We put the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G through our rigorous SBMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in terms of photo, video and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article analyzes the behavior of the device in a series of tests and several common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an excerpt of the acquired data.
Overview
Key Camera Specifications:
- Main: 50 MP sensor, f/1.8 aperture lens, AF, OIS
- Ultra wide angle: 12 MP sensor, 123-degree field of view, f/2.2 aperture lens
- Macro: 5 MP sensor, f/2.4 aperture lens
Pros
- Accurate exposure, wide enough dynamic range in bright light and indoors
- Fairly high consistency levels in bright light
- Pretty good video stabilization when standing still while recording
Against
- Some instabilities and steps in autofocus and exposure
- Noise, especially in the shadow areas of the frame
- Occasionally inaccurate color rendering
- Ineffective video stabilization when moving during recording
- Hue shifts, glare, and blending artifacts
- Limited zoom capabilities, reduced texture, and limited dynamic range in zoom shots
The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is one of the latest models in Samsung’s A series and the successor to the A54 5G, which we tested previously. The new model shares some camera hardware specs with its predecessor, and in our tests, camera performance was also at a similar level. Overall results were pretty average for this class of device, with accurate exposure and fairly good consistency when shooting in decent lighting conditions.
However, in more demanding situations, such as heavily backlit scenes, very low light, or scenes with motion, our testers observed a number of glitches, including hue shifts around cropped areas, ghosting, and a noticeable drop in tracking capabilities of autofocus. Surprisingly, our testers found the A55’s bokeh mode to be less accurate, with more subject segmentation errors and trigger errors, than its predecessor.
The lack of a dedicated camera module meant that telezoom image quality was quite limited. In terms of ultra-wide, the A55 offers slightly wider dynamic range than the A54 but exposes higher noise levels, especially in the shadow areas of the frame. Furthermore, the color rendering was less pleasant, with some color diffusion. In video mode, stabilization wasn’t quite at the same level as best-in-class devices, such as the Apple iPhone 15 Pro.
Test summary
About SBMARK Camera Tests: SBMARK camera evaluations take place in laboratories and real-world situations using a wide variety of subjects. Scores are based on objective tests whose results are calculated directly by the measurement software in our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests where a sophisticated set of metrics allows a panel of imaging experts to compare aspects of image quality images that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo, zoom and video quality are evaluated separately and then combined into an overall score for comparing cameras on different devices. For more information on the SBMARK camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores can be found here. The following section compiles key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us to find out how to receive a full report.
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G camera scores compared to the high-end
This graph compares SBMARK photo, zoom, and video scores between the tested device and the references. The average and maximum scores of the price range are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK database of tested devices.
Photo
110
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
Huawei Mate 60 Pro+
About SBMARK Camera Photo Tests
For scoring and analysis, SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2,600 test images in both controlled laboratory environments and natural outdoor, indoor, and low-light scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photography protocol is designed to take into account key use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portrait, family and landscape photography. Evaluation is performed by visually examining images Cons a natural scene reference and performing objective measurements on laboratory-captured graph images under varying lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G photo scores compared to the high-end
Photography tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture and noise under various lighting conditions. Autofocus performance and the presence of artifacts are also evaluated on all images captured under controlled laboratory conditions and in real-life images. All of these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of images captured with the tested device and can help understand the camera’s key strengths and weaknesses.
Autofocus Irregularity and Speed: 1000 Lux Δ4 EV Daylight Tripod
SBMARK CHART (DMC) Detail Retention Score vs. Lux Levels for Tripod and Handheld Conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score with lux level, for two retention conditions. The DMC Detail Retention Score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate the performance of texture and detail on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Evolution of visual noise with illuminance levels under handheld conditions
This graph shows the evolution of the visual noise metric with lux level in handheld conditions. The visual noise metric is the average of the visual noise measurement across all areas of the Dead Leaves graph in the AFHDR configuration. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Zoom in
75
Huawei P60Pro
Huawei P60Pro
Learn about SBMARK camera zoom tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 400 test images in controlled laboratory environments and in natural outdoor, indoor, and low-light scenes, using default camera settings and pinch zoom at various zoom factors from ultra wide zoom to long range zoom. The evaluation is performed by visually examining the images Cons a reference of natural scenes and performing objective measurements of map images captured in the laboratory under different conditions from 20 to 1000 lux and color temperatures from 2300K to 6500K.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro vs Ultra-Premium Zoom Scores
This graph illustrates the relative scores for the different zoom ranges evaluated. The abscissa is expressed in focal length equivalent to 35 mm. Zoomed scores appear on the right and zoomed scores appear on the left.
video
117
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
About SBMARK Camera Video Tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2.5 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural low-light scenes, indoors and outdoors, using default camera settings. The evaluation consists of visual inspection of natural videos taken under various conditions and performing objective measurements on videos of graphs recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G video scores compared to the high-end
SBMARK CHART (DMC) Video detail retention score versus lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention video score with the lux level in the video. The DMC Detail Retention Score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate the performance of texture and detail on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Evolution of spatial visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with lux level. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Temporal evolution of visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with lux level. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup.
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