Samsung Galaxy A35 5G review
To start, Samsung has replaced the plastic back from previous A-series models with glass. The front and back of the Galaxy A35 use Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which was last seen on the Galaxy S22 family. As the name suggests, it is more durable than standard Gorilla Glass Victus, which is able to survive drops onto rough surfaces from heights of up to two metres.
Since my Galaxy A35 review unit is on loan from Samsung, I wasn’t able to do any drop testing, but a more resilient display is always a good thing. I’d still pop a case on the Galaxy A35, however. An abundance of caution never hurts with phone displays.
While Samsung has started using aluminium for the pricier Galaxy A55, the Galaxy A35 still has a plastic frame. It doesn’t feel cheap, and I honestly prefer it to the aluminium on the Galaxy A55. The Galaxy A55 is sharp in the hand, which isn’t an issue with the Galaxy A35.
The chunky bezel surrounding the display is the only aesthetic element that gives the Galaxy A35’s more affordable status away, and even then, it’s not really an issue. It’s not something you really think about in day-to-day use, and the phone’s overall size is comfortable.
As you’d expect from Samsung, the Galaxy A35’s screen is lovely. It’s vibrant, bright enough to work well in direct sunlight, and has a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth motion. The only major change from last year’s model is the selfie camera now sits in a camera cut-out, rather than a notch. It doesn’t make a practical difference, but it looks that little bit nicer.
In terms of battery, expect between five and six hours of screen time per charge. That’s easily a day-and-a-half of moderate usage in between top-ups, and should be more than enough for almost anyone. The Galaxy A35 has fast charging, but not wireless charging.
The Galaxy A35 is pretty smooth when it comes to day-to-day performance. Web browsing, social media, emails, and messaging are all as responsive as you’d hope. You might start to run into some issues with more demanding activities like gaming. Diablo Immortal was a little choppy on the out-of-the-box medium settings, for example. It was still smooth enough to play, but there was regular, noticeable stuttering.
The Galaxy A35’s camera setup is the only feature that’s middling. Given the R 8,999.00 price tag, that’s not exactly surprising; better photo quality is often the most noticeable benefit of spending more on a phone. You can still get solid photos, but that relies on good lighting and a still subject. There’s even noticeable noise on daytime indoor shots if it’s a touch too dim.
Exposure and saturation can be all over the place. I’ve had bright lighting make shots look washed out and sickly, for example. Moving subjects can also trick up the camera, and lead to blurry images.
But by and large, the Galaxy A35 certainly doesn’t take bad photos; it can just be inconsistent You might need a few attempts to get the shot you want. At the same time, you’re going to run into this issue on pretty much every phone in this price bracket.
Samsung Galaxy A35 – Final Thoughts
For the R 8,999.00, the Galaxy A35 is a great phone. As a more affordable choice, it naturally makes some compromises to keep the price down. This isn’t the phone for avid photographers or mobile gamers.
But in terms of an everyday device, it’s very easy to recommend the Galaxy A35. General performance is smooth, the battery is long, the display is lovely, and the build quality is better than you might expect. Coupled with extensive post-purchase software support and water resistance, there’s currently nothing quite like it in the Galaxy A35’s price bracket.
Samsung’s knocked it out of the park with this one.
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