Samsung Galaxy A35 review

Design, build quality, handling

The Galaxy A35 looks the same as many of the recent Galaxy A phones. And there is nothing bad about that. This shape has been perfected over the last couple of years and stood the test of time. They are also instantly recognizable.

The Galaxy A35 is a dual-glass smartphone with a plastic frame, which means it has gotten a glass back panel upgrade since the Galaxy A34. The front panel has also seen an improvement, as it is now a Gorilla Glass Victus+ sheet, up from GG5. Both panels are flat and glossy. Color options include Iceblue, Lilac, Lemon and Navy.

The front is home to the 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen of 1080p+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is the same panel as on the Galaxy A34, together with the small round cutout and fairly thick but even bezels.

There is an under-display fingerprint sensor optical type, and it works nicely fast.

The frame is made of thick plastic, and it is flat, too, but with a matte finish. There is a small twist here - the power and volume controls now sit on a slightly elevated surface, which we thought unnecessary at first, but we have to admit it makes for a better experience.

There is no ugly or messy camera bump on the Galaxy A35. Samsung calls its camera design "flowing," as it looks like the three rings sticking out are literally flowing over calm waters.

And speaking of water, the Galaxy A35 is IP67-rated for dust and water protection, just like many of the Galaxy A phones nowadays.

The Galaxy A35 offers stereo speakers, and it is a hybrid setup - the earpiece acts as a speaker, while there is another full-blown speaker at the bottom of the phone.

Here are the sides of the Galaxy A35. You can notice the two symmetrical microphones at the bottom and a third mic at the top of the phone.

Samsung Galaxy A35

The Galaxy A35 is a solid and well-built smartphone. It offers a secure enough grip and feels safe in our hands most of the time. It has gained 10 grams of weight since the Galaxy A34, probably due to the new updates, but it didn't feel overweight. Overall, we are happy with our experience; our only advice would be to get a brighter color. Otherwise, fingerprints and smudges would be much more obvious on those glass panels.