Samsung Galaxy A27 Review: 5 Things I Like & 4 Things I Wish Were Better

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series has always focused on delivering a polished software experience, reliable cameras, and long-term software support. The new Galaxy A27 follows the same philosophy, bringing a better design, a modern punch-hole display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, and One UI 8.5 out of the box.

At its price, several competitors offer bigger batteries, faster charging, better gaming performance, and better cameras. Samsung is instead relying on its software experience, ecosystem features, and update commitment to stand out. So, should you buy the Galaxy A27 or look elsewhere? Let’s find out in this review.

Things I Like About the Samsung Galaxy A27

1. Slim Design

Samsung has not changed its design language dramatically over the years, though the Galaxy A27 still manages to look premium. The familiar linear camera layout and flat frame design make it instantly recognizable as a Samsung smartphone.

At 7.8mm thick, the Galaxy A27 is fairly slim and comfortable to hold despite featuring a large 6.7-inch display. The weight distribution is also good, so the phone never feels excessively bulky during long usage sessions.

The Light Green color on our unit deserves a special mention. It has a soft pastel finish that looks elegant. Depending on the lighting, the shade shifts slightly between mint and pale green, and the glossy glass back reflects light nicely.

Samsung is also using Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both the front and rear panels, which adds to the premium feel in hand. The plastic frame feels sturdy, and the buttons offer good tactile feedback.

The only thing I wish Samsung had done better here is durability. The Galaxy A27 comes with an IP64 rating, which protects against dust and splashes. However, several competitors in this segment now offer IP68 or even IP69 ratings, so Samsung is lagging behind in this area.

2. One UI Experience

The Galaxy A27 runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16, and software continues to be one of Samsung’s biggest strengths. In fact, One UI 8.5 is one of the strongest reasons to consider the Galaxy A27.

You get features like Samsung Wallet with NFC-based tap-to-pay support, Secure Folder, Good Lock support, Edge Panels, multi-window multitasking, Circle to Search, Object Eraser, Voice Transcription, Quick Share, Smart Switch, and Samsung Knox security.

One UI remains one of the most feature-rich Android skins in this segment. The interface is polished, animations are generally smooth, and there are plenty of customization options available. Good Lock in particular allows extensive customization across the home screen, lock screen, quick settings, gestures, and animations.

Samsung is also promising up to six major Android upgrades along with six years of security updates, which adds a lot of long-term value. No other phone in the segment can match Samsung’s software support commitment.

3. Display

One of the biggest upgrades on the Galaxy A27 is the move to a punch-hole cutout. Samsung has finally moved away from the older waterdrop notch design, and the front now looks much more modern.

The phone features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it delivers the typical Samsung display experience. Colors look vibrant, blacks are deep, and content consumption is enjoyable.

The bezels are still visible, especially the bottom chin, though they are not excessively thick and are acceptable for this price range. Watching videos, browsing social media, or simply reading articles on the phone is a pleasant experience.

With 1,400 nits of peak brightness, outdoor visibility is decent as well, and Samsung’s Vision Booster helps maintain readability under bright conditions. Overall, this is a good display for everyday use.

4. Performance

The Galaxy A27 is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

For everyday usage, performance is fine. Apps open reasonably quickly, multitasking is decent, and tasks like messaging, web browsing, video streaming, social media, and navigation are handled without any major issues.

The UFS 3.1 storage also helps keep app loading times fairly quick. Most casual users will be happy with the performance on offer.

That said, performance is only decent for the price. Competing devices in this segment offer significantly more powerful chipsets, especially if gaming is a priority. Heavy users and gamers will find better-performing alternatives elsewhere.

5. Good Selfie Camera

The 12MP front camera is one of the better aspects of the camera system. Selfies come out sharp with good detail, and HDR performance is good. The camera handles bright backgrounds well, so faces are properly exposed even in difficult lighting conditions.

For social media uploads, video calls, and casual content creation, the front camera delivers reliable results.

4 Things I Wish Were Better On the Samsung Galaxy A27

1. Bloatware and Ads

I like One UI for its features and customization, though Samsung still continues to ship a lot of unnecessary software on the Galaxy A27.

You get Samsung’s own apps, Google’s apps, Microsoft’s apps, and a number of third-party applications pre-installed. During setup, the phone also pushes additional app recommendations, which makes the overall experience feel cluttered.

Samsung also continues to show recommendations and promotional content inside some of its apps, which is disappointing.

2. Mono Speaker

The Galaxy A27 comes with a single bottom-firing speaker, and this is difficult to justify considering the asking price.

The speaker gets sufficiently loud for calls and videos, though the overall sound lacks depth and stereo separation. Audio is heavily focused on vocals and treble, and media consumption is noticeably less immersive compared to phones with stereo speakers.

Several competitors now offer stereo speakers in this segment, so Samsung should have included them here as well.

3. Battery

Battery life is decent, though it is no longer among the best in this segment. The 5,000 mAh battery delivers around 5 to 7 hours of screen-on time with mixed usage involving social media, browsing, camera usage, streaming, and messaging. Most users should comfortably get through a full day, though heavy users may need to top up before bedtime.

Competition has moved much further ahead. Devices like the OnePlus Nord CE6 offer an 8,000 mAh battery, while several other competitors also ship with larger battery capacities and deliver noticeably better endurance.

Charging speeds also remain disappointing. The phone supports only 25W wired charging and takes around one and a half hours for a full charge.

4. Rear Camera Performance

The rear camera system is serviceable, though it falls short of expectations at this price. The 50MP primary camera captures photos with usable photos in daylight, though detail levels are average and images can often look softer than expected. The HDR processing also has an issue with rendering shadow areas properly. Colors can also be desaturated at times.

The 5MP ultra-wide camera is the weakest part of the setup. Detail drops significantly, dynamic range is limited, and image quality overall is not particularly impressive.

Low-light performance also needs work. Images tend to show visible noise and softer details, while highlights are not always handled consistently. The 2MP macro camera is included as well, though it has limited real-world use.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

Samsung does not include a charger inside the box, so you will need to purchase one separately. The front camera is limited to 1080p video recording, with no support for 4K video capture. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is also noticeably slow, making the experience feel sluggish at times.

Gaming performance is below average for this price segment, especially in demanding titles. The phone also relies on virtual proximity sensing instead of a physical sensor. Haptics remain fairly basic and springy, and keyboard vibration is disabled by default. 

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy A27?

The Galaxy A27 focuses on delivering the core Samsung experience. One UI remains excellent, long-term software support is among the best in the segment, and the slim design paired with the good display makes the phone easy to live with on a daily basis.

The Galaxy A27 makes the most sense for someone who values One UI, Samsung Wallet, long software support, and Samsung’s ecosystem features. If your priorities include gaming, battery life, cameras, or overall hardware value, there are stronger alternatives available at this price like the OnePlus Nord CE6 (review). 

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 8.0/10

• Design: 8.9/10
• Display: 8.5/10
• Performance: 7.5/10
• Battery: 7.8/10
• Cameras: 7.2/10
• Software: 8.9/10

First reviewed in June 2026.

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