The Galaxy A55 is the latest addition to Samsung's lineup of mid-priced smartphones.

Compared to the Galaxy A54, of which we were already big fans, there were some noticeable spec upgrades and other quality upgrades. However, it is a real shame that this model may not be offered to U.S. customers.

Whatever happens, we already know the key pieces of the Galaxy A55 kit, so let's check it out.

We have UK and Australian prices for the Galaxy A55: £439 or A$699 for the standard 8GB RAM / 128GB storage option. In the UK, there is also a 256GB variant for £489. [It will go on sale March 20 in the UK and March 25 in Australia. However, this model will not be available in the U.S. market, and a cheaper but similar Galaxy A35 is likely to be released instead.

The Galaxy A55 looks similar to the Galaxy S24 except for the key island. This is an extension of the side rail where the power and volume buttons are located.

Colors are also different, with the Galaxy A55 coming in four "Awesome" branded colors: ice blue, navy, lemon, and lilac.

The display is a 6.6-inch FHD OLED panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, about the same size as the Galaxy S24 Plus.

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A55 with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 32MP selfie camera. We are not interested in macro cameras on phones (they tend to be very difficult to get good pictures of), but we are happy to treat them as a small bonus on top of the standard camera layout of a phone of this price.

Running the show is an Exynos 1480 chip, combined with either 8 or 12 GB of RAM. We don't hold out any hope of incredible performance for a mid-range Exynos chip, but it's impressive to see so much RAM offered in an inexpensive Samsung phone. It looks like the 12GB version isn't offered in the UK, US or Australia, but anyone who buys it and can make it will notice that they have more RAM than the Galaxy S24.

A 5,000 mAh battery with 25W wired charging keeps the Galaxy A55 running, and the actual software behind the phone is Android 14 with One UI 6.1. It will receive at least four years of full updates and five years of security updates. This is less than Samsung has promised for the Galaxy S24 series (a whopping seven years), but should mean you get plenty of life out of the A55 after launch.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 currently tops our list of best budget phones, beating out big hits like the Google Pixel 7a and OnePlus 12R. the Galaxy A55 might do the same, but we'll have to test it first to be sure We'll have to test it first to be sure.

Aside from the disappointment that this model will not be sold in the US, the Galaxy A55 looks like a convincing value buy on paper. The performance weaknesses of previous models in this series may remain, but the rest, especially the large display, high-capacity battery, and extensive set of cameras, may be all it takes to convince you to buy this model. Hopefully we will be able to bring you a detailed review soon.