Samsung Galaxy A17 5G review: Sleek but samey

Finest Costs As we speak: Samsung Galaxy A17 5G

Regardless of being considered one of its most essential sequence for gross sales figures, Samsung snuck the Galaxy A17 onto the cellphone market nearly like it wished nobody to note. 

Nonetheless, the Galaxy A17 is right here and can problem to be the go-to price range Android smartphone for many individuals around the globe. We’ve raided the piggy financial institution at Tech Advisor towers to purchase one so we will take a look at it out in your behalf. 

Observe that the Galaxy A17 is available in each 4G and 5G fashions, however I’m testing the latter right here. Except for connectivity, there are a few different minor variations between the 2, which I’ll level out as we go. 

The A17 5G is available in at £199 for the one mannequin out there. That’s the identical because the Galaxy A16 5G (and the A15 5G), and we’ve already seen it on sale for £169 a number of instances. Oddly, it’s not out there within the US but. 

So, is it the perfect price range cellphone of 2025? Let’s discover out. 

Design & Construct 

• Signature Samsung fashion 
• Barely thinner and lighter than the A16 5G
• Plastic again

Samsung has all the time executed an excellent job of constructing its cheaper Galaxy A telephones appear and feel good. At a look, you typically wouldn’t discover that one is an A-series and never a flagship S-series. 

The A17 5G seems to be very like its predecessor with just a few small tweaks. It retains the acquainted fashion of Samsung telephones, although it’s slightly thinner and lighter this 12 months.

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At 7.5mm and 192g, it feels suitably svelte and light-weight, particularly in comparison with some rivals and equally sized flagships, which usually exceed 8mm and 200g.

As soon as once more, the cellphone options no steel in its exterior development. A plastic body and glass fibre again are paired with a Gorilla Glass Victus entrance. Nonetheless, the cellphone feels good and I just like the shimmering impact of the again panel within the fashionable Blue color. 

Gray and Black full the pretty business-like lineup of colourways, and the cellphone retains its IP54 score for primary mud and splash safety. It will be good to see Samsung enhance this subsequent 12 months. The IP68 discovered on flagships gives safety in opposition to water submersion and all mud particles, so there’s loads of room for enchancment.

Elsewhere, Samsung has swapped the person porthole-style cameras on the again for a “linear digital camera cluster” akin to the Galaxy A36 and A56. I want the outdated fashion, however the cellphone nonetheless seems to be good general. 

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Final however not least is the Key Island 2.0, which Samsung says is “revamped” however I’m undecided how precisely. It’s nonetheless simply the intentional bump the place the facility and quantity buttons sit. 

It’s a pleasant characteristic and helps you discover the buttons, which is essential because the fingerprint scanner is embedded within the energy button. 

Display & Audio system 

• 6.7-inch, 90Hz AMOLED show 
• Teardrop selfie notch 
• Missing stereo audio system 

Issues are unchanged on this division from the A16 5G, which means you get a big 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh fee and a Full HD+ decision. 

As we famous final 12 months, the colors are vibrant and the refresh fee helps to maintain issues clean. You may want 120Hz, however that’s not essentially your best option on a price range cellphone with regard to efficiency and battery life.

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Oddly, the cellphone is caught at 60Hz by default with the excuse of battery life, however this defeats the purpose of getting it. Be sure to change the Movement smoothness setting to Excessive within the show part of the Settings menu for a far superior expertise.  

The show presents glorious distinction and will get decently shiny, so you’ll have the ability to use it in a variety of conditions. I measured it at 357 nits with an expert colorimeter at full brightness and adaptive measurement switched off, however it will possibly theoretically hit 800 nits in excessive brightness mode (HBM). 

The draw back to the display is that Samsung has caught with a chunky bezel, significantly the chin under the panel, plus a teardrop digital camera notch that appears dated. These are the sorts of belongings you don’t discover at a look in comparison with Samsung’s dearer Galaxy telephones, however could also be causes to splash out on them.

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If you would like an inexpensive Galaxy cellphone, although, these are wonderful to reside with, they usually do develop into much less apparent after every week or two. If you would like a extra premium expertise, then you must contemplate the CMF Telephone 2 Professional, which has a thinner bezel, greater brightness, a pinhole digital camera and a 120Hz refresh fee. 

One other factor the identical because the A16 is the dearth of stereo audio system. You’ll need to depend on the mono speaker on the backside edge, which produces sound with cheap readability however lacks any actual depth.

It’s one other factor I’d prefer to see improved on the A18, because it shouldn’t price Samsung a lot so as to add, creating a greater expertise for media consumption. 

Specs & Efficiency 

• Samsung Exynos 1330 chip 
• 4GB of RAM 
• 128GB of storage 

The similarities to the A16 proceed after we have a look at the core specs. The cellphone nonetheless has the entry-level Exynos 1330 processor with simply 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Nonetheless, that is the principle improve in comparison with the 4G mannequin, which options the extra primary MediaTek Helio G99.

Different markets seem to have a number of fashions to select from, together with these with extra reminiscence and storage, however only one is on the market within the UK. If earlier generations are something to go by, it’ll be the identical story for any potential US launch.

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The saving grace for storage is that you could make use of the Micro-SD card slot so as to add as much as 2TB extra, although it will take up one of many Nano-SIM slots, so it’s solely a dual-SIM cellphone if you don’t want to make use of a reminiscence card. 

Disappointingly, the UK mannequin I’m testing doesn’t help eSIM, which is a giant disgrace in 2025. 

It’s no shock to search out that I discovered efficiency to be the identical because the A16. That’s to say, it runs okay when there’s nothing too sophisticated occurring within the background, however frequent pauses and stutters in transitions are belongings you’ll need to get used to. 

As talked about above, be sure the display is making use of the 90Hz refresh fee in order that the person expertise is smoother. 

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You shouldn’t anticipate a lot from a price range cellphone in terms of gaming, however I used to be shocked to search out that Asphalt Legends ran fairly nicely, even once I upped the settings to 60fps and a few greater high quality choices. Simply don’t anticipate the likes of Genshin Impression to run easily – that’s not what the cellphone is designed for.

Delving additional into the spec sheet, I’m nonetheless struggling to search out something completely different to the Galaxy A16 5G. This cellphone continues to be restricted to Wi-Fi 5 (albeit dual-band) and Bluetooth 5.3. You could not discover, however it simply goes to indicate how little Samsung has executed to this machine. 

Samsung Galaxy A17 5G benchmarks

Cameras 

• 50Mp rear foremost digital camera 
• Ultrawide and macro lenses 
• 13Mp selfie digital camera 

The Galaxy A17 5G comes with a triple rear digital camera system and, of yeah, it’s the identical because the A16 5G. Three rear cameras may sound thrilling, however don’t get your hopes up an excessive amount of. 

The 50Mp foremost unit is joined by 5Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro cameras. The latter is actually simply there to bump up the numbers, as we’ve seen from so many price range telephones over time.

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Certain, the principle digital camera can take respectable sufficient images, however that’s primarily the case in case you take pleasure in capturing in the course of the daytime and ideally outside when the climate is nice. 

When the circumstances are beneficial and with a little bit of endurance, you’ll get images completely adequate for sharing on social media, with good element and colors. 

Capturing in decrease mild has improved with the addition of OIS (optical picture stabilisation), which is among the solely upgrades I can discover on the complete spec sheet. That is additionally discovered on the cheaper A17 4G’s foremost digital camera. 

You must nonetheless keep away from utilizing the zoom choices within the digital camera app, although. You may get away with a easy 2x (these are simply digital crops), however the 4x and 10x choices are simply a completely pointless, grainy mess. 

As talked about already, the macro digital camera is actually simply there so the cellphone appears fancy with a triple rear array. You may see some examples under of how mediocre outcomes are.

The 5Mp ultrawide is okay if you really want it, however the A17 realistically solely has one rear lens that’s price utilizing, and even then, solely when the lighting is nice.

In the meantime, the 13Mp front-facing digital camera is fairly respectable, once more you probably have adequate circumstances, and has a barely wider view choice if you might want to match extra in, however it’s not an enormous distinction. Selfies are strong, however unspectacular.

Battery Life & Charging 

• 5000mAh battery 
• 25W charging 
• No adapter included 

I’m very a lot sounding like a damaged file at this level, however the battery and charging specs are an identical to the A16 5G. Samsung actually hasn’t put a lot effort into upgrading this cellphone. 

You get an inexpensive however not excellent 5000mAh battery and 25W charging, which was once quick, however very a lot isn’t as of late.

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As soon as once more, you will get two days of lighter use from the Galaxy A17 5G, which is strong however not precisely groundbreaking. The cellphone does see an enchancment in our common PCMark for Android Work 3.0 battery benchmark, now hitting 12 hours and 24 minutes.

That’s up precisely two hours on its predecessor, however nonetheless doesn’t stand out as a very spectacular consequence. 

In the case of charging, you will get the A17 5G to twenty-eight% in quarter-hour and 54% in 30 – you probably have the suitable charger. Samsung doesn’t embody one within the field, only a cable. 

Selecting the correct charger is tougher than it’d seem, as merely getting one which is USB-C and 25W or greater isn’t essentially sufficient. For instance, I used a 67W charger by Xiaomi and solely noticed 16% in quarter-hour and 32% in 30. 

It doesn’t assist that Samsung doesn’t even point out 25W charging on the official A17 web page, not to mention the charging sort. Study extra about USB-C charging speeds and requirements in our full information. 

Software program & Apps 

• Android 15 
• One UI 7 
• Upgradable and lengthy help 

A 12 months on from the Galaxy A16, there’s one other quantity on the software program variations, so that you get Android 15 and One UI 7 – the latter being Samsung’s person interface excessive of the core Android OS. 

One UI 7 is a pretty large replace in comparison with model 6, with a simplified and cleaner look, together with varied background enhancements to make life with a Galaxy cellphone extra pleasing.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Samsung’s UI has by no means been my favorite pores and skin, however I bought on with One UI 7 simply wonderful and options just like the Now Bar assist. This can be a small bar on the backside of the lockscreen (see above) to offer you real-time or contemporary data, similar to what music is enjoying or a sports activities rating. 

There are additionally nicer animations (although the A17 struggles with some) and pure language search within the settings. There are additionally some options, similar to Galaxy sharing and Samsung Cross, which might make it simpler to ship recordsdata and never have to recollect your passwords. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Nonetheless, there’s usually a Google model of all these apps and options already put in on the cellphone, so you could nicely wish to use them as an alternative. In my opinion, they are all higher.

Gemini is included within the suite of Google apps, supplying you with entry to among the finest AI assistants round. That is lucky as a result of the A17 doesn’t include any Galaxy AI options in any respect – not even primary instruments similar to Writing Help. It’s one of many main variations in comparison with dearer Galaxy telephones.

You may entry Gemini with an extended press of the facility button on the facet, and Circle to Search can also be included right here, which is only a lengthy press of the house button away.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Except for Samsung’s largely duplicates of Google apps, there’s a little bit of bloatware right here, however nothing too dangerous. A choice of Microsoft apps, together with the likes of Temu, Spotify, Monopoly Go and ClearPay, can nearly all be uninstalled if you want. 

My A17 obtained the replace to One UI 8 (primarily based on Android 16) in direction of the tip of testing (seen within the images). It’s a extra delicate replace than the bounce from One UI 6 to 7.

Chris Martin / Foundry

It’s spectacular to see Samsung get it out to such an inexpensive cellphone shortly, and the A17 5G will likely be supported for a complete of six years for software program updates. And that features OS variations, not simply safety patches. 

Whereas it’s a giant plus level, it additionally signifies that predecessors which are solely slightly method into their lifespan stay tempting choices. 

Value & Availability 

It’s an excellent job, contemplating how related the Galaxy A17 5G is to its predecessor, that Samsung has saved the value the identical. 

At £199, it’s comfortably within the price range class, and it’s the identical worth as even the Galaxy A15 5G from 2023.

There’s only one mannequin right here within the UK with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, although there seem like others with greater capacities in different markets. As talked about earlier, the cellphone isn’t out there within the US but, however I’d be shocked if it doesn’t seem quickly. It’s more likely to are available at $199. 

You should buy the Galaxy A17 5G in all three colors from Samsung’s official retailer, in addition to retailers like Amazon, Argos, AO, Currys, Laptops Direct, Very and extra. 

When you don’t want 5G, then the Galaxy A17 4G is on the market for £139.

Try our record of the perfect price range telephones proper now.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G? 

Usually, our reply to this query for Samsung’s vastly standard price range Galaxy A telephones is a giant sure. Nonetheless, it’s not that easy this time. 

Whereas it’s good to see Samsung preserve the identical worth as two generations in the past, there’s been nearly no innovation or enchancment to this cellphone in comparison with the Galaxy A16 5G. 

The truth is, in nearly 15 years of reviewing telephones, I can’t consider one other cellphone so just like its predecessor. Samsung has modified the look of the digital camera module on the again, added OIS to the principle digital camera and made the handset slightly thinner and lighter. 

However when it has the identical display, processor, core digital camera specs, battery, charging, reminiscence, storage (and I might preserve going), this doesn’t really feel worthy of an annual refresh. 

And whereas I like the brand new blue color and Samsung gives lengthy software program help, the latter is true of the Galaxy A16 5G. It begs the query: why would you purchase this newer mannequin?

In the end, it could come all the way down to availability, with the Galaxy A16 5G already discontinued from Samsung’s official retailer. Reductions on the A17 5G are additionally more likely to be frequent, however in case you see its predecessor at a considerably cheaper worth, it stays a greater worth buy.

When you don’t want 5G, then the Galaxy A17 4G might make for a cut price at £139 and the CMF Telephone Professional 2 is nicely price a glance in case you’re not tied to Samsung.

Specs

• Android 15 with One UI 7
• Six years of OS and safety updates
• 6.7-inch, FHD+, AMOLED, 90Hz, flat show
• Facet-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Exynos 1330 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB storage
• MicroSDXC card slot (as much as 2TB)
• 50Mp, f/1.8 foremost digital camera, OIS
• 5Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
• 2Mp, f/2.4 macro digital camera
• 13Mp, f/2.0 front-facing digital camera
• Mono speaker
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 5000mAh battery
• 25W charging
• 164.4 x 77.9 x 7.5 mm
• 192g
• IP54
• Colors: Black, Blue, Gray