Samsung Galaxy A37 5G Review: The Mid-Range Phone That Actually Fixes What Was Broken

Samsung’s Galaxy A series has always been the sweet spot for most Malaysians. Not everyone needs a flagship, and not everyone wants to spend RM3,000 or more on a phone they might crack within the first week. The Galaxy A37 5G sits at RM1,799 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and RM1,899 for the 12GB + 256GB model, which is a decent price to pay if you want a reliable daily driver with some genuinely useful upgrades over its predecessor.

I’ve been using the Galaxy A36 5G before this, so I have a fairly solid baseline for comparison. And honestly? The Galaxy A37 fixes a lot of the small but annoying things that bugged me about the A36. Let me break it all down.

Design and Build: Elegant Without Trying Too Hard

The Galaxy A37 5G carries forward the same general design language from last year’s A36, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The phone measures 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4mm and weighs 196g, with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protecting both the front and back. For a mid-range phone, the build quality punches well above its price bracket.

My unit is in the Awesome Graygreen colourway, and it honestly looks more elegant than I expected. It’s subtle enough that it doesn’t scream “budget phone,” and the glossy glass back gives it a premium feel in the hand. Samsung also offers Awesome Lavender and Awesome Charcoal if you prefer something a little more expressive or more understated.

The camera island on the back is one of the more refined design touches here. Samsung calls it the Ambient Island, and it houses the triple camera setup in a clean, compact cluster that doesn’t protrude aggressively. It looks intentional rather than bolted on, which is more than you can say for a lot of phones in this category. The front is equally tidy, with slim bezels surrounding the display and a centered punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. Nothing flashy, just a clean and modern look that holds up well.

In terms of dimensions, the 7.4mm thickness strikes a nice balance between slim and substantial. It doesn’t feel like Samsung shaved things down to the point where the phone becomes uncomfortable to hold for long periods. The weight at 196g is similarly well-judged. It’s light enough to use one-handed without fatigue, but has just enough heft to feel solid and not plasticky.

The plastic frame is the one concession to the price, but in hand it doesn’t feel cheap. There’s no creak, no flex, and the overall build is tight. Compared to the aluminum frame you’d find on the Galaxy A57 or the S-series, yes, it’s a step down on paper. But unless you’re doing a side-by-side comparison, you’d be hard-pressed to notice in everyday use.

The IP68 rating is a real standout at this price point. The Galaxy A37 can handle being submerged in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. In Malaysia, where sudden downpours are basically a daily event, that kind of peace of mind is genuinely valuable. Plenty of phones at this price range still only offer IPX4 splash resistance, so getting full IP68 here is a legitimate win for Samsung.

Rounding things out, the fingerprint sensor is embedded under the display, which keeps things looking clean from the front. The volume rocker and power button sit on the right spine, both well-positioned and tactile enough to find without looking. The SIM tray is on the left, and there’s a USB-C port at the bottom for charging. No 3.5mm headphone jack, which isn’t surprising at this point, but worth mentioning if you’re still on wired earphones.

Display: Bright, Smooth, and Easy on the Eyes

The 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy A37 is one of the phone’s strongest selling points, and honestly, it’s one of the best displays you’ll find at this price in Malaysia right now. The resolution sits at 1080 x 2340 pixels with a pixel density of 385ppi, which is sharp enough that individual pixels are completely invisible in everyday use. Colours are vivid, blacks are genuinely deep, and the contrast ratio is excellent thanks to AMOLED’s ability to turn off individual pixels entirely.

The 120Hz adaptive refresh rate keeps everything feeling fluid and responsive. Whether you’re scrolling through your feed, swiping between apps, or watching a fast-paced action sequence, the screen keeps up without any visible stutter. What’s particularly nice is that it’s adaptive, meaning the panel will automatically scale down the refresh rate during static content like reading or viewing photos. This helps preserve battery life without you having to manually toggle between modes.

Peak brightness tops out at 1,900 nits, and Samsung’s Vision Booster feature kicks in when you’re outdoors to boost visibility even further. Using the phone under direct afternoon sunlight in Malaysia, which is genuinely harsh, the screen remains legible and comfortable to use. This is one area where cheaper phones often fall flat, and the Galaxy A37 handles it well.

The display is flat, which is a deliberate choice and one I personally appreciate. Curved screens look sleek in promotional material, but in practice they cause accidental touches along the edges and make screen protectors a pain to apply. A flat panel is just more practical for daily use, and paired with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on top, it’s also more durable against everyday scratches and minor drops.

Colour accuracy is tuned the way Samsung typically does it, which means colours lean on the warmer and more saturated side in the default Vivid mode. If you prefer something more true-to-life, switching to Natural mode in the display settings tones things down considerably and is better for extended reading sessions or colour-sensitive work. The flexibility to switch between modes is a small but useful touch.

For media consumption, the Galaxy A37’s screen is an absolute pleasure. Streaming on Netflix, YouTube, or Prime Video looks great, with rich colours and enough screen real estate to make the 6.7-inch size feel genuinely immersive. The slim bezels help a lot here, keeping the focus on the content rather than the frame around it.

Performance: Smoother Than You’d Expect, but Not Without Caveats

The Galaxy A37 5G is powered by the Exynos 1480 chipset, which is a 4nm processor that Samsung also used on the Galaxy A55 back in 2024. On one hand, it’s a capable chip that handles daily tasks without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, for a 2026 phone, it does feel like Samsung could have pushed for something newer, like the Exynos 1580, which would have made the upgrade from the A36 feel more substantial. The A36 came with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, and while the Exynos 1480 is a step up in terms of gaming capability, the generational leap isn’t as big as the spec sheet might suggest.

That said, the real-world experience is noticeably better than the A36. One thing that genuinely frustrated me about the A36 was the lag after unlocking the phone. There was always this brief but annoying delay where the home screen would take a split second to load after I got past the lock screen, and opening the app drawer added another small hiccup on top of that. The Galaxy A37 doesn’t have this problem at all. Unlock the phone, and you’re straight into a smooth, seamless experience with zero visible lag. It’s the kind of fix you don’t fully appreciate until you’ve lived with the problem for months.

I’m running the 12GB RAM variant, which gives you plenty of headroom for multitasking and heavy use. Samsung also includes a RAM Plus feature that allows you to borrow up to an additional 12GB from the internal storage as virtual RAM. Personally, I keep it turned off. 12GB of physical RAM is already more than enough for anything I throw at this phone, and keeping RAM Plus off keeps the experience tighter and more stable.

For gaming, the Galaxy A37 performs really well. I tested it with PUBG Mobile at high graphic settings, and the phone maintained a consistent 80fps or more throughout gameplay. The vapor cooling chamber does a solid job of keeping thermals in check during extended sessions, and the phone stays noticeably cooler under load compared to the A36. Whether you’re grinding ranked matches or just playing casually, the Galaxy A37 holds up without throttling.

Camera: Finally, Stability You Can Rely On

The camera system on the Galaxy A37 5G consists of a 50MP main shooter with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro lens. On the front, you get a 12MP selfie camera.

On paper, the camera spec isn’t a massive jump from the A36. But here’s the thing: the A36 had a frustrating habit of force-closing the camera app. It happened often enough to be a real problem, especially when you’re trying to quickly capture a moment and the app just crashes on you. The Galaxy A37 doesn’t have this issue. The camera app opens reliably every single time, and that alone is a significant quality-of-life improvement.

Beyond the stability fix, the photo and video quality is genuinely better too. Daylight shots from the main camera are sharp and detailed, with punchy colours that look good right out of the camera without needing a lot of editing. Samsung’s colour science leans toward boosting greens and reds, which gives your photos a lively, vibrant look that tends to perform well on social media.

Nightography, Samsung’s low-light shooting mode, handles dark environments well enough for everyday use. The sky tones stay dark and natural rather than getting blown out, though areas with little to no light source can pick up some grain. The ultrawide is where things get a bit ordinary. It does the job for landscape shots and group photos, but low-light ultrawide images tend to look flatter and darker compared to the main camera. It’s a common limitation of 8MP ultrawide sensors and not something unique to this phone.

The 5MP macro camera is a nice extra to have when you’re shooting close-up details in good lighting. Keep your hands steady and the results can be surprisingly decent.

For video, the front camera supports Super HDR, which adds a nice boost to selfie videos with more vibrant colours and sharper backgrounds. If you’re someone who records a lot of content on your phone, the Galaxy A37 is a solid tool for it.

Photo Samples

Battery Life: One of the Best in Its Class

This is where the Galaxy A37 5G genuinely impressed me. The 5,000mAh battery lasts well beyond a full day on a single charge, and I personally found it to outlast my Galaxy S24 FE in real-world usage. That’s not a small thing to say given the S24 FE is a more expensive phone.

For context, my daily usage involves scrolling through social media, WhatsApp, streaming content, and occasional gaming sessions. With that kind of workload, the Galaxy A37 comfortably carries me through the day and well into the evening without anxiety.

Charging is handled at 45W through a wired connection, which Samsung calls Super Fast Charging 2.0. It can take the battery from empty to around 60% in roughly 30 minutes, which is practical even when you’re in a rush. The one thing to note is that there’s no wireless charging, and Samsung doesn’t include a charger in the box, so you’ll need to source a compatible PD+PPS charger on your own.

Software: Galaxy AI, Long-Term Support, and a Clean Experience

The Galaxy A37 5G ships with Android 16 and One UI 8.5, Samsung’s latest software skin. The experience is clean, customisable, and loaded with features without feeling overwhelming. Samsung’s Awesome Intelligence suite brings AI tools like Object Eraser, Edit Suggestion, Voice Transcription, Circle to Search, and improved Bixby and Gemini integration.

The bigger headline in terms of software is Samsung’s commitment to longevity. The Galaxy A37 is promised up to six generations of Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates. That means a phone you buy today at RM1,799 will still be receiving official software support well into 2032. For a mid-range device, that’s an exceptional promise and one that adds real long-term value to the purchase.

Samsung Knox security features are also included, covering Knox Vault, Auto Blocker, Private Album, Theft Protection, and Privacy Alerts. It’s a comprehensive security setup that you don’t usually expect at this price tier.

Verdict: A Worthy Upgrade with One Honest Gripe

The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G gets a lot of things right. The display is excellent, the battery life is outstanding, the camera is now reliable and produces better quality images and video, and the day-to-day performance is smooth in a way that the A36 wasn’t quite able to achieve. The six-year software support commitment is genuinely one of the best reasons to buy into this phone.

My only real gripe is the chip choice. Dropping in the Exynos 1480 instead of something fresher like the Exynos 1580 makes the generational upgrade feel a bit conservative, especially when the price has gone up slightly compared to the A36. It doesn’t ruin the phone by any means, but it’s the kind of decision that leaves you thinking Samsung could have done just a little more here.

If you’re coming from the A36 and have been frustrated by its camera crashes, lock screen lag, or inconsistent performance, the Galaxy A37 is absolutely worth the upgrade. And if you’re new to the Galaxy A series, this is one of the best value propositions in the mid-range space right now.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is available now at RM1,799 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and RM1,899 for the 12GB + 256GB model. You can grab it from Samsung’s online store, Experience Stores, or major e-commerce platforms. Samsung is also running a launch rebate promotion until 31 December 2026, so now is a good time to pull the trigger.

More info: https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a37-5g-awesome-graygreen-256gb-sm-a376bdgtxme/