Did you know that there are between 50 and 100 new mobile phone models launched each year? More if you count all the white-label phones, novelty phones, and regional versions. The numbers are on a downward trajectory, but there’s no doubt we’re not short on options. Picking the right phone usually comes down to the right price, unless you shop on the high-end, where you are just aiming for the best features.
I’ve reviewed mobile phones for a very long time, and one thing I’ve noticed over this period is that mid-range phones are delivering far better value for money these days. In fact, there really is no reason to spend over R15,000 on a device unless you are chasing specific features or bragging rights.
I’ve been a long-time mid-range phone user, only upgrading to a flagship device last year after a long time deliberating the costs. My decision was made mainly for the camera and performance to edit 4K video. It’s been a wonderful ride.
Then a challenge landed on my desk. Spend a week with the inconspicuously named Galaxy A57 5G. A mid-range phone that Samsung says is the perfect all-rounder device for smartphone users. To put it in perspective, the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G costs R11,999, compared to my R34,000 flagship behemoth.
mmmm.
Needless to say, the challenge was accepted.
Day 1: First Impressions
As I unboxed this device, I was impressed with how the Galaxy A57 5G feels in my hand. It is a lot more “high-end” in-hand, sporting a familiar Samsung design look and feel, a protruding camera cluster reminiscent of the larger Galaxy S-series, and a beautiful glass back that’s almost too nice to hide in a cover. Though I must be honest, it does attract a few fingerprints.
The screen, which is a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, sports that buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate we love, and browsing social media apps, doing some emails and web browsing, or gaming, holds up very well on this screen.
From writing emails, editing videos, to late-night scrolling (don’t judge me) and gaming, this screen really is a pleasure to use and look at.
Day 2: Unexpected features
A feature I did not expect to find on this phone is eSIM support. Yup, you have a dual-SIM slot with dual eSIM support, fantastic for using multiple operators or just handy when travelling.
The last thing that caught my eye during my first hands-on inspection of this phone is its 5,000mAh battery, a hefty power pack that provides that all-day battery experience we expect from high-end phones.
Now, unless you are gaming, you probably won’t need to charge your phone during the day, but if you are like me and play a lot of mobile games, you’ll still want to keep a battery bank handy.
Day 3: The benchmarks prove it
With the phone now set up with everything I need to work and play, it was time to get a bit geeky. Mobile gaming at the entry- and mid-range level is very much a hit or miss affair. It all depends on your phone’s chipset.
Inside the Galaxy A57 5G, you will find Samsung’s own Exynos 1680 based on the 4nm process. The Octa-core chipset features eight ARM Cortex CPUs that are split between Prime, Performance, and Efficiency cores. With the Exynos 1680, Samsung shifted more cores into its performance tier (four in total), meaning that this mid-tier phone should have some Vooma under the hood.
For gaming, the GPU in the Galaxy A57 5G is the Xclipse 550, which is built on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture. Samsung says it delivers a 15% performance improvement over its predecessor, so naturally, we’ll need to put these claims to the test. With the phone running all my apps, storage shrinking under the load, and calls coming in, I set forth to run the numbers.
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G Benchmarks
3Dmark Wildlife: 6,015
3Dmark Wildlife Extreme: 1,683
Steel Nomad: 774
Geekbench 6
Single-Core Score: 1,379
Multi-Core Score: 4,441
Geekbench AI (Tensorflow Lite/NNAPI)
Single Precision Score: 283
Half Precision Score: 284
Quantised Score: 634
Deciphering these scores in a bit more detail, these numbers put the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G in the upper mid-range of smartphone performance
In real-world terms, the 3DMark Wildlife and Wildlife Extreme scores tell us the GPU can comfortably handle most modern mobile titles at medium-to-high settings, maintaining stable frame rates in lighter engines and stepping down resolution or effects in heavier titles like The Division Resurgence or PUBG Mobile.
The Steel Nomad result reinforces that this isn’t a ray-tracing powerhouse, but it has enough headroom for contemporary lighting effects without collapsing under thermal pressure.
On the CPU side, the Geekbench 6 scores translate to snappy day-to-day responsiveness and competent multitasking, with enough overhead for background processes without stutter. The AI scores indicate solid on-device machine learning capability, particularly for optimised, lower-precision tasks like image enhancement, object removal, and real-time camera processing. In other words, this is a chip that won’t chase benchmark leaderboards, but will deliver a consistent, reliable experience across gaming, general use, and increasingly common AI-driven features.
Day 4: Content Creation
You know what they say, the best camera is the one you have with you and let me tell you, this 50mp shooter is perfect for social media posts and even print work if you are creatively inclined. Images appear sharp, and the colour saturation and balance are really good.
The 5MP Macro camera also delivers striking images, but don’t expect to blow up your bug shots to A0 poster size, it may look a bit grainy.
If you want to shoot video for social media, then the 4K camera on this smartphone is all you need. The video in 4K is sharp and even my usual edit routine in Capcut holds up in terms of performance during editing, though notably slower to export high bitrate, 4K video, compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but this is not unexpected. I mean this phone is almost a third of the price and arguably holds up well in comparison, that is if you are not a professional user.
As part of my challenge, I’ve been creating video content with this device too, and you will be seeing those shorts on your social media feed over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for them.
Day 5: This may become my backup device
The Samsung Galaxy A57 5G has confirmed something that I’ve been saying for a while now: mid-range smartphones are where your best value for money lies.
Now, if you are wondering how well the Galaxy A57 will age, you’ll be glad to hear that this smartphone comes with 6 years of guaranteed security updates. This means that you’ll still be able to run secure software on this phone in 2032.
If my week of using it is anything to go by, I’d say this smartphone is ideal for gamers and content creators who are looking for a sensible device to get on contract or to buy outright. This smartphone from Samsung is the casual workhorse I did not expect to see this year.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be using the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G to show you some of the best Android games to play on your smartphone, so keep an eye on NAG for those reviews. For now, please excuse me, I have a long weekend of mobile gaming ahead of me.
