When I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A54 last year, I really like the premium mid-range phone. From its plastic chassis (but with great build quality), IP67 rating, and bright display, it was a solid, refined phone. It’s likely for these reasons that I’m quite a fan of the new Samsung Galaxy A35 too; more so than the actual successor to the A54, the Galaxy A55.

Just like last year’s Galaxy A54, the Galaxy A35 features a plastic frame and the same Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset, so it’s really (in a way) a spiritual successor to the former. On top of that, it’s also quite a bit more affordable with a RM1,699 price tag, even though this is actually a RM100 price hike compared to its direct predecessor, the Galaxy A34.

Nonetheless, the Galaxy A35 is really my favourite 2024 Galaxy A phone, even if it does have some shortcomings here and there.

What It Is

Compared to the Galaxy A34, the new Galaxy A35 brings with it a number of upgrades. These include the aforementioned Exynos 1380 chipset, a slightly tweaked design with flatter sides, a glass back, and even a new, more capable 50MP primary camera.

In my opinion, these upgrades more than justify the RM100 price hike for the Galaxy A35, even though its value proposition still isn’t particularly great. That being said, the polished, refined nature of the phone still shine through, especially when it comes to software experience and security; features that aren’t talked about often enough by other phone makers.

The Good Stuff

Let’s talk about what’s new with the Galaxy A35 first, starting with the Exynos 1380 chip. While Samsung’s own SoCs aren’t quite as popular as Qualcomm’s offerings, the Exynos 1380 is still no slouch. In day-to-day use, for example, it’s more than fast enough to provide a seamless, responsive user experience.

Of course, the Exynos 1380 does show its limits when I fire up more demanding mobile games like Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact. The chip can’t quite sustain the frame rate at 60fps in these games even with some tweaks to the graphics settings, though both games are still largely playable.

And then we have the camera performance of the Galaxy A35, which does see some improvements. The new 50MP camera sensor can take better-looking shots compared to last year’s Galaxy A34, but the middling performance of the 8MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP macro shooter remain the same.

Basically, the Galaxy A35 can continue to take decent-looking shots as a whole, even if it still struggles in more challenging lighting situations. Nonetheless, I still quite enjoy shooting with the Galaxy A35, though I do have to say there are other phones at this price point that can provide better camera performance.

But one area where the Galaxy A35 absolutely shines compared to other alternatives at this price point is the refinement of Samsung’s One UI software. It offers the same polished software experience found on more expensive Samsung flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is fantastic. Granted, the Galaxy A35 doesn’t get Galaxy AI smarts found on the S24 series, but everything else is pretty much present here.

Naturally, the display of the Galaxy A35 remains very pleasant to look at. The rather large 6.6-inch 2340 x 1080 Super AMOLED screen has vibrant colours with wide viewing angles and deep, true blacks, which are winning qualities of an AMOLED panel. The 120Hz refresh rate also gives the impression of a more responsive device, which is noticeable even when I’m just scrolling through an article.

Last but not least is Samsung Knox Vault on the Galaxy A35. Much like how it is with the Galaxy A55, Samsung says this is the first time the security feature is offered on the Galaxy A series. Basically, Knox Vault protects the phone against software and hardware attacks, and this is accomplished by “constructing a secure execution environment that is physically isolated from the system’s main processor and memory,” as Samsung puts it.

While some users may not pay much attention to Samsung Knox, keeping user data safe and secure is always a good thing in my book. So yes, I’d say this is a good feature to have on the Galaxy A35, especially when other phone makers don’t put quite as much focus on this aspect.

The Bad Stuff

While the Exynos 1380 is a decent performer, the power efficiency of this 5nm chip isn’t particularly great. On average, I can get around five hours of screen on time out of the phone’s 5,000mAh battery with relatively heavy use. While this isn’t bad by any means, it’s not exactly fantastic either.

Another not-so-great aspect of the Galaxy A35 is its value proposition. If you want the absolute best hardware for the money, you’re not getting that with this phone. That being said, I definitely see myself paying RM1,699 for the phone’s feature set as whole, especially for its polished software experience.

Is It Worth It?

It comes down to what you want out of a premium mid-range smartphone. For what it’s worth, I thoroughly enjoy using the Samsung Galaxy A35 as my daily driver. It is fast enough without feeling cumbersome to use, its triple camera system can take decent-looking shots, and most of all, One UI is actually an intuitive version of Android that doesn’t feel too bloated or cluttered to use.

But as I’ve mentioned before, if you want the fastest phone for the same amount of money, the Galaxy A35 isn’t the most ideal choice. But if want a phone with solid build quality, water resistance – thanks to its IP67 rating – along with a polished software experience, the Galaxy A35 offers just that. You’d be hard-pressed to find an alternative with the same feature set.