Samsung’s latest mid-range offering is here, and I’ve been spending some time with the Galaxy A37 5G. This isn’t a full review just yet, but after putting it through its paces for a bit, I have quite a few things to share. Spoiler: it’s looking pretty good so far.
Awesome Design
The unit I have is in Awesome Graygreen, and honestly, it’s a really pleasant colour. It’s a dark, muted green that feels mature and uncommon for smartphones in this segment. Most phones go for the usual black, white, or that predictable gradient blue, so this one actually stands out on the table in a subtle, classy kind of way. I like it.
The phone also feels noticeably thinner than the Galaxy A36, and that makes a real difference when you’re holding it. One-handed use is comfortable, and the build feels solid in the hand without being unnecessarily heavy. Samsung kept the Key Island camera design from before, which I personally prefer over the pill-shaped module on the Galaxy S series.
My only real gripe? The bottom chin. The bezels on the sides and top are fairly slim, but that bottom bezel is noticeably thicker, and it makes the whole front look a little unbalanced. At this price point, plenty of other brands are already doing equal bezels all around. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does make the phone look slightly less premium than it should.
Under The Hood
This is where the Galaxy A37 makes a pretty meaningful jump over its predecessor. Samsung has moved from the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 on the A36 to their own Exynos 1480 here, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. There’s also the RAM Plus feature that lets you extend virtual RAM by another 12GB, which is a nice touch for heavier multitasking sessions.
Day to day, the phone just feels snappier. It’s one of those things where you don’t realise how sluggish last year’s model was until you pick this one up. Switching between apps, scrolling through feeds, opening the camera quickly, all of it feels more responsive and fluid. It’s a good feeling, honestly, more of a relief than anything else.
Gaming is decent too. Titles like Genshin Impact run at around 30 FPS, and lighter games are generally smooth without any alarming heat buildup. Don’t expect miracles with more demanding titles, but for casual to moderate gaming sessions, it holds up fine. The improved vapor chamber also helps keep temperatures in check, so the phone doesn’t turn into a portable hand warmer after 20 minutes of gameplay.
That said, I personally wish Samsung had gone with the Exynos 1580 instead. The 1480 is a capable chip, but it’s been around since the Galaxy A55, which means it’s already been in the market for a couple of years. In a world where mid-range chipsets age faster than flagships, going with a newer silicon would have made the Galaxy A37 feel a lot more future-proof right from the start. Still, compared to where the A36 was, this is a very welcome upgrade.
Daily Usage
Nothing dramatic to report here, which is actually a good thing. The Galaxy A37 handles a typical day without any real complaints. Browsing, streaming, social media, WhatsApp, the occasional YouTube rabbit hole at 2am, it all runs smoothly without the phone breaking a sweat.
The 5,000mAh battery is holding up well so far, comfortably getting through a full day with juice to spare. Charging at 45W gets you back up fairly quickly too, so long breaks away from the wall are not really necessary. I’ll have more concrete battery numbers in the full review, but early impressions are positive.
Initial Camera Test
I’m still in the process of testing the cameras more thoroughly, but so far the results are looking better than what I got from the A36. The main 50MP shooter with OIS is doing a solid job. Photos come out crisp and clear, with good colour depth and a well-balanced contrast that doesn’t look overly processed or artificially punchy. Samsung’s colour science has always leaned towards making photos look good rather than accurate, and that’s still the case here, but it’s not overdone.
Low light performance is something I want to spend more time with before I make any strong claims, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s handling indoor and dim lighting reasonably well. Night mode kicks in nicely without turning everything into an oil painting. The ultrawide is functional but don’t expect it to match the main camera in terms of detail, that’s always been the compromise at this price point. The macro lens is there if you need it, but honestly, most people won’t reach for it often.
What I can say confidently right now is that the consistency is better than the A36. That model had some annoying little hiccups occasionally, where processing felt inconsistent or results were slightly off from shot to shot. Haven’t experienced any of that here on the Galaxy A37, which is reassuring. More detailed camera impressions and samples will be in the full review, so stay tuned for that.
Early Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is shaping up to be a solid upgrade for anyone on the Galaxy A mid-range ladder. The design is familiar but refined, the performance improvement is genuinely noticeable, and the cameras are performing well out of the gate. It’s running One UI 8.5 on Android 16, comes with IP68 water resistance, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging, and Samsung is promising six generations of Android updates plus six years of security patches. That’s a lot of value for a mid-range device.
The Galaxy A37 5G starts at RM1,799.00. Full review coming soon.
