Samsung’s Galaxy A35 5G is Samsung’s sub-£350 smartphone for 2024, but how does it compare to last year’s Samsung Galaxy A34 5G?
While both look pretty similar on the surface, sporting the same minimalistic aesthetic, 6.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED displays and a variety of vibrant colours to choose from, the Galaxy A35 5G offers some big upgrades over its predecessor that closes the gap between it and the more premium Galaxy A55 5G.
That said, we’ve not spent much time with the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G yet, so here’s how the two compare on paper for now.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G has an improved camera setup
Unlike the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, which has the exact same camera setup as last year’s Galaxy A54 5G, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G has actually seen an upgrade in the camera department – though, granted, it’s not the most revolutionary update we’ve ever seen at Trusted Reviews.
That said, the main 48MP snapper of the Galaxy A34 5G has been boosted to 50MP with the Galaxy A35 5G, with a slightly larger 1/1.96-inch sensor and OIS allowing it to match the more expensive Galaxy A55 5G’s camera setup.
The accompanying 8MP ultrawide and 5MP macro are identical to the Galaxy A34 5G, however, so don’t expect revolutionary secondary cameras here – instead, they’re mainly here to boost the camera count. As with most cheap phones, most of the budget has gone into the primary lens.
We’ve not yet had the chance to test the Galaxy A35 5G’s camera for ourselves, but if it’s the same hardware as the Galaxy A55 5G and, thus, the Galaxy A54 5G, it’ll likely deliver fine images for the price, though it likely won’t lead the pack in low-light or when it comes to the secondary lenses.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G sports a faster processor
Like most new smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G sports a faster processor than its older sibling. More specifically, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G’s 5nm Exynos 1380 chipset replaces the outgoing 6nm Exynos 1080 of last year’s Samsung Galaxy A34 5G – and that’s great news for prospective buyers.
That’s because the Exynos 1380 was the chipset of choice for last year’s Galaxy A54 5G, and considering the A35 5G is paired with the same combination of 8GB of RAM and either 128- or 256GB of storage, it’s safe to imagine that it’ll perform on a similar level to the Galaxy A54 5G.
Now, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G didn’t break any performance benchmark records, but that’s not much of a surprise given its price-friendly focus.
That said, we found that the Exynos 1380 was more than capable of powering the standard smartphone experience with calls, texts, scrolling through social media and playing casual games. The latter sometimes made the chipset stutter, especially on anything above low-level graphics, but it did the job – and considering that level of performance is now coming to the even cheaper Galaxy A35 5G, it sounds like a worthy upgrade.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G offers Samsung Knox support
Flagship Samsung devices have, for some years now, enjoyed additional protection from hackers thanks to Samsung Knox, a combination of hardware and software that keeps not only your passwords, credit card details and other sensitive data safe, but also your operating system as a whole.
This is because Samsung Knox is hardware-level security with a dedicated chipset within the phone’s chassis that allows for “comprehensive protection against both hardware and software attacks” according to Samsung. It does this by essentially creating a secure environment that’s physically isolated from the main system, with Samsung Knox Vault keeping all your digital data nice and safe from hackers.
It’s usually a feature of the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5, but for the first time, it has made its way to the Galaxy A series.
Both the Samsung Galaxy A35 and slightly more premium Galaxy A55 offer Knox support, giving the security-conscious among us another reason to opt for Samsung’s cheap phones over much of the Android competition.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is more durable
Considering the budget nature of the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, it’s actually pretty durable.
It retains the IP67 dust and water resistance offered by the Galaxy A34 5G – which in itself is a rarity at the price point – while also offering upgraded display protection in the form of Gorilla Glass Victus. That’s a huge jump from the Gorilla Glass 5 used in the previous-gen A34 5G.
That, combined with the plastic frame and a plastic rear that isn’t as prone to shattering as glass alternatives should make the Galaxy A35 5G a surprisingly durable phone considering its relatively svelte, minimalistic design.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is more affordable
The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G was already a pretty affordable phone with a £349 price tag for the 128GB variant, but Samsung has kicked things up a notch with the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G.
More specifically, it starts at a slightly reduced £339 for the same 128GB of storage and goes up to £389 if you want the top-end variant with 256GB of storage – though it is worth noting that both the Galaxy A34 5G and A35 5G offer support for a microSD card slot, so you can expand storage yourself at a later date if necessary.
The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is available now, while the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is scheduled for release in the UK on 20 March 2024.
