With regards to shopping for the best cellphone, the selection isn’t all the time apparent with so many choices throughout a spread of worth factors.
The mid-range cellphone market, specifically, is full of numerous aggressive choices, and the Samsung Galaxy A55 and OnePlus Nord 4 are two standout contenders.
Each telephones present premium options at an reasonably priced worth, however they cater to barely completely different consumer wants.
Right here’s a complete comparability of those two units, that will help you resolve which higher meets your wants.
Design & Construct
The Galaxy A55 boasts a premium construct with an aluminium body and a glass again, nearer to that of flagship fashions. It retains IP67 water and mud resistance, making it a sturdy alternative for individuals who need sturdiness with out compromising on model.
The cellphone is accessible in a number of colors, like Superior Iceblue, Navy, Lilac, and Yellow, providing a vibrant palette for shoppers. Nevertheless, its heavier weight of 213g and bigger dimension may make it much less comfy for some customers.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The OnePlus Nord 4 contains a comparatively distinctive steel unibody design, which supplies it a premium really feel whereas protecting the load comparatively low at 199.5g. The distinct two-tone rear design – though eye-catching – is susceptible to fingerprints and smudges.
It packs an IP65 ranking, which is barely much less sturdy than the Galaxy A55’s IP67 certification, however nonetheless affords safety in opposition to mud and water. The cellphone’s aesthetics may additionally attraction extra to these on the lookout for a smooth and fashionable look, with some standout design components.
Chris Martin / Foundry
The Galaxy A55 affords a extra premium really feel, with its aluminium body and glass again, together with superior water and mud resistance. Whereas the OnePlus Nord 4 has a lighter steel unibody and distinctive design, it falls brief in sturdiness.
The Galaxy A55 additionally is available in a wider array of finishes, which can attraction to these on the lookout for larger private expression.
Show & Audio system
The Galaxy A55 comes with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED show, that includes a peak 120Hz refresh charge. The panel boasts vivid colors and stable brightness output, though it’s not ideally suited for outside use in vivid daylight until auto-brightness is enabled.
The stereo audio system ship respectable readability however lack bass depth, making them appropriate for informal listening however not for audiophiles.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Nord 4 affords a barely bigger 6.74-inch Full HD+ OLED show, with a better decision of 2772 x 1240. It additionally helps a 120Hz peak refresh charge.
The show performs properly throughout varied lighting situations, and the twin stereo audio system ship a passable audio expertise, with extra distinguished bass in comparison with the Galaxy A55.
Chris Martin / Foundry
The Nord 4’s OLED show totes a better decision and gives higher efficiency in several lighting situations, making it extra versatile for outside use.
Whereas each telephones high out at a 120Hz refresh charge, the Nord 4’s show affords sharper visuals.
Efficiency
The Galaxy A55 is powered by the Exynos 1480 chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM.
It gives easy efficiency for each day duties and handles reasonable gaming properly. Nevertheless, it falls brief in the case of intensive gaming, the place body charges could drop on larger constancy graphical settings.
The cellphone comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage, expandable through microSD, which is a bonus for these needing further house.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Nord 4 makes use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, which is a step down from at this time’s flagship-class processors however nonetheless delivers glorious efficiency.
With 12GB or 16GB of RAM, multitasking is a breeze, and gaming efficiency is stable too, although not flawless for graphically demanding video games.
Storage choices are 256GB and 512GB, however not like the Galaxy A55, there is no such thing as a microSD slot for enlargement.
Chris Martin / Foundry
The Nord 4’s chipset, paired with larger RAM choices, gives higher multitasking and gaming efficiency versus the Galaxy A55.
That is much more evident in our Geekbench 6 multi-core take a look at. Whereas the Galaxy A55 achieved a rating of 3447, the Nord 4 surpassed it, reaching 3835 factors.
So, although neither cellphone is appropriate for intensive gaming on the highest high quality, the Nord 4 handles itself higher total.
Cameras
The Galaxy A55 contains a versatile digital camera setup, with a 50Mp primary digital camera, a 12Mp ultrawide lens, and a 5Mp macro sensor.
The primary digital camera captures detailed photographs with vibrant colours, though low-light efficiency shouldn’t be its robust swimsuit. The 12Mp ultrawide is beneficial however suffers from a noticeable drop in high quality, in comparison with the principle sensor.
Selfies from the 32Mp entrance digital camera are sharp, making it a fantastic choice for social media fans.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Nord 4 has a 50Mp primary digital camera, with a Sony Lytia sensor, which performs properly in good lighting, providing true-to-life colors and glorious dynamic vary.
The 8Mp ultrawide digital camera, nonetheless, is a noticeable downgrade and produces much less detailed and washed-out photographs. There’s additionally a 16Mp entrance digital camera, which delivers high-quality selfies.
Sadly, the dearth of a devoted telephoto lens limits its versatility, in comparison with the Galaxy A55.
Chris Martin / Foundry
General, the Galaxy A55’s digital camera setup affords a extra well-rounded photographic expertise.
The Nord 4 has a robust primary digital camera however lacks a devoted telephoto lens, and has a much less efficient ultrawide digital camera, making the A55 a more sensible choice for these after photographic versatility.
Battery & Charging
The Galaxy A55 homes a 5000mAh battery, which might comfortably last as long as two days of reasonable use.
Its 25W charging speeds, nonetheless, are a bit gradual, in comparison with the Nord 4. It additionally lacks wi-fi charging, which is likely to be a disadvantage for some customers.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Nord 4 excels in battery efficiency, with its 5500mAh battery providing long-lasting energy, even beneath heavy use.
It helps 100W quick charging, though no charger is included within the field, which implies you’ll must buy one individually to reap the benefits of the utmost charging speeds. Wi-fi charging can be absent right here.
Chris Martin / Foundry
With a bigger battery and quicker charging speeds, the Nord 4 affords superior battery life and faster charging instances, versus the Galaxy A55.
Software program & Apps
The Galaxy A55 runs on Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6.1 overlay. It’s a feature-rich, extremely customisable interface that some could discover cluttered, in comparison with inventory Android.
Samsung guarantees 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of safety patches on its mid-rangers, making certain the cellphone stays present for years to come back.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Nord 4 runs Oxygen OS 14.1, additionally primarily based on Android 14. It serves up a cleaner, extra streamlined expertise in comparison with One UI, however comes with some bloatware.
OnePlus ensures 4 main OS updates and 6 years of safety updates, offering barely longer assist than the Galaxy A55.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Whereas each telephones run Android 14, the Nord 4 affords a cleaner, extra streamlined software program expertise with Oxygen OS, in distinction to Samsung’s One UI.
The marginally longer replace promise from OnePlus additionally makes it a more sensible choice for long-term software program assist, and by way of total worth for cash.
Value & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A55 begins at £439 for the 128GB mannequin and goes as much as £489 for the 256GB variant. You should purchase it instantly from Samsung.
It’s additionally broadly accessible by way of varied retailers within the UK, however not within the US.
The OnePlus Nord 4 is barely cheaper, beginning at £429 for the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and £529 for the 16GB/512GB model.
It’s offered instantly by way of OnePlus’ retailer and different on-line retailers however – just like the Galaxy A55 – it’s additionally unavailable within the US.
Must you purchase the Galaxy A55 or Nord 4?
Should you want a well-rounded machine with good all-around efficiency, the Galaxy A55 is a good choose.
Nevertheless, in case you’re on the lookout for a extra highly effective machine with glorious battery life and efficiency – particularly at a cheaper price and with barely longer safety assist – the OnePlus Nord 4 edges the win on this mid-range cellphone battle.