Samsung Galaxy A15 (4G) review 

Samsung’s Galaxy A sequence has been a bit hit or miss lately. For each cut price belter you discover, there’s usually a much less spectacular sibling close by.

We just lately reviewed the bigger Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, which retails for £80/$80 greater than the A15 4G I’ve right here, and our Evaluations Editor thinks it’s a stable machine.

So, what does the cheaper price tag of £169 price you when it comes to efficiency and options, and is it value saving the distinction?

Design & Construct

• Plastic & glass building
• No waterproof ranking
• An absolute mud magnet

Samsung has a really established design aesthetic at this level, with the brand new A15 virtually similar to the A25 5G when it comes to materials and dimensions.

The cheaper mannequin is available in at 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm (6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33-inch) and weighs 200g/7.05oz, which is marginally smaller and heavier than its sibling. 

Development is a mix of a plastic chassis and again, with the entrance sporting a glass panel for the show. Samsung doesn’t point out Gorilla glass or something of that ilk within the technical specs, and that’s not stunning as you hardly ever get toughened supplies like that at this value level. 

The best flank has a raised space that’s house to the ability and quantity controls, with the previous additionally housing a fingerprint sensor.

As with every side-placed reader, it’s really fairly useful as you have a tendency to carry a telephone together with your thumb round that a part of the machine, though for those who’re a left-hander like myself, you would possibly end up having to swap palms when you’ve taken the telephone out of your pocket. 

That’s not an issue distinctive to the Galaxy A15, as I’ve additionally encountered it in loads of higher-end ones too. Most popular dexterity apart, the fingerprint sensor is fast and proved dependable throughout my check interval with the machine. It’s higher than a low-grade possibility embedded within the display screen even when it’s not as fancy.

The rear panel is a reflective floor that appears to have some sort of mud manufacturing manufacturing unit built-in.

Critically, I don’t suppose I’ve ever encountered a mud magnet like this. Wiping down the again to organize the A15 for a product photograph solely appeared to introduce extra mud, making it an absolute nightmare to {photograph}.

This might all be mounted by a case in fact, however Samsung doesn’t embrace one within the field, which is a disgrace as many price range Chinese language telephones I’ve reviewed at all times guarantee you’ll be able to defend their units while not having to hunt out silicon sheaths on eBay.

As with most trendy telephones, the Galaxy A15 is slippery within the hand, so I’d undoubtedly advise shopping for a case right away, particularly with the plastic chassis which most likely wouldn’t survive too many falls. 

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One other omission from the packaging, for higher or worse, is a charger, though there’s a USB-C cable included to match the port on the A15. Beside that may be a single speaker, accompanied by a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

You could have three colors to decide on between. My assessment pattern is Blue Black, which is fairly cool trying when it isn’t coated in mud. There’s additionally Blue and Yellow for those who favor lighter hues and none have the devisive grid sample rear of the Galaxy A25.

As you would possibly anticipate for a tool at this value, Samsung doesn’t record any waterproof ranking for the A15, so don’t get it moist. 

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.5-inch AMOLED panel
• 90Hz refresh fee
• Single speaker & 3.5mm headphone jack

Samsung is thought for its shows, and the Galaxy A15 is a fantastic instance of what you may get for little or no cash as of late.

The 6.5-inch AMOLED panel is nice, with vivid colors and sufficient brightness to take care of a sunny day whereas nonetheless with the ability to learn what’s on the display screen. The corporate claims an 800 nits most brightness, aided by its Imaginative and prescient Booster characteristic, and in regular mode with autobrightness off I measured the panel at 570 nits.   

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The Full HD+ decision (2340 x 1080) retains issues crisp, with the 90Hz refresh fee aiming to make sure easy scrolling. This isn’t at all times the case although, because the processing energy of the A15 appears to battle with image-heavy pages, leading to some juddering when scrolling up and down. 

The panel itself has an 84.3% screen-to-body ratio, with a small chin on the underside edge and a teardrop notch on the prime being the one interruptions. For a tool costing as little because the A15, this actually is a really good show and a spotlight of this handset.

Audio comes by way of a single speaker on the underside edge. This may throw out some fairly spectacular quantity ranges, with spoken content material retaining most of its constancy even on the most finish. Music suffers extra at these ranges, with distortion creeping into the peaks and total steadiness veering in the direction of the shrill finish of the spectrum.

If you happen to’re listening to podcasts or audiobooks, then you definitely’ll be fairly pleased with the output, however for tunes, you’d be higher off with the setting round midway or utilizing the three.5mm headphone jack to plug in a pair of respectable audio system or headpones. 

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Helio G99 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB Storage (expandable by way of microSD)

You received’t normally discover any Snapdragon silicon in a telephone this low-cost, however the MediaTek Helio G99 within the A15 continues to be a reliable processor that may deal with each day duties properly.

As talked about above, you do get some stuttering within the efficiency when there are a number of graphical photos on the display screen, equivalent to when scrolling by the Google Uncover feed you’ll be able to entry by swiping left when on the house display screen. 

Apps open moderately quick, with a number of pauses right here and there, and so they stay reliably interactive throughout use.

Gaming is even an possibility, with Asphalt 9 Legends taking part in easily on the A15, even when it did get a bit heat after some time. I’d keep away from the heavier 3D video games like Genshin Impression, however for a each day telephone that may deal with a bit of sunshine gaming the A15 is a superbly serviceable machine. 

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The 4GB of RAM is a possible candidate for among the slow-downs, because it’s on the low aspect from reminiscence as of late. A minimum of you get 128GB of fundamental storage, with an additional 1TB of expandable room accessible for those who provide the microSD card. 

Right here’s how the Galaxy A15 fared in our normal benchmark assessments:

Samsung Galaxy A15 benchmark scores

By way of networks and connectivity, this mannequin is a 4G telephone. Samsung does provide the Galaxy A15 5G for those who favor a sooner mobile connection, though most different parts of the telephone are the identical so it won’t be value £30 further.

The Galaxy A15 provides assist for Twin SIMs (Nano), Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS and NFC, so that you’ll have the ability to use it to make contactless funds, hook up with Bluetooth headphones and discover your approach if you’re misplaced. All very useful.  

Cameras

• 50Mp f/1.8 most important digicam
• 5Mp ultrawide
• 2Mp macro
• 13Mp selfie

You get a triple digicam array on the A15, comprising a 50Mp f/1.8 huge most important module, joined by a 5Mp ultrawide and a 2Mp macro.

For essentially the most half you’ll be utilizing the primary digicam, because the others aren’t actually as much as a lot. You’ll be able to actually get some respectable photos out of the A15, primarily when there’s a number of mild accessible.

I did discover some over-sharpening that implies the software program is making an attempt to compensate for the softer pictures the lens is capturing. 

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This may result in robust distinction pictures having the highlights blow out, the place shiny white areas appear to confuse or overwhelm the sensor. That being stated, for an on a regular basis digicam it does an appropriate job for a telephone this low-cost as long as the topic is properly lit and never shifting. 

There’s a slight shutter lag, which suggests capturing pets or kids in movement will be irritating, because the digicam delays taking the image for half a second or so, which will be the distinction between getting the one you need and a blurry mess.  

Samsung has the standard vary of particular modes, Macro, Night time, Panorama and so on., and they are often enjoyable to play with. The Night time mode introduces a little bit of noise and over-processing, whereas I discovered the Macro to be very ropey. You would possibly have the ability to get some pictures out of them, however I’d keep on with the primary digicam for the perfect outcomes. 

Video tops out at 1080p and 30fps, with footage doing an honest job of focussing and balancing mild contrasts. You get a number of dropped frames right here and there, and low-light efficiency isn’t nice, so so long as you’re not planning on making a Movie Noir epic, it ought to serve its goal. 

The 13Mp entrance digicam is your normal selfie module, with sufficient high quality for social media posts and the occasional Instagram Story for those who use the video (1080p/30fps). 

Listed here are some pattern photos captured on the A15 cameras:

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 25W quick charging supported
• Lengthy battery life

Samsung equips the Galaxy A15 with a large 5000mAh battery which each and every telephone popping out this yr appears to have.

This can be a good factor as a result of the telephone delivers spectacular numbers on the subject of staving off the necessity to discover a charger. Every day throughout my check interval, the machine retained a wholesome quantity of cost by the point I retired for the evening. 

It’s honest to say then that this might simply be a two-day telephone for most individuals, as long as you’re not spending all day utilizing it in shiny daylight or taking part in plenty of graphically demanding video games. Within the PCMark for Android battery check, the A15 totted up a really spectacular 15 hours and quarter-hour, which makes it an actual workhorse machine. 

That’s a aid, as charging instances are on the gradual aspect. As I discussed, you don’t get a charger with the A15, so although it helps 25W quick charging (probably not quick by 2024 requirements), it’s possible you’ll not have the means to try this. It additionally doesn’t assist wi-fi charging, however that’s fantastic for this value bracket.

From a flat battery, the A15 recovered to 22% in quarter-hour, 44% after half an hour, but it surely was over 1 hour and half-hour earlier than it received again to 100%. 

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Clearly, this is able to be slower for those who didn’t have a charger that delivers 25W. Out of curiosity, I attempted the check once more with a typical 18W charger that most individuals would have at house. The outcomes have been very totally different, with quarter-hour garnering 11% of cost, 19% after half an hour, and a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes for a full recharge. 

Software program & Apps

• Android 14
• One UI 
• As much as 5yrs safety updates

Android 14 is the OS that underpins the Galaxy A15, with the Samsung One UI working on prime.

It must be acquainted to any Samsung customers, and it’s actually been cleaned up through the years to supply a wise and streamlined interface. There are a good quantity of duplications when it comes to apps, with Samsung’s suite of instruments, however nothing egregious.

There are solely a handful of preinstalled third-party apps, and these can all be simply deleted. 

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Surprisingly for an inexpensive telephone, Samsung guarantees as much as 4 OS updates, which might take you to Android 18, with as much as 5 years of safety updates.

Meaning the lifespan of the machine must be round six years, which may be very beneficiant on this sector of the market. Good one, Samsung. 

Worth & Availability

The Galaxy A sequence has at all times been an economical solution to decide up a brand new smartphone and that doesn’t change with the A15. You should buy the machine from Samsung for £169, though you’ll wish to consider a bit extra for a case and charger (for those who don’t have already got one).

It’s also possible to purchase it from Amazon, Currys and Very.

If you happen to reside within the US, then the A15 isn’t accessible within the 4G model I’ve right here, however you’ll be able to decide up the same Galaxy A15 5G which is able to set you again £199/$199. This additionally applies to European clients for those who simply need a 5G model as a substitute. 

This places it in the identical ballpark because the Moto G34 5G that prices £149.99 (not accessible within the US) which clearly provides 5G connectivity, however with a 720p show fairly than the Full HD+ of the A15. 

Alternatively, there’s the Nokia G60 5G that retails for round £250, however will be discovered accessible for round £155 on Amazon UK. Once more, no US distribution, though it does seem on Amazon US too for numerous quantities relying on the provider.

Take a look at our chart of the perfect price range telephones to see extra rivals. 

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Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy A15 (4G)?

You’ll be able to actually get rather a lot to your cash as of late, and the Samsung A15 is additional proof of this. It has an important show, good quantity of storage (which may additional be expanded by way of microSD), to not point out glorious battery life. 

Efficiency is okay, however there are some stutters right here and there, plus digicam shutter lag which will be annoying. The cameras themselves are OK, albeit the one of many weaker areas of the telephone. 

If you need an inexpensive smartphone for work, as a backup to your most important one, or simply don’t wish to spend hundreds for a tool for those who solely wish to take calls, surf the net and pay for issues on the checkout, then the Galaxy A15 is a stable possibility. 

Specs

• Android 14 / Samsung UI One 
• 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED show
• 90Hz refresh fee
• 2.2Ghz MediaTek Helio G99 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB Storage (expandable as much as 1TB by way of microSD)
• 50Mp f/1.8 most important digicam
• 5Mp f/2.2 Extremely-wide 
• 2Mp f/2.4 Macro
• 13Mp f/2.0 selfie digicam
• Single speaker
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Fingerprint sensor embedded in Energy button
• USB-C charging port
• 5000mAh battery
• 25W quick charging supported
• 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm (6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33-inch)
• 200g/7.05oz