Samsung Galaxy A27

The Samsung Galaxy A27 costs Rs. 109,995 in Pakistan, where only the 8GB RAM + 256GB version is sold. It is a safe, long-lasting Samsung rather than the most powerful phone for the money.

• Strengths: a good 120Hz AMOLED screen with a modern punch-hole design, a clear speed upgrade over the Galaxy A26, a hybrid slot for two SIMs or a memory card, Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides, and 6 major Android updates, which few rivals offer.
• Weaknesses: the dust and water rating drops to IP64 from the A26's IP67, the fingerprint scanner is on the side rather than under the screen, there is only one speaker, charging is 25W with no charger in the box, and the ultrawide camera is a basic 5 MP.

The alternatives are strong. The Vivo V80 Lite 5G (Rs. 110,999) has a much bigger 10000 mAh battery and 44W charging. The Infinix Note 60 (Rs. 101,999) is cheaper and offers a 144Hz screen, a Dimensity 7400 Ultimate chip and 45W charging, but only 3 major OS updates.

Verdict: buy the Galaxy A27 if you want a dependable 5G Samsung that will get updates for many years and hold its resale value. If you care most about speed, gaming, battery size or charging, the same money buys more elsewhere.

The Galaxy A27 has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen at 1080 x 2340 pixels with a 120Hz refresh rate. The old U-shaped notch of the A26 is gone, replaced by a punch-hole selfie camera, so it finally looks like Samsung's more expensive phones from the front.

In daily use, colours are vibrant and text is sharp, and scrolling is smooth at 120Hz. Brightness is adequate for reading in daylight, but the panel is not as bright as some rivals at this price.

The limitations:

• The bezels, especially the chin, are thicker than on most phones at this price.
• HDR video formats such as HDR10 and Dolby Vision are not supported. Widevine L1 still lets Netflix and other apps stream in Full HD, just not in HDR.
• The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, so it should resist everyday scratches well.

The Galaxy A27 moves to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4 nm) with 8GB RAM and faster UFS 3.1 storage. This is a clear step up from the Exynos 1380 in the Galaxy A26.

Opinions differ on how fast it feels:

• For social media, videos, calls and one app at a time, it runs fine.
• Under heavier multitasking, with quick switching between many apps, it can feel sluggish, because Samsung's full One UI is demanding for this chip.
• Gaming: PUBG Mobile offers the Extreme frame rate in most cases, plus an Ultra frame rate option at Ultra HD graphics, so casual and regular gaming is possible. Heavier games are a weaker point, and phones such as the Infinix Note 60 are faster.

One clear positive is heat. The phone stays fairly cool even in summer, so you will rarely feel it get uncomfortably warm.

The Galaxy A27 has a 50 MP main camera with OIS, a 5 MP ultrawide and a 2 MP macro, plus a 12 MP selfie camera.

• Daylight: photos are decent, with Samsung's usual bright processing that boosts blues and greens. Results look much like other Samsung phones.
• Low light: average. Quality drops quickly once the light gets poor.
• Ultrawide: with only 5 MP, do not expect fine detail.
• Selfies: perfectly usable for social media.
• Video: the main camera records up to 4K at 30fps, but the ultrawide cannot record in 4K, and the selfie camera tops out at 1080p.

Overall, the cameras are fine for everyday photos but below what some rivals at this price offer.

The Galaxy A27 has a 5000 mAh battery. A moderate user, mostly browsing, chatting and watching some videos, will comfortably get through a full day. Heavy users who game, stream for long periods or use the camera a lot will probably need to top up before the day ends.

Charging is the weak spot:

• It supports 25W wired charging, which reaches about 45% in 30 minutes.
• No charger comes in the box, so budget for Samsung's 25W adapter if you do not already have one.
• There is no wireless charging.

Rivals at this price charge much faster, such as the Infinix Note 60 at 45W and the Vivo V80 Lite 5G at 44W.

Out of the box, the Galaxy A27 runs One UI 8.5 on top of Android 16, so it gets almost the full Samsung flagship software experience, with only a few Galaxy AI features missing.

Its biggest software strength is support. Samsung promises 6 major Android updates, which keeps the phone current for years longer than most rivals. The Infinix Note 60, for comparison, promises 3. This is a confirmed policy, not an estimate.

The trade-off is that One UI is a heavy interface for the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, which is why the phone can slow down during heavy multitasking. How well this hardware will keep up with Android versions several years from now is still an open question.