Samsung Galaxy F54 5G first impressions

Samsung’s aggressive approach to cover all bases when it comes to smartphone offerings is not new. With the latest addition of Galaxy F54 5G, Samsung aims to push the envelope further as it targets the most competitive price category in India. Priced at Rs 27,999, the Galaxy F54 5G will be pitted against the likes of OnePlus, Realme, Poco, iQoo offerings. Can it break through the competition? It remains to be seen.

Here’s a look at what the Galaxy F54 packs for the price.

1. Display: 6.7-inch sAMOLED+ 120Hz panel
2. Cameras: 108MP (OIS)+ 8MP (ultra-wide)+ 2MP (macro); 32MP front-facing (selfie)
3. CPU: Exynos 1380 5nm processor
4. RAM: 8GB
5. Storage: 256GB
6. Battery: 6000mAh, 25W charging support
7. OS: OneUI 5.1
8. Colors: Meteor Blue and Stardust Silver

Note: Samsung India sent us the Galaxy F54 5G in Stardust Silver for review.

Our first impressions

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G takes on a modern design language, akin to its flagships. The F54 is the most premium in the F-series, offering a new choice for consumers who want a mix of premium and affordability in one. Though Samsung sent us Stardust Silver, the Meteor Blue looks more elegant. The former has a gradient look, which produces different shades of colors depending on which angle the lights fall on it. More than the looks, it’s the feel factor. Samsung Galaxy F54 has a polycarbonate back, which doesn’t fully convey the premium factor. But the metallic silver finish conceals the plastic vibe well, just not as well as fingerprint smudges.

The F54 5G has a fingerprint sensor on the side, integrated inside the power button, which works efficiently. The volume controls are positioned above the power button, which is not easy to reach. At the bottom, the phone has USB Type-C port, and speaker grille. There’s no headphone jack and the SIM card tray is positioned on the right side of the phone, again at the top.

Though there’s nothing extraordinary about the design, the display takes the cake. The punch-hole display is modern and even the bezels are on the slim side. Samsung’s expertise in the display space is evident as it continues to impress with F54’s sAMOLED 120Hz panel. The display is bright, vibrant, and ideal for watching movies and playing games.

Samsung boasts about the battery and camera in the F54, and we mostly agree. The 6,000mAh battery is huge and can last two days with mixed use. At the same time, the charging speed is just 25W, which is not fast by today’s standards, certainly not when we are talking about a massive battery. It takes over 90 minutes to charge the phone to full, even when it is not drained out. But the phone keeps battery anxieties at bay by outlasting our daily usage.

The cameras on the F54 are good. The primary sensor on the back is remarkable, the supporting ultra-wide sensor is good too. Then there’s the macro sensor, which didn’t impress us, merely fills up the spec-sheet. The 108MP sensor produced detailed shots with good colors and dynamic range in well-lit scenes. Low light shots come out pretty nice, with rich details.

Though we had our reservations about the Exynos 1380 chipset, the F54 lived up to our expectations of day-to-day operations. Paired with OneUI 5.1, the phone performs well and multi-tasking is handled with ease. Even mild gaming and binge-watching sessions aren’t an issue for the F54, making it quite capable for average users.