Samsung Galaxy A57 review: Stylish, dependable and built to last, but not without compromises

Pros:

• Bright and beautiful display

• Sleek design

• Great battery life

• Smooth performance

Cons:

• Heats up

• No charger in box

• Slow charging speed

Samsung Galaxy A57 (8GB/256GB) Price: Rs 56,999

Rating: 4.1/5

Samsung has been on a launching spree in the last two months. It has introduced the favourite child – the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, with a few AI tweaks, like Privacy display, Call Nudge, and more. And in a month’s time, Samsung also came out with its A-series, the Galaxy A57 and A37.

At first glance, the Galaxy A57 feels like a familiar move. In a market that is increasingly chasing bigger batteries, faster charging and aggressive specifications, this approach feels both safe and intentional.

But that also raises an important question. Is playing it safe enough in 2026, especially at a price point where competition is pushing boundaries more aggressively? The Galaxy A57 positions itself as a premium mid-range device that borrows heavily from the flagship Galaxy S experience, be it design, software longevity or core performance.

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I have been testing the Galaxy A57 for over a week, using it as a primary device for everything from binge-watching and gaming to work and everyday communication. And while it does not try too hard to impress at first, it slowly grows on you with its consistency.

Here is what I think about the Samsung Galaxy A57.

Design and display

You know how the sun rises every morning and sets every evening. Some things in life are predictable, and we learn to live with that rhythm. The same applies to Samsung’s product design. The company has been sticking to a familiar design language for its premium models for quite some time now.

This isn’t necessarily a complaint. Samsung does introduce tweaks every year, but they are so subtle that you might miss them at a quick glance.

Which brings us to the key question, does the Galaxy A57 bring any real design change? Visually, not quite. But the difference becomes noticeable the moment you hold the device.

The Galaxy A57 features a glass back panel that gives it a clean, premium look. I have been using the Awesome Navy variant, and it definitely adds to that refined feel. On the rear, the pill-shaped vertical camera island does cause a minor inconvenience when placed on a flat surface. The phone tends to wobble because of the protruding module.

I noticed this quite often, especially since I tend to keep my phone face-up most of the time.

That aside, the moment you pick it up, you realise Samsung has worked on making the device slimmer and lighter. The phone measures just 6.9mm in thickness, about 0.5mm thinner than its predecessor.

This refinement makes a difference. The phone sits comfortably in the hand and slips into pockets without any fuss.

When I say it fits well in hand, it is largely because of that slim profile, especially since the display itself is quite large. The Galaxy A57 sports a 6.7-inch FHD+ flat display with thin bezels, making it a great companion for content consumption.

The panel supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Vision Booster, up to 1,900 nits of peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. In everyday use, the display looks vibrant, with punchy colours and strong brightness levels even under harsh sunlight, making it ideal for streaming and browsing.

Performance and battery

The Samsung Galaxy A57 is powered by an Exynos 1680 chipset, coupled with up to 12GB RAM. During the review period, I was hooked on the Hogwarts Mystery game, so much so that I may have gone a little overboard. Despite that, the performance remained smooth and largely lag-free.

When it comes to multitasking, the Galaxy A57 lives up to expectations without any fuss. It handles multiple apps with ease, and features like split-screen multitasking help double up productivity. These are capabilities you would typically associate with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (review), Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 (review), which makes their presence here quite useful.

For everyday tasks like scrolling through Instagram, texting on WhatsApp, or simply browsing and reading, the experience was consistently fluid. That said, the phone does tend to heat up slightly during extended gaming sessions or heavy multitasking.

But that was not all. To get a clearer picture, we put the smartphone through benchmark tests to quantify its performance. And this is what we found:

On Geekbench, the Samsung Galaxy A57 score 1371 on single-core and 4434 on multicore

Comparing the A-series to the S-series, the most noticeable gap is in the number of AI features. The Galaxy A57 does include a set of AI tools like Object Eraser, Best Face, Bixby AI Select and Auto Trim, but the list is not as extensive as what you get on the flagship models. That said, it still manages to bring in some high-end features like Now Nudge, Call Screening and Privacy Display.

I used the Object Eraser, but I did not find it impressive. The image adds distorted pixels to fill up the erased objects from the image. In the images below, on the left, the Object Eraser struggles to stand tall to its nature.

On the software front, the Galaxy A57 runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16, offering a familiar experience similar to the Galaxy S26 lineup right out of the box. Samsung is also promising six years of OS and security updates, which adds significant long-term value, especially at this price point.

Backing all of this is a 5,000 mAh battery. While it may not sound particularly large by 2026 standards, it performs reliably in day-to-day use. The phone comfortably lasts an entire day with mixed usage, although heavier users might still need to plug in by the end of the day.

For instance, I noted only a seven per cent drop after watching a 1 hour 20 minutes YouTube video, which is quite impressive. However, charging is where the phone feels a bit behind.

To go from 17 per cent to 100 per cent, it took around 1 hour and 10 minutes, which feels slower compared to some competitors in this segment.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A57 offers a versatile camera system, headlined by a 50 MP primary sensor, along with a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 12 MP front camera. In well-lit environments, the primary sensor delivers sharp images with balanced exposure and pleasing colour tones, making it a reliable point-and-shoot option.

Daylight photography is where the phone shines, capturing scenes with strong dynamic range and consistent colour accuracy.

However, there is a warmth in the images, especially when clicked indoors. Look at the images below. The object of the image is under the same white light, but the Galaxy A57 turns it into a warm light. On the other hand, the Galaxy S26 (the second one) clicks it the image to its true nature.

The ultra-wide camera performs well in good lighting conditions.

On the front, the 12 MP selfie camera produces natural-looking images with good detail. Portrait shots are handled well too, with fairly accurate edge detection even without a dedicated telephoto lens.

While some may miss having a telephoto camera in this segment, the overall camera experience remains consistent and dependable for everyday use. Here are a few samples clicked by the Samsung Galaxy A57.

Verdict: Should you buy Samsung Galaxy A57?

The Samsung Galaxy A57 plays it safe, but it plays it well. It does not radically change the formula, but refines it in ways that matter to most users.

You get a sleek and lightweight design, an excellent display, reliable day-to-day performance, and long-term software support. These are the pillars that make the A57 a strong contender in its segment.

That said, it is not without flaws. The heating during heavy usage, relatively slow charging speeds, and the absence of a charger in the box may leave some users wanting more.

But if you are looking for a well-rounded smartphone that focuses on consistency rather than experimentation, the Galaxy A57 makes a strong case for itself.