It’s 2024, and flagship phone prices continue to skyrocket. Devices like the Google Pixel 9 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are out of reach for many, and, as a result, budget-friendly smartphones are becoming more attractive than ever. The low-cost market is thriving with plenty of strong options, and one standout for 2024 is the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G. It offers impressive features at an affordable price, making it one of the best budget phones of 2024.
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Samsung Galaxy A15 5G: Everything you need for only $200
It’s not flashy, but the A15 gets the job done for people who don’t read reviews or care about specs
6 A vibrant Super AMOLED display
Big, bright, and buttery smooth at 90Hz
Many budget smartphones compromise on display quality to keep prices low, but the Galaxy A15 5G breaks that trend. The smartphone ships with a big 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, which is a rarity in this price range where most competitors stick with lower-quality LCD panels.
That’s not all. This display offers a Full HD 1080p resolution, a peak brightness of 800 nits, and supports a smooth 90Hz refresh rate — features that are rarely seen in phones under $200. While it may not match the quality of flagship Android devices, as our reviewer Stephen Radochia noted, it’s one of the best displays you’ll find at sub-$200.
5 Expandable storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack
Features even flagships have forgotten
In today’s world, our phones fill up quickly with photos, videos, games, and apps. While many modern smartphones have phased out expandable storage, the Galaxy A15 5G still offers this feature. With its microSD card slot, supporting up to 1TB of external memory card, you can easily expand your storage and save all your media without relying on additional cloud subscriptions.
Another rarity in today’s smartphones is the 3.5mm headphone jack, but the Galaxy A15 5G still offers it. Yes, we’re in the days of Bluetooth earbuds and wireless Android Auto, but there are still moments when a wired connection is invaluable, and Samsung has made sure you’re covered.
4 Years of guaranteed software updates
Long-term support from Samsung
Most budget smartphones don’t offer much in terms of software updates, but Samsung is changing the game with the Galaxy A15 5G. It comes with Android 14 right out of the box and promises four major Android updates along with five years of security patches — something that is unheard of in this segment. Moreover, it runs on Samsung’s latest One UI 6.1 with features like battery protection modes and customizable lock screen widgets.
The Galaxy AI features introduced in One UI 6.1 are not available on the Galaxy A15 5G. These features are reserved for higher-end models within Samsung’s lineup.
Smooth performance for all your needs
While most smartphones in this price range settle for lower-end processors, the Galaxy A15 5G packs the considerably-powerful MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset. This octa-core processor features two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six efficient Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0GHz.
Although it doesn’t compete with flagship-level chips, it’s one of the best processors available in the budget segment. In our testing, we didn’t experience any slowdowns during everyday tasks. For typical usage like browsing Instagram, texting, and light multitasking, the Galaxy A15 5G handles it all with ease.
2 Versatile camera system for every shot
Snap photos without breaking the bank
One of the standout features of the Galaxy A15 5G is its impressive camera setup. The phone is equipped with a 50MP primary camera with autofocus, accompanied by a 5MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, there’s a 13MP selfie camera. If you’re a fan of Samsung’s signature saturated and vibrant color profile, the Galaxy A15 5G won’t disappoint. In our tests, daytime shots were more than satisfactory, especially for a budget device.
1 Long-lasting battery with fast charging support
More time using and less time charging
Samsung Galaxy smartphones aren’t typically known for their large batteries, but the Galaxy A15 5G sets itself apart from the norm. It packs a hefty 5,000 mAh battery, more than capable of lasting through a full day of heavy use. In our testing, we consistently achieved over 8 hours of screen-on time, which is impressive — surpassing what many flagship smartphones can deliver today.
While it doesn’t offer wireless charging, which is expected at this price point, it does support 25W fast charging. This can get you from 0% to about 80% charge in under an hour and a full charge in around an hour and a half. With battery life stretching up to two days on moderate use, this is more than enough for most users.
The Galaxy A15 5G is easily one of the best low-cost smartphones on the market
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G may not bring groundbreaking features, but that doesn’t make it a bad smartphone. In fact, it excels where it matters most, offering solid performance, impressive battery life, and an excellent display for multimedia consumption. If you decide to pick up this budget-friendly device, be sure to check out the top Galaxy A15 5G tips and tricks to get the best experience out of it.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
The Galaxy A15 5G does its best to cut all the right corners and leave you with a well-rounded phone that gets the job done without breaking the bank. Samsung has succeeded in this task, offering a 5G phone with a 6.5-inch display running on a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC for right around $200.
