Samsung Galaxy A25 5G Review: Save Money and Go for the A15!

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G Review: TechLekh Verdict

I don’t think that the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G is a true upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy A24. Instead, it would be better to call this a 5G variant of the Samsung Galaxy A24.

The changes are very minimal, yet the price hike is significant. For this reason, I find that the Samsung Galaxy A24 provides better value for money than the Galaxy A25. Since the Galaxy A24 may soon be out of stock, I recommend considering the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G instead.

The Galaxy A15 offers similar features to the A24, better gaming performance than the A25, a lower price, includes a charger, and is currently the best phone under Rs. 30,000 in Nepal.

If you’re okay paying extra just for the 120Hz refresh rate, stereo speakers, 4K video recording, and slightly better ultrawide camera, and don’t mind the waterdrop-notch design and poor gaming performance, then you will be fine with the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G. To be honest, you don’t have any better options at the time of writing this for around the same budget.

However, if you are looking for a phone between Rs. 40,000 and 50,000, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, Honor X9b, or Samsung Galaxy A35 would be a better option. However, they are all slightly more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G base model.

In December 2023, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G in Nepal. Its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A24, was the best-selling and well-received smartphone in its segment in 2023. It had only been just over six months since the Galaxy A24’s launch before the Galaxy A25 was introduced.

I was so excited to test the Galaxy A25 since it succeeded 2023’s budget king, the Samsung Galaxy A24. However, to my disappointment, its starting price jumped from Rs. 28,999 to Rs. 40,999. That’s a price difference of Rs. 12,000, over a 40 percent increase. Let that sink in!

With this price increase, it was clear that this phone is no longer competing against budget phones. It is now competing in the under-50k segment, where you can find the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and the Galaxy A35 5G.

However, if I compare the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G with the Galaxy A24, both of them are almost the same—not just in design and look, but in terms of what they offer as well, except for the chipset, which is the only major change since the phone now supports 5G.

So, in this review, I will try to find out if the Galaxy A25 justifies the price increase and if it solves a few complaints we had about the Samsung Galaxy A24. And the most important question: should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G?

I’m Pranish Khadgi, and let’s begin my Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review.

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G Review

Exynos 1280

• Exynos 1280 (5nm)
• Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
• Mali-G68
• 128GB 8GB RAM

As I said earlier, there are not many differences between the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G and the Galaxy A24. Since the Galaxy A25 5G has “5G” in its name, the major change is the chipset that supports 5G connectivity. For that, Samsung has gone with its own Exynos 1280 SoC, which we also saw in the Samsung Galaxy M33 and the Samsung Galaxy A53.

The Exynos 1280 is a decently powerful chipset. Judging by the benchmark scores, it appears that the Exynos 1280 is a good upgrade over the A24’s Helio G99.

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However, you may not notice the differences between the two when doing normal day-to-day tasks. They both perform equally well because they both are powerful enough to handle basic apps like social media, app switches, and multitasking.

But when it comes to gaming, the differences are immediately noticeable. Even though the Exynos 1280 is better than the Helio G99 in terms of specifications, sadly, the Exynos 1280 is not well-optimized for games.

Poor Gaming

In PUBG Mobile, the maximum graphics settings it can handle are HD graphics and High frame rate. Even if you set the graphics to Smooth, you will not get above 30fps gameplay. In comparison, the Galaxy A24 can deliver 40fps gameplay.

Similarly, in the game Genshin Impact, it runs on Low graphics by default. I set the FPS to 60fps to test its performance. It provided an average of 38fps gameplay. Again, the Galaxy A24 wins because it achieved an average of 45fps gameplay.

Display

• 6.5 inches Super AMOLED
• 1080 x 2340 pixels
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 1000 nits (peak)

The only major change was the chipset. The rest of the changes compared to the Galaxy A24 are only minor. One of the minor changes is in the display, but that too is just the refresh rate.

The Galaxy A24 had a 90Hz refresh rate, whereas the Galaxy A25 now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. However, the differences between the two are not that noticeable. It’s good that it now comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, but the difference is not as significant as you would feel when going from 60Hz to 90Hz. One reason is that the Galaxy A24 was already smooth enough.

Apart from the refresh rate, the display is the exact same 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel. I did not notice any difference between the quality of the displays. They both are excellent. Interestingly, the Galaxy A24 can play 1440p videos on YouTube, but the Galaxy A25 limited to just 1080p video only. This may be related to the chipset optimization.

The brightness level is also good. I was able to use the phone easily outdoors.

Camera

• Rear Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF
  • 5MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide)
  • 2MP, f/2.4, (macro)

• Front Camera: 13MP, f/2.2, (wide)

In addition to the processor and display, we can see a welcome change with the ultrawide camera. The main camera remains the same 50MP one, but the ultrawide camera has been upgraded from 5MP to 8MP. Alongside it, we have the same 2MP macro and 13MP front cameras.

Ultrawide Camera

Let me first address the new ultrawide camera. The ultrawide camera in the Galaxy A24 was already good. It’s no surprise that the Galaxy A25 too has a good ultrawide camera.

If you zoom in, you will notice a small difference in quality, but the overall cameras are mostly the same. However, when it comes to dark areas, the Galaxy A25 photos are noticeably better.

The distortion control is good, and the color is consistent with the main camera. The noise levels are similar.

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Main Camera

Talking about the main camera, since the A25 has the same main camera as the Galaxy A24, the photos also came out similar. However, I did notice that the Galaxy A25 photos were more pinkish. Anyhow, the overall cameras of both devices are great, with good detail, color, and dynamic range.

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Front Camera

The front camera also takes great pictures. The selfies have good detail and face tone. Although the Galaxy A25 does not bring any noticeable changes, I am satisfied with the overall camera performance.

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Videos

• 1080p@30fps

Actually, there is still one more welcome camera upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy A25 can now finally shoot 4K videos. You’ll notice the quality bump going from 1080p to 4K.

When shooting in 4K, the EIS does not work, so the footage is wider compared to 1080p. Still, the footage has good stability thanks to optical image stabilization (OIS).

In Full HD video, the quality of both the Galaxy A24 and the Galaxy A25 is similar. They both have slightly cropped footage, but in terms of stabilization, I found the Galaxy A25 to be better. Even though the Galaxy A24 also supports EIS and OIS, the small jerk after every step is visible. The A25 has improved on this.

Moreover, the Galaxy A25 now allows users to switch between the main and ultrawide cameras while still recording, which was not available on the Galaxy A24.

Design

• 161 x 76.5 x 8.3 mm
• 197 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM)

As I said, despite the minimal changes, I am not disappointed with the camera. However, I am highly disappointed when it comes to the design of the Samsung Galaxy A25.

The Galaxy A25 looks almost the same as the Galaxy A24, with the same back design. My main complaint lies on the front. I was already unsatisfied with the dated waterdrop notch design on the A24.

Now that Samsung has hiked the price by that much, I was at least expecting, like in other mid-range phones, Samsung to provide small bezels and a punch-hole cutout.

But here, Samsung is giving off a design that gives off the vibe of cheap 10–20,000 phones.

On top of that, the Galaxy A24 had a dedicated space for two SIM cards and a microSD card, whereas the Galaxy A25 has a hybrid SIM slot. This means you cannot use two SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously.

In the midst of disappointment, there is one notable upgrade: the Samsung Galaxy A25 now comes with a stereo speaker setup. The speaker quality is impressive. The left speaker is not as loud, and the bass is lacking, but the overall speaker system is great.

While I said the two phones are almost the same, that doesn’t mean they are identical in every way. There are a few minor changes.

The phone is now boxier with flat sides. The area on the right side, where the power and volume buttons are located, is raised, which Samsung calls a “Key Island.” The design for the speaker outlet has also been changed.

The back also features a similar plastic panel but with a grid pattern. On the bright side, its back does not show fingerprint smudges as much as the Galaxy A24, possibly because I have the Galaxy A25 in blue black and the Galaxy A24 in silver.

Battery

• 5000mAh
• 25W charging

So there you go. Those are the noticeable changes on the Galaxy A25. Only the battery and software are left to complete this Samsung Galaxy A25 review.

The battery remains the same, with a 5000mAh capacity and 25W fast charging support. It easily lasts a whole day with light usage, primarily consisting of social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy A24, the Galaxy A25 comes with a charger.

Using the supported charger, the phone reaches over 80 percent charge in around an hour. To fully charge, it takes around an hour and a half.

Software

• Android 14
• One UI 6
• 4 years of OS upgrades

Software support for Samsung devices has been good for a few years, especially in the Galaxy A series phones. The Samsung Galaxy A25 runs on the latest One UI 6 out of the box, based on Android 14.

Samsung promises four years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates for both the Galaxy A24 and the Galaxy A25. Since the Galaxy A24 came with Android 13, the Galaxy A25 has one additional OS upgrade.

The One UI 6 brings many changes from the One UI 5. The most significant change is the quick panel. The entire layout of the quick panel has been revamped, allowing you to adjust brightness with a single downward swipe. Notifications are now displayed in a card-like design, and the music player interface has been improved.

Additionally, you can now customize the clock position on the lock screen. Similarly, there are notable changes in the camera app. Quick settings are now simpler; you can directly change the photo resolution and receive a pop-up to adjust the video resolution. Furthermore, you can now scan documents even if you disable the scene optimizer.

READ NEXT: Best Phones Under 30000 in Nepal (May 2024 Updated)

So, this is my Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review. What do you think about the phone? If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!