Samsung Galaxy A35 vs Samsung Galaxy A55: Which is better?

Although we haven't tested the Samsung Galaxy A55 yet, we have reviewed the Galaxy A35. We've put our review of the A35 against the specs of the A55 and noted the key similarities and differences between the two. 

Read on to see how the Galaxy A35 compares to the Galaxy A55 and determine which handset is better for you.

The Galaxy A55 has enhanced Nightography

Unlike the A35, the A55 has enhanced Nightography which Samsung promises takes clearer and more vibrant images in low lighting conditions. This is worth noting as we found that the A35's ability to take images in low lighting lacking, with our reviewer noting that "even shots with plenty of artificial lighting lack a certain clarity, with a certain softness to them."

Even so, both the A35 and A55 are equipped with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and video digital image stabilisation (VDIS) which keeps videos smooth even when filming on the move. We found that footage captured with the A35 was "reasonably crisp and steady, courtesy of OIS."

Finally, both handsets include three cameras on the rear and a front-facing camera, although the resolution of some lenses differs between the phones.

While both have a 50MP main and 5MP macro lens, the A55's ultra-wide lens is 12MP whereas the A35's is just 8MP.  Our reviewer noted the A35's 8MP lens "represents a big drop off in quality" with shots appearing "flatter and dimmer than the main sensor, with inferior exposure and detail."

Both promise years of security upgrades

If you don't want to worry about upgrading your smartphone for a while, then both the A35 and A55 are great choices. Samsung promises that users will benefit from up to four generations of Android OS and One UI upgrades and a decent five years of security updates too.

In addition, both the A35 and A55 are the first smartphones in Samsung's A Series to offer access to Samsung Knox Vault. Samsung Knox Vault offers extensive protection against hardware and software attacks and helps protect critical data on a device, including passwords and PINs.

Both handsets are also secured by Samsung Knox, Galaxy's multi-layer security platform designed to safeguard critical information and protect against malware.

Both promise a two-day battery life

Both the A35 and A55 pack a massive 5000 mAh battery which Samsung claims allows for two-day battery life. 

Although we haven't tested the A55 yet, we were impressed with the A35's battery life. Our reviewer found on a 16-hour day of lighter usage they were left with 56% of battery left "suggesting genuine two-day potential." We also found that after 30 minutes of light gaming, the A35 lost just 4% of battery which triumphs over its competitors too.

Despite the promise of a long-lasting battery, both handsets don't offer as fast charging as other similarly priced handsets, with the A35 taking 85 minutes to charge from 1-100% in our benchmark tests.

The Galaxy A35 is cheaper

The Galaxy A35 is currently the cheaper handset of the two, starting at £339 / €449 for the 8GB memory and 128GB of storage handset. In comparison the A55 is slightly more expensive, starting at £439 / €529 for the model with 8GB memory and 128GB of storage.