If there’s a benchmark for the features and performance that make a flagship phone feel truly flagship, the new mid-range Samsung Galaxy A57 5G rather cheekily nudges that boundary. It’s a well-rounded package you’ll be able to keep using for several years, particularly if you’re someone who doesn’t feel the need to splash out on a top-tier flagship.
It’s more of an evolution than a ground-up redesign compared to its predecessor, but that’s no bad thing. The A56 from last year already had plenty going for it, and Samsung has sensibly chosen to refine rather than reinvent.
A proper looker
One of the device’s strongest suits is its excellent display. You’re getting a 6.7-inch panel featuring Super AMOLED Plus technology and the difference is plain to see. Colours are rich without being garish, and the phone both looks and feels decidedly more premium than its price might suggest.
It’s a cracking device for watching videos or idly scrolling through social media, not just because it looks the part, but also thanks to the generous canvas. Add to that a 120Hz refresh rate, and everything feels silky smooth. That higher refresh rate really earns its keep on a larger screen, ensuring you won’t encounter that dreaded “jelly scrolling” effect while flicking through feeds.
The handset also sports premium build materials, including an aluminium frame. While the display is 1080p (FHD+), it remains pleasingly sharp and crisp. Slimmer bezels — still a rarity at this end of the market—add to the modern feel, and the hole-punch front camera is a welcome step up from the rather dated “waterdrop” notch.
More than just a numbers game
The cameras have to be the other standout feature of the smartphone. Not only are the specifications rather impressive for a mid-ranger, but there’s also a suite of genuinely useful features.
You get a triple-camera setup: a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 5-megapixel macro lens for close-up shots. Up front, there’s a 12-megapixel selfie camera. By default, photos are captured at 12MP, but with a quick tap, you can switch to the full 50MP mode — handy if you want more detail for cropping or scaling later.
Photos come out sharp across a variety of lighting conditions. The Galaxy A57 comfortably holds its own against rivals like Nothing’s Phone (4a) and several mid-range offerings from OnePlus and Xiaomi. Video performance is equally solid, with 4K recording on both front and rear cameras. Samsung’s Nightography tech, combined with an enhanced ISP, reduces noise and boosts clarity in low-light conditions. The 1.0µm pixel sensor helps capture brighter, more true-to-life footage when the lights dip.
The selfie camera pulls its weight too, especially for video — ideal for vloggers. It enhances saturation and boosts colour and contrast without going overboard. Then there are the software flourishes: Object Eraser does a tidy job of removing unwanted elements, while Best Face lets you pick the most flattering expressions in group shots. Edit Suggestion, meanwhile, quietly offers framing tips — an underrated touch that can genuinely improve your snaps.
If there’s a slight quibble, it’s the inclusion of a dedicated macro lens — most people rarely use it, and its utility feels a bit tacked on.
Battery life is another high point. The 5,000mAh unit is claimed to last up to two days, though in our testing — with plenty of camera use and apps like Google Maps — it settled closer to a day and a half. Still, that’s nothing to sniff at. Super Fast Charging 2.0 gets you to around 60 per cent in just 30 minutes, which is rather handy when you’re in a pinch.
Performance-wise, the phone runs like a dream. You can opt for either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, both paired with 256GB of storage. The 12GB variant is the sensible choice if you’re planning to hang onto the device for a good few years. Powering it all is the Exynos 1680 processor, which bumps up NPU performance by 33 per cent, enabling more AI tasks to be handled on-device rather than relying on the cloud.
In day-to-day use, it’s nippy enough for everything from routine tasks to gaming. Thermal performance is commendable too — after 45 minutes of continuous gaming, the phone barely warms up.
On the software front, One UI 8.5 brings a fair bit to the table. It handles mundane tasks with ease, anticipates your needs, and adapts to your usage patterns. With deeper AI integration, it opens the door to a more productive and creative experience.
Samsung is also promising up to six years of major Android updates and security patches, which is rather reassuring. It means you can keep the device ticking along nicely for longer — especially relevant given the rising cost of components, a situation unlikely to ease before the end of 2027.
All told, the mix of sturdy build, excellent battery life, top-notch camera performance and dependable day-to-day performance makes the Galaxy A57 5G a clear winner in the mid-range segment. It’s very much a jack-of-all-trades — and, in many ways, master of quite a few.
At a glance
Device: Samsung Galaxy A57 5G
Price: Upwards of ₹56,999
High notes
Excellent Super AMOLED Plus display
Smooth 120Hz refresh rate
Strong main camera performance
Reliable low-light photography
Useful AI editing features
Good selfie video quality
Solid battery life
Smooth day-to-day performance
Long software support (up to six years)
Clean, feature-rich One UI experience
Muffled notes
No major design overhaul
Macro camera feels unnecessary
