Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 leaks point to possible upgrade and potential flaw

Samsung Galaxy A54 review Awesome Violet side Edge Panel
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

It looks like new Samsung Galaxy A-series phones could be on the horizon, as tech tipster Evan Blass shared the supposedly official renders on X (formally Twitter) of the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Samsung Galaxy A35. 

Blass' renders provide a clear view of both the front and back and four color options including Black, Green, Pink, and White, and have prompted some mixed reactions.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 appear to now sport the 'Key Island' design that debuted last year with the Galaxy A25 and Galaxy A15 models, which gives the phones a raised edge on their sides, making the power and volume keys more pronounced. The Galaxy A35 looks to have also received a welcome update to its design, as it seems destined to ditch the U-shape notch on the front-facing camera in favor of a more modern punch-hole camera cutout. 

Another welcome tipped upgrade for the Galaxy A55 is what could be an aluminum frame, which would be an improvement on the previous model's use of plastic. However, it could just be plastic with a brushed-metal effect, while it’s likely that Samsung will opt for a plastic frame for Galaxy A35, as on the Galaxy A34.

Both designs feature noticeable bezels with a larger bottom chin, a design that's not uncommon for mid-range phones. But it’s worth noting that many budget and mid-range phones like the Xaomi Redmi Note 13, Honor Magic6 Lite, and OnePlus Nord 3 5G all have slimmer bezels than their predecessors. This has led to some users making fun of the new design for its thick bezel and its large 'Thanos-style' chin.

While it’s not apparent from these renders, the Galaxy A55 is thought to be bigger than the Samsung Galaxy A54 according to previous leaks. Combined with a possible metal frame, this could see the A55 stepping into a more premium phone space.

One render even shows the phones with water splashed in the background, which could point to improved or at least the same IP67 resistance rating as the Galaxy A54 and the Galaxy A34.

If Blass’s leaks are accurate, it shows that Samsung is taking further steps towards a unified and clear design throughout its Galaxy S and Galaxy A ranges.

Rumored specifications

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is rumored to use a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen supporting a 120Hz refresh rate and an FHD+ resolution. Meanwhile, the A35 is expected to follow the same resolution and refresh rate but with a slightly larger 6.6-inch display.

The Galaxy A55 is believed to be using the new Exynos 1480 chip, which according to GSMArena appeared on Geekbench scoring 1,180 points for the single-core performance test and 3,536 points in the multi-core performance test. That's a dramatic improvement over the Galaxy A54’s 1,108 points single-core and multi-core 2,797 performance.

The Galaxy A35, meanwhile, is thought to be equipped with the Exynos 1380, the same chip as found in last year's Galaxy A54, which should offer some performance and battery-life improvements.

Both phones are believed to support up to 12GB of RAM and from 128GB to 256GB of storage that can be expanded using a microSD card slot. They're also tipped to come with the same 5,000mAh batteries as their predecessors, including the same 25W fast charging. 

The OS on both phones is likely to be Samsung's latest One UI 6, based on Android 14. Despite the release dates being unconfirmed, both models are expected to launch in March, as the Samsung Galaxy A54, A53, and A52 all released in March of their respective years.

If you want an affordable smartphone right now, check out TechRadar’s list of the best cheap phones.

You may also like

Staff Writer, Mobile Computing

James Ide was a writer for TechRadar specializing in phones and tablets, having previously worked at The Daily Mirror since 2016, covering news and reviews.  

James loves messing with the latest tech, especially phones due to their incredibly rapid pace of development.

When not surrounded by various devices and/or tinkering with gadgets while putting them through their paces, James has a love of handheld consoles.

He is almost the textbook definition of a geek, who loves sci-fi, comics, games and of course, all things tech. If you think you have a story for him or just want to challenge him at Smash Bros, get in touch.