If you are looking for a good Samsung smartphone in the budget of 25k, then let me tell you that Samsung has launched its new budget mid-range phone, Galaxy A17 5G. How does this phone perform in 2025 and is it value for money? I tested it and here I am going to tell you about it – design, camera, performance, and everything else. Let’s see what special this phone has brought!
Design: A little new, a little old
This is a budget A-series phone, which is for those who do not want fancy features. There is a little freshness in the design – now the phone comes in a matte finish, not glossy. The back is now made of glass fiber, the frame is plastic. This has made the phone a little thinner (7.5mm) and lighter (192g), which feels comfortable in the hand. There is an IP54 rating, which means it can be saved from a little dust and water splashes. The colors are Black, Blue, and Gray – Blue looks quite sleek. But yes, there is a little lack of premium feel, because the plastic frame is still there.
Display: Same old, but okay
There is no major change in the display, only now there is Gorilla Glass Victus protection, which can protect from scratches and cracks. The rest of the display is a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED with 1080p resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. Colours are vibrant, blacks are deep, and scrolling is smooth. But the refresh rate is not adaptive, so it doesn’t save battery. Brightness is the same as before – ~350 nits in manual and ~740 nits in auto mode. It works well outdoors, but nothing special. There is no HDR support, which was not expected at this price.
Audio: Bass will work
The phone has a single bottom-firing speaker, not stereo. Loudness is okay (~-26.4 LUFS), but there is distortion at high volume and the sound feels flat. There is a lack of bass and clarity. It is fine for casual use, but music lovers may not like it.
Performance: A little sluggish
Exynos 1330 chipset is there, which was also in last year’s A16 5G. AnTuTu and Geekbench scores are average for the budget segment. But in daily use, it lags a bit and stutters, especially in the 4GB RAM model. It is better to buy the 8GB RAM variant, but its price also increases. BGMI runs smoothly up to 60fps, but in heavy games there is sometimes a drop to 50-55fps. Thermals are quite under control – it got heated up to 45°C after gaming. There is UFS 2.2 storage (128GB/256GB), which can be expanded via microSD. But if it is UFS 3.1, it would be faster.
Software: Long-Term Deal
The phone comes with Android 15, on top of One UI 7. The UI is clean, and there are some flagship-level features, like Circle to Search. But there are no AI-based features, which seems a bit lacking. Big thing – Samsung will give this phone 6 years of OS updates and 6 years of security updates, which is extremely rare at this price. But there can be a challenge for such long support hardware.
Battery: It is average
There is a 5000mAh battery, which is the same as last year. In tests, it gave ~11 hours 48 minutes of active use time – for normal use (calls, social media, videos) it lasts for a day. There is 25W fast charging, but charger is not provided in the box. 0-48% happens in 30 minutes and full charge in 1 hour 20 minutes. Slightly slow compared to competitors’ 33W+ charging.
Camera: Main camera is fine, rest is average
There is a slight upgrade in the camera setup. The 50MP main camera with OIS gives sharp and colorful photos during the day. Details are good, but the dynamic range is a bit weak. Night mode reduces noise in low-light shots and colors come out better. The 5MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro lenses are average – ultra-wide has less details and macro shots have dull sharpness and colours. The 13MP selfie camera is solid – details and colours are good but sharpness could have been a little better.
Video recording is limited to 1080p which is a little disappointing. Main camera videos have good colours and contrast but ultra-wide videos are fuzzy. Electronic stabilisation (EIS) works but is not perfect. 4K recording is possible with third-party apps like Open Camera but EIS is not available.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 6.7-inch AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass Victus.
- 6 years of OS and security updates.
- Good daylight photos with OIS in the main camera.
- Lightweight and compact design.
- Expandable storage via microSD.
Cons:
- Lag and stutters in 4GB RAM variant.
- Ultra-wide and macro cameras average.
- 1080p video recording limited.
- Audio quality flat in single speaker.
- Charger not in the box.
Pricing: Is it worth it?
The price in India starts at ₹18,999 (6GB+128GB) and goes up to ₹23,499 for 8GB+256GB. At this price, this phone offers a lot of things – AMOLED display, long-term updates, and a decent main camera. But competitors like Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G or Poco M7 Plus have better chipsets and faster charging.
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G Specifications
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | Exynos 1330 (5nm) |
| RAM | 4GB / 6GB / 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB (microSD slot) |
| Display | 6.7-inch Super AMOLED, 1080×2340, 90Hz |
| Camera | 50MP Main (OIS) + 5MP Ultra-wide + 2MP Macro, 13MP Selfie |
| Battery | 5000mAh, 25W Fast Charging |
| Operating System | Android 15, One UI 7 |
| Build | Glass Fiber Back, Plastic Frame, 192g, IP54 |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is a budget phone that offers AMOLED display, solid software support, and a decent main camera. But there is a slight lack in performance, and the ultra-wide camera and video recording could have been better at this price. If you like the Samsung brand and want long-term updates, then this phone is useful, but buy only the 8GB RAM variant.
Otherwise, you can also check out the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G or Poco M7 Plus, which perform a little better than this. How did you like this phone, tell me in the comments!