Samsung consistently pumps out some of the best smartphones we’ve tested, but not everyone has $800 or more to splurge on a fancy new Galaxy S24. That’s where the company’s Galaxy A series comes in, offering many of the same key features as Samsung’s flagship phones for a fraction of their price. The new Galaxy A35 5G continues to blur that line between budget and premium, with a design so slick and a display so vibrant you might be asking yourself, “Wait, this thing’s only $400?”
Of course, a price tag that low doesn’t come without concessions, but are the trade-offs worth it? And how does the A35 stack up against budget powerhouses like the Apple iPhone SE and Google Pixel 7a? I got to spend some early hands-on time with Samsung’s new $400 phone and am ready to answer some of those questions for you.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 packs promising performance into a slick design for half the price of a flagship Galaxy S24 phone. If you preorder one now, you'll be able to tack on a pair of Galaxy Buds FE for 30% off.
A budget phone that doesn’t look cheap
Like last year’s Galaxy A54 before it (yeah, I don’t really get Samsung’s naming convention either), the Galaxy A35 does a remarkably good job mimicking its flagship counterpart. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is the new Galaxy S24 that costs twice as much at first glance: It’s got similarly thin edges, curvy corners and a seamless rear panel with no unsightly camera bump in sight.
Once you get your hands on the A35, you’ll realize where Samsung made some concessions. This phone feels substantial and sturdy, but its plastic design doesn’t quite have the same sheen as the all-aluminum Galaxy S24. I dig the A35’s Awesome Navy and Awesome Lilac color options, particularly the prismatic, rainbow-like reflections I noticed any time the light hit the latter model. However, like many other low-cost phones, these devices are very glossy and prone to fingerprints, and I much prefer a matte finish like that of the Galaxy S24 or iPhone 15.
Despite its relatively modest specs, the Galaxy A35 more or less felt like a pricier smartphone during my hands-on time. Swiping between apps felt wonderfully fluid, thanks to its 120Hz display (even the $799 iPhone 15 is stuck at a more sluggish 60Hz), and while its full HD screen doesn’t pack as many pixels as the S24, it still had that signature Samsung pop of color when I streamed a nature video on YouTube. The lower resolution was a bit more apparent when I switched over to the zippy racing action of Asphalt 9, but weaving through traffic and performing big stunts felt just as responsive as what I’m used to on higher-end handsets.
I didn’t get too much time with the Galaxy A35’s cameras, but the selfies I snapped on Samsung’s budget phone looked impressively shar, as did the photos of various plants I snagged around the company’s 837 store. The A35 has a 50-megapixel main camera just like the Galaxy S24 does, though its 8-megapixel ultrawide and 5-megapixel macro cameras are more modest than those of its flagship counterpart. You won’t get that same satisfying 30x zoom that you’ll find on the S24, though Samsung is promising a lot of flagship-level camera features on the A35 that include optical image stabilization and improved night photography.
The A35 is the first Galaxy A-series phone to feature Samsung Knox Vault, which is an advanced security technology that blends a variety of hardware and software tricks to keep your data safe. Speaking of security, you can expect IP67 water and dust protection for basic drops by the pool or on the trail, as well as a 5,000mAh battery that should juice up fast, thanks to support for Samsung’s Super Fast Charging standard.
While the Galaxy A35 looks and performs a lot like Samsung’s top-tier phones, there’s one big elephant missing from the room: Galaxy AI. Love it or hate it, AI is at the core of the Galaxy S24 series, with a range of features that range from helpful and fun (Circle to Search, photo editing) to comically unreliable (Chat Assist). What’s interesting is that the A35 runs on One UI 6.1, the same software version that just brought Galaxy AI to older devices like the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Tab S9. Perhaps the A35’s Exynos processor simply isn’t strong enough to power Samsung’s AI, or we’ll have to wait for a future software update. Either way, don’t expect to perform Google searches with a quick doodle or magically edit photobombers out of your pictures on this phone.
The takeaway
The Galaxy A35 looks like yet another impressive budget alternative for folks who don’t want to spend close to a grand on Samsung’s latest and shiniest phones. Its design is nearly as attractive as the S24’s at first blush, and many likely won’t notice most of the corners Samsung cut during basic day-to-day use.
That said, the A35 faces some serious competition from our best budget phone pick in the $499 (but often discounted) Google Pixel 7a. While Google’s midrange phone doesn’t have as smooth a display, it also offers a robust camera experience — complete with the AI editing features that Samsung’s budget phone lacks — not to mention the same processor as its pricier counterpart. Folks cool with joining team Apple should also consider the iPhone SE, which will generally get you the best performance of the pack and is the obvious choice for those already in Apple’s orbit.
Still, the Galaxy A35 is arguably the nicest-looking phone of this budget bunch and looks to offer a whole lot for its relatively low price. We look forward to putting it through its full paces to see if it can earn a spot on our top picks, so stay tuned for more.
