The mid-range smartphone market is hot-selling in India at the moment and to capture the same, Samsung has launched the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G smartphone. Along with the Galaxy A35 5G, the brand has also launched the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G which is pricier than A35. In this review, we are focusing on the affordable Samsung Galaxy A35 5G that comes with premium design language. Samsung has tweaked the design a little by making minor changes, as a result of which Galaxy A35 looks better than its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G falls in the segment which also has smartphones like Nothing Phone (2a), Poco X6 Pro, and OnePlus Nord 3. So, the question that arises is whether Samsung Galaxy A35 5G will become people’s choice or not. We used the device for around 10 days so let us analyze some of its special features as well as shortcomings in this review.
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 3.9/5
Design
Display
Software
Performance
Camera
Battery
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Pro
- Good build quality & stylish design
- Smooth AMOLED display
- Decent camera performance
- IP67 rating
Cons
- Bloatware
- No adapter inside the box
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Price & Availability
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes in Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Navy shades. It can be purchased via Amazon and Samsung India website. It will be available in two storage models-
- 8GB RAM+128GB storage- Rs. 30,999
- 8GB RAM+256GB storage- Rs. 39,999
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Design & Build
On unboxing the Galaxy A35 5G, it felt really good in hand. The smartphone looks good and feels premium on the first touch. It comes in three colors, out of which we received the Awesome Lilac variant. The rear panel has a glass finish with the top left corner housing three camera cutouts for photography. The camera design is slightly bigger than the Galaxy A34, but that doesn’t affect its looks. At the bottom is Samsung branding written in white and simple text.
Samsung has equipped the smartphone with a flat design for the front as well as the back. The display now features a punch-hole selfie snapper instead of a notch. There is a plastic frame with right edge housing volume rockers and power buttons. The bottom edge has two microphones, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker grille while the SIM tray is housed on the top edge. On unlocking the screens, you will find noticeable bezels, especially on the chin. At the top of the display is punch hole selfie camera which is small in size and thus doesn’t interrupt with any task being performed on the screen.
Along with good style and built quality, Galaxy A35 5G comes with IP67 certification which protects it against dust and water. However, a TPU cover would have made the experience even better. Compared to its competitors in the segment, Galaxy A35 5G is thicker (8.2mm) and heavier (209 grams). Although it never really felt so.
All in all, the design of the smartphone gives a good experience and both the light shade variants look gorgeous as well. For those who like dark colors, there is a Navy option available. Due to the glass back, it looks premium but is slippery when held in hand, so using a protective cover would be advisable.
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Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Display
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G flaunts a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED Infinity O display with HDR and FHD+ resolution. The display supports a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung has protected the back as well as front with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus glass which is more powerful than Gorilla Glass Victus.
The display is good in terms of usage and the touch is smooth as well. The refresh rate is dynamic this time so you can switch between 120Hz, 60Hz, and adaptive options. We used it in an adaptive mode which meant a 120Hz refresh rate while scrolling and gaming while a 60Hz refresh rate while using other apps. There are two screen modes- Vivid and Natural, out of which we used Natural as it shows real-time colors better.
The content consumption experience was good as well. We watched content on Netflix and YouTube and each frame showed vibrant, crisp, and detailed visuals. Viewing angles are decent and no issues were experienced in terms of display brightness as well. The display does feel reflective in outdoor conditions, but this doesn’t obstruct usage at all.
The touch is responsive as well although it does have thick bezels around it which makes the screen look outdated.
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Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Performance
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is powered by the same chipset that the company used on Galaxy A54 and Galaxy F54 in 2023. The brand has used Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos 1380 chipset along with 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage. In terms of graphics, there is a Mali G68 MP5 GPU. With Exynos 1380 switching between everyday tasks like web browsing, official email, content streaming, calling, using social media apps, and more is seamless. During my 10 days of usage, I used all these apps simultaneously and multitasking was a breeze.
In terms of gaming, heavy titles like BGMI, COD, and more can be played on this one. The only niggle is a drop in frame rates during a long gaming session. The device gets slightly warm as well, but it never gets uncomfortably hot so you have to stop gaming.
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G runs One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 out of the box. In this price range, only this device comes with four promised software updates and five years of security patches. This makes it one of the highlights of A35 5G. The UI is simple and fun. The UI is very similar to the UI of Samsung’s premium Galaxy S24 devices. There is some amount of bloatware like Facebook, Netflix, Snapchat, Max, Daily Hunt, Myntra, and more, but these can be deleted if you don’t need them.
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G REVIEW: CAMERA
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G features a triple camera sensor at the back. It includes a 50MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. Along with it are an 8MP ultrawide sensor and a 5MP macro sensor. Along with three camera sensors, there is an LED flash as well.
The 50MP primary sensor has been upgraded by Samsung. It has been given OIS support and all this leads to detailed photos. The main sensor can click good photos in every lighting condition, which includes capturing shadows in broad daylight. The dynamic range is impressive. In all the photos I clicked, the colors were very good. Whether it was the green color of plants or vibrant shades of a painting on a wall. For a budget of 30k, the sensor is impressive.
The low-light images are also clicked with a good amount of detailing. The noise is also very low in these photos. There is a Night Mode as well, but without enabling it too, the sensor clicks decent images in low light.
There is an 8MP ultrawide lens that can click decent wide-angle shots. Although the detailing in clicks is not at par with the main sensor, considering the budget, performance is acceptable. Even at night, the ultrawide sensor can click ok shots with fewer details.
At the front is a 13MP selfie snapper. Surprisingly, this sensor performs better than expected. The skin tones look natural with each and every detail of the face being accurate. The background is also captured well, but on zooming in details are lost.
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Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G packs a 5000mAh battery and considering the price point, its battery life is one of the best. With usage including calling, WhatsApp, Instagram, Email, light gaming, and navigation, the battery easily lasts two days. While I did not game much, still I can say that this 5000mAh battery is one of the best available. In terms of fast charging, Samsung hasn’t done anything new as there is still 25W wired fast charging and no adapter inside the box.
If you like to opt for a smartphone of some other brand, this slow charging speed might trouble you but in case you are a Samsung fan, you won’t feel this is an issue. The device takes 1 hour 35 minutes to recharge from 0 to 100%.
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Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Should You Buy The Galaxy A35 5G?
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes with a starting price of Rs. 30,999 and its top-end variant goes all the way up to Rs. 33,999. The design of the smartphone is attractive and premium but while some features have received upgrades, others still lag. The device has a punch-hole sensor instead of a notch, a glass finish instead of plastic, and a refreshed speaker design. Other than all this, camera performance has also been introduced. Display as well as battery can also be reasons to buy Galaxy A35.
On the other hand, a slightly better chipset would have been better along with bezels being sleeker to make it look more premium. Fast charging isn’t really fast, but Samsung’s battery backup is still better than many others, so it is a sigh of relief. Moreover, in this budget, no brand offers four years of software updates as of now.
Reasons to buy
- Good build quality & stylish design
- Smooth AMOLED display
- Decent camera performance
- IP67 rating
Reasons to not buy
- Bloatware
- No adapter inside the box
