Samsung brings better security to the mid-range with the Galaxy A55 and A35

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The dust hasn't even settled on January's announcement of the Galaxy S24 series, and Samsung is back at it. The company has officially announced the Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G smartphones, which promise big improvements over last year's models.

The big selling points are the improved security features and functions, the impressive 6.6-inch AMOLED display with 120 Hz, and the improvements to the camera system, particularly on the A55.

Let's take a closer look at what's on offer.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G – A mid-range powerhouse

Last year's Galaxy A54 5G was an impressive device, but Samsung has upped the ante on the A55.

Despite launching at the same $699 RRP, the newer model boasts a Gorilla Glass Victus front and back compared to the A54's Gorilla Glass 5. There's also an aluminium frame around the outside of the phone.

The screen is a 6.6-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with rounded corners that is stunning and bright and vibrant. It boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate, making is smooth and responsive for watching movies and playing games.

The A55 benefits from improvements to Samsung's "Nightography" setting, allowing for more detailed images in low light conditions.

You get a triple lens system including a 50MP main camera (f/1.8) with optical image stabilisation and auto-focus, plus a 12MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro lens.

Samsung has also snuck some of the AI software smarts into the A55 Gallery app, allowing you to easily edit images based on AI analysis of the photo.

The A55 5G is powered by the Exyno 1480 processor, and comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage on board.

• Read my review of the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

Galaxy A35 5G

Samsung has packed the same display into the A35 5G, including the 120 Hz refresh rate.

The camera array is similar too, with the main difference on the back being the ultra-wide lens is only 8MP rather than the 12MP found in the A55. The selfie camera on the front is also a lower resolution at 13MP compared to the A55's 32MP.

Under the hood, the A35 5G is powered by the Exynos 1380 processor, with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage space.

Security improvements

Samsung is leaning heavily on its security credentials with these new models, bringing Samsung Knox Vault to the A series for the first time.

Knox Vault is a hardware security solution that encrypts personal data and stores it in dedicated secure storage physically isolated from the rest of the phone's memory.

The devices can also automatically block spam calls with additional security measures available to the A series family of devices for the first time.

On the software front, both the A35 and A55 users will receive up to four generations of Android OS and One UI upgrades, plus five years of security updates.

Pricing and availability

The new Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G will be available to purchase from 25th March across Australia. The phones will be available from the Samsung Online Store and select retail partners

The Galaxy A55 will sell for $699 RRP, while the A35 5G will set you back $549.

The Galaxy A55 5G will come in colours, Awesome Navy and Awesome Lilac, while the Galaxy A35 5G will be available in Awesome Navy and Awesome Ice Blue.

Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 specs