Samsung Galaxy A37 Review (): A Discreet Evolution at a Higher Price

New year, new vintage of Samsung smartphones. After the Galaxy S26, the mid-range reveals its new models. If the A57 attracts attention, the Galaxy A37 nevertheless deserves that we linger on it. More accessible than the A57, it promises a real balance between performance, photo, nice bright screen, and solid battery life.

This ambition is however accompanied by a price increase of 50 to 80 euros depending on the configuration chosen, since the A36. A choice that can be understood, but which seems risky in a very competitive segment, where the Nothing Phone (4a), Pixel 10a, and Redmi Note 15 Pro advance serious arguments at more contained rates.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 is Samsung's 2026 mid-range smartphone sitting below the A57.

The Galaxy A37 is the new mid-range champion (with the A57) at Samsung. A range that has managed to maintain itself on the market, even faced with the competitive aggressiveness of competition.

Aesthetic

On the aesthetic side, Samsung does not look far and is strongly inspired by the lines of its Galaxy S family. We therefore find flat edges (here in plastic, against aluminium on the A57), except the right one which displays a delicate relief at the level of the physical buttons.

Front Face

The front face is very classic: flat, with a beautiful 6.8-inch screen that occupies 86.5% of the total surface. The screen bezels remain well visible: they have not benefited from the thinning of those of the A57. This remains however acceptable for a mobile under 500 euros.

Back and Materials

The back is the most recognisable, with its flat surface covered here with Gorilla Glass Victus+, and not plastic as is still often the case in this price range. Note that the surface is reflective and not matte.

Camera Bump

It is the optical block that brings the S26 touch to the Galaxy A family. There are three sensors arranged vertically and encapsulated in an oblong block less than 5 mm thick.

Dimensions and Durability

It displays generous dimensions (162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 for 196 g), which will not make it the best friend of people with small hands. It is certified IP68 and covered, on both sides, with Gorilla Glass Victus+.

For its A37, Samsung releases a Super AMOLED panel of 6.7 inches in Full HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels), with a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz. No LTPO technology, but in this price range, this is not the norm either.

Calibration

After having passed it under the test probe with the CalMAN Ultimate software from Portrait Displays, a Delta E of 3.27 was measured in SDR, against 3.5 for the reference value. It is even better calibrated than the Galaxy S26, which displays an average Delta E of 4.1!

Colour Space Coverage

There, it reveals itself less performant than its more expensive elder in the management of the colour space: a little less than 113% of BT.709, 76% of DCI-P3, and 51% of BT.2020.

Brightness

The point that most pleasantly surprised — its calibration was already one — is the brightness. Thus, in SDR, 1,196 nits were measured, enough to enjoy content in full daylight. In HDR, 1,923 nits are measured, which is excellent at this price level.

The Galaxy A37 embeds an Exynos 1480, a SoC that is no longer first youth and that equipped the Galaxy A55 released in 2024. It is supported by 6 or 8 GB of RAM, 128 or 256 GB of storage space, and finally a Samsung Xclipse 530 GPU.

Daily Use

On the ground, performance is consistent with testing. Thus, if this SoC is not a war thunderbolt, it amply suffices for daily use. The OS is fairly fluid, some jerks are noted from time to time but this remains rare. Applications are responsive.

Gaming Performance

On the gaming side, the GPU shows its limits here. Thus, it starts by launching Fortnite aiming for 60 fps in Epic graphics quality, and the result caps at best at 45 fps, with severe drops below 20 fps very regularly.

In medium mode, if 60 fps can sometimes be reached, we are rather, on average, at 50 to 55 fps. For Genshin Impact, it is useless to aim for 60 fps — it is better to aim for 30 fps for stability.

Thermal Management

On the heat side, Samsung masters its A37 well. Thus, during intensive use tests, very low throttling was noted with 11 points of the maximum power less on average. The temperature rise is quite progressive and concentrates in the area encompassing the optical block. During the most intense uses, it flirts with 40°C and rarely exceeds 42°C.

Like the Galaxy S26 family, the A37 embeds Android 16 with One UI 8.5. Therefore there is an already known, successful graphical interface, offering a nice panel of customisation options.

Samsung AI

Regarding artificial intelligence, Samsung considers that even the mid-range is entitled to it, and not just a few functions. Thus, in addition to Gemini, there is Circle to Search, AI photo editing, voice transcription, and translation in the dictaphone or during a call.

Local uses are possible in theory, and it should even be possible to ask AI to interact with your applications and certain data. For this, you must have a Samsung account, and especially be patient, because these functions are currently not available in Europe.

Update Support

Samsung promises six years of Android updates and security patches.

The optical block of the Galaxy A37 embeds a 50 MP wide-angle with f/1.8 aperture, a 5 MP macro with f/2.4 aperture, and an 8 MP ultra wide-angle with f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera is a 12 MP wide-angle with f/2.2 aperture.

Wide-Angle Performance

The wide-angle sensor, a priori, does a very good job. There is a good image, the sharpness is fairly precise, and the digital processing is less aggressive than on the ultra wide-angle. Certainly, microdetails are not up to par, but they largely suffice to give texture to surfaces. Colorimetry is natural and does not try to do too much.

Where the shoe pinches is the management of contrasts and brightness. The mobile tends to render images brighter than natural, while offering contrasts that lack a little presence.

Portrait Mode

The A37 offers an excellent portrait mode. Impeccable cut-out is enjoyed in the vast majority of cases. Colorimetry is beautiful, natural, and even the skin tone is rendered with precision.

Ultra Wide-Angle

An 8 MP sensor, which already presents good control of deformation effects. Natural colorimetry, soft, and which avoids being showy. Light management is efficient, and contrasts are fairly fine.

In night environments, shots are more random and the risk of blur quite high. Colorimetry is fairly good, a little too pale.

Zoom (Digital Only)

Big disappointment here. Where a Nothing Phone (4a) offers a telescopic 3.5x zoom, Samsung here delivers a 100% digital zoom. The manufacturer preferred to install a macro lens instead, a classic solution but which does not bring much added value daily.

The 2x zoom ensures a nice magnification, with an acceptable level of loss. The 4x zoom presents the first big limits of this digital zoom. The 10x zoom is really too short to use daily.

Selfie and Macro

In its globality, the selfie sensor does a very good job. The macro mode is present in place of a telephoto — it does the job here, but nothing more.

The A37 has two speakers that offer fairly balanced stereo, but not so enveloping. Mids are fairly well rendered, but the upper mid spectrum is too confused with highs that lack precision. As for the bass, they are more than discreet.

The Galaxy A37 supports all 5G frequencies in France, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 6. It offers dual SIM and also supports the eSIM format.

The 5,000 mAh battery gives correct results, with 12h 54 on the PCMark battery life test. The Galaxy A37 sits in the small average.

Real-World Usage

About 15 to 17 hours in mixed use, and a little less than 9 to 10 hours in intensive use.

Charging

Finally, 45 W fast charging allows recovering 12% in 5 minutes, 35% in 15 minutes. The battery exceeds 65% in 30 minutes and reaches 100% in 1h10.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 is available in white, black, green, and purple at the price of:

• €449 in 6 GB + 128 GB version
• €529 in 8 GB + 256 GB version

Positive Points

• Design and build quality
• Screen brightness in SDR and HDR
• Satisfying photo with the wide-angle sensor
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides
• Well-calibrated Super AMOLED display (better than S26 in Delta E)
• Six years of Android updates and security patches
• Samsung AI features including Circle to Search
• 45 W fast charging

Negative Points

• Exynos 1480 is the same SoC as the 2024 A55 — no upgrade
• 100% digital zoom (no telephoto)
• Macro lens instead of telephoto
• Plastic edges (vs aluminium on A57)
• Thick screen bezels not updated
• Bass missing from stereo speakers
• Price increase of €50-80 vs A36
• Heavy at 196 g for users with small hands