Samsung Galaxy A35 5G review

In the mid-range smartphone segment today, we often see offerings suited to several different, but very specific use cases. For example, Vivo does very camera-centric phones, while Realme has been trying to enter the gaming-centric smartphone segment with its onboard 3D VC liquid cooling systems. And we’re all for being a master at one, rather than being a jack of all trades.

But, say you’re looking for something that can do a little bit of everything though. Well, the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, promises just that. Having spent the past few days putting the phone through its paces, here’s our Samsung Galaxy A35 5G review.

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G design

Now, one may argue that the Samsung Galaxy A35 bears too much resemblance to the more premium S-series phones like the Galaxy S23 FE or the Galaxy S24. But hey, we’re not complaining.

The device is extremely attractive and punches way above its weight when it comes to design, with a premium metal case and a glass back. Bear in mind though, this gives the phone a fair bit of heft. So, while it does feel great to hold, you may want to look elsewhere if you want a lightweight device.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, Galaxy A55 5G launched with Exynos chips, 4 years of software updates

Protecting this well-designed phone is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, and IP67 dust and water resistance. Having said that, the glass back is a bit of a smudge magnet, and the protruding camera lenses also mean the phone requires a case. A transparent one, if nothing else.

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G display and audio

Samsung’s OLED displays have been known to be some of the best around. And the Galaxy A35 5G’s FHD+ Super AMOLED display, with support for 120Hz refresh rate and 1,000 nits peak brightness, is no exception.

Whether it’s games like Asphalt 9 at “High” graphics settings, or episodes of Kim’s Convenience, the display on the phone is an absolute treat, with vivid colours, excellent contrasts, and blacks and sharp text. The 6.6-inch display is also fairly easy to navigate around with one hand, although reaching the corners of the screen may be a bit of a stretch for some.

The dual stereo-speaker setup on the phone is also one of the better ones we’ve seen. The sound has a good amount of thump to it, vocals are clear, and it doesn’t get distorted even at high volume levels.

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G performance

Under the hood is an Exynos 1380 chipset developed in-house by Samsung, coupled with a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU. There’s also 8GB of RAM, which suffices for most everyday use cases, and handles multiple apps running at the same time quite well.

We used Google Chrome, the Phone app, along with Netflix, and threw in a bit of Instagram as well, but the phone never once struggled to keep them all running smoothly.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G review

Coming to gaming performance, the phone runs Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9 at high graphics settings pretty well. We didn’t notice any sudden or major drops in frame rates during gameplay, although Asphalt 9, was touch-and-go for a few seconds at times.

Secondly, the phone does heat a tiny bit while running the games at high graphics settings. However, it doesn’t do so to an extent that’s cause for concern.

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G battery

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G gets a 5,000mAh Li-Ion battery. We engaged in about about three hours of gaming and streaming content on Netflix simultaneously, with about an hour of shooting and rather liberal usage of the flashlight thrown in as well. Even after this, with location services, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the whole time (We connected the phones to a pair of OnePlus Buds Z2) the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G still had about 65 per cent juice left in it.

Battery management is quite decent, the phone will easily last all day for most users. However, it was a tad bit disappointing to see that the phone, gets only 25W wired charging support. Moreover, it doesn’t even get an adapter included in the box, which many similarly priced rivals do offer.

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G cameras

For the most part, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G has an extremely potent camera setup. With a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 5MP macro sensor, it manages to capture the finer details on most subjects, and performance in the low light settings is excellent.

Even when shooting outdoors in brightly lit conditions, pictures never appear overexposed or noisy. Colour recreation on the phone is also decent. However, some may find images to be a tad oversaturated at times.

Coming to portraits, image contrast is excellent, and edges on both human subjects and other objects are well-defined. However, the camera does appear to soften a few details on these subjects a bit more than we’d have liked it to.

ALSO READ: These Samsung devices get Galaxy AI and new features via an update

Now, for videos. Video performance on the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is great. The OIS works like a charm, and even capturing settings with lots of activity (such as traffic moving on a road) is an absolute breeze.

The cameras then, allow you to both, dabble in some good amateur photography, and also ensure your Instagram game is (mostly) on point!

Unboxed Take: Should you get the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G?

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is an extremely well-equipped device and offers great bang for its buck. The phone has excellent gaming performance (except for the occasional overheating), a brilliant display and speaker setup, and competent cameras as well.

Of course, should you happen to be looking for a phone with faster charging support, you could perhaps consider investing in the OnePlus Nord CE4, or perhaps the Redmi Note 13 Pro and Pro+, for a slightly higher resolution camera.

However, for the most part, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is an extremely potent device. It makes for a great investment if you happen to be looking for a smartphone that can do a little bit of everything (and really well), without actually burning a hole in your pockets. For this reason, we rate it 4/5, stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for more in-depth reviews.