Technologies

Galaxy A54 5G Hands-On: Samsung’s Budget Phone Gets a New Design

The $450 phone’s new design makes it feel more like a premium device.

Samsung’s new Galaxy A54 5G has a lot in common with its predecessor, but you wouldn’t guess just by looking at it. The Galaxy A54 5G, which costs $450 (£499, roughly converts to AU$915) and launches on April 6, brings a fresh design, new processor and updated camera to Samsung’s more wallet-friendly phone.

How to Preorder the Samsung Galaxy A54

Based on the brief amount of time I spent with it, the new design appears to be the biggest change. That might not matter much if you plan to put a case on your device. But it suggests Samsung is doing more to close the gap between its premium and budget devices. That could be particularly important if Samsung wants to catch up to Google’s Pixel 6A, which I said might be the best-looking phone in its price range in my review.

The Galaxy A54 5G’s new look

Samsung's Galaxy A54 5G being held with the screen showing — Richard Peterson/CNET

The Galaxy A54 5G has a new glossy finish that makes it feel more premium than last year’s Galaxy A53. The shiny back panel and matte edges remind me of the iPhone 11, and that’s a good thing.

You’ll also notice the camera bump is absent from the Galaxy A54 5G. Samsung replaced it with a floating camera setup similar to the one found on the Galaxy S23 lineup, giving it a more clean and consistent aesthetic. Looks aren’t the most important aspect of a phone, but it’s still great to see a sub-$500 device that doesn’t feel cheap.

It almost feels like Samsung is taking a page from Google’s book in terms of design. The $450 Pixel 6A, which is essentially a less expensive version of the Pixel 6, also has a glossy finish. And like the Galaxy A54 5G, the Pixel 6A inherits a camera design that’s similar to its premium sibling.

The Galaxy A54 5G has a 6.4-inch screen, making it slightly smaller than the 6.5-inch Galaxy A53 5G. I’ve always felt this size makes for a great medium between the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23 and 6.6-inch Galaxy S23 Plus, and that remains true with the Galaxy A54.

The Galaxy A53 5G (left) and the Galaxy A54 5G (right) being held up showing the back — Last year’s Galaxy A53 5G (left) with the new Galaxy A54 5G.

Richard Peterson/CNET

By putting more of a focus on the Galaxy A54’s looks, Samsung addressed one of my biggest complaints about the Galaxy A53. I specifically said there was nothing «new» or «interesting» about the Galaxy A53’s design, so I’m glad to see that’s changed this time around.

My other gripe about the Galaxy A53 was its sometimes sluggish performance. The Galaxy A54 5G runs on a newer processor called the Exynos 1380, which is likely the successor to the Exynos 1280 found inside the Galaxy A53. I haven’t spent enough time with the Galaxy A54 5G to know whether this new chip brings significant improvements. But in my brief time with the device, performance seemed just fine. Apps opened and closed quickly, the camera launched almost instantly and the keyboard popped up right away.

Camera is the major difference between the Galaxy A54 and S23

The triple camera on Samsung's Galaxy A54 5G — The Galaxy A54 5G has a triple-camera unit.

Richard Peterson/CNET

There are many differences between Samsung’s A-series budget devices and its premium S-series phones. However, the camera system continues to be the biggest one. The Galaxy A54 5G has a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and 5-megapixel macro camera. There’s no telephoto camera, so the Galaxy A54 5G only has a 10x digital zoom.

The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and 10-megapixel telephoto camera. While the main and ultrawide cameras may sound similar on paper, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some noticeable differences in image quality. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip inside the S23 lineup, which has been optimized for Samsung’s Galaxy phones, likely plays a notable role in the way photos are processed.

Samsung's Galaxy A54 5G in black (left) and purple (right) sitting up on a couch — Richard Peterson/CNET

You can’t use Samsung’s Expert Raw app on the Galaxy A54 5G either, which might be important for photography enthusiasts to consider. That said, the Galaxy A54 5G’s camera setup is just what you would expect on a phone of this price. It even has much more to offer than the $429 iPhone SE, which only has one 12-megapixel main camera with a 5x digital zoom.

Overall, the Galaxy A54 5G seems like a promising option for those seeking an Android phone that costs less than $500. But we’ll have to spend more time testing it before we know whether it’s worth recommending.

Galaxy A54 5G vs. Galaxy A53 5G Specs

	Galaxy A54 5G	Galaxy A53 5G
Display	6.4-inch FHD+;Super AMOLED; 120Hz refresh rate	6.5-inch FHD+; Super AMOLED; 120Hz refresh rate
Dimensions	158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm	74.8 x 159.6 x 8.1mm
Weight	202g	189g
Camera	50MP (main); 12MP (ultrawide); 5MP (macro)	64MP (main); 12MP (ultrawide); 5MP (depth); 5MP (macro)
Front Camera	32MP	32MP
Processor	Exynos 1380	Exynos 1280
Memory and Storage	6GB RAM + 128GB	6GB RAM + 128GB
Expandable Storage	Yes (up to 1TB)	Yes (Up to 1TB)
Battery	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh
Software (at launch)	Android 13	Android 12

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 29, #1744

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 29, No. 1,744.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is kind of a funny word, with some unusual letters I don’t often guess. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with C.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with P.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a foolish, easily tricked person.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is CHUMP.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, March 28, No. 1743, was AFOOT.

Recent Wordle answers

March 24, No. 1739: BROOD

March 25, No. 1740: WISER

March 26, No. 1741: BEFIT

March 27, No. 1742: IVORY

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

STARE

NOISE

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 29, #552

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 29 No. 552.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

I immediately spotted the yellow group answers, but thought, no, that’s too easy. Spoiler: It was just that easy. If you’re struggling with today’s Connections: Sports Edition, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Hitting.

Green group hint: Texas teams.

Blue group hint: Goal!

Purple group hint: Play ball!

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Parts of a cycle.

Green group: Houston sports team, in singular form.

Blue group: Former U.S. women’s national team soccer players.

Purple group: Ends in an MLB team in singular form.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is parts of a cycle. The four answers are double, home run, single and triple.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Houston sports team, in singular form. The four answers are Astro, Cougar, Rocket and Texan.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is former U.S. women’s national team soccer players. The four answers are Foudy, Hamm, Lilly and Solo.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends in an MLB team in singular form. The four answers are comet (Met), international (National), stranger (Ranger) and stray (Ray).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, March 29

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 29.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword was a little tricky. The fishing clue, 6-Across, stumped me for a while, but it eventually made sense. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.