Samsung Galaxy A Series 2026 Compared: Only 2 Are Worth It

Every year I buy every Samsung Galaxy A phone with my own money, so you can skip the ones that are not worth it. This year that meant five: the A07, A17, A27, A37 and A57. I have used all of them side by side, and I would only tell you to buy two.

On a budget, get the Galaxy A17. If you can spend more, get the Galaxy A37, which is the one I would recommend to almost everybody. The A07 is fine as a first phone or a spare. The A27 makes no sense at what it costs today. The A57 is the best A series phone Samsung has made, and still not the best way to spend that much money.

Prefer to watch? This is the video the article comes from.

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The 2026 Galaxy A series at a glance

The dollar prices are Samsung’s own US store prices, which went up at the start of October. The naira prices are what I paid or what the phones go for in Nigeria, and they move from shop to shop.

All five are promised six years of software updates, the cheapest one included. Samsung has added the Galaxy A08, A18 and A07s to the range since I bought these. I have not used those, so they are not here.

Galaxy A07: fine, and nothing more

The A07 is the cheapest phone here. The 4G model sells for roughly $120 where it is offered, and the 5G version is about ₦170,000 in Nigeria. It is Samsung’s entry ticket into the Galaxy family, and the best way I can describe it is: it’s fine. Nothing about it is exciting, and nothing is offensively bad either.

You get a large 6.7-inch display, though it is still an LCD and not an AMOLED panel. It refreshes at 90Hz on the 4G model and 120Hz on the 5G, so scrolling is smoother than on the old 60Hz screens.

The 4G model has the Helio G99 and the 5G model has the Dimensity 6300. Both cope with WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and calls. Do not buy it for demanding games, because you will find its limits quickly.

The cameras are a 50-megapixel main, a 2-megapixel depth sensor and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. In daylight the photos are good enough to post. Once the light drops, you see straight away where Samsung saved its money. Video stops at 1080p.

Two things I really like about it:

• The battery. The 5G version has a 6,000mAh battery, the biggest of these five. The cheapest phone here has a bigger battery than ones that cost almost four times as much.
• The updates. Samsung promises six years of software updates, even here. A ₦170,000 phone supported into the next decade is impressive, whatever you think of Samsung.

Who should buy it: someone getting a first phone for a child, something simple for an older parent, or a dependable spare. Everybody else should save a little more for the next one, because the jump in everyday experience is much bigger than the jump in price. Samsung Galaxy A07 on Amazon

Galaxy A17: the budget pick

This is where the line-up gets interesting. The A17 is roughly ₦250,000 in Nigeria. In the US the 5G model launched at $199.99 and Samsung’s store now asks $269.99. It does not feel like one step above the A07. It feels like a different category of phone.

The first thing you notice is the display. Samsung swaps the LCD for a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel. It is still 90Hz, but blacks are black and colours have life in them. Going from the A07 to the A17 feels like taking off sunglasses. Samsung even covers it with Gorilla Glass Victus, which you rarely see at this price.

Performance gets a real upgrade too. The 5G model uses the Exynos 1330. It is not trying to compete with flagship chips, but it handles everyday multitasking without making you wait for apps to open.

The biggest surprise for me is the camera. For the first time on Samsung’s cheapest numbered A phones, the main camera has optical image stabilisation, a feature that used to belong to phones costing almost twice as much. You notice it most in video, where everything looks much steadier.

It gets the same six years of updates as the rest. If your budget is around ₦250,000, I do not think there is a better Samsung to buy, though you may have to stretch a little for the 256GB version. Samsung Galaxy A17 on Amazon

Galaxy A27: new, and a step back

On paper the A27 looks like one of Samsung’s biggest upgrades this year. It is a new phone for 2026. It launched at $349.99 in the US and Samsung’s store now asks $379.99. In Nigeria it goes for about ₦520,000 on the market. I found a deal at ₦499,900 for the 256GB version, and the 128GB one goes for ₦400,000 to ₦420,000.

To be fair, Samsung did improve some things. The waterdrop notch is finally gone, replaced with a proper punch-hole. You get a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display at 120Hz, thinner bezels and a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3. The speaker is still a single one firing downwards.

Then you look closer. While adding those, Samsung quietly took away things I think matter more.

• Water resistance. Last year’s A26 was rated IP67. The A27 drops to IP64. You pay more for a phone that resists water less than the one it replaced.
• The ultrawide camera. The 50-megapixel main camera stays, but the ultrawide falls from 8 megapixels on the A26 to 5 megapixels here.
• Charging. Still limited to 25W.

Then there is the price, which makes no sense to me. In Nigeria the 128GB A27 costs about what the base A37 does, ₦400,000 to ₦420,000 against ₦410,000. On Samsung’s US store the gap is $60 while the A37 is on offer. If the two cost nearly the same, why would you choose the slower one?

If the A27 drops another $70 or $80, we can have a different conversation. At today’s prices I cannot recommend it. It feels like the phone Samsung needed to release to make the A37 look like a better deal. I go through the downgrades in my A27 video.

Galaxy A37: the one to buy

This is where I start recommending phones without conditions. The A37 launched at $449.99. Samsung’s US store now lists it at $489.99 and has had it on offer at $439.99, which puts it close to the A27. In Nigeria I have seen the base model at ₦410,000 and the 256GB version at around ₦617,000.

It is the sweet spot of the whole line-up. You get a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display at 120Hz that reaches 1,900 nits. Under direct sun the screen stays easy to read.

Samsung also gives it proper IP68 water and dust resistance, so this phone is tougher than the cheaper A27. Charging stays at 45W, the same as last year.

The cameras are a 50-megapixel main with optical image stabilisation, an 8-megapixel ultrawide (better than the one on the newer A27) and a 12-megapixel selfie camera with Super HDR.

Let me be honest: this is not the most exciting phone Samsung has released. It swapped last year’s Snapdragon chip for the Exynos 1480, changed some colours, made a few refinements and called it a new phone. You could call it a refreshed Galaxy A55 from two years ago and not be wrong.

But a phone does not have to be exciting to be worth buying. What matters is value, and that is where the A37 wins. The display is fantastic, the battery life is excellent, the cameras are reliable, and you get about 90% of Samsung’s most expensive A phone for noticeably less money. Here is how it held up after three months. Samsung Galaxy A37 on Amazon

Galaxy A57: the best one, at a price

The A57 is Samsung’s most expensive A phone and, without doubt, the best A series phone it has made. It launched at $549.99, and Samsung’s US store now asks $599.99 for 128GB and $679.99 for 256GB. In Nigeria you are looking at around ₦623,000 for 128GB and ₦698,750 for 256GB.

The first thing I noticed when I picked it up was how much slimmer and lighter it feels: 6.9mm and 179 grams, with an aluminium frame.

The display is a Super AMOLED Plus panel and it is beautiful. Performance goes up again with the Exynos 1680. Samsung says its processor and graphics are up to 15% better than the A56’s. For the first time on an A phone there is a 512GB version, though not everywhere: Samsung’s US store sells 128GB and 256GB. The ultrawide camera is now 12 megapixels, and Nightography video makes low-light footage look clearly better than before.

It is a fantastic phone. I still have two problems with it.

The first is the price. The A56 launched at $499.99 in the US. The A57 launched at $549.99 and is now $599.99. The Elec, a Korean trade paper, also reported before launch that Samsung would buy some of the A57’s OLED panels from CSOT, TCL’s display arm, alongside Samsung Display. That does not make the screen worse. The display is still excellent.

A57 or A37: what the extra money buys

The second problem is the one that matters. Think back to the A37. The A57 has:

• the same 1,900-nit brightness;
• the same 45W charging;
• the same battery capacity;
• the same IP68 water resistance;
• the same six years of updates.

So what are you paying extra for? Mainly a faster processor, a slightly better-tuned camera, a slimmer and maybe sturdier body, and the option of 512GB. That is about it. Is that worth another ₦150,000 or more?

For some people, absolutely. For most people, I do not think so. And if you are going to spend A57 money anyway, I would look at a Galaxy S25 FE. Samsung’s US store has it at $649.99, $50 more than the A57, and other sellers go lower. It is the better phone. My three-month A57 review is here. Samsung Galaxy A57 on Amazon

Which one should you buy?

After using all five, I have two picks.

• On a budget: the Galaxy A17. A Super AMOLED display, a stabilised main camera and six years of updates. Under ₦250,000 I do not think there is a better Samsung.
• For almost everyone else: the Galaxy A37. The bright 120Hz display, IP68, 45W charging and about 90% of the A57 for a good deal less.
• Skip: the Galaxy A27. It makes no sense while the A37 sells for almost the same money.
• Think twice: the Galaxy A57. Excellent, and not the best value. Price a Galaxy S25 FE first.
• Only as a first or spare phone: the Galaxy A07.

If none of these fits, our list of phones under $500 from other makers covers what the same money buys elsewhere.

Quick answers

Which Samsung A series phone is best in 2026?

The Galaxy A57 is the best phone. The Galaxy A37 is the best buy, because it has the same brightness, charging, battery, water resistance and update promise for much less.

What do the 2026 Samsung A series phones cost in Nigeria?

Roughly ₦170,000 for the A07 5G, ₦250,000 for the A17, ₦400,000 to ₦520,000 for the A27, from ₦410,000 for the A37 and from ₦623,000 for the A57. Shops differ.

Which 2026 Galaxy A phone has the biggest battery?

The Galaxy A07 5G, at 6,000mAh. It is the cheapest phone in the line-up.