Samsung Galaxy A57

The Samsung Galaxy A57 is listed from Rs. 165,495 for the 8GB + 256GB model. That makes it Samsung's most expensive A-series phone yet, and the price is the main reason many buyers hesitate.

What it does well:

• A slim, light body with an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• A good 120Hz Super AMOLED+ display with HDR10+
• The new Exynos 1680, a clear step up for daily use
• Six major Android updates, eSIM support and 5G

Where it falls short:

• No charger in the box, and 45W charging is slow next to rivals
• A 5000 mAh battery while competitors offer much larger ones
• No telephoto lens, only a 5MP macro
• A slow optical fingerprint scanner and thick bezels for the price

Alternatives: the Galaxy A56 offers nearly the same experience, with the same battery, charging, display size and camera setup, for noticeably less. The Oppo Reno 16F is slightly cheaper and has a much larger battery, much faster charging and a 50MP selfie camera.

Verdict: the A57 suits buyers who want a reliable Samsung to keep for four years or more with no fuss. If you want the best camera, gaming or battery for this money, other phones do more. A56 owners have little reason to upgrade.

The Galaxy A57 has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ display with 1080 x 2340 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+.

• Quality: colour calibration out of the box is accurate, touch response is good, and HDR playback works on streaming apps.
• Brightness: our database lists 1900 nits peak. Opinions differ on outdoor use: some found it bright, while others found it struggles in strong summer sunlight compared with rivals.
• Design: the panel is flat, but the bezels are still thicker than on many Vivo and Realme phones at this price.
• Compared with the A56: it is essentially the same panel as last year's model.

It is a very good screen for videos and everyday use, though not a big step forward. Buyers who spend long hours outdoors should test it in sunlight first.

The A57 is the first phone in Pakistan with Samsung's new Exynos 1680 (4nm), paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

• Benchmarks: an AnTuTu score of about 1.4 million has been reported on the latest version, around 10 to 13 percent ahead of the A56's chip in raw performance.
• Everyday use: apps open quickly and One UI feels smooth. 8GB RAM is enough for most people.
• Gaming: PUBG Mobile runs at Smooth graphics with Extreme frame rate, or HDR graphics with Ultra frame rate. It is capable, but not a gaming phone.
• Heating: reports disagree. One long test found no overheating and well-controlled throttling, while another found many games capped at 60fps and the phone warming up after about ten minutes of play.

Compared with chips such as the Snapdragon 8-series, or the flagship Exynos 2400 in the Galaxy S25 FE, the A57 is clearly slower. Upgraders from an A54 or A55 will feel a real difference; A56 owners will not.

The A57 has a 50MP main camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro, plus a 12MP selfie camera. The hardware is largely unchanged from the A56.

• Main camera: colours are natural and pleasing, and the main camera performs well in most daylight scenes. Some users will prefer the punchier colours of rival brands.
• Ultrawide: at 12MP, it is better than the 8MP ultrawides common at this price.
• Zoom: there is no telephoto lens, so zoomed photos quickly lose detail. Portraits are limited to two zoom levels, and background blur can struggle.
• Low light: results are mixed. Some found night shots decent, others saw visible grain under indoor and artificial lighting.
• Selfies: slightly better than the Galaxy A37's, though rivals offer stronger selfie cameras. Skin tones can look flat.
• Video: the main and front cameras record 4K at 30fps with good stabilisation and HDR. There is no portrait (cinematic) video mode.
• AI editing: Remaster improves lighting and resolution, and Object Eraser, Best Face and background effects with studio lighting are included.

It is a dependable camera for everyday use, but buyers who want zoom should look elsewhere.

The A57 keeps a 5000 mAh battery with 45W wired charging, the same as the A56.

• Battery life: one long-term user reported screen-on time of seven to eight hours per charge, comfortably a full day. GSMArena's lab test also found better endurance than the A56, with especially strong video-streaming results.
• Charging time: GSMArena measured a full charge in a little over an hour, while another test took one and a half hours or more.
• No charger in the box: only a Type-C to Type-C cable is included, so budget extra for a 45W charger.
• No wireless charging.

The battery is good, not class-leading. Rivals with 6000 to 7000 mAh batteries and 65W to 80W charging last longer and refill faster, so heavy users may still want a power bank.

The A57 runs Android 16 with One UI 8.5, and Samsung promises up to six major Android updates. This confirmed policy is the A57's strongest selling point and helps it keep resale value.

• AI features: the full Galaxy AI menu from the S series is missing, but Intelligent Features include Object Eraser, Best Face, Custom Filters, Auto Trim, AI Select, Read Aloud and voice transcription. Circle to Search is included, and Perplexity comes preinstalled.
• Samsung Labs: this section adds experimental features over time.
• eSIM: two physical SIMs plus eSIM are supported. In Pakistan, however, moving an eSIM to another phone means getting a new eSIM with biometric verification and paying a fee.
• 5G: 5G is enabled out of the box with Pakistani SIMs.

One UI is polished and dependable. Which advanced AI features (such as call translation) are available on the Pakistani unit is still unclear.