Important points of ZDNET
- Samsung’s Galaxy A35 5G is a versatile smartphone that costs $299 (currently $100 off)
- You’ll love its 2-day battery life, great screen quality, and 4 years of software updates.
- The biggest problem? Performance tends to fluctuate from day to day and can lead to overheating.
More purchasing options
what happened?
Samsung Galaxy A35 I saw a discount of $86 on Amazon. The mid-range smartphone is currently available for $314.
I’m surprised at how much fun it is to use Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. The 2024 midrange phones in Samsung’s lineup aren’t exactly special. It looks like other Galaxy phones from recent years and doesn’t have any flashy features. Still, the mission of a mid-range phone isn’t to make waves. It’s about providing a balance between performance, quality and price. This phone strikes that balance well.
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Some might argue that this isn’t the best $400 phone on the market, but it certainly is one, and the primary reason for that is the screen.
The Galaxy A35 5G features Samsung’s proprietary Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 6.6 inches. The display has a Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate so everything feels smooth, and 1,000 nits of brightness makes the screen easy to see even in direct sunlight. An added bonus is that it’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
One of the biggest advantages of the Galaxy A35 is its battery size. Powered by 5,000mAh, this product can easily last two days on a full charge. During testing, I only connected the phone three times, and it was used only moderately. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging feature and the charging speed is limited to 25W, so it can take a while to reach 100%. Still, multiple days of battery life on any smartphone, let alone a $400 phone, is impressive.
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Another thing I didn’t expect to say after using the A35 for a while is that the camera isn’t that bad. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that at least two of them are better, but that’s nearly impossible to say for most Android smartphones under $500.
The main 50MP camera is perfect for taking great photos. Contrast and exposure remain decent overall, while colors aren’t as overdone as on older Samsung phones. I find that the A35 has no problem maintaining shadows, for better or for worse, but the quality of the photos generally deteriorates as the light gets darker. It’s not terrible by any means, but it’s hard to avoid the extra grain and noise. tons External or natural light in the frame.
It’s also perfect for Snapchat and Instagram Story selfies thanks to its 13MP selfie camera. Unfortunately, the other cameras on the back of the device are disappointing. The 8MP may be ultra-wide thanks to its 123-degree field of view, but it’s grainy and low-quality in almost all lighting conditions. The 5MP macro camera, on the other hand, is dysfunctional and impossible to capture anything usable unless it’s in broad daylight.
Also: Get a free Buds FE when you buy a Samsung Galaxy A35 during Prime Day in October
You can’t buy the Galaxy A35 5G expecting Spielberg-quality video, but at least you have the option to shoot in 4K, albeit at 30 frames per second. Additionally, I like Samsung’s camera app. This app is well optimized and easy to operate.
Other notable features include a fast and reliable in-display fingerprint scanner, IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back, and a microSD card slot to expand storage whenever you need it. .
However, the A35 stumbles in performance. Phones aren’t slow, but they aren’t always fast either. The Exynos 1380 octa-core processor is fast enough for day-to-day use, but during testing we did notice slowdowns that sometimes took several seconds to open an app or multitask.
The device also occasionally became inexplicably hot during normal use. For example, in one case, I was scrolling through an article with Spotify playing in the background and my A35 got so hot that I had to let it go.
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This is a known issue with Samsung’s Exynos chips, which have historically lagged behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors in terms of performance and efficiency. Luckily, the A35 can be equipped with 6 GB, 8 GB, or 12 GB of RAM, so you won’t run out of memory while using it. However, don’t use your phone too hard.
ZDNET purchase advice
It’s hard to find a mid-range device that balances the smartphone experience, but Samsung Galaxy A35 5G does a pretty good job. Performance and camera quality are poor in some areas, but the rest of the phone (especially that gorgeous screen) is good considering the price.
Of course, if you’re looking to buy this phone, you’re probably also considering other phones in the same price range, like the Pixel 8a or the excellent OnePlus 12R. The screen quality on both isn’t as good as the A35, and the battery life isn’t as long as 2 days. The cameras are comparable (aside from the Pixel 7a which beats out the A35 and 12R). Overall, I think the A35 is a good pickup. It’s not perfect, but if you can tolerate its quirks, I think you’ll like it.
Editor’s note: The Amazon Prime Day sale has officially ended, so we’ve updated this page to reflect the new prices. Galaxy A35 maintains its reduced price even after the sales event. But be careful, smartphones can be even cheaper on Black Friday.
ZDNET’s review team has spent over a year testing the ins and outs of every major phone release, evaluating day-to-day performance, camera quality, battery life and durability, and special features. Here’s a breakdown of all the factors we consider before making a recommendation:
- Design and ergonomics: How well a phone looks and feels has a huge impact on the buying process for many users, so we focus on these aspects when testing.
- performance: Several factors affect your phone’s performance, including LTE/5G signal, battery life, and background tasks. Therefore, you typically start your evaluation with your handset fully charged, all background tasks closed, and your mobile connection as stable as possible.
- Camera quality: ZDNET tests cell phone cameras by taking hundreds of photos and videos with different subjects and different lighting conditions. Also compare the output with the older model.
- Battery life and charging: It’s also important to evaluate how long your phone lasts under light, moderate, and heavy use, how long it takes to charge, and how you charge it (wired, wireless, or both).
- Special features: We hope that these features will distinguish our tested device from the busy smartphone market and provide added value to users rather than the other way around.
- Price and availability: In addition to considering your budget, consider whether the phone is only available within the United States or internationally.
For a more detailed breakdown, please visit our comprehensive phone testing methods page.
This article was originally published on May 2, 2024 and updated on October 22, 2024.
