What you need to know
- Samsung detailed its Galaxy A27 5G in its launch ahead of its July 14 availability for $349 in the U.S.
- The device’s main highlight is its revamped display, which offers a punch-hole camera and much thinner bezels than the A26.
- Samsung also switches to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC, but retains its 5,000mAh battery.
Sending us into the end of the week is Samsung’s latest mid-range phone launch that looks much more appealing this time around.
The Korean OEM launched its next-generation budget phone, the Galaxy A27. The phone begins at $349 and will be available in the U.S. on July 14. While Samsung continues to place its suite of Galaxy AI features into this phone for budget-conscious consumers, the main highlight is the A27 5G’s display. Samsung says it’s integrated “more screen” onto this A-series phone. After the A26 5G, this was needed.
Android Central’s Take
This is the biggest thing for me: the display changes. Samsung has some decent mid-range phones. Sure, the power’s maybe not what you’d want, but it is a mid-range. The display is what has always been a sour note on its A-series phone. The “infinity-U” camera notch on the A26 was terrible. It ate away valuable screen space, and then there were those massive bezels. It looks like Samsung got our nudges for something more.
Consumers will find a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate. However, Samsung introduced a punch-hole (12MP) selfie camera, which you’d see on its flagship models. While there’s now more available screen toward the top-middle of the A27 5G, Samsung also reduced its bordering bezels. The company states this change “adds screen space and removes distractions to keep content front and center.”
At a slim 7.8mm in thickness, the company intends to offer a more favorable mid-range this summer. On the back, users will find a 50MP ultra-wide, a 50MP OIS (optical image stabilization) wide, and a 2MP macro camera.
Trying to be “awesome”
Looking inward, the Galaxy A27 5G features Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 6 Gen 3. Performance is the phone’s focal point. Samsung says this chip facilitates “more responsive” app switching and multitasking in the A27. More importantly, it delivers a graphical boost to the phone for “smoother” gaming sessions. The phone is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery and 25W fast charging support.
Elsewhere, the A27 5G offers a wide selection of Galaxy AI features we’ve become accustomed to in other phones. Object Eraser for clearing blemishes from your captures, as well as Voice Transcription, find their way onto the device. Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini are featured for easy lookup and AI assistance. What’s more, users will have the choice to swap Gemini for Perplexity if they prefer. Let’s also not forget about Samsung’s Bixby, which is a third option for users looking to utilize artificial assistance.
The A27 features quite the downgrade in water/dust resistance, dropping to IP64, instead of retaining the A26’s IP67.
For its support, Samsung says the A27 5G receives six generations of Android OS (One UI) upgrades and six years of security updates.
The A27 5G launches July 14 for $349 in the U.S. in black for its 6/128GB (RAM/storage) option.