I reviewed the Galaxy A57, and it’s a better choice than the Pixel 10a

I’ve spent a couple of weeks with the Galaxy A57 to find out if Samsung’s bread-and-butter phone is worth the $550 asking price.

There’s a lot of competition, but I have been won over by the svelte newcomer. Let’s go into detail about why it’s worth your money, provided you don’t forget to check any deals on its usually more expensive S series stablemate first.

8.5/10

SoC

Exynos 1580

Display dimensions

6.7-inches

Battery

5,000mAh

RAM

8GB / 12GB

The Samsung Galaxy A57’s modern style separates it from the Pixel 10a, and some key fundamental upgrades make it a desirable mid-range phone.

Pros & Cons

• Vibrant, sharp screen
• Camera takes fun, colorful photos
• Fast charging
• Thin chassis and bezels

• Can get uncomfortable to grip
• Hardcore gamers will want more power
• No wireless charging

Specs, price, and availability

The Samsung Galaxy A57 is available to buy now. It costs $550 for the 128GB version, and $610 for the 256GB model. There are four colors available; Awesome Navy (a Samsung exclusive), Awesome IcyBlue (seen in our photos), Awesome Gray, and Awesome Lilac.

Samsung has done away with the 6GB RAM option seen on the Galaxy A56, and the Galaxy A57 now has a base 8GB of RAM, with the option to choose 12GB in some regions.

Its closest competitor is the $500 Google Pixel 10a, closely followed by the $500 Nothing Phone 4a Pro, and the $500 Motorola Moto G Stylus. Outside the US, the Honor 600 is a newcomer worth attention. Samsung has also launched the Galaxy A37 for anyone on a stricter budget.

Spend a little more, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE comes into play. It starts at $650, and you get a telephoto camera, wireless charging, DeX support, and a few other additional features.

Samsung Galaxy A57 design

Thin bezels transform the look

The Galaxy A57 is seriously thin, and I’m not just talking about the phone itself, as Samsung has reduced the size of the bezel around the screen — a Galaxy A56 pain point — to give the phone a sleek, modern style that’s as eye-catching as it is svelte in your hand.

Holding such a thin phone, it’s just 6.9mm thick, does pose a slight issue as the edges are a little sharp, and because it’s light at 179 grams, I find I grip it fairly tightly, so you do feel it dig in after a while.

It feels like a high-quality piece of equipment due to the metal chassis, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back, plus the upgraded IP68 dust and water resistance should make it durable too.

It’s a phone you will be proud of because of Samsung’s decision to keep strong family design ties between it and the S series, and because of the refined shape and bezels, it looks so much more 2026 than the Pixel 10a.

Samsung Galaxy A57 camera

Vibrant and fun photos

There are three cameras on the back of the Galaxy A57. First is the 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, followed by a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 5MP macro camera. On the front is a 12MP selfie camera.

The camera embodies what Samsung is best known for, as the main camera photos are bright, vibrant, and full of life and color. Expect vivid blues, greens, and reds, and a strong HDR effect in the right conditions, making the camera ideal for anyone wanting to share photos online.

Photos aren’t packed with detail, and suffer from muddiness when you crop them down, but this is not a problem unique to the A57. I’ve noticed similar issues with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is more than twice the price.

There’s good consistency across the main and wide-angle cameras, and although the 2x zoom shortcut in the app isn’t an optical zoom, the photos it takes are still respectable, so don’t be afraid to use it. Even the maximum 10x zoom does well, as you can see from the photo of the clock in the gallery below. Selfies can be a little washed out, but skin tones appear quite accurate, and the portrait mode works well.

Many will think the Pixel 10a will be the camera phone to pick at this price, but in a small back-to-back test, the Pixel 10a’s photos looked drab and lifeless next to the vivid Galaxy A57’s photos.

The Galaxy A57’s camera is fun and surprisingly versatile despite not having a telephoto camera, and anyone posting to social media will get plenty of enjoyment from it.

Samsung Galaxy A57 software

Take your time setting it up

One of the biggest advantages of choosing a Samsung phone over some others around the same price is the six-year software update commitment, which covers both the operating system and security updates. Only the Pixel 10a improves on it.

Android 16 and Samsung’s latest One UI 8.5 interface are on board, making it right up to date in Samsung’s catalog, and for the most part, it’s a joy to use.

Setup is fairly painless, but I still find it odd that Samsung insists on defaulting to Android buttons for navigation, keeping the Always-on screen off, blasting the awful Over the Horizon ringtone out as standard. This, and various other things, mean it’s worth taking time with Samsung’s extensive customization tools to make the phone your own.

One UI 8.5 is great once you’ve personalized it. I love the use of space, the subtle colors, and logical menus. Redesigned buttons throughout the system are clear and obvious, the Quick Panel can be completely customized, and the wallpaper editor can really give your lock screen a unique look.

Frustratingly, Samsung DeX, its desktop mode, is not available on the A57. Galaxy AI is limited to image editing and transcription, and tools like the Now Brief and Now Bar aren’t present. You’ll have to buy an S26-series phone to get all the productivity and AI features.

Samsung Galaxy A57 performance

Entirely adequate

The Exynos 1580 processor is definitely no fire-breathing monster. It’s adequate, but never feels like it’s effortlessly moving through apps and menus, more like it’s giving all it has got at all times. The fingerprint sensor is a good example of overall performance, as it’s reliable but a bit slow.

It’s the same story when you download apps from the Play Store, where even with strong Wi-Fi, the A57 takes its sweet time. That said, it holds on to a 5G connection reliably here in the UK, and calls sound excellent.

I’ve come to the Galaxy A57 from the Honor 600, and not only is the method for answering calls logical, but the audio during them is clearer too. The Galaxy A57 is a better phone phone than the Honor, and this does matter.

Samsung Galaxy A57 screen, video, and games

Stunning visuals

The Galaxy A57’s 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen has a 120Hz refresh rate and a 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution. It’s bright enough to be easily seen in sunlight, and I love its vivid colors and sharp detail.

Video looks great. It’s sharp, colorful, and exciting. It’s all enhanced by the stereo, Dolby Atmos speakers, which have decent bass and lovely, clear vocals. There are masses of volume too.

While the Exynos 1580 may not immediately lend itself to intensive gaming, it still does the job. Asphalt 9 Legends plays well, but it doesn’t appear as fast as it does on more expensive hardware, plus there is a slow build-up of heat around the camera module and the top of the chassis, which may become an issue if you play more hardcore games for long periods of time.

Samsung Galaxy A57 battery and charging

Two days of use

It’s a 5,000mAh battery in the Galaxy A57, which is recharged using a USB-C cable at speeds up to 45W, supporting Samsung’s Super Fast Charging 2.0 technology. It’s the same as the Galaxy A56 before it.

Once past the first few days, where Android’s optimization really pushes the battery hard, it settles down to a solid two-day life on a single charge, provided your use doesn’t go far beyond three or four hours of screen time.

The Exynos 1580 and 5,000mAh battery are an efficient pairing, with a 20-minute 3DMark benchmark test taking 8%, and a 30-minute YouTube video at 1440p over Wi-Fi taking only 3%.

Plug the phone in, and it takes about 80 minutes to fully charge, with a fast-charge feature bringing 60% in only 30 minutes. It’s a solid overall performance, but the continued lack of wireless charging will bother those looking for a reason to upgrade from a recent A-series phone. It does have reverse charging, though.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A57?

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A57 is a great buy. The screen looks fantastic, from the thin bezels to the vivid colors; the camera is ideal for vibrant, fun shots. The battery life is sufficient that many won’t need to charge it each day, and it charges quickly, too. It’s in these areas that the Galaxy A57 is a better choice than the Pixel 10a.

The software is well-designed and easy to use, plus it’ll be supported for years, and the phone feels expensive and durable, meaning you won’t immediately look to upgrade it next year. It makes the $50 increase in price over the Galaxy A56 easier to accept.

If you own the Galaxy A56, it’s not dramatically improved, so you may not want to upgrade, but if the Pixel 10a looks too much like the Pixel 9a, and the Nothing Phone 4a Pro is too bold, the Galaxy A57 should be at the top of your shopping list.

Buy it with confidence, but have a good check to see if the Galaxy S25 FE is available at a discount before committing.

8.5/10

SoC

Exynos 1580

Display dimensions

6.7-inches

Battery

5,000mAh

Rear camera

50MP main / 12MP wide-angle / 5MP macro

The Samsung Galaxy A57 is a great phone to buy. It makes the Pixel 10a’s design look dated, and the camera takes even better photos, plus the fundamental appeal of the A series — battery life, durability, software updates — remains to give it strong appeal.