Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Amazing design, display and battery, but does it tick all the boxes? Find out

Name: Galaxy A35
Item: Galaxy A35
Author: Aishwarya Panda

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: The Samsung Galaxy A35 comes with an amazing design and display which is a steal deal for smartphone buyers. Check out its performance too.

By: AISHWARYA PANDA
| Updated on: Mar 24 2024, 22:02 IST

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G and Samsung Galaxy A35 5G prices in India revealed

image caption — 2/5 2. The Samsung Galaxy A55 offers vibrant color options including Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Navy, while the Samsung Galaxy A35 is available in Awesome Iceblue and Awesome Navy. (Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Samsung has started the year 2024 by gaining a lot of traction with the outstanding Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the introduction of Galaxy AI features. While these new premium smartphones have excited everyone with several features, the company has not looked to rest on its laurels and has now announced the new mid-range A-series smartphones to further sway its customers. Yes, Samsung has launched two new smartphones - the Galaxy A35 and the Galaxy A55. They pack quite a few upgrades from their predecessors.

Samsung's A-series smartphones gained popularity due to their premium offerings at a very reasonable price. On the other hand, the company gets to test its in-house Exynos processors within this range. This year, with the Galaxy S24 device, Samsung has significantly improved its performance with the Exynos 2400 chipset. But, do these mid-range devices too come with noticeable performance upgrades?

I used the new Samsung Galaxy A35 smartphone for a week to check if it does so or not. While there is no comparison between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy A35, however, recently there are several new mid-range smartphones which have emerged under this segment such as the Poco X6 Pro, Nothing Phone 2a, Honor X9b, and more to provide tough competition. Let's have a look at what the Samsung Galaxy A35 has in store for the users.

Not sure which
mobile to buy?

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Design and display

For starters, the Samsung Galaxy A35 is visually appealing with its shiny glass back, massive-looking camera sensors, and plastic frame. Despite its resemblance to its predecessor, its design does provide a premium look and feel. On the front, the smartphone has received Gorilla Glass Victus+ ( which is an upgrade) and a thick layer of bezels which can also be seen in the Galaxy A34 smartphone. Even with a glass finish, the smartphone does not attract dust or fingerprints. Additionally, it is not slippery so you may not have to carry a phone case. It may look big and bulky the first time, but it is quite a lightweight device. Overall, I was flattered by its design and looks due to its premium properties.

Now, let's discuss about the display of the Galaxy A35. The smartphone features a 6.6-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone provides a more fluid viewing experience with quick response to touch. While browsing social media, and watching OTT or YouTube, the smartphone provides a captivating user experience with crisp color and HD viewing. The smartphone is perfect for daily usage and you will not face any problem with its brightness as it provides easy functionalities even in harsh sunlight conditions. Lastly, the in-display fingerprint scanner is also quick and responsive and you will face no delay in unlocking the device.

Overall the Samsung Galaxy A35 provides a good overall experience in terms of design and display performance. There are no complaints except the thick bezels which could have been avoided. Everything else felt perfect during my time with the device.

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A35 features a triple-camera system with a 50MP main camera. (Aishwarya Panda/HT Tech)

The Samsung Galaxy A35 features a triple-camera setup which consists of a 50MP ISOCELL camera which is an upgrade from the 48MP sensor in the Galaxy A34. The smartphone also consists of an 8 MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro camera. The main sensor manages to capture decent images with great details and colors during daylight photography. One thing which I liked about the camera was its ability to capture natural tones rather than a highly processed and saturated image quality. In terms of low-light camera performance, it manages to capture the maximum amount of light and makes the picture look appealing without any grainy or blurry image quality. However, its portrait mode struggles to bring focus to the image. The smartphone also provides 2x zoom capabilities, which also capture decent images and do not blur the object in focus.

In terms of its 13MP selfie camera, the Galaxy A35 capture natural skin tones, which makes the images social media worthy. The smartphone's camera was captivating in my opinion as capturing moments with natural tones was mesmerizing.

Image Samples

See all photos

+2 more

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Performance

A smartphone's performance and ability to carry out medium to heavy usage duties effortlessly hold the most importance. With Samsung Galaxy A35, you will receive OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14. The smartphone is packed with several features such as the Always-On-Display. However, there are not many major changes. It also provides a text call feature that is also available in the Galaxy A24 series. However, in my opinion, Samsung's UI and OS are swift and easy to use. However, there were a few bloatware present but you can easily uninstall them.

Under the hood, the Galaxy A35 is powered by an Exynos 1380 chipset which in several ways provides users with a great experience in terms of providing 5G connectivity, WiFi 6, and more. But it does come with some drawbacks. While its rivals such as the Nothing Phone 2a and Poco X6 Po have provided a major performance boost to the segment, the Galaxy A35 has some issues while handling heavy tasks. During my experience with the Galaxy A35, I faced major heating issues while playing heavy graphic games such as BGMI and Call of Duty Warzone at high settings. Additionally, there were also instances of slight heating while streaming content online. The heating also caused monir performance problems, which affected my overall experience.

Apart from heavy usage, the smartphone easily handled the basic tasks and there were no real uses at all. You can easily switch between multiple apps, use social media, watch OTT shows for a decent amount of time, send emails, call, etc. - all very promising.

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is backed by a 5000mAh battery. (Aishwarya Panda/ HT Tech)

The Galaxy A35 features a 5000mAh battery which surprisingly provides a lasting performance with a single charge. The smartphone could go up to 10 to hours with a single charge and medium usage such as using social media, calling, streaming content, light gaming, etc. The smartphone supports up to 25W fast wired charging which takes about 2 hours to fully charge the charging device. While other smartphone brands are providing greater charging support, Samsung surely lacks in this department as it comes with a long wait time for the device to charge completely from 0 to 100 percent.

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A35 is an all-rounder, but does have heating issues. However, in other areas such as design, swift UI, camera, and battery life, it tops the charts. The major attraction of the smartphone was the crisp display. People with basic to medium usage would enjoy the smartphone. The competition within this segment is high, but you can consider this device if you are someone who wants to explore Samsung's swift OneUI, catchy display performance, and snappy camera.

Rating

3.5 out of 5

Price

INR 30,999/-

Product Name

Galaxy A35

Brand Name

Samsung

Pros