The mid-range smartphone war just got a new entry and Samsung isn’t playing it safe this year. The Galaxy A57 5G and Galaxy A37 5G are official, launching April 10 globally and April 9 in the US, and the upgrades go deeper than the usual spec-sheet shuffle. Metal frames, IP68 waterproofing, Android 16 out of the box, and six years of OS updates Samsung is clearly aware that Xiaomi, Nothing, and Google have been quietly eating its lunch in the mid-range segment.
Start with the A57, because that’s where the real story is. The headline isn’t the Exynos 1680 chip or the 50MP triple camera, it’s the build. Samsung has upgraded to a metal frame this year, replacing the plastic construction that critics have hammered the A-series for repeatedly. It’s also 17 grams lighter and half a millimeter thinner than the A56, while keeping the same 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging. The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ FHD+ display at 120Hz looks sharp on paper, and the panel is now protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both front and back, a meaningful durability step up.
IP68 water and dust resistance arrives on both phones this year, upgraded from IP67 on last year’s models. That’s a detail that matters in the real world, and it’s a direct response to the Pixel 10a’s competitive durability credentials. The A57 measures just 6.9mm thin and 179g genuinely lightweight for a phone this capable.
Storage options top out at a new 12GB/512GB tier priced at €769 in Europe aggressive for a Galaxy A device but clearly aimed at users who want flagship-adjacent storage without flagship pricing. The base 8GB/128GB starts at €529 in Europe, $549.99 in the US, and £529 in the UK.
The Galaxy A37 slots in as the more affordable sibling $449.99 in the US for the base 6GB/128GB variant powered by the Exynos 1480, a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED at 120Hz, and the same 50MP + 8MP + 5MP triple camera setup. Same 5,000mAh battery, same 45W charging, same IP68 rating. It’s a cleaner, more focused device than the A57, and for most buyers it’ll be the smarter buy.
Both phones ship with Android 16 and One UI 8.5 a big deal in the mid-range tier and carry Samsung’s promise of six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security patches. Google’s Pixel 10a matches this promise, but Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 14 Pro and Realme 13 Pro both fall short at three to four years. For someone buying a phone to keep through 2031, that gap matters enormously.
Samsung’s Awesome Intelligence AI suite comes with the standard Circle to Search, AI scene optimization, improved Nightography, Knox Vault security, and a new Private Album feature in the Gallery app for locking away personal photos quickly.
A couple of things worth flagging. There’s no microSD card slot Samsung dropped it from the A-series last year and it hasn’t returned. And neither phone launches with the AirDrop Quick Share compatibility coming to the Galaxy S26 this week, which feels like a missed opportunity given how much attention that feature is getting right now.
The competition is sharper than ever. Nothing Phone 4a starts at $379 with a cleaner software experience. The Pixel 10a will likely land around $499 with Google’s camera advantage and guaranteed Android updates. Xiaomi’s Poco X8 Pro undercuts both on raw specs. Samsung’s answer to all of it is brand trust, software longevity, and now finally a build quality that matches the price tag.
Both phones hit shelves April 9 in the US and April 10 globally. If you’ve been waiting for a mid-range Samsung that feels genuinely premium, this is the one to watch.
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