GoKawiilSamsung Galaxy A57 5G The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G is beautifully built and runs the smoothest version of One UI yet. The main camera is great, the display looks fantastic, and the battery lasts a full day, but there's a lack of meaningful upgrades over previous generations, plus an Exynos chip that runs hot under stress. It's a decent enough phone, overall, but the Galaxy S25 FE and Pixel 10a are much better value.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G is the most expensive phone in the Galaxy A series for 2026, and the A series has been the highest-selling Android lineup year after year. The Galaxy A5x phones sit squarely between Samsung’s budget options and the flagship S series, aiming to strike the right balance between value and the convenience features people actually care about.
When I received the Galaxy A57 5G for review, I was just about to leave for a trip to Seattle. Instead of easing into the review slowly, I pulled my SIM out of my Galaxy Z Fold 7, the most expensive phone Samsung sells in the US, and dropped it into the $550 A57 5G. The plan was to swap back when I got home.
That was a month ago. The SIM is still in the A57 5G, which probably tells you how much I liked it. But the more time I spent with the phone, the more I’ve noticed its imperfections.
So light it feels like a prop
Rushil Agrawal / Android Authority
The first thing anyone notices about the Galaxy A57 5G, and the thing I like most about it, is the build. Specifically, how thin and light it is. At 161.5 x 76.8 x 6.9mm and 179g, the A57 5G is 20g lighter and 0.6mm thinner than the A56 5G, and slimmer than most phones in this price range. Everyone I handed it to during my trip had the same reaction: a quick look at the back, followed by some version of, “Wait, this doesn’t feel like a real phone.”
The best part is that Samsung hasn’t used plastic to get there. It’s a proper glass-and-metal build, and it feels right up there with flagship devices. In fact, the in-hand feel convinced me to use it without a case. That was a decision I regretted approximately one day into the trip, when the phone slid off my lap as I was getting out of the car. I picked it up expecting the worst, but the A57 5G was basically unscathed.
The Galaxy A57 5G feels more expensive than it looks.
Naturally, I ended up repeating this very scientific experiment several more times during my trip. The phone is really slippery, and ended up facing about half a dozen drops from 3-4 feet onto marble floors, tarmac, and hardwood (really hoping my boss isn’t reading this (how many times?! — ed.)). To my surprise (and relief), though, the front and back glass have stayed completely intact, with just some minor scuffs to the aluminum frame. Samsung’s using Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both sides, and clearly it’s earning its keep.
... continue reading