Samsung Galaxy A37

The Samsung Galaxy A37 is listed at Rs. 131,495 for the 8GB + 256GB model, and at that price it is hard to call good value. It is a polished, safe Samsung phone, but the hardware barely moves forward, and that is the main complaint against it.

Where it is strong:

• A sharp 120Hz Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Up to six major Android updates, among the longest promises in this range
• Loud stereo speakers, NFC, 5G and eSIM alongside two physical SIMs
• A clearly improved main camera over the Galaxy A36

Where it falls short:

• No charger in the box
• The Exynos 1480 is an older chipset for this price
• A slow optical in-display fingerprint scanner
• No microSD slot, no headphone jack and no HDR video playback

Alternatives: Samsung's own Galaxy A56 costs slightly less and has the faster Exynos 1580 and a 12MP ultrawide, with the same 5000 mAh battery and 45W charging. The Oppo Reno 16F costs more but brings a much larger battery, much faster charging and a 50MP selfie camera.

Verdict: buy the A37 only if you want a Samsung with long update support and its new camera matters to you. Most buyers will get more from the Galaxy A56 at this price, or should wait for the A37's price to fall.

The Galaxy A37 has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 2340 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is essentially the same panel as the Galaxy A36's.

• Everyday viewing: text is sharp, colours are rich and blacks are deep, as expected from AMOLED.
• Brightness: our database lists 1900 nits peak. GSMArena's lab test confirmed the panel gets very bright in auto mode, so outdoor use is comfortable. Manual brightness is much lower, so leave auto-brightness on outside.
• Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus+ covers the front.
• Limitations: the phone does not support HDR video playback, so HDR content on YouTube or Netflix plays in standard quality. The bezels are also thicker than on many rival phones.

For scrolling, gaming and video it is one of the A37's best features, but buyers who stream a lot of HDR content should look at the Galaxy A57 or other rivals.

The Exynos 1480 replaces the Snapdragon chipset used in the Galaxy A36. It is a capable 5G chip, but it is not new: Samsung has used it in earlier mid-range phones.

• Everyday use: apps open quickly and One UI runs smoothly, helped by UFS 3.1 storage and 8GB RAM in the Pakistani model.
• Benchmarks: an AnTuTu score of around 1.1 million has been reported. That is solid for daily use but behind rivals with newer chipsets.
• Gaming: PUBG Mobile runs at Smooth graphics with Extreme frame rate, or HDR graphics with Ultra frame rate. That is better than older Exynos phones, but the chip is not built for high-resolution gaming.
• Fingerprint scanner: the optical in-display scanner needs a firm press and feels slower than on newer Samsung phones, but face unlock is quick.

No long heating test is available. For more power at almost the same price, the Galaxy A56's Exynos 1580 is the stronger chip.

The camera is the A37's biggest real upgrade. The rear setup is a 50MP main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro, with a 12MP selfie camera.

• Main camera: it looks the same as the A36's on paper, but it uses a new, larger sensor. Photos have strong detail when zoomed in and colours close to the Galaxy S25 FE's. Low-light shots are also solid.
• Ultrawide: good results in daylight.
• Macro: the 5MP macro adds little and is mostly there to fill a slot.
• Selfies: sharp in daylight, but detail drops in low light.
• Video: both the main and front cameras record 4K at 30fps, and Super Steady mode helps with walking shots. The ultrawide cannot record in 4K.
• AI editing: you can add background blur to any photo, erase shadows, remove reflections and use Remaster. Remaster can sharpen faces and increase detail, but it sometimes darkens the photo and needs an internet connection.

In this range, Samsung's colour tuning is a strength. Rivals with telephoto lenses take better portraits.

The Galaxy A37 has a 5000 mAh battery with 45W wired charging, the same capacity as the A36.

• Battery life: GSMArena's lab test found better endurance than the A36's, with especially good results in online video streaming. That points to dependable full-day battery life for most users.
• Charging: a full charge took a little over an hour in the same test, which is slower than many Chinese rivals in this budget.
• No charger in the box: you get only a Type-C cable. A 45W USB-C charger is needed for top speed, and standard Type-C fast chargers also work.
• No wireless charging.

The battery is reliable rather than impressive. Rivals such as the Oppo Reno 16F offer much larger batteries and faster charging at a similar price.

The A37 runs Android 16 with One UI 8.5, and Samsung promises up to six major Android updates. This is a confirmed policy and the A37's strongest reason to buy over Chinese rivals.

• AI features: Circle to Search and the photo-editing AI tools are included, and Perplexity comes preinstalled. Several advanced Galaxy AI features found on flagships, such as live call translation, are missing.
• eSIM: you can use two physical SIMs and also store eSIMs, switching to an eSIM abroad without removing your local SIMs.
• 5G: the phone has 5G support enabled out of the box.
• Polish: One UI is smooth and well optimised, and Samsung's Knox security is part of the package.

The main limitation is the trimmed AI feature set compared with Samsung's S series.