Samsung’s Galaxy A Series Is Pricing Out Its Own Fans

Galaxy A used to mean value—now it means compromise

Samsung’s Galaxy A series is a family of mid-range smartphones positioned as affordable alternatives to premium Galaxy flagships, traditionally focusing on budget phone value by balancing respectable specs, sensible features, and aggressive pricing for cost-conscious buyers. Today, that balance is slipping. Samsung has announced the Galaxy A27, a “budget” device that arrives with a R2,000 price hike over the previous Galaxy A26, going from R5,000 to R7,000 while offering no meaningful upgrades to justify the extra cash. You can buy the A27 from Wednesday, 1 July, but early impressions point to a phone that gives you less for more. At the same time, the Galaxy A37 5G enters the mid-range at $599 (approx. RM2,800), presenting polished hardware that performs like a far cheaper phone. Together, these two devices show how Samsung mid-range phones are drifting away from the value proposition that made the Galaxy A name matter.

Galaxy A27: a price hike that delivers downgrades

The Galaxy A27 is the clearest sign that Samsung is testing how far it can stretch loyal budget buyers. The Galaxy A27 price increase is stark: Samsung has raised the cost by R2,000 compared to last year’s Galaxy A26, pushing it from R5,000 to R7,000 without any worthwhile upgrades. One source puts it bluntly: “In a lot of ways, the Galaxy A27 is the inferior choice for buyers looking to wring every bit of value out of their smartphone”. Yes, the 6.7‑inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate carries over, and the move to a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset gives it modern silicon inside. But elsewhere, the Galaxy A series specs tell a different story. The ultrawide camera drops from 8MP to 5MP, and the selfie camera slips from 13MP to 12MP. When you pay more and get weaker cameras, that is not an upgrade; it is a tax on brand loyalty.

Galaxy A37: premium looks, budget-grade performance

On paper, the Galaxy A37 review story should be a positive one. Samsung’s 5G-capable Galaxy A37 tries a different approach by bringing premium looks to a mid-range price point. At $599 (approx. RM2,800), you get a slim 7.4mm body, an aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass on the front, and an IP68 water resistance rating. It feels closer to a flagship than most Samsung mid-range phones at this price. Under the hood, though, reality hits. The phone runs an Exynos 1480 with 6GB of RAM and only 128GB of storage, without a microSD slot. Despite the familiar 6.7‑inch Super AMOLED display at 120Hz, performance exposes the compromise. Reviewers report that “it’s not a very fast phone, and it shows easily,” with app launches that can hang on a black screen for around 15 seconds. Sufficed to say, the Galaxy A37 5G is a mobile you may need to be patient with—and patience is a steep ask at this price.

Design is getting better—but the value equation is getting worse

Both phones show the same trend: Samsung is pouring effort into how its A-series looks, while letting performance and camera value slide. The A27 keeps the punchy Super AMOLED and shifts from a waterdrop notch to a pinhole front camera, leaning on modern design cues. The A37 pushes even harder on aesthetics, described as “surprisingly thin with a semi-premium look” with that aluminium frame and tidy finish. But design improvements are not matched by internal performance or specs. The A37’s Exynos 1480 and limited storage create a phone that behaves like an entry-level device, despite its polish. In an era when competing mid-range devices from other brands can rival high-end models, a slow, $599 (approx. RM2,800) phone feels out of step. One review argues that dropping the price to $499 (approx. RM2,300) would make the handset significantly more compelling. Right now, Samsung appears to be charging “nice to look at” prices for “fine if you wait” performance.

Why Samsung’s price creep puts the Galaxy A brand at risk

The biggest problem is not one bad phone; it is the direction of the line. The Galaxy A27 price increase drags a once-accessible device out of reach for many budget-conscious buyers while delivering weaker cameras and only modest internal changes. In a lot of ways, the Galaxy A27 is the inferior choice for value-focused users, especially when the Galaxy A26 remains cheaper at R5,000. Meanwhile, the A37 sits in a crowded mid-range bracket where offers from Motorola, Oppo, and discounted Pixel 9a and 10a models are all competing for the same wallet. In that context, “punishingly slow” behaviour on a mid-range Samsung phone feels less like a compromise and more like a bad decision. Budget phone value used to mean buying a Galaxy A and feeling smart about it. Now, price creep threatens to push loyal users toward rivals that still treat the mid-range as the best place to score a deal, not an excuse to upcharge for a familiar logo.