Weekly poll: is the Samsung Galaxy M55 the right mid-ranger for you?

14 April 2024

The Galaxy M55 and M15 were announced a couple of weeks ago for the Brazilian market, this week the pair launched in India. We are more interested in the M55 mid-ranger – its odd mix of specs might make it the perfect phone for you. Or does it?

The Samsung Galaxy M55 is very different from the M54 that came before it and the A55 that you might consider as an alternative. Let’s start with the pricing first. The M55 has a base price of BRL 3,000 for an 8/256GB unit, in India the base is 8/128GB for ₹27,000. Additionally, there is an 8/256GB variant for ₹30,000 and 12/256GB for ₹33,000. This model has a microSD slot for more storage, as does the A55.

Hold on, 12GB of RAM? That’s more than the Galaxy S24 flagship and S23 FE have! And get this, the M55 is the first Samsung mid-ranger with 45W fast charging, a level previously reserved for flagships. Well, some flagships, the S24 and S23 FE are capped at 25W (to be fair, they have wireless charging too).

The battery is smaller than last year at 5,000mAh (the M54 had a 6,000mAh battery), but that is still bigger than either flagship, even a bit bigger than the similarly sized S24+.

And check out that selfie camera – 50MP is the highest resolution on a Samsung since the Galaxy A80 (and that one “cheated” with a flip camera). Alas, the 108MP main camera from last year is gone, replaced with a 50MP module, one with a decently large 1/1.56” sensor.

The 6.7” FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate is more or less what we expected. Samsung has not said what kind of glass protects it and there is no dust and water resistance rating like on the A-series.

Everything looks great so far, why did we call this an “odd mix of specs”? Well, other than the unexpected 45W charge rate, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Not 7s/7+ Gen 2 or 7/7+ Gen 3, but the original 7 Gen 1. That chip leaves a lot to be desired in terms of performance and efficiency, especially against its newer counterparts, and we thought that was relegated to the history books.

That said, a Galaxy A55 will run you ₹40,000 for the 8/128GB version, nearly 50% more than the M55. Even the A35 is ₹31,000 for 8/128GB, ₹4,000 more than the M55. The M55, A55 and A35 will all receive 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches, so the extra cost doesn’t mean longer support.

The OnePlus Nord CE4 from earlier this month can be had for just ₹25,000 and it does have the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 for massive gains in speed and longevity. It also has a microSD slot, though RAM capacity tops out at 8GB and the update schedule is shorter – 2 major OS updates and 3 years of patches. The battery is bigger (5,500mAh) and faster (100W), but the cameras aren’t as good (smaller 1/1.95” 50MP sensor in the main, only 16MP selfie). Cheap as it is, the CE4 at least has an IP54 rating.

A Poco X6 Pro is ₹27,000 with extra storage (8/256GB), thought this one doesn’t have a microSD slot. It is powered by the Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset and has a slightly sharper 1220p+ display (with Gorilla Glass 5 and an IP54 rating). The cameras are not great and the battery is 5,000mAh with 67W charging.

Let’s also have a peek at the Nothing Phone (2a), available for ₹26,000 for an 8/128GB unit (no microSD slot). This one stands out with a 50MP ultra wide camera, which outstrips the others here and a 32MP selfie (the Nord and Poco have 16MP selfies). These are joined by a 50MP main (1/1.56”). This phone is powered by the Dimensity 7200 Pro and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging. The 2a will receive 3 major OS updates and 4 years of patches.

The Samsung Galaxy M55 pricing looks great compared to the A55 and even A35, but the phone’s deficiencies start to stand out when comparing it against mid-rangers from other brands.

Even so, for fans of One UI and Samsung hardware, this is a tempting offer in the segment. Would you buy one? You can vote below and leave more details in the comments.