Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Reliable smartphone with good camera and marathon battery

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Samsung Galaxy F Series is a popular mid-range line-up of smartphones and is known for offering robust batteries. The South Korean tech major has added one more device to the lineup - Samsung Galaxy F54 5G. The smartphone is available in single RAM and storage variant of 8GB + 256GB and is available at an all-inclusive price of Rs 27,999 with select bank cards. While Samsung Galaxy F54 retains a 6,000mAh battery, it comes with several changes in terms of design which give it a flagship-like look. But is it worth the price? Find out in our detailed review.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Design

The Galaxy F Series is famous for offering best-in-class battery backup. However, it is the design this time that is grabbing more eyeballs than anything else. One will instantly notice three camera rings that look similar to the company's flagship Galaxy S23 smartphone. While most of the phones launched by Samsung this year bear resemblance to S23, this is for the first time that we are seeing it in F Series and this makes Galaxy F54 the most premium smartphone in the lineup. The metal camera deco adds more elegance to the look.

However, the use of a plastic frame and rear panel are a bit of a let-down, but the shiny look with curved frames and edges are a saving grace. Here we are using the Meteor Blue colour variant of the smartphone, which is also available in Stardust Silver. The shiny back is prone to smudges and fingerprints and it is advisable to use a case. The phone weighs 199 grams, as it packs a 6,000mAh battery, but it doesn't feel heavy while holding. Despite having a huge battery, it is only 8.4mm thick and there's no discomfort while using the device, thanks to slightly curved edges at the back.

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On the right side, you get volume rockers and a power button which doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. However, Samsung should have offered an in-display fingerprint scanner in this price segment. On the left is a SIM-tray slot and it lets you expand the memory of the device. While a primary microphone, Type-C charging slot and a speaker grille are at the bottom, the secondary microphone is placed at the top. There is no headphone jack in the device.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Display

The display has always been a strong point in Samsung devices and this doesn't disappoint either. Samsung Galaxy F54 5G comes with a big 6.7-inch AMOLED FHD+ display. It supports 800nits of peak brightness and 120Hz of refreshes. While the display produces punchy colours and offers a good viewing angle, a slightly thicker bezel at the chin is the only thing that can be held against this display. While content consumption on this device is fun, the presence of a stereo speaker would have enhanced the experience.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review:  Performance and software

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G smartphone is powered by Exynos 1380 5nm processor. The 5G-capable chipset is powerful enough to handle your day-to-day task and you can easily multi-task on this device. In the benchmark test, it maintained a single-core Geekbench CPU test score of 1016 and a multi-core score of 2,861.

One can play heavy games like Asphalt 9 on the F54, but it starts heating during extended gaming sessions.

In terms of software, Samsung Galaxy F54 boots on OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13. While the device offers an admirable user interface, it does come with bloatware, which can be uninstalled.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Camera

Not just the camera setup at the rear, the device has some other features too that give the Galaxy F54 a touch of the flagship device. From nightography to astrolapse, the tech major has offered some flagship camera features in Samsung Galaxy F54 5G.

The smartphone has a triple camera setup with a primary sensor of 108MP having OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus). It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro lens.

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As highlighted by the company, the camera is one of the strongest features of this device. The main camera clicks detailed images with good dynamic range during the daytime. The default output of images clicked by the smartphone is 12MP and you need to change it to 108MP manually. I often noticed that red colour looks saturated in the images. However, it is not something we can complain about as most smartphones struggle to handle this colour. In low-light conditions, the smartphone does manage to click satisfactory images but they are not without some noise. The dedicated night mode can come in handy to reduce the noise in images clicked in low-light conditions. The ultra-wide sensor also does a decent job.

For selfies, Samsung Galaxy F54 5G has a 32MP snapper in the front. It does a good job of maintaining accurate skin tones and facial details. Portrait mode works quite well and edge detection is also good.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Battery and charging

As mentioned earlier, the smartphone has a massive 6,000mAh battery and supports 25W fast charging. It can easily last for more than a day with moderate usage. But the 25W fast charging is nothing when compared to competitors who are offering up to 100W fast charging - sufficient to fully charge the device in around 30 minutes. However, it would take around two hours to juice up the device from zero to 100 per cent. Also, you don't get a power brick with the device.

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G review: Verdict

Samsung Galaxy F54 is the best smartphone under the F Series and also a strong contender in the mid-range segment because of its design, camera and battery. However, the slow charging is the sore spot in this otherwise good deal.