The Samsung Galaxy ‘M’ series has been a reliable choice for people looking to get into the Samsung ecosystem at a fairly budget price. With the launch of the Galaxy M55, Samsung looks to revamp the series with many new introductions. Unlike the previous few iterations, the phone focuses not only on battery life but also on the camera front for a more balanced approach.
Samsung Galaxy M55
Rs 26,999
What Is Good?
- Fast and vibrant display
- Good daylight camera performance
- Reliable battery life
- Good UI experience
- Long software support
- Front camera captures detailed selfies
What Is Bad?
- Low-light camera performance could've been better
- Average stereo speaker setup
- No IP rating
- Bloatware
- No charger in the box
At a starting price of Rs 26,999, the Galaxy M55 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a 50-megapixel selfie camera, and 45W fast charging support, which is something even the vanilla Galaxy S24 misses out on. But, with more aggressive competitors like the OnePlus Nord CE4, Poco X6 Pro, and Nothing Phone 2(a) lurking around, is the Galaxy M55 the right choice for you? Let’s find out in this review.
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Price and Availability in India
The Galaxy M55 is available in three different storage and RAM variants in India. The phone can be bought from Samsung offline stores as well as Amazon.
| Variants | Pricing |
| 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 26,999 |
| 8GB RAM + 256GB Storage | Rs 29,999 |
| 12GB RAM + 256GB Storage | Rs 32,999 |
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Design and Display
Samsung’s design approach is very easy to understand now. They do not want any differentiating factor between their devices, so even the Galaxy M55 has some resemblance to the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. This same exercise has been followed on the Galaxy A35 and A55. While the design remains the same, the materials keep fluctuating. The Galaxy M55 has an all-plastic build, which misses out on the premium vibe that smartphones such as the Moto Edge 40 Neo exude. I think it’s time Samsung also tried vegan leather on their mid-range devices.
| Design | Specifications |
| Weight | 180 grams |
| Thickness | 7.8mm |
| IP Rating | NA |
| Port and button placements | Bottom: USB Type-C port, primary microphone, speaker grille
Top: Secondary microphone Left side: SIM tray |
That said, the Galaxy M55’s plastic finish helps keep its weight in check, aiding easy portability. The phone comes in Light Green and Denim Black, both of which look decent. The matte finish at the back helps keep dirt and smudges away, so if you take cleanliness seriously (Hi Monica), this one might keep you happy.
The volume rocker and power button are placed slightly above when compared to the traditional device, but after a few days, I got used to it. The triple camera setup at the back protrudes a little, causing table wobbles. The phone misses out on any sort of IP rating.
The Galaxy M55 sports a flat Super AMOLED+ display that refreshes at 120Hz. Samsung never compromises on display quality, and this is evident here. The panel produces vibrant colours with excellent viewing angles. The screen is also fast and responsive, so scrolling through the UI or social media apps is fun. While it’s not the brightest display in this segment, content legibility under direct sunlight is not too bad.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.7-inch |
| Type | Super AMOLED+ |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | Claimed – 1000 nits, Tested – 1100 nits |
| Minimum brightness | 09 nits |
| In-display fingerprint sensor | Yes, works flawlessly |
Watching TV shows, such as The Haunting of the Bly Manor, was a good experience as the display can portray darker scenes well. The colour temperature of the screen is neutral, which is also good. However, the phone provides no settings to tweak the colour mode. So, if you prefer the colour tones to be slightly natural, there’s no way to change that.
While the display department is handled well, the audio department leaves me wanting more. The stereo speaker setup lacks bass and clarity when listening to music or watching content. I always resorted to earphones. Moreover, the back panel reverberates when audio is played at higher levels.
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Cameras
The 50-megapixel primary camera captures images with good detail and typical Samsung signature colours. If you do not like this, disabling Scene Optimiser from the settings will help. The photos are rich in vibrancy, saturation, and contrast. Images have a balanced dynamic range with fairly decent details in the shadows. However, the shutter speed can test your patience at times. The portrait mode allows for customisability and the images have good edge detection — more importantly, this is consistent.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel, f/1.8, OIS |
| Secondary camera | 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle, f/2.2 |
| Tertiary camera | 2-megapixel, macro camera, f/2.4 |
| Selfie camera | 50-megapixel, f/2.4 |
| Video recording capabilities | Up to 4K at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps |
The ultra-wide-angle camera provides a wider perspective and clicks decent photos. While the detail loss between the primary and ultra-wide is evident, there’s minimal colour shift between the two. The 2-megapixel macro camera is almost negligible and could’ve been skipped.
In low-light situations, the Galaxy M55 takes fairly decent photos, but boy, does it test your patience. With the night mode kicking in automatically, the phone takes about eight seconds to capture a single photo. While OIS helps to avoid shakes to a certain level, the chances of missing out on your special moment are very high.
The 50-megapixel selfie camera captures detailed selfies with good skin tones once you remove all the filters. The dynamic range is also well maintained, and the edge detection in portrait mode is also accurate here.
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Performance and Software
The Galaxy M55 faces competition from the OnePlus Nord CE4 and the Nothing Phone 2(a). In synthetic benchmarks, the Galaxy M55 falls behind both due to its fairly dated processor choice. But it’s pretty evident that it’s not targeting the performance-centric audience.
That said, the phone performs well for daily use, whether switching between multiple apps for work or doom-scrolling through Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 |
| RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | Up to 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 88 per cent of its max performance |
| Storage Test | 51097 |
| Software version | OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14 |
On the gaming front, the Galaxy M55 lets you run BGMI at up to ‘HDR’ graphics and ‘Ultra’ framerates. It lets you switch to ‘Smooth’ graphics and ‘Extreme’ framerates for 60fps gameplay. The phone runs the game without any major hiccups, but the back panel gets warm once you spend considerable time gaming. The Nord CE4, at a slightly lower price, offers better graphics performance due to its newer chipset.
The Galaxy M55 runs on OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14. The phone has a fair share of bloatware apps, which can be uninstalled. Otherwise, the software experience is similar to that of Samsung’s flagship devices, except for the AI trickeries. Samsung also promises four years of software upgrades and five years of security patches, which pretty much sets the industry standard. This is highly commendable.
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Battery Life and Charging
The Galaxy M55 has a battery downgrade compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy M54, which never came to India. The Galaxy M55 has a 5,000mAh battery inside, which is still highly reliable and easily lasts an entire day’s usage. The phone lasted about 11 hours in our PCMark Battery test, proving our real-life usage.
With up to 45W charging support, the Galaxy M55 is the first and only M series device with such fast charging capabilities. It even puts the cute little Galaxy S24 to shame. It takes the Galaxy M55 about an hour to charge fully.
While all that is appreciated, it still falls behind the current crop of devices that offer up to 100W fast charging solutions. Also, Samsung does not include the charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Verdict
At a starting price of Rs 26,999, the Galaxy M55 may not be the perfect device, but it gets many of the basics right. This is why I believe the M55 can still be a good choice for parents or people buying their first-ever device. The phone offers a great display with a fast refresh rate, a reliable battery that can easily last an entire day at a stretch, better-charging support compared to its predecessors, and crazy good software support. But, the phone is also marred by a few issues.
The low-light photography really tests your patience, while the stereo speaker leaves you wanting for more. The Galaxy M55 also lacks an IP rating, which would’ve added a safety net. Finally, while the phone performs adequately, going for a newer or slightly more powerful chipset would’ve lured more people towards the phone. This is where phones such as the Poco X6 Pro and the Nord CE4 offer better capabilities.
That said, the Galaxy M55 is a phone that prefers functionality over finesse. It’s still a reliable phone that you can consider if you want an entry point into Samsung’s ecosystem or a phone with longer support.
