Samsung’s new mid-spec offering in its A series enters the market at a time when smartphone prices are soaring due to the global RAM shortage. This is the reason why its base variant packs only 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, and fetches Rs 31,999. There are some upgrades to look forward to – Samsung has finally gotten rid of the outdated notch on the display and replaced it with an acceptable punch-hole cutout. Out goes the brand’s in-house Exynos 1380 chipset too, in favour of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC. We used the smartphone for a week to find out if it’s worth shelling out upwards of Rs 30,000. Here is our review of the Samsung Galaxy A27.
Read Also: How Fitness Trackers and Smartwatches Could Lower Your Health Insurance Premiums
In This Article
Samsung Galaxy A27 Review: Design and Display
Box Contents
- Smartphone
- USB-C to USB-C Cable
- SIM Ejector
- Quick Start Guide
Samsung’s design language for its smartphones is consistent across all of its series and price brackets. The vertical camera island on the back panel has remained unchanged over the last several years. The Galaxy A27 tweaks it a little by adding a thin border in the colour of the back panel and placing the camera lenses slightly deeper than the surrounding frame. The glass back panel has a glossy finish and tends to attract smudges and fingerprints rather easily.
The left edge of the plastic frame houses the volume rocker and the side button on an elevated plateau. The side button also functions as the fingerprint reader. The hybrid SIM tray with microSD card support is placed on the opposite edge. At the bottom lie the primary microphone, USB-C port, and speaker. The secondary microphone is positioned up top. The smartphone is rated IP64 for resistance against dust and water. It is a downgrade from the IP67 protection on the Galaxy A26, but it does enough to withstand exposure to water splashes.
The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display has a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach 1,400 nits of peak brightness. It maintains perfect legibility indoors but falls short in the harsh sunlight outdoors. The good news is that this is one of the smoothest panels in its price bracket. Every subtle touch is registered flawlessly, and the overall browsing experience feels very silky. The punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera is a big upgrade over the waterdrop notch on the previous model. The bezels around the screen are not too chunky, but they get slightly thicker around the chin. There is no optical fingerprint scanner under the display. Instead, the sensor is mounted on the side button.
We found the Galaxy A27’s viewing experience to be its biggest asset. We used the device to stream movies and TV shows across major platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar. The 1,080 x 2,340p display did a great job of producing rich colours and detailed visuals. The contrast was punchy, thanks to the deep blacks produced by the AMOLED panel. The single, bottom-firing speaker produced well-rounded audio output, but for a smartphone priced at Rs 32,000, the Galaxy A27 needs to ship with a stereo speaker setup.
Samsung Galaxy A27 Review: Performance and Cameras
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC lies at the core of the Galaxy A27. There are 3 RAM (LPDDR5X) and storage (UFS 3.1) options on offer:
- 6GB + 128GB: Rs 31,999
- 8GB + 128GB: Rs 34,999
- 8GB + 256GB: Rs 40,499
We ran a couple of benchmark tests on the phone. Here is how it performed.
- AnTuTu 3D: 887,358
- Geekbench 6: 849 (single core) | 2947 (multi-core)
During the review period, the Samsung Galaxy A27 handled routine tasks like calling, instant messaging, web browsing, navigation, and media streaming with ease. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip is able to summon the required power for these tasks without breaking a sweat. We used the 8GB RAM variant for this review, and it was able to juggle multiple tasks fairly well. The overall performance was satisfactory. You do hit the odd lag every now and then, but it isn’t the norm by any means. While the device isn’t a speed demon, it is a reliable daily driver.
The Galaxy A27 is not a gaming phone, and neither is it marketed as one. It can, however, play titles like BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. We were able to get decent gameplay in medium graphics settings and a 60fps frame rate. We did hit some stutters and frame drops, but that’s something we expected going into the experience. What surprised us was the phone’s heat management system, because the back panel got only moderately warm after 30 minutes of gameplay.
Besides the viewing experience, extensive software support is one of the big reasons to get this smartphone. Samsung has promised 6 major OS updates and 7 years of security patches for the Galaxy A27. You won’t find a better commitment than this on any other device in this price bracket. You get the Android 16-based One UI 8 out of the box. There are a handful of bloatware apps, but they can be removed easily.
One UI 8 is one of the better Android skins around. It is light, airy, and well-optimised for the platform. The learning curve for users switching from other skins is very small. The intuitive controls and accessible features make you feel at home fairly quickly. There are plenty of customisation options for the lock screen and home page, but we would have liked more native wallpaper options. You can tap into a plethora of ‘Galaxy Themes’, but it requires creating a Samsung account.
Samsung’s AI package for this phone is tucked away in the ‘Advanced features’ section in Settings as ‘Intelligent features’. It gives you access to tools like Voice Transcription, AI Select, and Read Aloud. The native Gallery app lets you spruce up your pictures with AI tools like Object Eraser, Custom Filters, and Edit Suggestions. You also get Google’s Gemini Assistant and Circle to Search.
The 5,000mAh battery pack isn’t as big as the Si/C units that have become popular in this segment. The good news is that it can still last an entire day of moderate to heavy use on a single charge. After racking up 5-6 hours of screen time, we were left with ~15% charge at the end of the day. The smartphone supports 25W wired charging, taking just over an hour to fully charge.
The rear camera array comprises a 50MP primary shooter, a 5MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. Last year’s model carried an 8MP ultrawide sensor, which makes the current one a downgrade. The front-facing 12MP camera is housed in a punch-hole cutout on the display.
The 50MP primary shooter captures good images in outdoor daylight conditions. These images look vibrant and lively without being overprocessed. The contrast and dynamic range are quite tasteful. You can count on this camera to take good shots when there’s plenty of natural lighting. In limited lighting conditions, the camera relies on Night Mode to resolve the noise and illuminate the shot.
The 5MP ultrawide lens doesn’t feel like a downgrade when you get around to using it. The images are slightly softer compared to the ones taken from the main lens, but they make up for the loss of details with beautiful colours. The softness becomes more palpable in limited lighting conditions, as the grain creeps into the shots even with the Night Mode turned on.
The Portrait Mode in the native Camera app lets you capture images in 1x zoom only. The lack of a 2x zoom level is disappointing, but the quality of portraits is breathtaking. The smartphone does a brilliant job of separating the subject from the background and applying a healthy dose of blur. The front-facing 12MP camera captures clear selfies without any unwanted texture resolution or skin-brightening effects. The main camera can record 4K videos at 30fps, but the ultrawide and selfie lenses are limited to a 1,080p resolution at 30fps.
Read Also: Vivo T5e with 5,500mAh battery launched: Details inside
Verdict
As a daily driver, the Galaxy A27 ticks all the essential boxes. It packs enough power to crush daily tasks without a hiccup. The AMOLED panel offers a splendid viewing experience. The main and ultrawide cameras are reliable while taking outdoor shots in natural lighting. The 5,000mAh battery, while not as large as its Si/C counterparts, can last an entire day of regular use. Furthermore, Samsung’s commitment to 6 years of OS updates is unmatched in this segment. When you consider the Rs 32,000 price tag, there are some more features that we would have liked to see on this device. These include an under-display fingerprint scanner, IP67 protection, dual-speaker setup, and 4K selfie recording.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Good main camera
- 6 OS updates
Cons
- No under-display fingerprint sensor
- Lacks IP67 protection
- Selfie camera can’t record 4K videos
