The $449.99 Samsung Galaxy A37 looks like it belongs in a higher price bracket, thanks to a design that closely mirrors the company's flagship S series phones. After spending more than a week testing it, I've come to appreciate the A37's appealing looks, better-than-average battery life, solid cameras, and helpful, if limited, AI tools. With a watertight design and a long-term support commitment, it's a solid option for anyone seeking a Samsung smartphone at a reasonable price. Ultimately, the $499.99 Google Pixel 10a is worth the extra cash thanks to its sharper screen, more capable cameras, and smarter AI, all of which make it our Editors' Choice for midrange Android smartphones.

Design: Flagship Looks With Midrange Trade-Offs

The A37 might sit lower on the Samsung Galaxy totem pole than the company's top-tier phones, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking. It borrows heavily from the S26’s design language, sporting the same clean, rectangular lines that make it look more like a flagship cousin than a budget sibling.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

Its flat-edge design, which lets the phone stand upright on a flat surface, gives it a sleek, sharp look, though I’m not sold on how it feels in my hand. Perhaps I’m alone on this one, but I miss the Galaxy A series’ curvy-edged era. The last time we saw this ergonomic, contoured design was on the A34 (three generations ago). Many may prefer flat designs because they’re more compatible with screen protectors, but I dislike how the sharp sides dig into my palm. Curved edges, on the other hand, make gripping more comfortable, as the phone settles more naturally into my hand.

The A37's flagship illusion starts to crack and its midrange roots reveal themselves the moment you flip it over. Welcome to Smudgeville. The glossy rear surface quickly becomes a fingerprint nightmare. I’m a law-abiding citizen, but if I left this phone at a crime scene, the detective would have a field day with it. Trust me, you'll want to keep a microfiber cloth handy for this phone—or jam it into a case.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The A37 measures 6.41 by 3.08 by 0.29 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.91 ounces, making it identical in size but slightly heavier than last year's A36 (6.41 by 3.08 by 0.29, 6.88 ounces). As someone who lugs around Samsung’s top-tier flagships, the A37 feels downright airy. If you’re looking for something even more pocketable, the Pixel 10a (6.1 by 2.9 by 0.4 inches, 6.5 ounces) is narrower and easier to grip than the A37, but it’s noticeably thicker.

Unlike the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is basically a glass-and-metal brick, I don’t live in fear of the A37 falling squarely on my nose during late-night scrolling. Its featherweight footprint is partly due to the frame. While the front and back are plated with durable Gorilla Glass Victus+, the frame is made of plastic. You’re getting the scratch-resistant front and rear of a flagship phone in a chassis that doesn't weigh down your pocket. The A37 has fallen from my nightstand several times, and there isn't a single scratch on it.

On the right side, you’ll find the A37's power button and volume rocker. The buttons are slightly more cushioned and quiet compared with the Pixel 10a’s.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The bottom edge houses a SIM card tray, USB-C (v2.0) port, and a speaker. The left side is plain, but the top edge features two microphones. Similar to the Pixel 10a, if you’re looking for a 3.5mm headphone jack or a microSD card slot, you won't find either.

(Credit: Kimberly Gideon)

Three camera lenses and the flashlight line a pill-shaped bump on the left side of the rear panel. You’ll find the selfie camera on the front above the display.

Samsung bumped the dust-and-water resistance rating from IP67 on the A36 to IP68 on the A37, meaning it can now withstand a deeper plunge in water (up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes). This puts the A37 in parity with Samsung’s S26 series and the Pixel 10a.

My review unit came in Awesome Charcoal, but I’ve yet to find anything particularly awesome about it. It’s an uninspiring mix of black and gray, and it’s about as exciting as an overcast Monday. If Awesome Charcoal isn’t for you, the only other choice is Awesome Lavender, which may be a better fit if you prefer pastel colorways.

Display: Visible, But Bring a Shadow

The A37’s 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen hasn’t changed from the A36. It's a 2,340-by-1,080-pixel panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,900 nits. 

(Credit: Kimberly Gideon)

The Pixel 10a sports a smaller 6.3-inch display with a higher resolution of 2,424 by 1,080 pixels, as well as a semi-variable refresh rate that dynamically ranges from 60 to 120Hz. The Pixel has a much brighter screen, reaching 3,000 nits.

I cranked the A37's screen to its maximum setting while out walking on a bright, sunny day. The brightness is sufficient for reading black text on a white background while scrolling through articles on PCMag, making it legible for a quick read.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

However, whether I was swiping through the home screen or watching a show on Peacock, I found the panel too reflective, often mirroring the sky, trees, and my face. This creates a distracting glare, but overall, the display is decent for a quick outdoor check of your notifications, emails, and the news.

Performance: An Upgrade, If Not a Leap

Samsung's Exynos 1480 chip powers the Galaxy A37, which is a pivot from the Qualcomm processor that powered the previous-generation A36. The 1480 is a commonly used chip across the Galaxy A series; it’s the same chip that powers the higher-tier Galaxy A55 from 2024. The real question is whether this two-year-old chip can still keep up in 2026.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

My review unit has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage ($449.99). You can upgrade to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $90 more ($539.99). I recommend springing for the latter, especially if you tend to hoard a lot of photos and videos.

I ran a bunch of benchmarks to determine how the A37 performs against competing phones, including the A36 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, 6GB of RAM) and the Pixel 10a (Google Tensor G4, 8GB).

On Geekbench 6, our go-to for testing CPU power, the Galaxy A37 scored 1,149 on the single-core test and 3,415 on the multi-core test. This beats the A36’s marks of 1,028 and 2,968, but the Pixel 10a is the surprising champ here. It bested both Samsung phones with zippy scores of 1,712 and 4,477.

To test the A37’s graphics rendering capabilities, I ran Genshin Impact, an intensive mobile game, on the medium setting at 60 frames per second.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

This device isn’t purpose-built for demanding games, so, as expected, my experience wasn’t fluid. I faced persistent microsutters—tiny, sub-second hiccups that repeated every few moments. They don’t break the game by any means; it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flaw. Still, it’s enough to remind me that I’m playing on midrange hardware rather than a flagship. On the plus side, the phone remains cool during intense gameplay.

Battery: Flagship Level

The A37 has a 5,000mAh battery that supports up to 45W wired charging. Unlike the Pixel 10a, which supports 10W Qi-certified charging, you can't juice up this Samsung wirelessly. The A37 doesn’t ship with a charger, either, so you’ll have to use your own or purchase one separately. The 10a does support wireless charging.

I ran a battery test on the A37 by streaming a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen set to its maximum brightness. The phone lasted 15 hours and 58 minutes, a slight drop compared with the A36, which ran for 16 hours and 40 minutes. However, the A37 beats the Pixel 10a's 5,100mAh battery, which lasted only 12 hours and 40 minutes in the same test. With nearly 16 hours of battery life, the A37 actually surpasses the S26 Ultra, which lasts 15 hours and 5 minutes.

When I connected the A37 to a compatible charger, the battery reached 35% in 15 minutes, 67% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is on par with most phones at this price.

Connections: An Unnoticeable Downgrade

The A37 offers 5G connectivity, including C-band and sub-6GHz, but not mmWave. It also has NFC and Wi-Fi 6, along with dual-SIM functionality, allowing for two physical SIMs or a combination of one physical SIM and one eSIM.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

One spec change that caught my attention, however, is that Samsung downgraded Bluetooth on the A37, from v5.4 on the A36 to v5.3 on the current-gen model. This isn’t a deal-breaker because Bluetooth 5.3 still covers everything most users need. It is most likely due to the switch from a Samsung processor to a Qualcomm processor. Unless features like Auracast are an absolute must, you’ll be fine.

On the Verizon 5G UW network in New York City, the Galaxy A37 peaked at 411Mbps for downloads and 107Mbps for uploads. On the same network and location, the $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max achieved download speeds nearly five times faster at 1,984Mbps. However, upload performance remained nearly identical at 106Mbps. The iPhone supports mmWave.

I tested the Galaxy A37 against the Wi-Fi 6 access point at PCMag's office. It nabbed 126Mbps down and 139Mbps up. These results struggled to meet the numbers I received for iPhone (333Mbps down, 716Mbps up). When I tested the phones at the far edge of the network, the A37 showed speeds of 169Mbps down and 193Mbps up. Surprisingly, the Pro Max couldn't keep up with speeds of 80Mbps down and 32Mbps up.

Audio: Uninspiring Sound

The call quality on the A37 is good enough. After listening to my voice in a test recording, the phone won’t win any awards for high-fidelity sound, but it is audible enough to catch every word. I heard a small amount of tinny distortion here and there, but it doesn’t interfere with clarity enough to be a deal-breaker.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The A37’s earpiece speaker reached 89.1dB with the meter placed directly against it, while the speakerphone hit 82.8dB at a distance of six inches. My benchmark is 70dB or higher, so the A37 clears that bar comfortably in terms of volume.

I fired up PCMag’s test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” and ran the same six-inch test. The A37 topped out at 83.7dB. For a midrange phone, the song sounded reasonably full, though there’s a touch of brittleness at higher volumes. For a more immersive audio experience, consider grabbing a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.

Camera: Good Where It Counts

The cameras on the Galaxy A37 are the same generation-over-generation: a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter, and a 5MP f/2.4 macro camera.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I took the A37’s cameras for a spin at a local park, starting with the main camera, which shoots 12.5MP by default using pixel binning. I also took some shots using the full 50MP resolution. As you can see with the 12.5MP shot below, Samsung’s pixel binning process yields better dynamic range.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

It impressively renders the trees’ shadows on the ground and the sunlight dappling through the leaves. The colors are slightly punchy, from the verdant green trees to the gnarled cherry blossoms.

I also grabbed a shot of the One World Trade Center in the distance in Lower Manhattan. The image delivered decent dynamic range in bright, midday conditions. The exposure between the sky, buildings, and shadowy areas is balanced.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

Where the 50MP shot wins, however, is in delivering more natural, true-to-life images. The capture below looks closest to what I saw in real life. It looks more muted with more even exposure compared with the 12.5MP shot. Plus, details are better. For example, in the park photo, the fine grooves and subtle ridges on the tree trunks and benches are more crisp.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

In the city capture below, brick textures, window patterns, and the spire structure appear more refined.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The ultrawide shot pulls in more of the scene. In the park image, I spotted houses across the lake and a brick structure in the distance near the white pergola.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

In the city capture here, I saw more of the surrounding skyline, including the taller buildings on both sides of the image, as well as more of the street area in the foreground.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

As is typical with ultrawide lenses, both shots trade image quality for a much broader field of view. The result is a softer, less refined image overall. with obvious optical distortion.

The 5MP macro camera has some clear limitations. The overall definition of these daffodils is soft, giving the image an oil painting effect. On the plus side, the colors are striking and vibrant, thanks to the contrast between the bright yellow petals and the orange trumpet-like part of the flower.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

As a foodie, I tested the macro feature on pastrami-spiced chicken at a rooftop restaurant. It captured the crispy coating and seasoning flakes on the delicious drumstick, but there is some softness around the edges of the image.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The slice I got from Joe's Pizza fared better with the macro camera, delivering sharper detail on the pepperoni, onions, and melted cheese while keeping colors rich and appetizing.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The front-facing camera, rocking a 12MP sensor and f/2.2 lens, is my favorite on the A37. 

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

It captured my vibrant skin tone and striking varsity jacket with Samsung’s signature pushed color processing. Portrait mode excelled at accurately separating individual hair strands from a soft-focus background.

The A37’s front and rear cameras max out at a resolution of 4K at 30 fps for video. I recorded a short video while walking in the park, and you can definitely tell the device lacks optical image stabilization. The footage looks shaky, so I recommend getting a gimbal for serious filming. The colors, from the muddy blue lake to the pink cherry blossom trees, popped in that familiar Samsung way. You won’t record crisp, high-detail, flagship-esque video from the A37, but it does the job.

Software: 'Awesome AI' Is Actually Useful

The Galaxy A37 comes with Android 16, Samsung’s One UI, and six years of security and OS updates. If that’s not enough for you, the Pixel 10a throws in an extra year, totaling seven years of updates.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The A series phones are not immune to the proliferation of AI across phones nowadays. The AI suite on Samsung’s premium devices is called Galaxy AI, but the mid-tier spin-off on the Galaxy A37 is called Awesome AI. Why it has a separate name, I do not know.

One of the additions to Awesome AI for the A37 is Voice Transcription, a feature I use on Samsung’s S series. I put it to the test by recording a conversation with my father. Not only did it accurately transcribe our chat, but it also successfully distinguished us as two unique speakers, categorizing the transcript lines accordingly. As a journalist, this is one of the most useful AI tools, as it takes the tedious grunt work out of transcribing interviews, briefings, and more.

The A36 may have introduced Circle to Search to the A series, but the A37 expands on it, allowing users to select multiple objects simultaneously. I tested this by circling a waterfowl and a clump of tall grass in a photo I took at a nearby park. In just seconds, I landed on an AI overview panel, which accurately explained that the image featured a Mute Swan and Yellow Iris.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I also tested Object Eraser, which, according to Samsung, produces more natural-looking images after removing unwanted objects. I scrubbed a small yellow flag, a bench, and a random stranger from photos in the gallery. When it comes to removing small objects, Awesome AI lives up to its name. I didn’t see a single trace of their existence in the edited images. However, for larger subjects, such as a human standing in the way of your shot, the edit leaves a subtle blur. You can’t tell unless you zoom in close, so it’s not a big deal, but there’s room for improvement.