As Australians and consumers worldwide await Samsung's newest midrange releases, the Korean electronics giant is banking on hardware refinement over radical innovation. Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 will launch on March 25. Both phones represent an incremental but meaningful step forward, though the cost of entry is rising faster than the improvements justify.
The standout design change is thickness. The A57 has the slimmest metal body across all ranges, at around 6mm, making it very slim and thin. The screen bezel is now thinner like the S series. These refinements appeal to consumers who value a phone that sits comfortably in a pocket, though whether the difference between 6.9mm and its predecessor's 7.4mm thickness justifies an upgrade is debatable. Samsung appears to be pursuing the same design minimalism that defined its flagship Galaxy S25 range last year.
Water protection is the practical upgrade that matters. Both phones are getting better protection against dust and water with an IP68 rating, which is a nice step up from the previous models. Where the predecessor A56 offered IP67 protection, the new A57 and A37 now meet the same standard as many flagship phones, meaning they can survive full submersion, not just splashing.
Specifications remain largely familiar. Both phones have 6.7-inch 1080p+ 120Hz OLED displays with 1,900 nits peak brightness. The A57 gets the new Exynos 1680 while the A37 runs on Exynos 1480. Both devices will also keep their 45W charging speed, which stands out as an unusual feature for this price segment; that's the same rate offered on the A36 and A56, and even faster than what you get on some older flagship Galaxy S models.
Samsung has added artificial intelligence capabilities to justify its premium positioning. The Galaxy A57 will include Transcript Assist, an AI tool that converts voice recordings and calls into text for students, meetings, and interviews. Whether these tools prove useful or become digital clutter remains to be seen in real-world use.
The concern for Australian buyers is price. Samsung A57 price in Australia is starting from A$880. Global pricing data suggests a meaningful jump across most markets. There may be a significant 15-20% price hike for both models. Displays manufactured by CSOT are around 20% cheaper than Samsung Display's, indicating Samsung is sourcing components strategically to manage costs without passing the full burden to consumers. Yet Thai retailer listings show a noticeable increase even before Australian taxes are factored in.
The justification Samsung offers is straightforward: component costs are rising, memory chips have become more expensive, and the A-series lineup has earned a reputation for longevity. Both devices will launch with Android 16 / One UI 8.5 out of the box and will receive 6 major OS updates. That represents a meaningful commitment in an era when midrange phones often face abandonment after two or three years.
For shoppers evaluating whether to wait or upgrade now, the question becomes whether marginal improvements in thinness, water resistance, and AI features justify the price premium. The Galaxy A57 is a competent phone that pulls closer to flagship functionality. Whether it pulls close enough depends on your definition of value.