- Flagship grade durability
- Six-year software lifespan
- Nice display
- Inconsistent performance
- Camera is just okay
- A little more expensive than last year's model
Samsung’s Galaxy A37 can often feel like a contradiction. There are areas where it well and truly punches above its price point, but there are others where it underdelivers. While Samsung’s commitment to durability and longevity is impressive, it’s a shame that most of the compromises have been made are in core competencies, like performance.
Performance, to cut to the chase, is the Galaxy A37’s big issue. While the phone is rarely slow, it is never snappy, even during day-to-day tasks. Apps take that little bit longer than you might expect to open, the fingerprint reader is sluggish, and little stutters aren’t an uncommon experience. These issues are minor enough that they don’t get in the way of using the Galaxy A37, but they’re still not great either.
Similarly, the Galaxy A37 can run more demanding games like Diablo Immortal. While medium settings result in a mostly smooth experience, there are noticeable hitches. The game is playable, but the Galaxy A37 isn’t the best device for the job.
The Galaxy A37’s primary camera can take alright snaps, but starts to falter as soon you expect more than just the basics. Any motion can result in a blurry shot - even in bright environments - and low-light images lack detail. These problems are amplified on the secondary ultra-wide lens. The Galaxy A37 camera never veers into what I’d call actively bad territory, but it doesn’t inspire either.
Samsung Galaxy A37 camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Galaxy A37. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
When it comes to battery, the Galaxy A37 should give you just over five hours of screen time per charge. That should be enough for a full day of moderate usage with a small buffer. That’s certainly not bad, but it does fall short of most rivals in this price bracket. In my testing, I was able to get between six and seven hours of screen time with Samsung’s slightly pricier Galaxy A57, for example.
The Galaxy A37 isn’t without strengths, however. Some of these are literal. The Galaxy A37’s front and back both use Gorilla Glass Victus Plus for protection. Gorilla Glass Victus Plus is said to be able to survive drops of up to two metres, which is double that of Gorilla Glass 7i (found on devices like the Google Pixel 10a). A case will still give you a bit of extra peace of mind, but better durability out of the box is never a bad thing.
Samsung has also upped the water-resistance on the Galaxy A37 to IP68. This means the phone can now survive being submerged to depths of up to 1.5m for as long as 30 minutes.
Lastly, Samsung is promising the Galaxy A37 six years of major system upgrades and security updates. Most devices in this price point tend to max out at three major operating system upgrades. OPPO has made progress in this area, with its phone, like the Reno 15 F, getting a five-year commitment on the operating system upgrade front and six years on security, but the Pixel A-series are the only “mid-tier” devices that best the Galaxy A37. Google says the Pixel 10a will get seven years of both software and security updates, but it is $250 more expensive than the Galaxy A37.
Samsung Galaxy A37 - Final Thoughts
I’m a big fan of Samsung’s approach to software support and durability on the Galaxy A37, but it’s a shame the phone itself isn’t just that little bit better. While the camera and battery life aren’t huge issues, it isn’t great that the Galaxy A37 has performance hitches out of the box. A $600 phone shouldn’t feel laggy on day one.
If you’re looking at spending a similar amount of money, the Nothing Phone 4a is a compelling alternative. It’s snappier and has stronger cameras, but isn’t fully water-resistant and has a shorter software lifespan. Alternatively, you could spend $150 more on Samsung’s Galaxy A57 and get a better all-round experience. You get the same durability and longevity credentials, paired with a longer battery life, a snappier chipset, and a nicer camera.
The Galaxy A37 isn’t a bad device, and for some, the pros may outweigh the cons. But for most, it’s easier to do better.
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Alex Choros
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