Samsung just dropped its newest budget phone in the UK, and it’s pretty decent for the price. The Galaxy A17 5G went live on Samsung’s UK website and Amazon this week, giving British shoppers another affordable 5G option.
You can grab one for £199 ($270/€230), which isn’t bad considering what you get inside. Samsung kept things simple with just one memory option – 4GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage. Not huge by today’s standards, but totally fine for most people who aren’t power users.
The phone comes in three colors that won’t make you stand out too much: black, blue, and grey. Pretty standard stuff, but at least you get some choice.
What’s actually impressive is the screen. Samsung stuck a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display on this thing with a 90Hz refresh rate. That’s the same smooth scrolling you’d find on phones costing way more. The resolution hits Full HD+ too, so videos and photos look crisp enough.
Inside sits Samsung’s own Exynos 1330 processor. It won’t break any speed records, but it handles everyday tasks just fine. The company promises this chip can manage HD streaming and light gaming without major hiccups.
The camera setup tries to cover all the basics. You get a 50MP main shooter with optical image stabilization, which helps cut down on shaky photos and videos. There’s also a 5MP ultrawide camera for group shots and landscapes, plus a 2MP macro lens for extreme close-ups. The front camera clocks in at 13MP for selfies and video calls.
Battery life should be solid with the 5,000mAh pack inside. Samsung includes 25W fast charging support, though you’ll need to buy the charger separately if you’re in the UK. That’s become pretty standard across the industry lately, unfortunately.
The phone runs Android 15 right out of the box with Samsung’s One UI 7 interface on top. Samsung’s also promising six years of software updates and security patches, which is actually impressive for a budget device. Most cheap phones get dropped after two or three years.
Build quality includes an IP54 rating for basic water and dust resistance. It won’t survive a dunk in the pool, but light rain and dust shouldn’t be a problem. The screen gets Gorilla Glass Victus protection too, which helps prevent scratches from keys and coins in your pocket.
Storage can be expanded up to 2TB using a microSD card if 128GB isn’t enough. That’s plenty of room for photos, apps, and offline music or videos.
The Galaxy A17 5G fills Samsung’s entry-level spot nicely. It’s not going to wow anyone with cutting-edge features, but it covers the basics well enough for people who just want a reliable phone that’ll last several years. The long software support really sets it apart from other budget options.
Also Read | Samsung Galaxy A17 Quietly Appears in Stores — Here’s What’s New
