Samsung Galaxy A27 review

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Introduction

You are kind of spoiled for choice when it comes to Samsung's Galaxy A series. The Korean giant knows all too well that it's the A family that moves units, and it has done its best to saturate every price point as best it can. The Galaxy A27 is kind of a "middle-ground" choice within the lineup, with two models sitting below it and another two above it. And while we have no doubt that Samsung is constantly trying to deliver the best possible value with these models, it's not always a straightforward affair.

The Galaxy A27 tweaks the Galaxy A26 formula only slightly, but unfortunately, not all changes are clear upgrades. We appreciate the fact that Samsung is finally moving away from the dated look of the teardrop notch. The new Galaxy A27 has what Samsung calls an Infinity-O display with a standard punch hole for the selfie and slightly slimmer display bezels. This does make for a more modern look, even if the panel itself seemingly hasn't changed in any meaningful way other than the notch.

Samsung Galaxy A27 specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.4x78.2x7.8mm, 200g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), plastic frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+); IP64 dust tight and water resistant (water splashes).
• Display: 6.70" Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 385ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6475-AB Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4 nm).
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 16, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 8.5.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2, 1/5.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@480fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired, 45% in 30 min.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.1, ASHA; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Virtual proximity sensing.

The battery capacity remains the same at 5,000 mAh, and so does charging at 25W. Samsung did go for Qualcomm silicon this year (the same chipset as the Galaxy A36), and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in question offers only a modest 10-20% performance bump over last year's Exynos chips.

But, surprisingly, there are even a few downgrades compared to the Galaxy A26. The 8MP ultrawide has been swapped for a measly 5MP unit. The pretty great IP67 ingress protection of the Galaxy A26 is gone and replaced with a mediocre IP64. And the supported Bluetooth version is 5.1 compared to 5.3 on the Galaxy A26.

Unboxing

The Galaxy A27 ships in your standard Samsung two-piece cardboard box. There is nothing particularly fancy here, but no plastic either, which we do appreciate. There is a sort of natural cradle in the box design that keeps the phone snug, though there is practically no spacing between it and the outside box wall, so we wouldn't necessarily subject the box to any abuse.

Samsung has been stingy with its accessories for a while now, so don't expect a free case or anything like that. All you get is a white USB Type-C to Type-C cable. It is non-e-marked and passive, so it is rated for 3A current, which is plenty for its needs. Nothing fancy.