Introduction
Another day, another Galaxy review, and it still isn’t the S24 Ultra you’ve been expecting. We’d love nothing more than to get our hands on the S24 Series as soon as possible, but Samsung couldn’t arrange the units to arrive in time – to our office, at least. So, like it or not, the Galaxy A25 and Galaxy A15 are the first new Galaxy devices we get to enjoy in 2024.
Today we have the 4G version of the Galaxy A15, the first entry-level Samsung phone to get a Super AMOLED screen, one with a high refresh rate at that!
Indeed, the Galaxy A15 is what someone usually imagines for an affordable smartphone with basic specs, a device ideal for a company phone, or to serve as an introduction for a newcomer to the smartphone world. And it just got so much better!
The Galaxy A15 now comes with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen of Full HD resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Helio G99 chipset, and the basic model starts with 128GB of storage.
Even better, this Galaxy features a triple-camera on the back with a 50MP primary, a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro imagers. There is also a 13MP selfie camera inside the U-shaped display notch.
The phone has a large 5,000mAh battery, and it now supports 25W fast charging. In fact, even the A05 phones now offer 25W charging, so we can officially declare the 15W Samsung chargers as retired!
Finally, the phone boots Android 14 with One UI 6. And while you will not find DeX support or Always-On Display, this is not a One UI Core version.
Samsung Galaxy A15 specs at a glance:
- Body: 160.1×76.8×8.4mm, 200g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame.
- Display: 6.50″ Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 396ppi.
- Chipset: Mediatek Helio G99 (6nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
- Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 14, One UI 6.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, AF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired.
- Connectivity: LTE; Hybrid Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.3; NFC; 3.5mm jack, FM radio.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Virtual proximity sensing.
We guess we are one or two years away from the Galaxy A1x phones also become water-resistant, and the lack of ingress protection, even a basic one, is the only thing we can think of an omission right now.
Unboxing the Galaxy A15
The Galaxy A15 comes packed inside one of those thin Samsung boxes that contain the phone itself and a USB-C cable. That’s it.
The A15 now supports 25W fast charging, and if you don’t have a compatible power adapter, you will need to shop for one.
Design, build quality and handling
The Galaxy A15 is a smartphone by the (Samsung’s) book – flat panels, flat frame, no huge camera housing. You can tell it’s a budget phone by its thickness, weight, and, most importantly – screen bezels and the old-school notch.
The phone has a tempered glass to keep the screen safe, while the back panel is made of plastic. We have the Blue Black model, which is exactly what the description suggests – a dark blue, almost black hue for the glass and the frame. There are also yellow and blue versions in existence across the EU market.
The frame has a matte finish and provides some grip when handling the phone. It has this atypical jut on the right, which accommodates the volume and power/lock key. We are not sure if this was made to spice up the design, or it has a practical explanation as well.
The Galaxy A15 has its fingerprint scanner on the surface of the mentioned power key, and it is nicely fast, accurate, and overall – very reliable.
The phone features all sorts of fan-favorite features like a microSD expansion slot, an audio jack, FM radio and even NFC. This is quite a rare combination these days. There are no stereo speakers, though.