With a bright OLED display, dependable performance, powerful software, and high-quality camera hardware, you probably wouldn’t guess the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G costs just $299.99. Better yet, Samsung promises four years of OS updates, meaning you won’t need to replace it anytime soon. There isn’t a lot to dislike about the Galaxy A25, but unlike the similarly priced Motorola Moto G Power 5G, it lacks support for Wi-Fi 6 and wireless charging. Still, you’re getting lots of bang for your buck here overall—enough to earn the Galaxy A25 our Editors’ Choice award for affordable phones.Design: Familiar and ComfortableThe Galaxy A25 looks like many other modern Samsung Galaxy phones, which is to say it has rounded corners and mostly flat sides. At approximately 6.34 by 3.01 by 0.33 inches (HWD) and 7.05 ounces, it’s about the same size as the $199 Galaxy A15 5G (6.30 by 3.02 by 0.33 inches, 7.09 ounces). The Moto G Power (6.58 by 3.01 by 0.33 inches, 7.09 ounces) is slightly bigger and heavier.
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Although the Galaxy A25 doesn’t use the premium components of the pricey Galaxy S24, it still relies on quality materials and feels comfortable to hold thanks to its smooth edges. A slightly raised Gorilla Glass 5 panel protects the front, while the plastic back is slightly inset. The phone lacks an IP rating for official protection against dust and water, though we don’t expect to see one at this price. The Google Pixel 7a offers strong IP67 protection but costs a lot more at $499.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
A raised bump on the right side of the A25, which Samsung calls the Key Island, holds the volume rocker and a combined power button and fingerprint sensor. The buttons are sturdy and responsive, while the fingerprint sensor is fairly reliable.
The combination SIM and microSD card tray is positioned on the left side, while the bottom features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port (USB 2.0), and a down-firing speaker.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
In typical Samsung fashion, three individual camera lenses protrude from the top left corner of the smooth, spotted back panel. The front-facing camera is contained in a U-shaped notch that dips into the display. A sizable chin below the screen means the bezel is not uniform all the way around.As for color options, Samsung sells the Galaxy A25 in just Blue Black. The box includes the phone, a SIM removal tool, and a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, but no charger.A Big and Bright DisplayThe A25 features a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,340 by 1,080 pixels, a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, and a default refresh rate of 120Hz (which you can drop to 60Hz in the settings to conserve battery life). I didn’t have any problems seeing the screen indoors and it generally got bright enough to easily view outside, though as with most phones, direct sunlight can sometimes be an issue. The handset uses Samsung’s Vivid mode by default, so colors tend to pop. Switching to Natural tones down the saturation, though colors are still punchy.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
For comparison, the Moto G Power and the $299 OnePlus Nord N30 5G each have larger 6.7-inch displays with resolutions of 2,400 by 1,080 and adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz. Neither gets nearly as bright as the A25, however, at 500 nits for the Moto G Power and 680 nits for Nord N30.Performance: Plenty of Everyday PowerSamsung uses its own silicon to power the A25. It runs on a Exynos 1280 system on a chip (SoC) and comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card up to 1TB). I would have liked to see more RAM for the price since the Moto G Power and the Nord N30 each have 8GB. The $299 Nuu B30 Pro 5G has a class-leading 12GB. The A25 handles everyday tasks like browsing the web, composing emails, and media playback without any issues. Launching and switching between apps feels smooth and doesn’t cause the phone to lag or stutter.
(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench)
On Geekbench 6, a suite of tests that evaluates raw computing power, the Galaxy A25 got a single-core score of 964 and a multi-core score of 2,058. The Moto G Power, which has a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 chip, scored 889 and 2,345 on the same tests. On the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which simulates general mobile tasks, the Galaxy A25 reached 12,718. That’s far better than both the Moto G Power (11,708) and the Nord N30 (10,245).To test graphics performance, I ran the GFXBench Aztec Ruins benchmark at a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. Here, the Galaxy A25 managed 10fps. The Moto G Power fell slightly behind (7.2fps), as did the Nord N30 (7.8fps), while the Nuu B30 Pro did slightly better (11fps).I played the notoriously resource-intensive Genshin Impact to get a feel for real-world gaming. It generally ran well at medium settings and 60fps, though the phone did get warm during a short 10-minute session. The area near the front-facing camera became hotter than the rest of the device, almost to the point of discomfort. I encountered occasional slowdowns when panning the in-game camera, too. More casual games like Alto’s Odyssey and Mario Kart Tour play without issue.Extensive Battery LifeThe Galaxy A25 has a 5,000mAh battery capable of 25W wired charging. As mentioned, you don’t get a charger in the box and the phone doesn’t support wireless or reverse wireless charging. We don’t necessarily expect those features at this price, though the Moto G Power 5G supports wireless charging at up to 15W.In our battery tests, in which we stream HD video at full brightness, the A25 lasted an impressive 13 hours and 10 minutes. For comparison, the Moto G Power lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes, while the Nord N30 came in at 11 hours and 18 minutes. For reference, both of those phones also have 5,000mAh batteries.It took just 1 hour and 25 minutes to get the A25 from 0% to 100% with a 25W charger. A 15-minute charge took the battery up to 25%, while a 30-minute session brought it to 52%. Quick Connections, Clear CallsFor connectivity, the Galaxy A25 supports sub-6GHz 5G (including C-band) but not faster mmWave service. I tested a model from UScellular, but unlocked variants should be compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon’s networks. The phone isn’t compatible with eSIM. It supports Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, and NFC for tap-and-go payments. The Moto G Power has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, for comparison.On UScellular’s “5G+” network, the A25 reached a peak download speed of 393Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 50.8Mbps. Other devices I had on hand for testing showed only a “5G” logo rather than UScellular’s “5G+” logo when I moved the SIM card around. Nonetheless, on UScellular’s 5G network tested from the same location, the Galaxy S23 FE managed 146Mbps down and 25.3Mbps up while the Galaxy S24 hit 440Mbps down and 41Mbps up.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
When connected to a Wi-Fi 6 access point, the A25 reached speeds of 231Mbps down and 16.1Mbps up, while the Galaxy S23 FE hit download and upload speeds of 299Mbps and 4.21Mbps, respectively. (The slow upload speeds are more a function of my internet service provider than the devices.) Finally, I took both phones as far away from the access point as possible in my apartment. The A25 slowed to 65.9Mbps down and 12.0Mbps up, while the S23 FE reached slightly slower download speeds of 51.8Mbps but matched the 12.0Mbps mark for uploads.Call quality is very good. In a test call, my voice sounded clear and the mic did a fine job of mitigating background noise. The earpiece speaker reached a maximum volume of 72.5dB, while the speakerphone topped out at 60.3dB. Usually, volumes above 70dB are easy to hear even when there is moderate noise in the room, so I would have liked a louder speakerphone. When I played Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to test media playback, the stereo speakers reached 95.4dB. Deep bass frequencies, such as those in The Knife’s “The Silent Shout,” were difficult to hear. You should stick with Bluetooth or wired headphones if you want better audio fidelity.Above-Average CamerasThe Galaxy A25 has three rear imaging components: a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with optical image stabilization, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens. The selfie camera on the front captures 13MP photos at f/2.2.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
By default, the 50MP main camera takes 12MP images via pixel binning. Switching between the two output modes requires just a single tap in the camera app. For what it’s worth, I couldn’t see a significant difference in detail between 50MP and 12MP images of the same subjects unless I zoomed in very closely. Overall, colors are a bit oversaturated but look more natural than those from previous Samsung cameras. This main camera performs well across the board, even in dimly lit indoor areas where it preserves both detail and color.
Main camera at 12MP (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The 8MP ultra-wide camera leans on the same color profile as the main camera. Note that the on-screen viewfinder shows more distortion than you see in the final images, though the photos still retain some warping at the edges.
Ultra-wide camera (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The 2MP macro camera takes solid photos that preserve plenty of detail. In the sample photo below, you can see plenty of scratches and surface irregularities on my pocket knife. This is one of the better macro cameras I’ve seen at this price, but the 2MP resolution isn’t enough to prevent some softness.
Macro camera (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Pictures from the front-facing camera look crisp and handle color the same way as the main and ultra-wide cameras. I took the below samples on a particularly windy day, which exposed how the A25’s portrait mode can sometimes have trouble separating subjects from the background.
Left to right: Selfie mode, Portrait mode (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Video capture via the rear camera tops out at 4K at 30fps. The colors and details look excellent in clips, but the image stabilization at 4K isn’t very effective. Switch to a lower-resolution setting for more stable footage. As for the front-facing camera, it can record up to 1080p resolution at 30fps. Footage looks crisp and has pleasing colors.Useful Software With Long-Term SupportThe Galaxy A25 ships with Android 14 and Samsung’s One UI 6.0 interface. One UI adds Samsung’s Edge Panel (an easy way to quickly access favorite apps and other features) and the ability to save App Pairs, which helps you launch two apps at the same time. Additionally, One UI makes it easier for Galaxy devices to work with each other. These software tools give the phone a leg up when it comes to productivity.Samsung says it will support the A25 with at least four OS upgrades and five years of security updates. For a budget-friendly device, this is a generous support period. The Moto G Power and the Nord N30 (which launched with Android 13) will each get just one Android update and three years of security updates. If you hang on to your devices for several years, the Galaxy A25 is easily the best choice of the three.One note about the initial setup: An early pop-up screen preselects several UScellular apps for installation. You can skip this step but it’s easy to install several apps by accident if you aren’t careful. Exceedingly Capable and Cost-EffectiveThe Samsung Galaxy A25 offers a large and bright OLED screen, all-day battery life, good everyday performance, and excellent imaging capabilities for an affordable price. You won’t have to worry about upgrading for several years thanks to Samsung’s multi-year software update commitment. As such, the Galaxy A25 handily secures our Editors’ Choice award for affordable Android phones. If you’re willing to spend more, the $499 Pixel 7a is our Editors’ Choice winner for midrange phones thanks to its more durable build, faster hardware, and even better cameras.
Pros
Affordable
Vibrant OLED display
Good performance
Quality cameras
Long battery life
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Cons
No mmWave 5G
No wireless charging
The Bottom Line
The Samsung Galaxy A25 5G has a bright screen, excellent battery life, competent cameras, and capable Android software with long-term support for less than $300.
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