Forget the flagship - this midrange Galaxy checks all the right boxes at less than $200

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Samsung's Galaxy A35 5G is simply a well-rounded smartphone that's connected merchantability for $198
• You'll emotion the two-day artillery life, astonishing surface quality, and 4 years of bundle updates
• The biggest issue? Performance tends to alteration from time to time and tin pb to overheating

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I'm amazed however overmuch I bask utilizing the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. The 2024 midrange telephone successful Samsung's lineup isn't needfully thing peculiar -- it looks similar immoderate different Galaxy phone from caller years, and it doesn't person immoderate flashy features. Still, the ngo of mid-range phones is not to marque waves; it's to supply a equilibrium betwixt performance, quality, and price. This telephone achieves that equilibrium well.

Also: 5 products Samsung could astonishment america with astatine Unpacked - including an ultra wide phone

Some would reason this isn't the champion $400 telephone connected the market, but it's surely 1 of them, and the surface is the main reason. 

The Galaxy A35 5G features a Samsung Signature Super AMOLED show measuring 6.6 inches diagonally. The show has a Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh complaint for creaseless motion, and 1,000 nits of brightness, making it casual to spot successful nonstop sunlight. Plus, it's protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is simply a bully perk.

One of the champion perks of the Galaxy A35 is the artillery size. Clocking successful astatine 5,000mAh, this happening tin easy past 2 days connected a afloat charge. During my testing, I lone plugged successful the telephone 3 times, and that was with mean use. Unfortunately, determination are nary wireless charging capabilities, and the charging velocity is capped astatine 25W, truthful it mightiness instrumentality immoderate clip to get to 100%. Still, it's bully having multi-day artillery beingness connected immoderate smartphone, fto unsocial 1 that costs $400.

Another happening I wasn't expecting to accidental aft spending immoderate clip with the A35 is that the cameras aren't that bad. In fact, I'd spell arsenic acold arsenic to accidental that astatine slightest 2 of them are good, which is astir intolerable to accidental for most sub-$500 Android phones.

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The main 50MP camera is perfectly susceptible of taking immoderate bully pictures. Colors aren't overdone arsenic overmuch arsenic connected older Samsung phones, portion opposition and vulnerability stay mostly connected point. The A35 is good astatine maintaining shadows, for amended oregon worse, portion photograph prime mostly dips erstwhile the lights get low. It's not unspeakable by immoderate means, but other atom and sound are hard to debar unless there's a ton of outer oregon earthy airy successful the frame.

Also: Samsung Unpacked 2026: 5 biggest rumors I recovered connected Galaxy S26 Ultra, Buds 4 Pro, more

I'll besides springiness recognition to the 13MP selfie camera, which is perfectly suited for Snapchat oregon Instagram Stories. Unfortunately, the different cameras connected the backmost of the instrumentality are disappointing. The 8MP whitethorn beryllium ultra-wide acknowledgment to its 123-degree tract of view, but it's grainy and low-quality successful astir each lighting condition. Meanwhile, the 5MP macro camera is washed out, and it is intolerable to seizure thing usable -- unless you're successful wide daylight.

You can't bargain the Galaxy A35 5G expecting movie-quality videos, but astatine slightest you tin sprout successful 4K, albeit astatine 30 frames per second. In addition, I similar Samsung's camera app, which is well-optimized and casual to navigate.

Max Buondonno/ZDNET

Some different notable features see a fast, reliable in-display fingerprint scanner, IP67 water- and dust-resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus+ connected the back, and a microSD paper slot for expanding your retention whenever you want. The A35, however, stumbles successful performance. The telephone isn't slow, but it's not ever accelerated either. It's equipped with an Exynos 1380 octa-core processor that's accelerated capable for mundane use, but during my testing, the telephone would sometimes dilatory down truthful overmuch that it took respective seconds to unfastened an app oregon power to multitasking.

Max Buondonno/ZDNET

The instrumentality would besides sometimes get inexplicably blistery during regular use. For example, erstwhile I was scrolling done an nonfiction with Spotify playing successful the background, and the A35 got blistery capable that I had to enactment it down. 

Also: I changed 7 settings connected my Samsung telephone to importantly amended the artillery life

This is simply a known contented with Samsung's Exynos chips, which person historically fallen down Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors successful show and efficiency. Luckily, you tin rig the A35 with 6GB, 8GB, oregon 12GB of RAM, truthful you won't tally retired of representation during usage -- conscionable don't propulsion the telephone excessively hard.

ZDNET's buying advice

It's hard to find a midrange instrumentality that balances the smartphone acquisition well, but the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G does a beauteous bully job. While show and camera prime autumn down successful immoderate areas, the remainder of the telephone is bully (especially that gorgeous screen) for the price.

There are different coagulated alternatives, similar the Pixel 8a or the excellent OnePlus 13R, that connection a akin experience. However, they are importantly much expensive. As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A35 is connected merchantability for little than $200. The OnePlus 13R, successful comparison, costs triple that amount.