Samsung Galaxy A25 vs. Galaxy A54: Is newer better?

• 

  Samsung Galaxy A25 5G

  Capable all-rounder

  The A25 is a competitive phone for the price, offering a compelling package for $300 or less. Despite its price, it has a 120Hz AMOLED screen, a decent primary camera, and impressive battery life. But does its value proposition hold up against the older Galaxy A54?

  Pros

  • Headphone jack
  • More planned Android upgrades
  • Cheaper MSRP

• 

  Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

  Premium budget experience

  $350 $450 Save $100

  The Galaxy A54 might be a year old, but it’s still the latest A5x phone in the US, thanks to the A55 remaining in international markets. This phone packs some decent specs for its price, but it has a fight on its hands to beat the A25’s value.

  Pros

  • Better performance
  • Better cameras
  • Frequently discounted

  Cons

  • Higher MSRP
  • No headphone jack

The Galaxy A25 is Samsung’s entrant into the $300 segment this year, and you get a lot for that price. The budget market has fierce competition, though, and even Samsung sells several other models within $100 and $200 of the A25. One of those is the Galaxy A54. Usually, we’d look at the Galaxy A55 in a comparison like this, but as that phone is absent from the US market this year, we’ll look at its predecessor instead. Is the Galaxy A25 Samsung’s best-value smartphone, or does the A54 warrant the extra cost?

Price, availability, and specs

The Galaxy A25 is $300 and available from Samsung and most retailers and carriers. That price gets you an Exynos 1280, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The A54 is $450 and available from all retailers and carriers. It has an Exynos 1380, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage.

Something that favors the A54 here is its age. Because it’s a year old, you can consistently find it discounted as low as $320 on sites like Amazon. This places it close to the A25’s $300 price point, eliminating its cost advantage.

• 	Samsung Galaxy A25 5G	Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
  SoC	Samsung Exynos 1280	Samsung Exynos 1380
  Display type	AMOLED, 120Hz	Super AMOLED, 120Hz
  Display dimensions	6.5″	6.4″
  Display resolution	2340 x 1080	2340 x 1080
  RAM	6GB	6GB, 8GB
  Storage	128GB	128GB, 256GB
  Battery	5,000mAh	5,000mAh
  Charge speed	25W wired	25W wired
  Charge options	USB-C wired	Wired
  Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack	USB-C
  SIM support	Dual Nano SIM	Dual SIM (Nano SIM and eSIM)
  Operating System	Android 14 with One UI 6.0	Android 14 with One UI 6.0
  Front camera	13 MP, f/2.2	32MP f/2.2
  Rear camera	50 MP, f/1.8 main with OIS; 8 MP ultrawide; 2 MP macro	50MP f/1.8 (primary), 12MP f/2.2 (ultrawide), 5MP f/2.4 (macro)
  Cellular connectivity	4G LTE, Sub-6 5G	5G, LTE
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11, Wi-Fi Direct	Wi-Fi 6
  Connectivity	NFC	NFC
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
  Dimensions	161 x 76.5 x 8.3mm	158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2mm
  Weight	197g	202g
  IP Rating	No	IP67
  Colors	Blue Black	Lime, Graphite, Violet, White
  Stylus	No	No
  Price	$300	From $450

Design

Not quite the same picture

Most Samsung phones share a common design language these days, with the A25 and A54 looking similar to the Galaxy S24 from the back, at least to an untrained eye. The A25’s plastic back has a textured grid pattern that reflects the light differently depending on the angle but still looks cheap. The frame is also plastic, and the front is glass, but Samsung doesn’t tell us if it’s Gorilla Glass. The lack of clarification leads us to believe it isn’t Gorilla Glass. On the bottom, there’s a headphone jack (a welcome addition), a speaker, and a USB-C port. The “key island” is an exciting design tweak Samsung has made to this generation A series phones. This means the power and volume keys sit on a part of the frame that sticks out more than usual.

The Galaxy A54 is a step up in materials. It still has a plastic frame, but the front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so it’ll be more scratch-resistant than the A25. Sadly, there’s no headphone jack here, giving a point to the A25 for I/O. The A54 does have an IP67 rating, though, so it’ll survive a splash better than the A25.

Display

A larger difference than you think

Both phones have 1080p, 120Hz AMOLED displays that can reach 1,000 nits, but that’s where the similarities end, with the A54 possessing the superior panel. The A25’s 6.5-inch display will be fine for casual reading and scrolling, but any media consumption will suffer from the lack of HDR. It also has a truly chunky bottom bezel, not unlike the Crimson Chin, and the selfie camera is housed in an old-fashioned teardrop notch.

The A54 looks far more modern from the front. Its 5.4-inch display has noticeable bezels and a larger chin, but they’re much more subtle than those on the A25. The selfie camera sits in a tiny hole-punch, and the display supports HDR10+.

Software, performance, and battery life

The tortoise and the caffeinated tortoise

Neither of these phones is fast, but they should hold up well to regular usage. There are two Galaxy A52 5Gs still in daily use in my family, and they still hold up well for social media, messaging, and light web browsing. If that’s true of a three-year-old A52 5G, then the A25 and A54 should be more than capable of achieving what most users want from a smartphone.

Both phones run Android 14 with One UI 6.0 on top, but the A54 was updated to this version from Android 13 and One UI 5.0, while the A25 launched with Android 14. That’s an important distinction as the phones are guaranteed four years of Android upgrades with a fifth year of security patches, so while the A54 will see Android 17 as its final version, the A25 will get Android 18.

These phones also have a 5,000mAh battery with 25W wired charging and no wireless charging. Given the similar specs, expect the devices to easily last a full day of moderate use.

Cameras

These phones have some

Both of these phones certainly do have cameras. Snide remarks aside, phones in this segment of the market aren’t camera-focused, so we need to have realistic expectations. The primary camera on the A25 and A54 looks identical at first glance, using 50MP f/1.8 sensors with PDAF and OIS. However, the A54 uses a larger sensor, which will make quite the difference in low light. Neither phone is going to wow anyone, but the A54’s camera is more usable.

These phones back up the primary sensor with an ultrawide and macro lens, but again, the A54 has better sensors for each. The A25’s ultrawide is a 120-degree 8MP camera, while the A54 gets a 123-degree 12MP shooter. Both macro lenses are basically useless, but the A25 is especially bad at 2MP vs the 5MP unit on the A54.

The phones can record 4K video at 30FPS, but the A54 beats the A25 with its ability to record at that resolution on the selfie camera and the rear, while the A25 can only manage 1080p. The A54 can also use slow-motion modes, recording 720p video at 480fps, but it’s unlikely you’d ever want to do that.

Video aside, the selfie camera on the A54 is better overall. The 13MP camera on the A25 isn’t too bad, but the 32MP camera on the A54 captures more detail.

Which is right for you?

The A54 is an easy recommendation. Even when both phones are at full price, $300 and $450, respectively, the A54 is worth the extra cost for its better materials, screen, and cameras. It’s unlikely the A54 will actually cost that much more, though, thanks to the frequent deals Samsung and other retailers/carriers offer most of the time.

With that in mind, the Galaxy A25 is a solid smartphone for its price. If you have a strict budget and the A54 isn’t discounted, the Galaxy A25 will do everything you expect of it. It’s also starting to see some price reductions of its own, so if it becomes significantly cheaper than the A54, then it’s the one to pick.