Delivering a dependable phone in 2023 has a lot to do with software upgrades, which is the biggest feature of the new phone from Samsung — Galaxy F54 5G. It’s a mid-range phone that has taken some features from flagship devices to offer next-level performance. We have been using the phone for a couple of weeks under all kinds of lighting and situations.
Software experience
If a couple of years ago, somebody would have said that a mid-range phone will get four years of OS upgrade and five years of security patches, I would have thought the conversation was around a flagship phone. Samsung has the best software experience on any Android phone at the moment, matching many of the things Google Pixel has to offer.
A longer OS cycle means you will be able to hold on to the phone for a longer time, which is perfect for sustainability. Why do you need to update phones every year? Besides, the company also has some eco-conscious innovations on the phone, like recycled plastic for side keys and SIM tray, no presence of hazardous substances and minimised packaging with recycled paper.
There is no charging brick in the box, which is a good thing because you must be having a few adapters lying around. In case you want to buy a charger, get one from Samsung, like the 25W PD adapter.
The software experience is also tied to the processor, which in this case is Samsung’s own Exynos 1380. It’s a power efficient as well as reliable processor for most use cases. You can throw whatever apps you have in mind at the processor, yet there will be no lag. In most games, you won’t feel a difference and the output is a sustained one. This is not a gaming phone and it doesn’t try to get marketed as one, yet, most titles play smoothly.
The phone has one of the best displays in the mid-range category
The 108MP main camera captures plenty of details and is quick to respond
Colours have a natural tone and the zoom offers enough clarity and sharpness
Design and aesthetics
The phone has some similarities with the Galaxy A54 when it comes to specs but the design here is quite different. It’s a plastic back that can pick up smudges, so you would be advised to buy a rear cover. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is quick and it’s placed at an efficient spot. What could have been better is more colour choices.
When it comes to the display, it’s easily among the best on a mid-range phone. It’s a 6.7-inch sAMOLED screen offering FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Don’t compare it with the dynamic AMOLED screen on flagship phones; this is just about right for a mid-range. There is excellent colour reproduction and viewing angles are spot on. There is Widevine L1 certification, so you can enjoy shows on Netflix at excellent resolution. The display offers uniform colour representation and excellent touch responsiveness.
Also important is the high peak brightness as well as minimum brightness. At its lowest, you get just about enough brightness to not hurt your eyes. For display protection, there is Gorilla Glass 5. And the tactile feedback from the keyboard is among the best I have seen in recent times.
Over to the camera
Samsung has gone with a big 108MP main camera with OIS while ultra-wide is restricted to 8MP. The main camera, of course, has pixel binning, that is, a cluster of pixels is grouped to form a bigger pixel, capturing more information. It is helpful, especially at night. What I like most about the camera is the amount of details it picks up at night. While brightening the scene at night, it doesn’t make one feel the shot was taken during the day, which is the case with many phones from rival companies. The ultra-wide too captures a good amount of details but there is a small degree of colour shift between the main and ultra-wide. As for the macro, 2MP camera, it’s just there. The front camera features 32MP and it does a good job with skin tones.
Coming to the video department, it can shoot at UHD at 30fps but I kept it to FHD@30fps to get excellent stable shots. On the front camera too you can shoot UHD@30fps. The good thing about this: You can start a video on the back camera and can easily shift to the front snapper.
Should you buy it?
Let’s talk about the only downside of the phone — the single-firing speaker. It’s loud and clear but it’s not stereo. But brownie points are won in the battery department. There is a massive 6000mAh battery, which gave me over seven hours of screen-on time and the day included taking videos and photos. I don’t mind that the battery takes a little over one and a half hours to juice up because that gets done at night. Samsung Galaxy F54 5G pushes the bar in the mid-range category, delivering reliable performance.
