I have a rule where I don’t draft more than two fantasy football teams a year. I find the players start overlapping when I have more than two. I’m put in a position where I have to root against myself because another one of my teams needs points. I can’t help but feel Samsung is in a similar position. With many phones in different price ranges, it’s challenging for the company to compete against itself. There isn’t an easy solution to the problem.
No Thanks, Keep Reading
While Samsung might not be too big for its own good, I believe it’s too big for us to get the best phones we can. Here are two Samsung phones I feel weren’t as good as they could have been and one phone that Samsung held back from the US to protect the sales of others.
Samsung Galaxy A55
Never made it to the US
I like Samsung’s Galaxy A-series devices. They are competent and functional smartphones that do almost everything users need. Over the last two years, I’ve also seen a massive improvement in A-series phones. The Galaxy A54 was a solid improvement over its predecessor, and I was glad to see Samsung bring Exynos chipsets in line. I didn’t experience the overheating and lag that plagued previous devices, and battery life was also improved, so I was excited to see what an A55 might bring.
Samsung did not bring the Galaxy A55 to the US last year. I used the overseas model extensively, and I believe I know why. It’s fantastic. For $450, the Galaxy A55 features an improved Exynos 1480 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. The resulting performance is impressive, and the battery life is excellent. I get over eight hours of screen on time from my Galaxy A55. Samsung upped the build quality for the Galaxy A55, opting for an aluminum frame. The Galaxy A55 was one of my favorite budget phones of 2024, but most likely, you’ll never have a chance to buy it.
Samsung Galaxy A35
Not for that kind of money
When I saw the spec sheet and pricing information for the Galaxy A35, I began to understand why Samsung didn’t bring the Galaxy A55 to the US. I was frustrated that Samsung would sell the Galaxy A35 at $400 with an Exynos 1380 and 6GB of RAM. The Exynos 1380 powered last year’s Galaxy A54. While it’s capable, the 1480 is significantly better. If Samsung sold both phones in the US with only a $50 gap between them, there would be no reason to buy the Galaxy A35. Even if you want to save money, the Galaxy A54 is typically available for around $300. You won’t get the same amount of software support, but the chipset is the same.
A more attractive Galaxy A15 would eat into the Galaxy A25, and Samsung wants people to pay more.
I’ve seen similar discrepancies before, with Samsung offering variants with better specs overseas. I know markets and economics are different worldwide, but not bringing the Galaxy A55 to the US feels like a blatant move to protect sales of the Galaxy A35. It limits our choices as consumers and is a prime example of Samsung going out of its way not to compete against itself. We’re already starved for smartphone competition in the US, so any artificial limitations are even more frustrating.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
So close to greatness
In my review, I was favorable towards the Galaxy A15 5G. I love that Samsung added an OLED display and decent performance for $200. It handles daily tasks and social media easily and does much of what most users want and need. We overestimate the horsepower we need in a phone, with most users not scratching the surface of what today’s chipsets can do, so I’m always in favor of saving a few dollars where you can. The Galaxy A15 is a fantastic balance, and I like the performance of its Dimensity 6100+ chipset.
Read our review
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G: Everything you need for only $200
It’s not flashy, but the A15 gets the job done for people who don’t read reviews or care about specs
I noticed one thing holding the phone back: a lack of RAM. In the US, it ships with 4GB of RAM, which is fine for most uses, but I did notice the phone aggressively closing apps. With budget chipsets, you want to leave as many things cached in RAM as possible to help smooth the experience. My frustration stems from Samsung offering a variant with more RAM overseas. I would’ve loved the option to spend another $40 for 6GB on the Galaxy A15, as it would’ve made a significant difference. I’ve used smartphones with 6GB and 8GB of RAM powered by the Dimensity 6100+ before, and I could tell how much smoother the experience was. However, a more attractive Galaxy A15 would eat into the Galaxy A25, and Samsung wants people to pay more.
Samsung isn’t going to fix the problem
As annoying as Samsung’s overstocked lineup may be, the company most likely isn’t going to change things any time soon. It succeeded with the A-series phones, which is a large part of why Samsung remains the top smartphone manufacturer in the world. Budget phones are more popular than you think, so the more SKUs the company can have in that range, the better. I used to believe more choices were better in the long run for customers, but with Samsung artificially tipping the scales, I’m not so sure.
