Samsung has introduced the Galaxy A35 5G alongside its sibling, the A55 5G, as the latest entries in their mid-range smartphone lineup this year. The A35, a modest step up from last year’s A34, features subtle improvements and offers slightly enhanced rear cameras and a refined back panel that shifts from plastic to a more polished glass finish. These changes, while not groundbreaking, are improvements nonetheless. But even so, I can only talk more about the phone’s performance after testing it.
For now, let’s take a look at the phone.
What’s in the box
The A35 comes in the standard Samsung packaging with the mobile phone, sim-eject pin, and the charging cable neatly rolled and tucked into the slim box. There isn’t much to expect here since the brand’s packaging is standardised no matter which phone you get – be it the highest S-series range or the mid-tier A-series like this one.
Price List
Available in two models, the A35 costs RM 1,399 for 128GB storage with 6GB RAM, whereas the higher spec model costs RM 1,699 for double the storage at 256GB and a higher 8GB RAM.
The RM 300 or 21% price difference between the two models may seem steep when we say it out, but if you’re looking for long-term use then the extra 128GB storage and 2GB RAM may just give the phone another 2 years of practical lifespan.
Design and build
The phone comes in three beautiful colours – Navy, Iceblue, and Lilac. They don’t just look great but they feel great too thanks to the new glass back replacing last year’s plastic finish, offering better impact protection at the same time. It still has a plastic frame, but at least most of the phone’s surface area now has a premium look and feel, (almost) on par even, with Samsung’s flagship S-series.
In terms of body dimension, the A35 measures 161.7 x 78 x 8.2 mm and weighs 209g. Putting it side by side my current S24+ that came out earlier this year, the A35 looked slightly bigger although with a smaller screen size at 6.6” to my S24+ at 6.7”.
The phone is rated with an IP67 rating, protecting the phone against external intrusion of dust and water (water resistant up to 1m for 30 minutes only). On the inside (software and Operating System), there’s Samsung’s famed Knox Vault. This EAL5+ certified system is designed to protect the sensitive information within your A35 phone like your PIN, Password, and security screen pattern.
In the battery department, the phone comes packed with an impressive 5,000mAh tank. If you don’t know what this means, it means this A35 has the same battery capacity as the most expensive S-Ultra series phone from Samsung this year. The slightly lower-tier S24+ model that costs more than twice the A35 only came with a 4,900mAh capacity. The base S24 model is even further behind, with a 4,000mAh battery unit and it costs RM 4,099 compared to the A35’s RM 1,699.
However, a high battery capacity does not guarantee great battery life. There’s also the point where the phone only charges at 25W (wired), which could take a while for the device to fully charge. But we’ll get into these in the full review where we’ll also talk about the phone’s performance in everyday use.
Full Spec Sheet
| Dimension | 161.7mm x 78mm x 8.2mm or 6.37in x 3.07in x 0.24in |
| Weight | 209 gram |
| IP Rating | IP67 dust and water-resistant (up to 1m for 30mins) |
| Material | Glass Front with Gorilla Glass Victus+, Glass Back, and a Plastic Chasis |
| Colours | Iceblue, Lilac, Navy |
| Price | 128GB | 6 GB – RM 1,399 256GB | 8 GB – RM 1,699 |
| Display | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1000 nits |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~390 ppi density) |
| Display Size | 6.6” at 84.8% screen-to-body ratio |
| Operating System | Android 14, One UI 6.1 |
| Chipset | Exynos 1380 (5nm) |
| Memory | 128GB|6GB 256GB|8GB |
| External Memory Card Slot | microSDXC (via shared SIM slot) |
| Main Camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.96″, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro) |
| Main Camera Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie Camera | 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.12µm |
| Selfie Camera Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | Stereo. No 3.5mm audio jack |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Battery | 5,000mAh non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired |
Looking good so far
The device comes packed with the latest Android 14, One UI 6.1, and carries an Exynos 1350 (5nm) chip. Looking at its specs on paper and considering the average day-to-day needs and trends, the Galaxy A35 seemed to be promising – especially the 8GB variant. Stay tuned for our full review of the device and we’ll tell you if the phone’s specs match our expectations.
