The year kicked off with a bang for Samsung. Back in February, the South Korean tech giant launched its shiny new S-series lineup, the kind of phones that grab headlines, flood social media timelines and make every tech enthusiast sit up and pay attention. I recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S26+ (Read here if you’ve not), the so-called “middle child” of that premium family and if you’ve read that review, you probably know I have a thing for family analogies.
Now, just a few months later, Samsung is back again, this time with its more grounded, practical relatives: the A-series. Think of them as the distant cousins of the S-series. They may not show up wearing designer clothes or carrying all the flashy features, but they usually arrive with enough charm and capability to make you take notice. This year, the lineup includes the Samsung Galaxy A57 and the Galaxy A37, two smartphones that aim to bring a slice of that Samsung experience at a relatively more affordable price.
I say “relatively” because if you’ve been following the tech space this year, you already know affordable doesn’t quite mean what it used to. Price hikes have hit almost every smartphone brand and Samsung’s A-series hasn’t escaped the storm either. The Samsung Galaxy A37 starts at Rs 41,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, a quite big jump from the Rs 32,999 launch price of its predecessor. That price bump pushes it into a much more competitive ring, where it now goes head-to-head with smartphones like the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, Poco X8 Pro Max, Oneplus Nord 6 and the Oppo Reno 15.
The A-series has always been known as Samsung’s dependable all-rounder lineup. Good displays, decent cameras, reliable software and enough brand trust to make them easy recommendations. But with prices climbing higher, the big question is whether the value still holds up.
I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy A37 for over 20 days now and in that time, I’ve tested everything from its performance and cameras to its battery life and everyday usability. Was my experience good enough to justify the price? Is this the right phone for you? And more importantly, should you buy it over the competition? Let’s dive into the full review and find out everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy A37.
Samsung Galaxy A37 Design And Display
Starting with the design, I received the Lavender colour variant and honestly, it looks too pretty. According to me, it even looks prettier than its older sibling, the Galaxy A57. Samsung has added a pill-shaped camera layout this time, very similar to what we saw on the S26 series, which gives the device a more premium and modern appearance.
The smartphone measures 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4mm and weighs 196 grams, so it feels fairly slim in hand despite the large display. The back design looks elegant and polished, but yes, the plastic frame does make the device feel a little less premium than some of its rivals in this price segment. Still, the in-hand feel is comfortable enough and the South Korean smartphone maker has also included IP68 water and dust resistance, which is always a reassuring addition.
Talking about the display, Samsung rarely disappoints and the Galaxy A37 follows that tradition. The device features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits HBM brightness and up to 1900 nits peak brightness.
I’ve watched quite a few IPL matches at my office on this phone… don’t judge please, I was just “testing” the device 😛 and the display is pretty much good. Colours are punchy and accurate, blacks are dee, and viewing angles are excellent. Whether I was binge-watching content on YouTube or scrolling X and Instagram, the screen looked vibrant and smooth. In my experience, this is one of the stronger displays in this segment.
Samsung Galaxy A37 Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A37 is powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1480 chipset built on a 4nm process. It is paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
In day-to-day usage, the handset performs decently. App launches are quick enough, multitasking is manageable and social media, calls, browsing and content consumption happen without much trouble.
But benchmarks tell a different story.
The smartphone scored 1,070,326 on AnTuTu and 1,143 in single-core and 3,501 in multi-core on Geekbench 6. In benchmarks, the phone is relatively far behind the competition like the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, OnePlus Nord 6, Vivo V70 and a few others.
Gaming performance is decent but not exceptional. I played BGMI for a couple of hours on Smooth + Extreme (60fps) settings and while the gameplay remained mostly stable with an average around 58fps, the device did get noticeably warm. Thankfully, there weren’t any major frame drops.
One thing that feels like a miss here is the storage type, the phone still uses UFS 3.1 storage instead of faster UFS 4.0 seen on some rivals.
So yes, if you are someone who prioritises raw performance or heavy gaming, better alternatives do exist.
Samsung Galaxy A37 Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A37 has a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. On the front, you get a 12-megapixel selfie camera.
In good lighting, the main camera captures decent shots with pleasing colours and good detail. Samsung’s processing keeps images social-media ready and dynamic range is fairly respectable.
What I noticed is that the cameras also work decently well with shadows. But performance can be erratic at times. A well-defined shadow is best captured when the light source doesn’t interfere with the subject. In tricky lighting situations, the output can become inconsistent.
The ultra-wide camera is usable, though there’s a visible drop in detail and colour consistency compared to the primary sensor. The macro camera… well, it exists.
Low-light performance is acceptable and OIS helps keep images sharper. Selfies are decent enough for social media and video calls, though not segment-leading.
Overall, the camera system is a capable everyday shooter that handles common situations well; just don’t expect flagship-grade consistency.
Samsung Galaxy A37 Software And AI Features
One of Samsung’s biggest strengths continues to be software. The Galaxy A37 runs Android 16-based One UI 8.5 out of the box and Samsung promises up to six major Android upgrades, plus security updates till March 31, 2032. That’s genuinely impressive.
In my experience, One UI remains one of the cleanest and most polished Android skins. The UI feels refined, animations are smooth and Samsung’s ecosystem features like SmartThings, Knox security and Galaxy AI-inspired features add practical usability.
This is an area where Samsung still holds a strong edge over many Chinese rivals.
Samsung Galaxy A37 Battery
The device is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, which easily lasted me a full day with mixed usage including social media, camera testing, some gaming and binge-watching.
In my charging test, the device with 45W wired charging took 64 minutes to go from 1 to 100 percent, which is decent enough.
Battery life overall is dependable and that’s exactly what many buyers expect from an A-series phone.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A37 is a capable, well-rounded smartphone that does most things competently. The display is genuinely good, software support is among the best in this segment, and the battery performance is reliable. Design-wise, the Lavender variant with its S-series-inspired pill camera module looks sharper than you’d expect from a mid-range device.
But here’s what I feel: the price is the elephant in the room. At Rs 41,999, the A37 enters a tier where performance is a serious point of evaluation and that’s where it stumbles. Benchmark numbers are behind the competition, there’s no UFS 4.0 storage and the plastic frame feels incongruent with the asking price. If you’re chasing raw performance, the OnePlus Nord 6 and the Poco X8 Pro Max are stronger bets.
That said, if you prioritise long-term software support, a great display, everyday reliability and the trust that comes with the Samsung ecosystem, the A37 makes a pretty solid case for itself. It’s not the most exciting phone in its price bracket, but it’s a genuinely good one and for a lot of buyers, that’s more than enough.
