for the Indian consumers, where people of a varied complexion profile are found.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 also work decently well with shadows. But the performance can be erratic at times, as a well-defined shadow is best captured when the light source does not interfere with the subject. The cameras also offer a fine bokeh effect, giving your shots a slight edge.
While both cameras are capable of up to 10x digital zoom, the Samsung Galaxy A series handsets perform their best up to 5x zoom. This makes the 10x zoom feel gimmicky, as if the company added it just for the sake of it.
However, the sharpness falls significantly under artificial lighting. While portrait shots still perform similarly, the ultrawide sensors on both handsets lack the clarity one expects from mid-premium handsets. The performance further drops in dimly lit conditions. The primary rear camera can still get in passable shots, which you might want to share on Instagram.
But the same cannot be said about the ultrawide and macro cameras. The two sensors feel out of their depth during light or when clicking images indoors. All this seems fine till you look at what their predecessors had to offer. Last year's Samsung Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 offer the same camera configuration. It seems Samsung cut corners by not bringing better cameras to the phones.
Another area where Samsung seems to have stuck to a formula is battery and charging. While the competition has leaped miles ahead, offering 7,000mAh or even 8,000mAh silicon-carbon batteries, Samsung appears to be committed to 5,000mAh lithium-ion batteries. But the company's impeccable software optimisation and efficient chipsets have allowed it to offer decent battery backup. In day-to-day usage, both handsets easily lasted more than a day, even with casual YouTube watching, Spotify listening, and Instagram scrolling.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 offer long enough battery life
On PC Mark's battery performance test, the Galaxy A57 lasted 15 hours and 43 minutes, while the Galaxy A37 lasted 15 hours and 24 minutes. Even though both handsets pack the same capacity batteries, the Galaxy A57 could have lasted longer, owing to the Super AMOLED Plus panel and the Exynos 1680 SoC being more efficient.
Samsung has also kept the fast charging support unchanged at 45W. In my testing, the Galaxy A57 charged 0 to 42 percent in 30 minutes, 42 to 84 percent in an hour, and 0 to 100 percent in 1 hour and 15 minutes. On the other hand, Galaxy A37's battery charged from 0 to 41 percent in half an hour, 41 to 84 percent in an hour, and 0 to 100 percent in 1 hour 22 minutes.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 are fine devices for the asking price. However, the steep pricing, relative to the hardware on offer, does not make them the most value-for-money handsets in their respective price ranges. However, people who are part of the Samsung ecosystem and have familiarised themselves with how OneUI feels to use can definitely consider either of the two.
Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 could be considered for the high brand value
Coming back to the question I began with, can they give the competition from Chinese OEMs a run for their money? The simple answer is no. Phones from OnePlus, Realme, and Xiaomi have leaped far ahead in offering much greater value. Hence, for people who want to stay associated with the Samsung brand name, which definitely holds a much greater value in people's eyes, the Samsung Galaxy A37 is a decent offering.
However, if you prioritise performance and battery life, the OnePlus Nord 6 is a superior device. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is a far better phone in most respects than the Galaxy A57, offering an enhanced software experience, improved performance, and better cameras, along with the Samsung Galaxy S series brand.
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