Samsung can offer its mid range smartphones that manage to huddle up the performance, features and budget when compared to its segment. Price being one of the only things people look into before buying a device, tech enthusiasts in Nigeria have been buzzing about the latest entrant, the Samsung Galaxy M55, which is priced at ₦417,000 and ₦492,060. So how does it compare to its predecessor, the Galaxy A35? Now in our Samsung Galaxy M55 review, we would like to give you every insight on its snazzier specifications, strong significance behind it, and especially the price to see if this smartphone will merit your money.
Samsung Galaxy M55 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ Infinity-O Display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
- Resolution: Full HD+ (1080×2400 pixels).
- Processor: Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4nm).
- Software & UI: Android 14 based on One UI 6.1.
- Rear Camera: Triple setup
- 50MP main camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization).
- 8MP ultrawide lens.
- 2MP macro lens.
- Front Camera: 50MP with a hole-punch cutout.
- Connectivity: 5G, GPS, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC.
- Battery:
- 5000mAh capacity with 45W fast charging.
- Includes a 25W charger.
- Storage Options:
- 128GB storage + 8GB RAM – Priced around ₦417,000 to ₦450,000 in Nigeria.
- 256GB storage + 8GB RAM – Priced around ₦475,000 to ₦492,060 in Nigeria.
- Color Variants: Dark Blue and Light Green.
Design and Build Quality
First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy M55 comes with a glass front, plastic body, and plastic rear. It feels pretty sturdy but also slightly hefty at 163.9 x 76.5 x 7.8mm and weighing in at 180 grams. Dragontrail Glass Protection does resist scratches some, but doesn’t live up to Gorilla Glass standards, just a couple of millimeters.
Build Quality Concerns
Some concern about the durability of the phone comes after a few days of use. No IP rating and no robust glass protection were noticeable bumps and scratches on the display from accidental drops. If you use the phone on a daily basis, as users do in Nigeria, it’s advisable to first invest in a quality case and screen protector to keep your phone’s pristine look.
Design Aesthetics
Otherwise, where the M55 is thinner than its predecessor A35 and A55, its design fails to make a mark in comparison to offerings in its price bracket. The color range available isn’t too large and its, overall, won’t suit those who want a premium look.
Display: A Visual Delight
Samsung continues to back up their reputation for delivering excellent displays, with the Galaxy M55 featuring a 6.Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display with 7 inch screen and 120Hz refresh rate. Here’s why it’s worth praising:
- Vivid Colors and Contrast: Video and game look crisp on the AMOLED panel with rich contrast level, good contrast level and vivid colors.
- 120Hz Refresh Rate: It has a smooth 120Hz refresh rate so it’s easy to scroll fluidly and gives a nice responsive touch feeling.
- Brightness and Visibility: Though not at the highest peak brightness it does remarkably well under typical Nigerian sunlight conditions maintaining clarity and legibility.
Comparative Advantage
The Galaxy A35 has thicker bezels, with an obvious punch hole notch mounted in its top edge while the M55 sports thinner bezels and a less intrusive punch hole notch. The display quality is a strong selling point—no matter if you’re watching the latest Nollywood releases or streaming music videos.
Lack of HDR Support
But one problem with using it is that streaming apps like Netflix do not support HDR video playback. But the display’s core quality still shines, enough to make up for this absence when used in everyday conditions.
Performance: Power Under the Hood
Five specifications like the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4nm) chipset along with 8GB or 12GB of RAM make its way behind the Samsung Galaxy M55. This combination promises a smooth and efficient performance for various tasks:
- Gaming Performance: Better gaming experiences are to be found on Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 over Exynos 1380 used in Galaxy A35. PUBG and Genshin Impact run at 60fps with very little stuttering which is much more enjoyable than games at 30fps, if your hardware can do it.
- Example: At 30 minutes of PUBG gameplay, the M55 kept consistent frame rates, no noticeable lag.
- Multitasking and Everyday Use: It does the heavy lifting of opening apps, switching between tasks and running multiple apps at once all on its own. The phone is responsive enough for casual and the power users.
Occasional Lags
There were some small minor lags and stutters in the user interface, despite its robust performance. But they’re not enough to take away from what is otherwise a smooth experience.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery longevity and charging speed are very important especially in Nigeria and in places like nigeria where power stability has its challenges. The Galaxy M55 shines in this department:
- 5000mAh Battery: The use of this battery allows for a long lifetime. Although you can only get moderate to heavy use screen on time of around 7 hours, this is great for a mid range device.
- 45W Fast Charging: The charger inside the box is just a 25W one but the phone supports 45W fast charging, so downtme time is greatly shortened. The time from 0% to 100% charge is about the same with both chargers, giving you flexibility regarding where you can charge.
Battery Optimization
Samsung has done their job well optimizing the M55’s battery management. Power consumption is kept under control, even if its being used on intensive tasks like gaming or streaming, so the battery won’t drain quickly.
Recommendation
The provided charger is advisable for getting the best battery performance, and especially if the Phone likes to heat up when you’re gaming for long enough. Users should also carry a power bank for those long use periods.
Camera Capabilities
Any smartphone review is a camera setup thing. The Galaxy M55 features a triple rear camera system and a high-resolution front camera:
Rear Cameras
- 50MP Main Camera with OIS: It has a good ability to capture detailed and stable shots when it’s in well lit places.
- 8MP Ultrawide Lens: It’s great for landscape shots and getting more in the frame.
- 2MP Macro Lens: Good for close up shots, though peformanance is meager.
Front Camera
- 50MP Selfie Camera: It shoots sharp and detailed selfies with strong exposure, and vibrant colors.
Daylight Performance
The M55 is very impressive when it comes to the main camera — in well lit environments it delivers sharp images with accurate colors. While the color processing is a little bit on the high contrast and mellow side for some, which isn’t necessarily everyone’s preference. But in contrast, the Galaxy A35 provides more vivid color reproduction, photos look brighter.
Night Mode
The M55 is adequate for nighttime photography, but not as good as on the A35. In terms of night image quality, I found that the M55 takes slightly crappier low light pictures, it costs a little more time to process night photos, and it’s a little less capable at highlighting details.
Portrait Mode
If you’ve got the choice of a bright, nicely softened portrait shot on the M55 or one with a little more subtle expression and that natural ‘feel’ you get with the A35, go for the A35. The A35 might be the right pick for users who prefer more authentic skin tones and more detail retention.
Video Recording
The M55 records 4K video with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) but frames get jumpy from time to time. However, if you forget stabilization in the 4K mode, it’s more noticeable during handheld recording and so A35 is a more stable option for video fans.
Overall Camera Verdict
But despite all its potential on paper, the M55 just isn’t as good at photography as the A35, nor is it as stable in video as the comparatively cheaper camera.
Software Experience
The Samsung Galaxy M55 has Android 14, which runs on One UI 6.1, making for a smooth and user friendly interface. Here’s what users can expect:
- User Interface: The key benefit is one UI — known for its intuitive design having customization options, easy navigation, and numerous more to improve user experience.
- Updates and Security: Samsung pledges four generations of Android OS updates and five years of security patches on the M55 so the phone will be as up to date as it is secure.
- Knox Security: As the M series matures, Samsung continues to include Knox security, which is among the best there is when it comes to protecting against malware and other security threats.
Performance and Stability
There is minimal bloatware on the software, something which can ruin your user experience! Although there are no UI lags, software updates occasionally may need to be done to fix some performance issues.
Cultural Relevance
Now, features such as localized language support, region specific apps and easy integration with local services available in different cities are actually implemented for Nigerian users, making the software experience tailored and related to the user’s environment.
Additional Features and Connectivity
Connectivity options on the Galaxy M55 are comprehensive, ensuring users stay connected effortlessly:
- 5G Support: 5G connectivity across Nigeria means your device will be future proofed with fast download and upload speeds wherever available.
- Wi-Fi 6: Now also ensures stable, fast internet connections for streaming and online gaming.
- Bluetooth 5.3: This is a great pairing with peripherals like wireless headphones and smartwatches.
- NFC: It makes contactless payments easy and quick, a nice feature for tech savvy people.
- GPS and VoLTE: Accurate navigation ensures your clear voice calls and overall communication.
Fingerprint Sensor
Samsung is introducing an in-display fingerprint sensor for the M55 – a first for its M series phones. It’s sleek unlocking, but its location at the lower part of the screen can be a bit less intuitive at times though and the unlocking speed can sometimes lag.
Samsung Galaxy M55 vs. Samsung Galaxy A35
When deciding between the Samsung Galaxy M55 and the Galaxy A35, several factors come into play:
Design and Build
- Galaxy M55: Dragontrail Glass Protected plastic build without IP rating.
- Galaxy A35: Better build quality, premium design with improved durability thanks to IP67 ingress protection.
Display
AMOLED displays are also included in both phones with the M55 having a higher refresh rate of 120Hz than the A35’s 90Hz, making for smoother visuals.
Performance
- Galaxy M55: Slightly great in terms of performance by Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 powered on, which is a bit stronger compared to the Exynos 1380 of the A35 in gaming scenarios.
- Galaxy A35: Better thermal management, meaning less heating during extended use, giving equal or better performance.
Camera
- Galaxy M55: Main camera improved with OIS but lacks color accuracy and is underwhelming in low light.
- Galaxy A35: Better night photography, more vibrant color processing, better camera overall.
Battery and Charging
Both phones share a 5000mAh battery, the M55 features faster (45W) charging, but the A35 sported a 25W charging speed, and both include a 25W charger.
Software
Both come with One UI 6.1 on top of Android 14, which means same or nearly the same software experience, and the same update commitments.
Price
- Galaxy M55: Available for Approximately ₦417,000 to ₦450,000 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model and built around a 2.8GHz quad core Snapdragon 835.
- Galaxy A35: There’s better value in build quality, and for a few less dollars the camera performance is also better.
Recommendation
The Galaxy M55 is a worthy choice for users preferring display quality and gaming performance. The Galaxy A35, meanwhile, wins the highly rated yet (arguably) overly costly prize for those who place greater value on design durability, camera excellence, and better thermal management.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Good Performance: The smoothest functioning and better gaming experience has been guaranteed through Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
- Stunning Display: 6.Vibrant visuals with 7 Inch Super AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate.
- Long-Lasting Battery: 45W fast charging supported 5000mAh battery.
- High-Resolution Selfies: A 50MP front camera is used to take detailed and sharp selfies.
Cons
- Plastic Build: Unlike their peers with premium materials and IP rating, it is less durable.
- Camera Limitations: It under performs when it comes to color accuracy as well as low light photography in comparison with the A35.
- In-Display Fingerprint Placement: It’s slightly slower in response, but less intuitive.
- No HDR Video Support: It limits high quality video streaming experiences.
Conclusion
It turns out that the Samsung Galaxy M55 is a decent mid range smartphone with impressive performance and a brilliant display. But compared with the Galaxy A35 it fails to deliver when it comes to build quality and camera. The Galaxy A35 is the perfect choice for the Nigerian consumer looking for a balanced device with premium feel, good camera features and at a good price. On the contrary however, the Galaxy M55 is a fantastic choice if display quality and gaming performance are are your priorities.
Final Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy M55 gains improvements in display and performance in its main armour, weighed against the better value overall that comes with build quality and camera advancements found in the Galaxy A35. There are things you put in priority when making a choice regarding the smartphone.
FAQs
1. Which is better for gaming, the Samsung Galaxy M55 or the Galaxy A35?
No doubt, yes, the Galaxy M55 with Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset gives better gaming performance vs the Exynos 1380 on A35 and I was able to play games like PUBG and Genshin Impact with smoother frames at higher rates.
2. Can the Samsung Galaxy M55 be used for 5G?
Of course, the Galaxy M55 is 5G ready, which means you enjoy even faster internet speeds where 5G networks exist in Nigeria.
3. What is the battery life on the Samsung Galaxy M55?
The Galaxy M55 does come loaded with a 5000mAh battery and offers impressive battery life with the unit delivering about 7 hours of screen on time with very occasional heavy usage. The 45W fast charging is also enabled.
4. How many colour options do you have for the Galaxy M55?
The Galaxy M55 is available in two color variants: Black and Light Green.
5. Is the Samsung Galaxy M55 water and dust resistant?
Though it doesn’t have an official IP rating, the Galaxy M55 is more prone to water and dust than for example the Galaxy A35, which comes with IP67 ingress protection.
6. Does the Galaxy M55’s display capable of performing well in outdoor sunlight?
The Galaxy M55’s Super AMOLED display is bright and bright enough to have a good viewing experience outdoors too.
7. Is the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy M55 reliable or not?
Since they use an in-display fingerprint sensor, while it is generally reliable, it sometimes feels slower than a traditional side mounted sensor (though many in-display fingerprint sensors these days are fast).
8. How much will the Samsung Galaxy M55 cost in Nigeria?
The Galaxy M55 comes in two variants: the 8GB RAM with 128GB storage and the 8GB RAM with 256GB storage. In Nigeria, prices start at approximately ₦417,000 for the 128GB variant and ₦475,000 to ₦492,060 for the 256GB variant Price in Nigeria Today, MobGadgets, Phoneaqua.
(Note: There is no 12GB RAM variant available for the Galaxy M55 as of current listings.)
9. Is the Samsung Galaxy M55 bundled with a charger out of the box?
The Galaxy M55 comes with a 25W charger, which is cool — though the phone supports 45W fast charging. Provided charger can be useful for users to charge in the efficient manner.
10. Which Galaxy M55 camera is better than A35?
The Galaxy M55’s main camera is higher megapixel but the Galaxy A35’s better colour accuracy and better low light performance is a more balanced photography experience.
In this review of the Samsung Galaxy M55, we’ve made an attempt to dig deep and thoroughly examine the smartphone to make it easier to choose, for those looking to purchase the Samsung Galaxy M55. What you focus on is up to you (performance, display quality, or camera capabilities), but knowing these facets will help you select a smartphone that suits your lifestyle and your needs best.