Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Style Meets Substance, But Is It Enough?
Samsung’s Galaxy F-series has consistently aimed to offer unique features at compelling price points. This reputation for blending design and performance continues with the Galaxy F55 5G. Featuring a vegan leather finish, an in-display fingerprint reader, and 45W fast-charging support, the F55 5G looks to be a stylish player in the mid-range market. But is it all about style, or does it deliver on substance too? Let’s dive into the details.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Price in India
Samsung has priced the Galaxy F55 5G in line with its specs, starting at Rs. 26,999 for the base variant offering 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The mid-variant with 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage is priced at Rs. 29,999, while the top-end option with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage goes for Rs. 32,999. Available in Apricot Crush and Raisin Black, the review unit was the top-end variant in Apricot Crush.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Design
Samsung has embraced the vegan leather trend with the F55 5G, and the execution is especially impressive in this segment. The Apricot Crush vegan leather back panel really stands out, accented by red stitching running vertically along the edges. This, coupled with the gold-colored rings around each camera lens, creates a harmonious aesthetic. It’s a design that definitely pulls attention, as I found myself fielding questions from strangers curious about the device.
The leather finish boasts a soft touch, making the phone comfortable to grip. It offers a more secure hold than the typical glass or polycarbonate backs found on other Samsung devices. However, it does require regular cleaning and wiping to preserve its shine. The protruding camera modules, while stylised, cause the phone to wobble on flat surfaces.
The matte gold frame, featuring slightly rounded sides, is made of polycarbonate. The display is flat with a narrow bezel. At 180 grams, the phone feels remarkably light in hand and quite slim at 7.8 millimeters.
Samsung has also included an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, ensuring protection against accidental spills and splashes. The overall appearance and feel of the F55 5G strongly resemble the Galaxy M55 5G, making it a refined and more visually appealing version.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Specifications and Software
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Specifications
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
- RAM: 8/12GB
- Storage: 128/ 256GB (expandable to 1TB)
- SIM Slots: Hybrid Dual
- Connectivity: 5G, BT 5.3, Wi-Fi 6
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Charging: 45W wired fast charging
The Samsung Galaxy F55 5G runs One UI 6.1, based on Android 14. This latest iteration of One UI delivers stable performance and a smoother overall software experience for this price range. Animations are refined, and the scrolling experience is significantly improved over previous generations.
One UI provides extensive customization options, including the ability to set up a Work Profile to separate work and personal accounts. The Modes and Routines feature allows you to configure settings based on different activities. The Edge Panel facilitates easy access to favorite applications via a simple tap on the edge of the screen.
However, the F55 5G comes with a fair amount of pre-installed apps including PhonePe, Snapchat, Linkedin, and more, which can be tedious to remove manually. The Glance feature, enabled by default, can often feel distracting.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Performance
The shift to a Qualcomm chipset in the Galaxy F55 5G delivers considerable performance. It achieved a score of 5,73,167 in AnTuTu v10, while Geekbench 6 results were 894 for single-core and 2,265 for multi-core. In graphics performance benchmarks, it secured 112 FPS in GFXBench T-rex, 59 FPS in Manhattan 3.1, and 29 FPS in Car Chase.
Day-to-day performance is consistently stable. Whether scrolling through social media, watching videos, or engaging in conversations, the F55 5G provides sufficient performance for casual users. However, some lag was observed when switching between applications.
The F55 5G boasts a Gaming Hub, designed to centralize all your games. By default, games are only displayed in the Gaming Hub, not the app drawer. However, this setting can be adjusted in the Gaming Hub settings.
Playing Asphalt 9: Legends resulted in a smooth experience, running comfortably at 60 FPS with high-quality graphics. In Call of Duty: Mobile, the F55 5G handled the default Very High Graphics and High Frame rate settings without lag or stutter. However, setting the Frame rate to Max introduced noticeable lag.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Display
The Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy F55 5G is a highlight, offering vibrant colors and deep blacks. This translates to a visually enjoyable experience for watching video content. During streaming, the color reproduction was accurate, and dark scenes displayed excellent detail. The device also boasts Widevine L1 certification, allowing users to stream videos from OTT services in full HD quality.
The adaptive screen refresh rate intelligently switches between 60Hz and 120Hz based on usage, ensuring smooth performance without unnecessary power consumption. Brightness is adequate for outdoor viewing, achieving a good balance between energy efficiency and visibility.
However, the stereo speakers could be more impressive. While volume levels are adequate, details in the highs and mids are lacking.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Battery
The F55 5G delivers excellent battery life, lasting for 13 hours and 15 minutes in our battery loop test. This translates to a full day of heavy usage, encompassing social media browsing, video streaming, photography, gaming, and email communication. Casual users can expect nearly two days of battery life.
The large battery is coupled with 45W fast charging, a higher capacity for a mid-range Samsung smartphone, though still relatively slow compared to competitors. Unfortunately, Samsung does not include the fast charging adapter in the box, requiring separate purchase.
Using a 65W GaN charger, the device charged to 48 percent in 30 minutes and 96 percent in one hour.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Cameras
The camera performance of the Galaxy F55 5G is decent for a mid-range smartphone. The rear camera system comprises a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter.
Daylight photos captured with the primary sensor exhibited natural colors and decent sharpness, although the white balance was slightly off in some images.
Low light performance was rather average. While the Night Mode captured some usable photos, processing times were long. Without Night Mode, images suffered from a lack of detail.
The ultra-wide camera delivered acceptable performance in daylight scenarios. However, it exhibited a noticeable fish-eye effect at the corners, and details could have been better. Color tones differed slightly between the primary and ultra-wide cameras. Low-light photos were unsuitable in some scenarios.
The front-facing camera captured decent selfies, with natural colors and accurate skin tones. The portrait mode worked well in daylight. However, in low light, noise was apparent when lighting conditions weren’t optimal.
The F55 5G supports 4K video recording at 30fps. Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) assists in capturing stable videos. Daylight videos showed good details, but low-light footage could have been better.
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy F55 5G is a stylish option that mainly caters to users desiring an attractive design. Its slim profile and premium leather finish make it stand out in the mid-range market. The IP67 rating adds another layer of protection. Its Super AMOLED display delivers an excellent experience for consuming content. If you are looking for a stylish mid-ranger that blends decent performance and a premium aesthetic, the F55 5G is an intriguing choice.
However, the F55 5G faces strong competition in this price segment. The Nothing Phone 2a (starting at Rs. 23,999) offers a unique design, better performance, and more capable cameras. The Poco F6 (starting at Rs. 29,999) boasts the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, delivering significantly better raw and gaming performance, faster 90W charging, and gaming-focused features.
Realme’s 12 Pro+ (starting at Rs. 29,999) presents a compelling alternative, offering a similar vegan-leather finish, faster 67W charging, and an impressive camera setup including an OIS 3X telephoto camera, which is impressive for a mid-range handset.
Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy F55 5G is a stylish and capable smartphone but falls short in certain areas compared to its competition. Its design and aesthetic appeal will attract a specific audience, but those seeking the most powerful and feature-rich mid-range options may find more compelling choices in the market.
