Samsung’s latest additions to its A-series mid range lineup are the Galaxy A54 5G and the Galaxy A34 5G. Out of the two, the former is claimed to be the superior one in every aspect, be it power or optics. So we decided to test out how the cameras are on the Galaxy A54 5G and whether these Sensors can offer you the photo quality you deserve at a price point of Rs 38,999 for 8GB + 128GB. Here’s our camera review of the Galaxy A54 5G, where we dive in deep into the device’s camera performance in various scenarios.
The Camera App experience
The camera app on the Galaxy A54 5G is the standard Samsung one found on its other devices. Apart from the usual Photo, Video, Portrait and Night modes, you get a new ‘Fun’ mode. This mode uses various face filters from Snapchat, such as the Dog one, and is basically integrated within the camera app. You can even download more filters from the filter store.
Tapping on the ‘More’ button shows you a bunch of other modes such as the ‘Pro’ mode, ‘Pro Video’, ‘Food’, ‘Panorama’, ‘Macro’ and more. There’s also Bixby Vision and AR Zone which can be accessed from this menu. Then there’s the settings button up top, alongside the aspect ratio, timer, flash, motion photo options. As for the user experience, there is the infamous shutter lag which can be noticed quite often. Apart from that, the usage experience is smooth, without any major lags.
Outdoor Shots
Now, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G packs a triple rear camera setup, out of which the primary sensor is a 50MP f/1.8 shooter. This sensor supports PDAF and Optical Image Stabilization as well. The shots from this sensor in outdoor conditions where there’s plenty of light, come out to be really impressive.
There’s ample amount of detailing while the colours are vibrant and punchy. Exposure is handled well with decent dynamic range while sharpness is also on point. Overall, the primary sensor performs up to the mark where you can get the sensor enough amount of light.
Indoor Shots / Artificial lighting
Now, photos under artificial lighting are also impressive with detailing and sharpness on point. The colours were handled really well for my liking as they were more towards the natural side. When clicking subject-oriented photos without switching to portraits, the EDGE detection is much better, and the device focuses on the subject without any delays.
Low-lighting Shots
Shots under tough lighting conditions were also managed well by the camera on the Galaxy A54 5G as far as detailing is concerned. The photos didn’t come out smudgy as they usually do on some other smartphones.
However, I observed that the colours weren’t consistent as they often got over-saturated while in some cases, they turned out to be completely fine. Even though very low in intensity, there’s some amount of noise in the photo as well.
Selfies
Selfies from the 32MP f/2.2 front-facing sensor were very sharp and good with colours. The skin tones were well managed and once again, when you give it enough light, it can shoot exactly the type of selfies you would want, such as vibrant and detailed ones. However, I wasn’t very impressed with the edge-detection when shooting portraits because it often blurred out some parts of the human subject in the photo.
Ultrawide-angle shots
Ultrawide-Angle shots from the 12MP f/2.2 sensor, which has an FoV of 123 degrees, came out decent. Yes they aren’t comparable with the photos shot from the primary sensor in terms of detailing, but they also do not have a major colour shift which I have seen in a lot of smartphones. The sensor handles exposure fine while the sharpness could have been slightly better. The distortion at the edges was also well-contained and didn’t look weird at all.
Macro shots
The third and last sensor is a 5MP f/2.4 macro sensor and surprisingly, it isn’t as useless as it is on those smartphones that carry a 2MP sensor. This macro camera sensor on the Galaxy A54 5G actually clicks more than decent macro shots with enough details and vivid colours. It focuses quickly on the subject and doesn’t lose it very easily.
Portraits
While the device doesn’t have a dedicated telephoto or depth sensor for portraits, it handles the bokeh effect through software which isn’t really doing wonders. The bokeh effect in portraits is actually disappointing because it is highly inaccurate.
It can sometimes blur a major portion of the subject which makes the photo look unacceptable. Yes, the detailing and colours are decent but the major characteristic of a portrait – blur effect, isn’t the best by any means.
Night Shots
Talking about night shots, Samsung has added the nightography mode to the Galaxy A54 5G which is also available on some of its flagships, such as the Galaxy S23 series. In Samsung’s words, it “enables you to take vivid, highly optimised photos, even in the dark. Meaning you can avoid taking washed out, blurry night images. Pictures look sharp due to the innovative AI multi-frame processing which combines 30 images into just one shot, optimising colour and detail in every pixel”.
Now, without the Night mode turned on, the Galaxy A54 5G can already click good photos with sharpness and details on point. However, it can portray lights with an intense halo effect quite often, which actually interferes with the photo. However, with night mode turned on, both the amount of noise and the halo effect are turned down drastically. Photos look much better with this mode in night conditions and as in most conditions, the Galaxy A54 5G does click impressive night shots as well.
Final thoughts
Overall, the triple camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is performing really well under most scenarios. The portraits aren’t the best but if you can give up on that part, you do get a decent set of cameras on this phone that shouldn’t disappoint you in any way. As for answering the question we asked in the beginning, yes, the Galaxy A54 5G has a camera setup worth its price.
