Not everyone needs, wants or can afford a flagship smartphone. That much is clear by the popularity of Samsung’s midrange A Series. While the bells and whistles of the new Galaxy S23 family is always going to grab headlines, the anticipation of the latest A Series phone - this year, the A54 - feels almost as high.

Official news on the A Series tends to come along a little later than the S Series, in a separate Unpacked event in March or April. While we wait to see if that’s the case in 2023, here is what we’ve gathered so far about Samsung’s next affordable phone.

Samsung Galaxy A54 release date and price

  • March/April 2023? Under $500/£400/€500?

There is no official release date for the Galaxy A54 just yet, but going from previous launches, we are expecting we’ll hear about it in the next couple of months. We had thought it might be launching earlier this year due to Samsung teasing the launch of an A-Series phone on 18 January, but it turned out to be the entry-level A14 instead.

Last year’s Galaxy A53 was launched in March 2022, and the Galaxy A52 was announced a year previously, in March 2021. The only exception to this in the past few years was the Galaxy A51, which was announced in April 2020, and the A52s, an iterative release that launched in August 2021 with an improved predecessor.

As for price, the A Series has followed a pretty strong pattern of coming in under $500/£400/€500 in the past couple of years, so we’d expect a similar price this time round. As a reminder, last year’s A53 launched at $449/£399/€449 and the A52 (and the A52s, for that matter) launched at $499/£399/€459.

Samsung Galaxy A54 design and display

  • In-screen fingerprint scanner 6.4-inch AMOLED FHD+ display, 120Hz refresh rate New colours expected

If leaked renders are anything to go by, Samsung’s replacement for the Galaxy A53 looks likely to be very similar in design to its predecessor, with just a few subtle tweaks.

The most clear difference is the three-camera array, which now sits directly on the back panel of the phone, rather than on a moulded raised section - very much like the new S23 and S23+. There’s a single flash like before, but the depth sensor appears to have gone, with that functionality likely taken on by the main camera.

As usual, physical buttons look to be kept to a minimum, with just volume and power on the right hand side. Instead, rumours suggest the in-screen fingerprint scanner from the A53 will return this time round too. We found it to be reliable, if a little slow, so it’ll be interesting to see if this has been improved at all.

In terms of finish, the renders suggest we can expect it to be the same as we’re used to from the A Series, so it’ll be a plastic body with matte feel on the back and Gorilla Glass on the front.

Other leaked renders suggest there could be some pretty funky colours too though – like purple and a neon greeny yellow – that run alongside the standard black and white. Considering Samsung pushed the boat out on the colour choices for the S23 family, this doesn’t feel like a stretch.

Rumours suggest the Galaxy A54 will have a slightly smaller AMOLED display than the A53 did, at 6.4 inches down from 6.5 inches last year. It’s still expected to be an FHD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate though, with an overall size predicted to be 158.3 x 76.7 x 8.2mm.

Samsung Galaxy A54 hardware and specs

  • Exynos 1380? 6GB/8GB RAM? 128GB/256GB storage 4,905mAh battery, 25W wireless charging.

On the inside, a battery of around 4,905mAh is tipped with 25W wireless charging, alongside a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage and 6GB or 8GB RAM - to allow for pricing variations.

That’s an improvement on the 4860mAh battery in the A53, but what that means in real terms remains to be seen.

Early rumours suggested processing would be handled by an Exynos 7904 chip, but more recently it’s been suggested that Samsung’s Exynos 1380 will be in charge, and this would also make sense considering the Exynos 1280 was at the heart of the Galaxy A53 5G.

If the specs on the Geekbench database are correct, though, it looks like the 1380 will smoke the performance of its predecessor, with a 50 per cent uplift in the multi-core score.

Samsung Galaxy A54 cameras

  • 50MP (OIS) main camera/12MP ultra-wide/5MP macro 32MP selfie camera

From the renders we mention above, it looks like we can expect a three-camera setup on the A53, with the depth sensor retired and its functionality handed over to the main snapper.

That main camera is reported to be a 50-megapixel lens with OIS, alongside a 12-megapixel cam for ultra-wide shots, and a 5-megapixel macro lens. Up front, there is a 32-megapixel selfie cam with a hole-punch design, meaning no unsightly notch taking up real estate on your display.

All of this sounds quite familiar from the A53, except the main camera takes quite a drop down from 64MP to 50MP, by comparison.

Samsung Galaxy A54 rumours: What’s the story so far?

Here’s everything we’ve heard about the Samsung Galaxy A54 so far.

24 October 2022: Samsung Galaxy A54 may get a slightly bigger battery than the A53

A new report gives us some early details of the A54’s battery size.

15 November 2022: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G breaks cover as renders show cameras and more

New leaked renders alongside fresh specs give us big hints at some of the features of the A54.

5 January 2023: The Samsung Galaxy A54 is officially certified as release nears

An appearance in an Indian certification database confirms the A54 is definitely on its way.

9 January 2023: Samsung’s Galaxy A54 to be announced on 18 January

Well that’s what we thought. Except it wasn’t… it was the A14 instead.

27 January 2023: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G appears on FCC website, will be launched soon surely?

And now it’s been spotted on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) certification database in the US.