Getting close to the premium flagship territory
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a great mid-range phone. It offers a sleek design, a beautiful 120Hz display, plenty of power under the hood, and a triple camera setup on the back.
Pros
Excellent screen for a mid-range device
Solid playing camera
Glass back this year instead of plastic
Cons
Mediocre ultra-wide camera
The Pixel 7 is similar in price, with a better camera and SoC
Useless macro sensors
Samsung's Galaxy A54 is a big improvement over the company's previous mid-range A-series offerings. Instead of a plastic body, you get actual Gorilla Glass on the front and back sides, even though the frame is still plastic. For $450, you get a gorgeous 120Hz OLED display with a capable 50MP, f/1.8 main camera. The ultra-wide camera is solid too, but the third lens is mostly a pointless macro sensor.
Inside, the phone runs on Samsung's Exynos 1380, which is a respectable mid-range chip that surprisingly handles thermals quite well. It also supports expandable storage, which is a rarity for phones above the budget territory. IP67 and stereo speakers round out the rest of this package that punches above its mid-range price class. There is no wireless charging, however.
Truth be told, the Pixel 7a has a better main camera and a flagship-level SoC that can handle more intelligent machine learning tasks, but the A54 has a better screen and longer battery life thanks to its large 5,000 mAh battery, so if you're re on the market to buy a phone for less than $500, you have to weigh your options.
