Samsung Galaxy M55 5G review: A good mid-ranger

Samsung’s M series phones are known to offer good value for money, and the new Galaxy M55 5G is a similar deal. However, it does get a few features that are firsts for the M-series. For example, it offers an in-display fingerprint scanner and a 50-megapixel front-facing camera. It is also the first Galaxy M series phone to offer 45W fast charging support. The phone features a slim design and is mostly an upgrade over last year’s Galaxy M54 5G. I’ve been using the phone for about a week now and that’s why I think it’s a good mid-range smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Price in India

The Samsung Galaxy M55 5G is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 26,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. You also get an 8GB + 256GB option priced at Rs. 29,999 and a 12GB RAM + 256GB option that will set you back by Rs. 32,999. Samsung provided us with the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant for our review.

The back panel of the Galaxy M55 is made of plastic

As for the color options, the phone is available in Denim Black and Light Green. We have the light green version with us.

Inside the box you get the phone, some documents, a SIM eject tool and a USB Type-C to Type-C charging cable. Although there is enough space in the box for a charger, one is not included.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Review: Design

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy M55 offers a slim form factor, measuring just 7.8mm. The slim profile gives the phone a good feel in the hand and makes it easy to hold. It’s thinner than last year’s Galaxy M54 and also lighter at 180g. The phone features a plastic frame with a plastic back and lacks the key island we’ve seen on other mid-range Samsung phones. The key island places the volume and power buttons on a raised bezel.

The phone is 7.8mm thin and is one of the slimmest phones in the M series

You get rounded corners and tapered sides. The phone doesn’t look cheap despite the lack of metal or glass. The rear panel features three separate rings for the triple camera system located at the top left corner with an LED flash placed separately on the side. The camera rings protrude a bit and cause the phone to wobble when placed flat on its back.

Up front, you get identical left and right bezels with a slightly thicker chin. At the top, there’s a punch-hole cutout for the front-facing camera and Dragontrail glass covering the display. Unfortunately, there is no Gorilla Glass, which is disappointing at this price. There is also no IP rating on the Galaxy M55 5G.

The Galaxy M55 5G does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack

The right side of the phone houses the volume and power buttons, there’s a SIM tray on the left, a microphone on the top and a USB Type-C port, another microphone and a speaker on the bottom.

Samsung’s new Galaxy M55 more or less looks similar to the Galaxy M45 both on the front and back. The difference is only in thickness. Overall, the phone gets the simple, minimalistic design we’re used to seeing from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Review: Specs and Software

Ok, now let’s talk about the specs. The Samsung Galaxy M55 5G gets a 4nm octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC paired with an Adreno 644 GPU. It comes with up to 12GB of RAM, which is a first for an M-series phone. You get up to 256 GB of built-in storage with support for expansion using a microSD card.

The Galaxy M55’s in-display fingerprint scanner works well

The phone gets a USB Type-C port, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, dual 5G SIM with dual standby and dual-band Wi-Fi 6. The SIM tray is of the hybrid variety and can accommodate two SIM cards or 1 SIM and microSD map. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack here.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Samsung Galaxy M55 5G is the first phone to offer an under-display fingerprint scanner. Its predecessor came with a capacitive fingerprint reader located below the power button. The in-display fingerprint is fast and works well most of the time with some glitches here and there.

The Galaxy M55 5G runs One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 and has minimal software bloat

Samsung has packed a 5,000mAh battery into the smartphone, which is a downgrade compared to the 6,000mAh unit found in the Galaxy M54 5G. And although you get 45W fast charging support, there’s no charger in the box.

The Galaxy M55 5G comes with One UI 6.1 based on Android 14. There are some pre-installed apps and ads on the lock screen, but otherwise it’s pretty clean. Samsung promises four years of OS updates and five years of security patches, which is commendable. Most phones in this price segment only offer about 2 years of basic OS support.

The phone is promised to get 4 years of Android OS updates

In terms of software features, you get Always on Display, One-handed mode, Quick Share, Live Caption, Kids Mode, Screen Recorder, Link to Windows, Multi-window support and more. You get most of the features introduced with One UI 6.1, with the exception of Samsung DeX or any of the AI ​​features from Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Review: Performance

In terms of performance, the Galaxy M55 performs well for everyday use, including playing games and streaming content. Most people, myself included, will thank Samsung for including a Snapdragon chipset in the phone. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, although not a new chipset, is better than the Exynos 1380 SoC from the Galaxy M54. You might not notice anything significant when using the phone normally, but the Snapdragon chipset performs better in resource-intensive scenarios and is more efficient.

The phone did heat up a bit while playing games for long periods of time

Obviously, I ran some benchmarks on the phone and here’s how it performed. On AnTuTu, the phone scored 5,48,995 points, which is lower than some alternatives like Nothing Phone 2a, Realme 12+ and Realme 12 Pro. I noticed some lag when opening apps, in UI animations and in the camera app when switching modes, but otherwise the experience was smooth.

The display on the Galaxy M55 5G also offers smooth operation thanks to its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that offers full-HD+ resolution and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. I had no problems using the phone even in direct sunlight. Colors are bright, but there are no color modes if you want to fine-tune things. The display also offers good viewing angles.

The phone’s display offers an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz

Samsung has packed a dual speaker into the Galaxy M55, which is of the hybrid variety. The handset acts as a second speaker with a dedicated speaker placed at the bottom. The sound can get loud, but there is no bass. The phone has 2 microphones and I found the call quality to be good.

The smartphone’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC is a boon. I was able to play BGMI with HDR graphics and Ultra frame rate settings. In-game touch sensitivity was also good. The phone got a little warm, but nothing bad.

The Galaxy M55 5G comes with a 5000 mAh battery. In my battery test, where I let the phone play a YouTube video at 50 percent brightness, no sound, Wi-Fi on, and airplane mode enabled, I got about 11 hours and 30 minutes of screen time. With daily use, the phone easily lasts more than 24 hours. With gaming, camera use, YouTube/video streaming and heavy usage, I only had to charge the phone the next morning. What’s not so great is the 45W fast charging support. I tried charging the phone with several chargers, including a 125W brick, but each time the phone took about 80 to 90 minutes to fully charge from zero. 45W fast charging seems to only kick in after 90 percent.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G review: cameras

The Galaxy M55 5G has a triple rear camera setup with two usable sensors. It has a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and a 2-megapixel macro module. The camera app is easy to use with many modes including Pro mode. You also get a full 50-megapixel resolution option in Photo mode. All essential modes and settings are available in the viewfinder for easy access.

The main rear camera takes good photos in daylight

Photo quality from the primary 50-megapixel camera was good in daylight conditions. You get good detail and accurate colors with good dynamic range. However, I have found that the white balance can sometimes be off.

Daylight photos from the main 50-megapixel rear camera (Tap to enlarge)

In low-light conditions, the main camera can still take detailed photos if you use Night mode, otherwise the photos are low-detail.

Low-light photography with night mode (1,2) Low-light photography without night mode (3,4) [Tap to expand]

The ultra-wide camera also takes good photos during the day, but it’s not very usable without a low-light night mode. Colors are also off between the two sensors.

Ultrawide daylight shots (1,2) Ultrawide dim shots with night mode (3) without night mode (4) [Tap to expand]

While you don’t get a dedicated zoom camera, there is a 2x digital zoom available. This takes good photos during the day, but falls apart at night. The camera system works well when there is a lot of light.

Turning to the front camera, the same is the case here. You’ll get good usable selfies in daylight conditions, but you’ll need enough lighting for those low-light shots.

As for video performance, the Galaxy M55 5G will allow you to shoot maximum 4K 30fps videos with the main rear camera. It gets OIS support, but I found the stabilization to be mediocre. Video quality is good in daylight with enough detail, but white balance and dynamic range aren’t great. In low light, the videos are not really usable, with a lot of noise and artifacts.

Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M55 5G has a starting price of Rs. 26,999, with the top-of-the-line 12GB RAM variant selling for Rs. 32,999. At this price, the phone has a lot of competition. There’s the recently released Nothing Phone 2a ( review ) with a unique design and almost stock software. Not only is it cheaper, but it also offers faster performance and has a slightly better camera setup. You can also check out the Realme 12+ (Review) or Realme 12 Pro (Review) at this price if you’re looking for something with a better design. Then there’s the Poco X6 Pro ( review ), which is again cheaper and offers much better value for money. It’s also leagues more powerful.

The Samsung Galaxy M55 5G is a tough recommendation, especially when there are so many better options at the price. This is no doubt a good mid-range smartphone, but there is no standout feature here. If you’re someone who likes Samsung’s One UI and wants 4 years of Android OS updates, a decent camera setup, average performance, good battery life and a simple design, then you should check out the Galaxy M55 5G.