Samsung galaxy a57 is a copy-paste phone that insults your wallet

Samsung just photocopied last year’s mid-range homework, changed the processor, and expects us to applaud. The Galaxy A57 5G that lands in weeks is, leak for leak, the Galaxy A56 with a new sticker—same screen, same cameras, same 45 W brick, same everything except the silicon. If you blink, you miss the difference. If you pay, you feel the insult.

The exynos 1680 is lipstick on a lazy chassis

Benchmarks say the new chip nudges CPU scores up 12 %. Translation: scrolling Instagram will remain identical. Samsung’s own slides promise “AI boost”; the only intelligence on show is the marketing department’s. Meanwhile the 6,7″ 120 Hz OLED, the 50 MP triple array, the 5 000 mAh cell and the plastic frame are dragged forward like unloved luggage. The company that once shoved optical zoom and IP67 into the A-series now treats progress like a subscription it forgot to renew.

Look back two years and the story hurts. Galaxy A54 gave us glass back, new sensor, new design. A55 added aluminum rails. A56 stretched the screen and wired charging to 45 W. Each step felt worth the cab ride to the store. A57 feels worth a shrug emoji.

Competitors don’t nap, they leap

While Samsung recycles, Nothing slides periscope zoom under $500. RedMagic straps active liquid cooling and a see-through cyber-back into the same price bracket. Poco stitches a Bose-tuned subwoofer into the chassis and still undercuts Samsung by $150. Honor is stuffing silicon-carbon 6 000 mAh batteries into mid-rangers that charge in 35 minutes flat. The A-series used to punch up; now it can’t even keep pace with the kids outside the playground.

And yet Samsung will win. Retail muscle, carrier co-op and the trust halo of a billion-dollar brand guarantee healthy sales. The A57 will sit on every shelf, glowing under fluorescent light, promising “value”. Shoppers will grab it because the logo is familiar and the price looks kind next to the Galaxy S26. It’s the same reason people once bought beige PCs: not because they thrilled, but because nobody got fired for choosing them.

Samsung knows this. That’s why the boardroom spreadsheet shows zero incentive to innovate. The bean counters call it risk management; the rest of us call it boredom sold by the kilo. Every unchanged screw is a few cents saved, every recycled mold a faster turnaround. The loser is anyone who hoped 2025 mid-range phones might feel… new.

So if you crave excitement, walk past the navy-blue Samsung booth. Pick up the RedMagic 11 Pro and feel the coolant hum. Try the Poco F8 Ultra and watch the denim back flex under your thumb. Or wait for the Motorola Edge with its walnut finish. Just don’t reward laziness. The A57 isn’t a crime; it’s a symptom. And the only cure is a cart that rolls past the logo and keeps moving.