Samsung Galaxy A35 ZDNET's key takeaways Samsung's Galaxy A35 5G is a well-rounded smartphone that's on sale for $198
You'll love the two-day battery life, amazing screen quality, and four years of software updates
The biggest issue? Performance tends to vary from day to day and can lead to overheating View now at Walmart View now at Best Buy more buying choices
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I'm surprised how much I enjoy using the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. The 2024 midrange phone in Samsung's lineup isn't necessarily anything special -- it looks like any other Galaxy phone from recent years, and it doesn't have any flashy features. Still, the mission of mid-range phones is not to make waves; it's to provide a balance between performance, quality, and price. This phone achieves that balance well.
Also: 5 products Samsung could surprise us with at Unpacked - including an ultra wide phone
Some would argue this isn't the best $400 phone on the market, but it's certainly one of them, and the screen is the main reason.
The Galaxy A35 5G features a Samsung Signature Super AMOLED display measuring 6.6 inches diagonally. The display has a Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth motion, and 1,000 nits of brightness, making it easy to see in direct sunlight. Plus, it's protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is a nice perk.
One of the best perks of the Galaxy A35 is the battery size. Clocking in at 5,000mAh, this thing can easily last two days on a full charge. During my testing, I only plugged in the phone three times, and that was with moderate use. Unfortunately, there are no wireless charging capabilities, and the charging speed is capped at 25W, so it might take some time to get to 100%. Still, it's nice having multi-day battery life on any smartphone, let alone one that costs $400.
Another thing I wasn't expecting to say after spending some time with the A35 is that the cameras aren't that bad. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that at least two of them are good, which is almost impossible to say for most sub-$500 Android phones.
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