Samsung Galaxy A15 (4G) review 

Samsung’s Galaxy A series has been a bit hit and miss in recent years. For every bargain belter you find, there’s often a less impressive sibling nearby.

We recently reviewed the larger Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, which retails for £80/$80 more than the A15 4G I have here, and our Reviews Editor thinks it’s a solid device.

So, what does the lower price tag of £169 cost you in terms of performance and features, and is it worth saving the difference?

Design & Build

• Plastic & glass construction
• No waterproof rating
• An absolute dust magnet

Samsung has a very established design aesthetic at this point, with the new A15 almost identical to the A25 5G in terms of material and dimensions.

The cheaper model comes in at 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm (6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33-inch) and weighs 200g/7.05oz, which is marginally smaller and heavier than its sibling. 

Construction is a mixture of a plastic chassis and back, with the front sporting a glass panel for the display. Samsung doesn’t mention Gorilla glass or anything of that ilk in the technical specifications, and that’s not surprising as you rarely get toughened materials like that at this price point. 

The right flank has a raised area that is home to the power and volume controls, with the former also housing a fingerprint sensor.

As with any side-placed reader, it’s actually quite handy as you tend to hold a phone with your thumb around that part of the device, although if you’re a left-hander like myself, you might find yourself having to swap hands once you’ve taken the phone out of your pocket. 

That’s not a problem unique to the Galaxy A15, as I’ve also encountered it in plenty of higher-end ones too. Preferred dexterity aside, the fingerprint sensor is quick and proved reliable during my test period with the device. It’s better than a low-grade option embedded in the screen even if it’s not as fancy.

The rear panel is a reflective surface that seems to have some kind of dust production factory built-in.

Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a dust magnet like this. Wiping down the back to prepare the A15 for a product photo only seemed to introduce more dust, making it an absolute nightmare to photograph.

This would all be fixed by a case of course, but Samsung doesn’t include one in the box, which is a shame as many budget Chinese phones I’ve reviewed always ensure you can protect their devices without needing to seek out silicon sheaths on eBay.

As with most modern phones, the Galaxy A15 is slippery in the hand, so I would definitely advise buying a case straight away, especially with the plastic chassis which probably wouldn’t survive too many falls. 

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Another omission from the packaging, for better or worse, is a charger, although there is a USB-C cable included to match the port on the A15. Beside that is a single speaker, accompanied by a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

You have three colours to choose between. My review sample is Blue Black, which is pretty cool looking when it isn’t coated in dust. There’s also Blue and Yellow if you prefer lighter hues and none have the devisive grid pattern rear of the Galaxy A25.

As you might expect for a device at this price, Samsung doesn’t list any waterproof rating for the A15, so don’t get it wet. 

Screen & Speakers

• 6.5-inch AMOLED panel
• 90Hz refresh rate
• Single speaker & 3.5mm headphone jack

Samsung is known for its displays, and the Galaxy A15 is a fine example of what you can get for very little money these days.

The 6.5-inch AMOLED panel is great, with vivid colours and enough brightness to deal with a sunny day while still being able to read what’s on the screen. The company claims an 800 nits maximum brightness, aided by its Vision Booster feature, and in normal mode with autobrightness off I measured the panel at 570 nits.   

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The Full HD+ resolution (2340 x 1080) keeps things crisp, with the 90Hz refresh rate aiming to ensure smooth scrolling. This isn’t always the case though, as the processing power of the A15 seems to struggle with image-heavy pages, resulting in some juddering when scrolling up and down. 

The panel itself has an 84.3% screen-to-body ratio, with a small chin on the bottom edge and a teardrop notch at the top being the only interruptions. For a device costing as little as the A15, this really is a very nice display and a highlight of this handset.

Audio comes via a single speaker on the bottom edge. This can throw out some pretty impressive volume levels, with spoken content retaining most of its fidelity even at the maximum end. Music suffers more at these levels, with distortion creeping into the peaks and overall balance veering towards the shrill end of the spectrum.

If you’re listening to podcasts or audiobooks, then you’ll be quite happy with the output, but for tunes, you’d be better off with the setting around halfway or using the 3.5mm headphone jack to plug in a pair of decent speakers or headpones. 

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Helio G99 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB Storage (expandable via microSD)

You won’t usually find any Snapdragon silicon in a phone this cheap, but the MediaTek Helio G99 in the A15 is still a competent processor that can handle daily tasks well.

As mentioned above, you do get some stuttering in the performance when there are a lot of graphical images on the screen, such as when scrolling through the Google Discover feed you can access by swiping left when on the home screen. 

Apps open reasonably fast, with a few pauses here and there, and they remain reliably interactive during use.

Gaming is even an option, with Asphalt 9 Legends playing smoothly on the A15, even if it did get a little warm after a while. I’d avoid the heavier 3D games like Genshin Impact, but for a daily phone that can handle a bit of light gaming the A15 is a perfectly serviceable device. 

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The 4GB of RAM is a likely candidate for some of the slow-downs, as it’s on the low side from memory these days. At least you get 128GB of basic storage, with a further 1TB of expandable room available if you supply the microSD card. 

Here’s how the Galaxy A15 fared in our standard benchmark tests:

Samsung Galaxy A15 benchmark scores

In terms of networks and connectivity, this model is a 4G phone. Samsung does offer the Galaxy A15 5G if you prefer a faster cellular connection, although most other elements of the phone are the same so it might not be worth £30 extra.

The Galaxy A15 offers support for Dual SIMs (Nano), Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS and NFC, so you’ll be able to use it to make contactless payments, connect to Bluetooth headphones and find your way when you’re lost. All very helpful.  

Cameras

• 50Mp f/1.8 main camera
• 5Mp ultrawide
• 2Mp macro
• 13Mp selfie

You get a triple camera array on the A15, comprising a 50Mp f/1.8 wide main module, joined by a 5Mp ultrawide and a 2Mp macro.

For the most part you’ll be using the main camera, as the others aren’t really up to much. You can certainly get some decent images out of the A15, mainly when there’s a lot of light available.

I did notice some over-sharpening that suggests the software is trying to compensate for the softer photos the lens is capturing. 

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This can lead to strong contrast shots having the highlights blow out, where bright white areas seem to confuse or overwhelm the sensor. That being said, for an everyday camera it does an acceptable job for a phone this cheap so long as the subject is well lit and not moving. 

There is a slight shutter lag, which means capturing pets or children in motion can be frustrating, as the camera delays taking the picture for half a second or so, which can be the difference between getting the one you want and a blurry mess.  

Samsung has the usual range of special modes, Macro, Night, Panorama etc., and they can be fun to play with. The Night mode introduces a bit of noise and over-processing, while I found the Macro to be very ropey. You might be able to get some shots out of them, but I’d stick with the main camera for the best results. 

Video tops out at 1080p and 30fps, with footage doing a decent job of focussing and balancing light contrasts. You get a few dropped frames here and there, and low-light performance isn’t great, so as long as you’re not planning on making a Film Noir epic, it should serve its purpose. 

The 13Mp front camera is your standard selfie module, with enough quality for social media posts and the occasional Instagram Story if you use the video (1080p/30fps). 

Here are some sample images captured on the A15 cameras:

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 25W fast charging supported
• Long battery life

Samsung equips the Galaxy A15 with a sizable 5000mAh battery which every phone coming out this year seems to have.

This is a good thing because the phone delivers impressive numbers when it comes to staving off the need to find a charger. Each day during my test period, the device retained a healthy amount of charge by the time I retired for the night. 

It’s fair to say then that this could easily be a two-day phone for most people, so long as you’re not spending all day using it in bright sunlight or playing lots of graphically demanding games. In the PCMark for Android battery test, the A15 totted up a very impressive 15 hours and 15 minutes, which makes it a real workhorse device. 

That’s a relief, as charging times are on the slow side. As I mentioned, you don’t get a charger with the A15, so even though it supports 25W fast charging (not really fast by 2024 standards), you may not have the means to do that. It also doesn’t support wireless charging, but that’s fine for this price bracket.

From a flat battery, the A15 recovered to 22% in 15 minutes, 44% after half an hour, but it was over 1 hour and 30 minutes before it got back to 100%. 

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See also  Pico 4 review

Obviously, this would be slower if you didn’t have a charger that delivers 25W. Out of curiosity, I tried the test again with a standard 18W charger that most people would have at home. The results were very different, with 15 minutes garnering 11% of charge, 19% after half an hour, and a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes for a full recharge. 

Software & Apps

• Android 14
• One UI 
• Up to 5yrs security updates

Android 14 is the OS that underpins the Galaxy A15, with the Samsung One UI running on top.

It should be familiar to any Samsung users, and it’s certainly been cleaned up over the years to offer a smart and streamlined interface. There are a fair amount of duplications in terms of apps, with Samsung’s suite of tools, but nothing egregious.

There are only a handful of preinstalled third-party apps, and these can all be easily deleted. 

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Surprisingly for an affordable phone, Samsung promises up to four OS updates, which would take you to Android 18, with up to five years of security updates.

That means the lifespan of the device should be around six years, which is very generous in this sector of the market. Nice one, Samsung. 

Price & Availability

The Galaxy A series has always been a cost-effective way to pick up a new smartphone and that doesn’t change with the A15. You can buy the device from Samsung for £169, although you’ll want to factor in a little more for a case and charger (if you don’t already have one).

You can also buy it from Amazon, Currys and Very.

If you live in the US, then the A15 isn’t available in the 4G version I have here, but you can pick up the similar Galaxy A15 5G which will set you back £199/$199. This also applies to European customers if you just want a 5G version instead. 

This puts it in the same ballpark as the Moto G34 5G that costs £149.99 (not available in the US) which obviously adds 5G connectivity, but with a 720p display rather than the Full HD+ of the A15. 

Alternatively, there’s the Nokia G60 5G that retails for around £250, but can be found available for around £155 on Amazon UK. Again, no US distribution, although it does appear on Amazon US too for various amounts depending on the supplier.

Check out our chart of the best budget phones to see more rivals. 

Martyn Casserly

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A15 (4G)?

You can really get a lot for your money these days, and the Samsung A15 is further proof of this. It has a great display, good amount of storage (which can further be expanded via microSD), not to mention excellent battery life. 

Performance is ok, but there are some stutters here and there, plus camera shutter lag which can be annoying. The cameras themselves are OK, albeit the one of the weaker areas of the phone. 

If you want a cheap smartphone for work, as a backup for your main one, or just don’t want to spend loads for a device if you only want to take calls, surf the web and pay for things at the checkout, then the Galaxy A15 is a solid option. 

Specs

• Android 14 / Samsung UI One 
• 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display
• 90Hz refresh rate
• 2.2Ghz MediaTek Helio G99 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB Storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD)
• 50Mp f/1.8 main camera
• 5Mp f/2.2 Ultra-wide 
• 2Mp f/2.4 Macro
• 13Mp f/2.0 selfie camera
• Single speaker
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Fingerprint sensor embedded in Power button
• USB-C charging port
• 5000mAh battery
• 25W fast charging supported
• 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm (6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33-inch)
• 200g/7.05oz