Everything you need for only $200

Samsung designed the Galaxy A15 to appeal to the silent majority of smartphone buyers. It’s a group of consumers who won’t be reading this review, and they are almost certain a Snapdragon is a type of Pokemon. I’m pleased Samsung took the time to give the Galaxy A15 decent performance and a few creature comforts because, unlike its $1,200 flagships, the A15 will sit in more pockets worldwide. In fact, based on previous entries, the Galaxy A15 seems destined to be the best-selling Android phone in the US this year.

When I evaluate sub-$200 smartphones, I look at a few core items: a good display, reasonably smooth software experience, and the ability to run basic apps like social media well. So, if you have an aging Galaxy A11 in your pocket, let’s look at how the Galaxy A15 stacks up for the price.

Price and availability

Where to find it

The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is available in one configuration in the United States: 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can find it through Samsung or Amazon for $200, with two color variants: blue black or ice blue. It’s compatible with all major carriers and can be purchased unlocked.

Design and display

Budget without being cheap

Samsung spent the last few years buttoning up its design language, and the Galaxy A15 falls in line with its siblings. Its enclosure and frame are plastic, but the flat back with its triple camera setup is undeniably Galaxy. It’s a simple yet elegant design, and I love how the subtle color gradient shifts in the daylight. It looks the part, even if the feel in hand doesn’t match more expensive Samsung offerings.

However, I appreciate not feeling the need to put a case on the A15. This means I can enjoy the phone’s design rather than cover it with some $20 piece of plastic. It also results in a lighter phone, with the Galaxy A15 tipping the scales at a mere 200g, making it comfortable to carry.

You’ll find some fan favorites along the edges of the A15, such as a 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroSD card slot. Apparently, Samsung and other Android manufacturers consider only budget-minded buyers worthy of such conveniences. The Galaxy A15 features a single, bottom-firing speaker that gets reasonably loud but is easily blocked by your palm or fingers, resulting in a frustrating experience.

As expected, Bluetooth is available for audiophiles who want more fidelity. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor is located along what Samsung calls the key island, a ridiculous naming convention for a bit of raised plastic along the frame.

While its thicker bezels and teardrop notch scream 2017, the 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel they surround brings the A15 squarely back to 2024. It’s a fantastic display for a budget device, and I love that Samsung decided to include an OLED. Awful, depressing LCD panels plagued budget devices for far too long, and nothing brings a phone experience down faster than a sub-standard display. It’s not as vibrant as the Galaxy A54 or S23 FE and not particularly color-accurate, but the contrast and saturation make it one of the best displays you’ll find at sub-$200.

Scrolling is smooth thanks partly to the 90Hz refresh rate, and the 1080p resolution keeps movies and games crisp. If you use your phone to binge-watch content, the A15 will give you plenty to be happy about.

Other hardware and what’s in the box

Shame on Samsung

Unfortunately, only a USB-C to USB-C charging cable and SIM tray tool are in the Galaxy A15’s box. Now, I’ve given up the ghost of expecting charging bricks to be included in the box of flagship devices, but I refuse to surrender the battlefield with budget phones. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume and almost expect that a $200 device like the Galaxy A15 is someone’s first phone or upgrade in a long time — perhaps even their first USB-C device.

While people spending $1,200 on a smartphone might have multiple phones or tablets at home, someone buying a budget device probably doesn’t have that luxury. And while Samsung isn’t alone in excluding chargers in 2024, as a new parent, I can assure you the excuse that everyone else is doing it will never hold water.

Software and performance

Surprisingly good for the money

The Samsung Galaxy A15 ships with One UI 6 running Android 14 out of the box. If you’re a fan of Samsung’s flavor of Android, you’ll feel right at home on the A15. It features One UI 6’s aesthetic enhancements, with a refreshed notification shade and streamlined camera app. Overall, it’s an enjoyable user experience that belies its budget price tag. If you haven’t used Samsung apps in a while, I highly recommend its internet browser. It offers much flexibility that Google Chrome doesn’t, and you might find yourself switching over completely.

Budget Android devices of years past were doomed to bad software support. You were lucky to get two years of security patches and one major Android upgrade. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Galaxy A15, as Samsung promises four major Android updates and five years of security patches. Those updates will ensure that the A15 remains viable for years, and hopefully, Samsung will maintain the user experience.

The Galaxy A15 5G is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 6100+, while a Helio G99 drives the 4G variant. Despite the G99 being a year older, there isn’t a huge performance gap between the two chipsets, and both can easily maintain decent performance.

Facebook runs well, and Instagram scrolls are a breeze. If you’re a gamer, the A15 sets itself apart from the budget competition with playable performance in titles you wouldn’t expect. You won’t get to run Genshin Impact on high settings, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you keep your expectations in check. Star Trek Fleet Command ran seamlessly, with ship battles not resulting in dropped frames.

I don’t want to paint an overflattering picture, as it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. You will experience slowdowns with the Galaxy A15. Multitasking can bog things down, and there is often a beat or two between placing your finger on the sensor and unlocking the phone. I also can’t help but think the A15 is held back by its 4GB of RAM. I might be getting greedy in this price range, but 6GB would’ve set this device apart even more from its contemporaries.

Samsung even offers 6GB and 8GB versions overseas, and I’m willing to bet there is a significant performance bump with those models. More RAM allows more cached programs, meaning the processor isn’t asked to load programs repeatedly. It even helps with the home screen, as the system uses excess RAM to speed up the user experience. Even still, I can’t complain about the Galaxy A15’s performance, as it punches above its weight for only $200.

Camera

Impressive with exceptions

Images from the Galaxy A15’s 50MP main camera are surprisingly good, rivaling the photos I get from my Galaxy A54 with some important exceptions. Bright outdoor lighting is necessary to get the best results. And while I could say that about almost any camera system, it’s essential for the A15, as things fall apart faster than the 2004 Yankees in even modest indoor lighting, with photos becoming bland with poor colors.

Unfortunately, night photography suffers the same fate. But, if you keep your subjects well-lit, you’ll get a fantastic image for the price, with the deeply saturated colors we’ve come to expect from a Samsung device.

While the 5MP ultrawide sensor is serviceable, it results in a noticeable downgrade in image quality. The colors are still saturated, but the detail isn’t there, even in excellent lighting. Samsung was also nice enough to include a 2MP macro lens for shutterbugs who enjoy taking grainy, washed-out images of their food.

A single 13MP sensor handles selfie photos. Photos are perfectly acceptable, but it’s easy to see the images becoming soft, even in outdoor lighting. All told, it’s an impressive camera system for $200, with images that will generate plenty of likes on Instagram and Facebook.

Battery life

All day and then some

Samsung created an ideal environment for superb battery life in the Galaxy A15. It fitted a 5,000mAh battery with a power-efficient SoC, resulting in over 8 hours of screen-on time. Budget devices are often known for outsized batteries, but if the display and chipset are poor, it merely prolongs the agony. Thankfully, Samsung matched an enjoyable experience with the power to last through most work days, as I never found myself with battery anxiety.

When it is time to top off, the Galaxy A15 recharges at 25W wired, with no wireless charging available. It’s not the fastest charging experience, but its impressive battery life makes up for the sluggish refill time.

Competition

What else is out there?

The Motorola Moto G Play for 2024 will set you back $150, but those $50 less will cost you dearly. For starters, you lose 5G with the G Play, and you’ll be stuck with a rather dim LCD panel. It also doesn’t game as well as the Galaxy A15, with the Snapdragon 680 holding the G Play back.

You’ll also have to deal with Motorola’s dodgy software updates. And while the company has improved over the last couple of years, you should never expect to get a new version of Android in the same calendar year it’s released.

If you’re comfortable spending more, Samsung’s Galaxy A25 is worth considering. It features 6GB of RAM, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a brighter display. Unfortunately, it’s powered by the Exynos 1280, a chipset that made me cry when I saw how poorly it ran in the Galaxy A53. I can only hope that two years of optimization will improve the experience for A25 users.

Should you buy it?

The Samsung Galaxy A15 isn’t going to win any awards, and it won’t turn many heads. But more importantly, the people who will buy the A15 don’t care about that — or what I have to say in the review.

They’ll go into their local carrier or pull up Amazon and pick up a wonderful little phone with enough creature comforts and software support to last them years. It’s an important smartphone segment, and I’m glad Samsung offers a quality device for the silent majority.