Product test
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro tested: The surcharge is worth it
by Jan Johannsen
Samsung Galaxy A57 review: not much novelty, but still a potential bestseller
4/5/2026
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Its predecessors might well have been the bestselling smartphones in Europe, but it remains to be seen whether the Samsung Galaxy A57 achieves similar success. After all, the competition is fierce.
According to Omdia analysts, the Galaxy A56 was the bestselling smartphone across Europe in 2025. The year before that, it was the Galaxy A55. Samsung intends to build on this success – with few new features. In this price range, however, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a strong competitor.
Little innovation on a successful smartphone
Compared to the Galaxy A56, the improvements in the Galaxy A57 are easy to list:
- The Super AMOLED+ display enables a slimmer design and offers higher peak brightness for HDR content.
- The Exynos 1680 delivers more processing power and supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.0.
- 8 GB of RAM is now standard – the 6 GB models have been discontinued.
- A new option with 512 gigabytes of storage is available, at a significant additional cost.
- The IP68 rating makes it more water-resistant than its predecessor.
- Some of the new AI tools from the S26 series are also available on the A57.
The new peak brightness doesn’t make a difference in everyday use. Even without it, the display offers vibrant colours, a sharp image and enough brightness for use in sunlight. However, the edges aren’t quite as narrow as on Samsung’s more premium models.
Thanks to its aluminium frame, the Galaxy A57 has a premium look and feel. However, the plastic back is highly reflective, and fingerprints show up on it immediately. The frame around the cameras is translucent, and the back also appears transparent. It all looks great to the naked eye, but getting it in focus for a picture like the header image above is tricky.
More power for AI tools
The Exynos 1680 offers improved performance – but I don’t really notice it in everyday use. Samsung primarily uses the additional processing power for added AI tools.
Across the board, the Exynos 1680 performs better in benchmarks than the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 in the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. However, the difference is too small to justify choosing one device over the other.
The Galaxy A57 is equipped with Android 16 and Samsung’s One UI 8.5 ex-works. On top of that, you get access to some of the S26 series’ AI tools. While the full Galaxy AI suite is reserved for top-of-the-line models, you can still use the A57 to perform tasks across different apps. Still, it’s currently limited to apps from Google, Samsung and a few third-party providers such as Spotify or WhatsApp. I haven’t really warmed to it yet, however, and the scope of the promotions is still fairly limited.
With Samsung’s promise to provide six years of operating system and security updates, the Galaxy A57 is a smartphone that’ll last. Nothing meanwhile only provides three years of feature updates for the Phone (4a), but at least you get security updates for six. It also offers its own AI tools.
Still no telephoto camera
The cameras are the same as ever, with only a main camera and an ultra-wide-angle lens. It still lacks a telephoto camera, however – a feature offered by devices like the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro in this price range.
So, for the Galaxy A57, your only option is to use digital zoom. And while the image quality might look decent at first, photos often end up pixelated on closer inspection. The telephoto camera on the Phone (4a) Pro, on the other hand, produces a clear image.
The Galaxy A57 performs better with its main camera. Still, colours are cooler than on the Nothing, and if you look close at certain details, you’ll see that Samsung lags behind here as well.
On the other hand, the ultra-wide-angle cameras for these two phones are neck and neck. I see no difference.
In low light, the Galaxy A57 effectively amplifies ambient light using longer exposure times while preserving a nighttime atmosphere. I like the main camera a little better here. Pictures look great on the smartphone itself, just don’t enlarge them. Otherwise, your images will quickly become pixelated and blurry.
Battery life – now below average
The Galaxy A57’s battery capacity stays at 5,000 mAh. With the display brightness set to 50 per cent, I measured a battery life of 14 hours and 23 minutes using PCMark’s battery test. That’s equivalent to one day of use – comparably short. Top performers last up to ten hours longer, and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro – frequently cited here for comparison – lasts exactly 17 hours.
The maximum charging speed remains at 45 watts. That’s enough for me. The A57 still doesn’t support wireless charging.
Galaxy A37: a more affordable option
Mind you, Samsung’s still selling a smartphone that’s even more affordable than the A57: the A37. Visually, the two are very similar, and if the following points don’t bother you, go ahead and save some cash with the A37:
- The frame is made of plastic, not aluminium.
- The edges around the display are slightly wider.
- The chipset isn’t as powerful. You’ll hardly notice this in everyday life, but the A37’s missing a few AI tools too.
- The ultra-wide-angle camera is a bit grainier.
The battery life is the same at 14 hours and 20 minutes, the main cameras are on par and software updates will still be provided for six years.
In a nutshell
Perfectly fine, but there’s room for improvement
Despite lacking new features, the Galaxy A57 continues to impress. With Samsung as a major brand behind it, this mid-range smartphone could become a bestseller once again. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I actually prefer the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro in this price range.
Yes, the Galaxy A57 does offer slightly better performance and will receive software updates for longer. But it doesn’t offer a telephoto camera, plus the Phone (4a) Pro sports a longer battery life. On top of that, Nothing provides more features generally. Still, for many, Samsung’s standard specifications and software will do.
Pro
- Six years of system and security updates
- Enough power for AI tools
Contra
- 512 GB version is very expensive
- No telephoto camera
- Average battery life
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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