Samsung Galaxy A26: Is this mobile a good buy under ₹25,000? First impressions here
Samsung's A series smartphones are quite popular around the globe due to their powerful performance, advanced AI features, promising capabilities, and more. However, the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 are priced slightly on the higher side despite being mid-range phones. Therefore, to bring the right balance to its A series models, Samsung introduced the Galaxy A26, which offers similar features, a new processor, promising AI additions, and more at under Rs.25000.
I have been using the Samsung Galaxy A26 for a couple of days to examine if it's worth the hype. Initially, I quite like the display experience with vibrant visuals, the camera performance is also decent, and it manages day-to-day tasks swiftly. If you are planning to buy this smartphone, then here's the Samsung Galaxy A26's first impression.
Also read: Samsung Galaxy A26 vs Galaxy A36: Which mid-ranger should you buy?
The Samsung Galaxy A26 comes with design refinement as it is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. The smartphone is 7.7 mm slim, making it one of the slimmest smartphones in the segment. It retains a similar design profile as its siblings, the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56, but it comes with a plastic build. With Galaxy A26, Samsung has also made some compromises by removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker, which may not be appreciated by budget-conscious buyers. Apart from this, the smartphone has upgraded durability with an IP67 rating.
For display, the Galaxy A26 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. In terms of viewing and entertainment purposes, it produces pleasing visuals with vibrant colours and detailing, but its thick bezels may hamper your experience. Additionally, Samsung has not confirmed the smartphone's brightness, and it is not very bright to use in direct sunlight.
Also read: Samsung Galaxy A26 5G with 50MP camera launched in India: Check features, price and more
The Samsung Galaxy A26 features a triple camera setup that includes a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro lens. Coming to the camera performance, the smartphone captures decent daylight images with great detailing, but the colours appear faded. The smartphone also struggles to capture low-light images, and you may have to manage the exposure to get a lit image. While the camera has shortcomings, its macro lens works quite well in capturing detailed close-up portraits.
The Samsung Galaxy A26 is powered by the in-house Exynos 1380 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. In terms of performance, the Galaxy A26 manages day-to-day performance such as social media scrolling, browsing, chatting, and other tasks with ease. However, the smartphone struggles with heavy-duty tasks, and I also notice a slight stutter with longer durations. Yet the smartphone is smooth and quick with action, like switching between apps or running multiple apps in the background.
Also read: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge launch date, pre-order, sale, and more tipped- Details
Coming to gaming performance, the Galaxy A26 provides decent gameplay with low to medium graphics settings. Therefore, if you are a casual gamer, then it should not be a problem. However, longer duration games on heavy graphics showcase frame drops and frequent lag that may hamper your gaming experience. Additionally, there is a slight overheating as well, but nothing concerning.
The Samsung Galaxy A26 is backed by a 5000mAh battery that provides a decent battery life for basic tasks. The smartphone can easily last you an entire day with medium usage. The smartphone sports a 25W charger, and the charging time is daunting. It's not only with Galaxy A26, most of the Samsung phones have slow charging speed, where brands are providing up to 125W chargers. It should also be noted that Samsung does not provide a charger in the box, therefore, you have to keep an extra budget for the adapter.
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