6.5/ 10 SCORE Samsung Galaxy A15 5G Pros
Excellent software program and safety assist
25W wired charging
Eye-catching Light Blue colour choice
Cons
Slow efficiency
Single audio speaker
Mediocre pictures
During my testing of the $200 Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, I used to be closely reminded of Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare. Samsung’s new low-cost telephone could be the tortoise, definitely able to dealing with your telephone wants for years, however you may want to provide it some persistence.This contains my commuting regiment of texting, podcasts and information studying; in addition to taking respectable meals images throughout espresso store conferences with my colleagues. It even did a superb job photographing a Disney occasion I attended final week at a darkish bar for the horror movie The First Omen.Just all the things it does takes time. Samsung’s Galaxy A15 5G has a 6.5-inch 1,080p-resolution show with a 90Hz refresh charge. Mike Sorrentino/CNETEvery time I swipe left from the house display screen to examine my Google News feed, I wait an additional second than I’m accustomed to for my really helpful tales record to pop up. When I play Dead Cells, I positively seen an extended wait to load a brand new space of the sport after my character walked via a door. Taking an evening mode picture includes holding the telephone nonetheless for practically 10 seconds relying on the darkness of your setting. And even typing on the show felt much less responsive than I’m used to, main me to regulate my texting velocity barely to ensure I used to be certainly hitting the entire letters.But the Galaxy A15 nonetheless accomplishes all of its duties, and the A15’s picture processing is respectable for a telephone on this worth vary. The images I took outdoor look vivid, with sufficient element that I’d be glad publish them on social networks. And in a great way, the battery drains slowly and recharges pretty rapidly due to its 25-watt wired charging.Read extra: Best Cheap Phone For 2024Regardless that this $200 handset may lag behind rival telephones on a specs stage, Samsung pledged to assist it for the lengthy haul. Samsung’s dedication of 4 years of software program updates and 5 years of safety updates is at present unparalleled amongst telephones that value $200 and fewer.This makes for an fascinating differentiator this yr. If you are searching for a low-cost telephone that will probably be straightforward and protected to make use of for years, the A15 is a simple selection. But should you’re searching for a telephone that is a greater media machine, there’s an argument to be made for Motorola’s $200 Moto G 5G or, should you’re on T-Mobile, the $160 TCL 50 XL 5G. It’s only a matter of if you’d like one thing extra stalwart that is ready to go the gap or a barely quicker gadget that is higher for a shorter time period. The Light Blue colour choice for the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is primarily white with a blue hue. Mike Sorrentino/CNETSamsung Galaxy A15 5G design, specs, optionsSamsung’s Galaxy A15 5G has an analogous plastic-like physique as final yr’s A14, however now is available in a brand new Light Blue colour choice that appears white with a luminescent blue tint. When holding it as much as mild, I see a blue hue however the telephone in any other case appears principally white. The hue provides a pleasant flare.The Galaxy A15 has a single speaker, which is on-par for this worth vary final yr however feels prefer it’s falling behind now that the Moto G 5G and the TCL 50 XL 5G each embrace stereo audio system. It was particularly noticeable once I would maintain the telephone horizontally to play Dead Cells, as my finger would continuously cowl the one speaker. The telephone additionally features a facet fingerprint reader for unlocking the telephone with a fast faucet.The Galaxy A15’s 6.5-inch show runs at a 90Hz refresh charge, which appears clean however not as clean because the 120Hz supplied by each Motorola and TCL. The telephone’s gradual efficiency additional impedes my means to understand the display screen’s refresh charge. There’s a digital camera notch within the prime show bezel for a front-facing 13-megapixel digital camera, which whereas practical feels chunky as compared with the thinner show cutouts that I see on the rival telephones on this worth vary. The Galaxy A15 5G has a single audio speaker alongside a headphone jack. Mike Sorrentino/CNETThis show has a 1080p decision, and it could actually rise up to 800 nits which is shiny sufficient that I’m in a position to see what’s on the display screen on a sunny day. I discovered the Galaxy A15’s display screen practical for watching movies and video games, however craved the bigger and better refresh charges supplied on the Moto G 5G and TCL 50 XL 50.The Galaxy A15 struggles within the efficiency division. Whereas I outlined earlier how the A15 takes longer than I’d wish to carry out duties, I did discover it was in a position to multitask nicely with out having to reload apps as I switched from a video name to music, to texting to information studying and a recreation. The latter concern was my primary grievance in regards to the Moto G 5G, the place apps loaded decently however the telephone usually wanted to reload prior apps that I had in use. Both the Galaxy A15 and the Moto G 5G embrace 4GB of onboard reminiscence, which is now on the smaller facet as telephone apps proceed to get larger whereas offering new options.Benchmark testing Samsung Galaxy A15 5G 685 1,768 321; 1.93 fpsTCL 50 XL 5G 698 1,881 338; 2.03fpsMoto G 5G (2024) 845 1,851 297; 1.76fps
Geekbench 6.0 Single Core
Geekbench 6.0 Multi Core
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Note: Higher scores are higher
The Galaxy A15 5G runs on a Mediatek Dimensity 6100 Plus processor, which is similar as what’s included within the TCL 50 XL. I felt like this processor was taxed to its restrict within the TCL, the place it needed to energy an even bigger show operating at 120Hz that appeared to additionally shorten the battery life. But inside this Samsung telephone, the slower processor seems to be nicely optimized for preserving the Galaxy’s 5,000mAh battery. 30 min. quick charging take a look at Charging velocity/consequence) Samsung Galaxy A15 5G 25W; 0% to 54%TCL 50 XL 5G 18W; 0% to 29%Moto G 5G (2024) 18W; 0% to 36% The Galaxy A15 simply lasts a full day on a single cost. During my 30-minute charging take a look at, the Galaxy A15 recharged from 0% to 54%. The Moto G 5G and TCL 50 XL 5G — each of which have 18-watt charging and comparably sized batteries — managed to recharge by 36% and 29% in the identical take a look at. In our 3-hour YouTube streaming take a look at, the Galaxy A15 decreased from 100% to 83% — which matches the $499 Google Pixel 8A. In the identical take a look at, the TCL telephone dropped to 62%. The rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G embrace a 50-megapixel huge digital camera, 5-megapixel ultrawide digital camera and 2-megapixel macro digital camera. Mike Sorrentino/CNETSamsung Galaxy A15 5G camerasSamsung’s Galaxy A15 has a couple of digital camera enhancements over final yr’s A14. The images I took with the A15 have higher colour stability together with improved corrections for darker environments. The Galaxy A15 has a 50-megapixel wide-angle digital camera, 5-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro digital camera. This matches final yr’s primary and macro cameras however is a small improve from final yr’s decrease decision 2-megapixel ultrawide.Like many cameras in $200 telephones, this results in respectable pictures underneath shiny settings. This picture of the Supreme croissant from the Lafayette bakery has respectable element and texture (discover the ridges of the croissant). The colour of the fondant appears simply because it did in actual life. The Supreme Croissant on the Lafayette Bakery, photographed on the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G. Mike Sorrentino/CNETIn this picture taken at Astor Place, the telephone managed to freeze the movement of the shifting automobiles and a bicyclist — there’s hardly any movement blur. But as you’ll be able to see, there was lots of shiny even lighting to assist make this occur. A busy intersection at Astor Place in New York, photographed on the Galaxy A15. Mike Sorrentino/CNETBut I wished to problem the Galaxy A15, and so I introduced it to the dim and candle-lit Peasant bar. All these images have a considerable quantity of picture noise and the digital camera struggled to focus, look intently at The First Omen ebook within the picture beneath. The First Omen ebook on this desk is blurry on this picture taken on the Galaxy A15, in what’s in any other case a reasonably darkish room. Mike Sorrentino/CNETHere’s a snap of a much less crowded setup with The First Omen signal. The picture appears higher however nonetheless is tender from all of the noise discount. Several decorations at The First Omen occasion, as photographed on the Galaxy A15. Mike Sorrentino/CNETBelow are two selfies I took in a darkish toilet: one with evening mode (backside) and one with out (prime). The 13-megapixel selfie digital camera was pushed past its limits, however you’ll be able to see the distinction evening mode made. This picture was taken with out utilizing the Galaxy A15’s evening mode. Mike Sorrentino/CNET This picture was taken with evening mode enabled. Mike Sorrentino/CNETI additionally recorded video within the dim bar at 1080p decision and 30 frames per second which fared poorly as nicely. A video I recorded of a violinist performing had picture noise all through, however her music sounded good within the clip.In my very own estimation nevertheless, the Galaxy A15 takes images which are comparable or barely worse than the Moto G 5G. For occasion, once I took selfie images in my medium-lit residence, the Moto G 5G’s 8-megapixel selfie digital camera captured a noticeably clearer picture than the Galaxy A15. Both images had been taken on the digital camera’s default zoom, which seems to crop nearer on the Galaxy. This selfie was taken on the Galaxy A15. Mike Sorrentino/CNET This selfie was taken on the Moto G 5G. Mike Sorrentino/CNETResults are extra even when photographing the grass wall in CNET’s New York workplace. In the images beneath, each telephones captured a number of completely different shades of inexperienced, with little saturation. Though the Moto’s picture handles particulars higher — look intently on the particular person blades of grass on the backside. The grass wall in CNET’s New York workplace, taken on the Samsung Galaxy A15. Mike Sorrentino/CNET The grass wall at CNET’s workplace taken on the Moto G 5G. Mike Sorrentino/CNETWhile the Samsung Galaxy A15’s digital camera does an OK job of taking images in most well-lit conditions, I’ve but to see any sub-$200 telephone take nice pictures that you simply’d be glad to have printed. Images from the Galaxy A15 are definitely appropriate for fast captures that you simply’d need to ship to family and friends in a bunch chat. The NFC chip within the Galaxy A15 helps contactless funds via Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet. Mike Sorrentino/CNETSamsung Galaxy A15 5G: Bottom lineSamsung’s $200 Galaxy A15 5G performs it protected. That’s not a nasty factor because it stays a fantastic choice for somebody searching for an inexpensive telephone that will get loads of assist. But this yr, Motorola and TCL present their very own tempting low-cost choices too.Samsung’s spotlight characteristic for this yr’s A15 5G is its software program and safety assist, which is probably the most of any telephone accessible on this worth vary. No different rival comes shut, and this makes the A15 a simple selection for somebody that wants an inexpensive telephone and would not need to take into consideration shopping for a brand new one anytime quickly.If you do not thoughts probably needing a brand new telephone in two or three years, the $200 Moto G 5G and the $160 TCL 50 XL have higher trying shows that look smoother at their 120Hz refresh charges. Motorola’s cheaper telephone additionally features a good vegan leather-based design, which appears modern in contrast with the plastic-build of the Galaxy A15. Dual audio system assist make each of those telephones higher media machines than the Galaxy A15, however every telephone will get just one software program replace — from Android 14 to Android 15 — and three years of safety updates.There’s nonetheless loads to love in regards to the Samsung Galaxy A15, particularly when taking its longer assist timeline and its respectable 25-watt charging velocity into consideration. It’s a stalwart, practical selection when all you need is a steady telephone. But should you’re searching for a greater pocket YouTube machine, this yr there are higher choices.How we take a look at phonesEvery telephone examined by CNET’s opinions crew was truly utilized in the actual world. We take a look at a telephone’s options, play video games and take images. We study the show to see if it is shiny, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes, utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark in addition to our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and enjoying graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.All the cameras are examined in quite a lot of situations, from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and examine our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life by utilizing the telephone every day in addition to operating a sequence of battery drain exams.We bear in mind extra options, like assist for 5G; satellite tv for pc connectivity; fingerprint and face sensors; stylus assist; quick charging speeds; and foldable shows, amongst others that may be helpful. And we stability all this in opposition to the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that telephone, no matter worth it’s, truly represents good worth. Though these exams could not all the time be mirrored in CNET’s preliminary assessment, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.