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A Samsung Galaxy A54 vs. Galaxy S23 comparison is as relevant as ever given Samsung’s updates to its midrange Galaxy A family. You may choose which of the top Samsung phones to take into consideration by evaluating how the phones compare.

On paper, it appears that the Samsung Galaxy S23 has a significant advantage. With a potent processor, superb cameras, and a dazzling display, it is the most reasonably priced member of Samsung’s flagship family. But, the price is also significantly more than the Samsung Galaxy A54. Yet as our hands-on with the Galaxy A54 makes clear, Samsung was able to pack some great features into its new midrange phone.

While there are some noticeable changes between the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy A54, there are really many similarities between the two devices. It’s crucial to understand what they are and why the A54 is significantly less expensive if you’re planning to get a new Samsung handset.

Our Samsung Galaxy A54 vs. Galaxy S23 comparison can help you decide which phone is right for you by highlighting the similarities and differences between the two. Because even the tiniest detail might influence what you ultimately purchase.

Samsung Galaxy A54 vs Galaxy S23

Specifications:

Price and Availability:

Prices for the Samsung Galaxy S23 began at $799 (or £849) when it launched in February. You’ll get a basic model with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for that much. At $859 / £899, there is also a 256GB variant available.

The Galaxy A54 is available for pre-order beginning on March 30 and will be on sale on April 6. Costs start at $449 in the United States or £449 in the United Kingdom for a model with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. At £499, a 256GB version is furthermore offered. Both 8GB variants should be offered in the United States, although their prices aren’t yet known.

In any event, that is a rather large pricing differential between shoppers in the U.S. and the U.K.: $350 vs. £400. If the Galaxy A54 doesn’t require you to make too many feature sacrifices, those kinds of savings are highly alluring.

Design & Display:

The 6.1-inch FHD AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S23 features an adjustable refresh rate that can change between 48Hz and 120Hz. The phone’s extremely small dimensions of 5.75 x 2.79 x 0.29 inches are made possible by the 6.1-inch display. At 5.8 ounces, the Galaxy S23 is also fairly lightweight.

In comparison, the Galaxy A54 is bigger and has a 6.4-inch FHD AMOLED screen. Its display rate may reach 120Hz, but you have to manually change it when you want more immersive images or smoother scrolling. With dimensions of 6.2 x 3.0 x 0.32 inches, the Galaxy A54 is, as you might anticipate, also bigger than the S23. It weighs 7.1 ounces, which is more than an ounce heavier.

The A54 offers a clear benefit if you appreciate a bigger screen, especially because Samsung didn’t skimp on resolution or the incredibly smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Of course, because that refresh rate is set, the A54 will not benefit from the adaptive display of the S23, which may automatically scale down when the action on the screen is more static.

There aren’t many aesthetic distinctions between the two phones’ designs. Instead of the more unified camera block found on earlier models, the Galaxy S23 has three rear camera lenses that each protrudes from the back of the phone independently. The Galaxy A54 approaches its back cameras in a similar way. Both phones have front cameras with hole-punch designs.

The major design distinctions may be seen in the materials. The front and rear panels of the Galaxy S23 are constructed of the brand-new, incredibly durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the frame is built of aluminum. The Galaxy A54, on the other hand, employs panels made of Gorilla Glass 5, an older and marginally less robust glass. So, the mid-range phone will be more vulnerable to dents and other types of damage.

Colors:

Although the Galaxy A54 comes in Amazing Graphite (gray), Lime, Violet, and White colors, the Galaxy S23 is available in Phantom Black, Cream, Green, or Lavender.

Cameras:

The Galaxy S23 unquestionably has a significant advantage when it comes to cameras. A 50MP primary sensor (f/1.8), a 12MP ultrawide lens (f/2.2), and a 10MP telephoto lens (f/2.4) with a 3x optical zoom are all included on the phone’s triple-lens camera. Together with it, there is a 12MP (f/2.2) selfie camera.

Although the arrangement is slightly different, the Galaxy A54 also sports a triple-lens camera. It lacks a telephoto lens but includes a 50MP (f/1.8) primary camera and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide angle camera. Instead, Samsung features a 5MP macro sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. Moreover, the selfie camera’s resolution has been improved to 32MP (f/2.2).

The A54 might not have a telephoto lens, but the camera gap might not be as wide as you might think. The Galaxy A54’s primary camera sensor, according to Samsung, is the same as the one found in the Galaxy S23, so the midrange phone should benefit from the larger sensor and wider aperture. The S23 is expected to have an advantage over other cameras, especially when it comes to zooming in on things.

Performance:

This could be the one area where Samsung’s flagship will be miles ahead of its midrange model, with the exception of the absence of a telephoto lens on the Galaxy A54. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, a especially overclocked variant of the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, powers the Galaxy S23.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy has already outperformed its generic counterpart in benchmark tests, making it the highest-performing processor currently available on an Android phone. The Galaxy S23 even competes favorably in graphics tests with the A17 Bionic-powered iPhone 14 Pro.

You don’t need to perform any benchmarks to understand that the Exynos 1380 in the Galaxy A54 will not perform at the same level. The only remaining concern is how much less potent it will be. As we haven’t yet conducted any benchmarking testing, we can’t say for sure how much the performance will vary.

As compared to the Galaxy S23’s 8GB of RAM, the least expensive A54 available for purchase in the United States only delivers 6GB. While 8GB A54 devices are already available in the U.K., it’s unclear how readily available they will be in the United States. In any event, it significantly reduces the A54’s ability to multitask.

Both devices provide the option of 128GB or 256GB of storage. The 256GB version of the S23 does come with UFS 4.0 storage, which offers higher read/write rates than the UFS 3.1 storage on the 128GB model. But it’s not yet known whether the 256GB A54 receives the same improvement.

The A54 does benefit from microSD expansion, which can accommodate cards up to 1TB in size. That specific capability was removed from the Galaxy S line a few years back, so you are just left with the internal storage and any cloud subscription you choose to purchase.

Battery & Charging:

The 3,900 mAh battery inside the Galaxy S23 lasted 10 hours, 27 minutes on our battery test, which involves having phones use cellular data to browse the internet until the battery runs out. The Galaxy S23 does outlive the typical smartphone by about half an hour, while it isn’t long enough to make our list of the greatest phone battery life (11.5 hours is required).

The Galaxy A54 has the same 5,000 mAh battery as the Galaxy A53 from the previous year, however, we haven’t performed any battery testing on it. Sadly, the A53 could only operate at 120Hz for 9 hours, and 49 minutes, which is about typical for a smartphone.

We can only hope that Samsung will be able to give the A54 some of the battery-extending magic that it gave the Galaxy S23, even if we suspect that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU had a significant influence in the S23’s longer battery life than the Galaxy S22.

Unfortunately, the A54 has a little charging flaw. It and the Galaxy S23 both offer charging speeds of up to 25W, however, the A54 is completely incompatible with wireless charging. The Galaxy S23 offers 15W wireless charging, which is a significant advantage if you choose pads and stands over wires for convenience.

Software:

The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy A54 both come pre-installed with OneUI 5.1, which is the most recent and improved version of Samsung’s mobile operating system, on top of Android 13. As the functionality available to the S23 and A54 are equivalent, the midrange phone can take advantage of modern software features like Modes and Routines.

Samsung has provided easier access to Android upgrades for more than a year. Four years of comprehensive Android upgrades are guaranteed for both the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy S23. Although it’s not nearly as long as what Apple often provides, it’s still among the finest on an Android phone.

However, unlike the Galaxy S23 and other devices of a similar caliber, the Galaxy A54 only receives four years’ worth of security updates for Android. In contrast to other Android phones in the premium and mid-range price ranges, four years is still rather decent.

Outlook:

More time with the Galaxy A54 is required, with a focus on its performance and photographic capabilities. Only then would it be possible to evaluate the trade-offs you would have to make in order to save the money necessary to purchase the Galaxy S23. However as of right now, it appears like the Galaxy A54 has a lot to offer, especially if you don’t want to spend extra money on premium features.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy A54 vs. Galaxy A53