The dust hasn’t settled on the Galaxy S26 series yet, and I already have two new Samsung phones in the Digit Test Labs: the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37. While Siddharth from my team will share his experience with the A57 in a separate piece, I was more interested in testing the Galaxy A37 for myself. For all we know, Samsung’s Galaxy S series is the top-tier offering and gets you the best the brand has to offer, but they also cost a lot. Sometimes, you just want that Samsung experience but at a relatively lower price point. That’s where the Galaxy A series steps into the picture.
And I say ‘relatively’ lower price point, because this year, the prices have been hiked, something we have already seen with all the phones from different brands that have launched this year. Yes, the new A-series phones are not as expensive as the flagship S-series, but since the starting price is upwards of Rs 40,000, you know what I am trying to say here.
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I have been using the Samsung Galaxy A37 for about 48 hours, and here are my first impressions.
Right off the bat, if you are a Galaxy A36 user, there’s not much for you here. Yes, there are new finishes, and probably the biggest change comes in the form of the Exynos 1480 chip, which is powering the newer Galaxy A37. However, the A37 is more of an evolutionary upgrade over the A36.
In my case, I never actually used the A36 and A56 phones. So, similar to how my Galaxy S26 Ultra experience is based on coming from an S24 Ultra, I used the Galaxy A35 about two years ago when it came to me for testing. From that phone to the Galaxy A37, there’s a lot to talk about.
At a quick glance, the Galaxy A37 comes with a new design inspired by the S26 series. There are new colours and the phone is slimmer and lighter. Then we are also looking at a new chipset, more RAM in the base variant, a larger 50MP main sensor and faster 45W fast charging.
If you have ever used a Samsung, the Galaxy A37 will feel right at home. Just that, it now comes in a much more ergonomic form factor. I remember seeing the gradient finishes on the A35, and honestly, I wasn’t quite a big fan of it. The purple colour, or Awesome Lavender, as Samsung puts it, is a beautiful shade. There are no gradient finishes this time around; it’s a single muted shade of purple, with a blacked-out camera island.
Speaking of which, there’s a 50MP triple-rear camera system. There’s a 12MP snapper at the front for selfies. While this may sound like a similar setup to the A36, the main camera sensor is actually larger this time. We are looking at a 1/1.56-inch size, and I have already taken a few shots in my brief time with the device. Of course, there’s a lot to test here, but so far, the main camera and the selfie camera have performed reasonably well, both in terms of nailing the dynamic range in photos and also how the colours and contrast turn out in the final output.
As for the ultra-wide camera, it’s okayish, though. But as I said, there’s a lot to test, so I’ll reserve my final judgement about the full camera performance for the full review.
Going from the back to the front, you get a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. I like everything about this display when it comes to the quality. I only wish the chin, which is slightly thick when compared to the side bezels, were also symmetrical. But I have gotten used to it. However, coming back to the quality, while we are still looking at a similar sort of display size and type on the A37, like the A36 or even the A35, one thing I am pretty sure about is that this is a very bright screen. I’ll have to test it out to show you the exact brightness numbers, but speaking from experience, when I took this phone outdoors, what impressed me most was how bright the screen was. Yes, the screen is reflective, but is it legible under the sun? Is everything readable? The answer is a resounding yes, and that’s what really matters.
I’ll once again circle back to the build quality before talking about the hardware specs and my closing thoughts.
I love the in-hand feel of the Galaxy A37. For sure, the Galaxy A57 is even better than this, especially that navy blue shade, which is something that Samsung does so well, every time. Also, the Galaxy A37, despite starting at Rs 41,999, doesn’t have a metal frame. But for what it’s worth, the polycarbonate frame on the A37 feels dense and sturdy, and for a change, it’s good that it doesn’t attract smudges at all, something I can’t say the same about the A57 in its dark finish.
The Galaxy A37 is also IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, up from IP67 on the older models. And there’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on both the front and rear.
Finally, here are my two cents on the Exynos 1480 chip, which comes paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Let me tell you, this chip is not about benchmark-crushing numbers, and if pure raw performance is something you seek, this phone or even, for that matter, the A57, is not for you. Rest assured, in my initial testing, I have loaded up a bunch of apps, games, and OTT stuff on this, and the phone has had a pretty fluid user experience so far. There’s One UI 8.5 atop Android 16, along with a bunch of Galaxy AI features on top, which I will be testing in detail, so stay tuned for the full review.
There’s a reason the Galaxy A series phones have been Samsung’s best-sellers in India and have been dominating the global top 10 lists. However, the competition is fiercer than ever. Especially in a time when component prices are rising, the Galaxy A3x series is finding itself in a spot where the price of its top-end variant has breached the Rs 50,000 mark. I am testing that top-end variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and it is priced at Rs 52,999.
So, at this price point, there’s no margin of error. Again, I am not saying the Galaxy A37 has to have those top specs and benchmark-crushing scores, but for what it’s worth, the fundamentals of a dependable phone have been addressed here. The camera looks good, the display is gorgeous, and the user experience with One UI 8.5 is snappy.
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The target audience of this phone, the buyers who have made the Galaxy A series successful over the years, cares more about the user experience and how well the device is packaged in terms of the hardware and software integration. As I go on with testing this phone, I am most looking forward to how well it fits into my everyday lifestyle.
Stay tuned for the full review of the Samsung Galaxy A37 coming soon on Digit.
