Samsung Galaxy A54 5G vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra - Is an older flagship always the best option?
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2023
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My thoughts on the Galaxy A54 5G vs a phone like the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Is an older Samsung flagship always the best option? It used to not even be close, but I think mid-range phones have done a lot to catch up and offer a few benefits that the older devices do not. It's not the slam dunk it once was, plus, for some people, it's the only option through a carrier.
#galaxya54 #samsunggalaxy #galaxys21ultra
/ stevealicioustech - Věda a technologie
Both phones can appeal to people depending on your situation!
Does the A54 have haptic engine like flagships?
Crazy to think a 2-year-old flagship has depreciated by 75% when fast forward to today the s23 Ultra goes for 12 to $1,300.
Pretty much!!
Android phones in general. Always pays to wait six months or a year goes the phone loses value so fast cause they are so many android phones. Hell the S23 Ultra has been on sale for the last month on Amazon already.
I want the S23 ultra. New still from 1300$, "used" online around 1000$..I'm gonna wait when the s24 releases the S23u will be sub 700$..and let me tell you, as a s21 ultra user, who tried s23u and iphone 14 pm, the S23 is THE best phone in the world rn.
I want it badly. I could buy it easy even today. But I'd hate myself for buying a efin phone for 1000+$ = stupidity.
@@ancientslav4863 i bought it today new for 618 euros
the s21 Ultra in Phantom Silver is one of the most beautiful phone's I've ever had in my hand's next to the copper s20 Note Ultra. coming from s20&s21fe and now on s23 base model i would always prefer the older Flagship device over an Exynos driven A Class device!!
Typically, Mid High Phone can beat 3-4 year Flagship phone. I went from XZ2 to A52s. It is night and day, i dont even think that I need a flagship anymore. (Back then Flaghsip, ko brainer, I got LG G2 back in 2013, and it was best choice, FHD screen, best camera etc)
This video is very well said and nicely put together, mentioned some very important points that i personally overlooked. Great video. Definitely deserves a thumbs up from me.
I'm more of a Pixel guy myself because there's no bloat ware and no dual apps you can't delete on them. I did enjoy One UI but my S21 FE didn't have dual SIM, had quite a bit of non removable bloat ware, and the RAM management was awful. However, if Samsung were my preference on Android, it'd be a tough decision between these two phones. It does appear that Samsung improved a lot from last year's A53 to the A54 this year. You'd get much better support and battery life from the A54 but the S21 Ultra is the more flagship phone of the two. And I'm surprised that people say the snapdragon 888 runs hot because I never had any overheating except when I played a certain casino app of mine. And that app ran an iPhone XS hot and my current Pixel 6 hot too. And you gotta remember, many times it's the power intensive apps like games that will run hot and not necessarily the processor. Great comparison video!
I have S21 FE with SD 888 and it doesn't heat up as much as other people say. I had zero heating issues even in 30°+ C climate.
I think the problem of heat is in the S21 normal with the 888 manufactured by Samsung, the. Then was replaced for the 888 TSMC
Great video. A few years back I picked up a Pixel 4a because it was cheap. I used it for a year before upgrading to a flagship iPhone. To this day, I still use the Pixel as a second phone and love every second of it, in fact, I'm typing this comment on that same 4a. Point being: mid-ranged phones have gotten really really good.
They have!
3:58 *Display is far from being a tie.*
Contrast, colour calibration, brightness etc is all superior on S21U.
Apart from extra Android updates and slightly better battery-life, the S21U is leagues ahead of Galaxy A54 in every department.
Basically, 90% of the people should get the S21U if they can get it for the same price. *Else, the Pixel 6a or even Pixel 7a would be a better buy over Galaxy A54.*
Cheers 🥂
100% agree with you. S21 ultra is not like a 5 year flagship. It's just 2 years back. So it still has almost thesame specs u need even on the s23 ultra
The video maker might possibly be blind 🤔
@@NyctNyctdefinitely
Even the 2nd hand price for S21U still more exp than the A54
I got a54 for 250$ brand new , meanwhile in my country 21 ultra still goes for 400-450 dollars used
I'm an S23 Ultra user, and for me it's all about the camera. Replacing A71 and S21 as my travel unit and backup devices with S21 Ultra, I also need esim compatibility now that's more wide spread. The phone is always with me for those cool snaps and the telephoto is wild, only other camera I carry is the Olympus TG-4 for those underwater excursions.
I just can't find a reason to change my S21 Ultra. I think I will change the battery or get another S21 Ultra, before switching model.
The only phone I would consider upgrading to is S23+.
I then realise it's not an upgrade in some areas and find myself now waiting for the S24 series.
I'm not mad keen on the big boxy Ultras, so + is the way to go for me.
I definitely wouldn't consider an A54 over S21 Ultra. Nice to see other views on this matter!
Yeah, nor should you, especially if you already have an S21 Ultra, certainly not something you'd upgrade from, but if you were coming in cold, the older device is not always the best option.
@@StevealiciousTech Yeah, I agree. I would buy my wife the A54 as she would prefer a smaller phone and better battery life. She would not know or care about the other differences!
carrier problems are only problems for America. for countries where carrier contracts don't exist, it's absolutely not an issue.
Very strong arguments but when push comes to shove will take the S21 Ultra over the A54 every time. Yes a few more software updates over the Ultra but despite this the Ultra have far more high end gear over the A54. The iPhone SE 2022 has the newest chip and 5G but if I had a choice I would go with the iPhone 11 despite being older it have 2 lenses bigger built and so forth. Enjoy your CZcams videos.
Thanks! But yeah, definitely, I just don’t think everyone has that choice or looks at it differently. I agree the S21 is better but the A54 is still the best option for lots of people for a few reasons.
@@StevealiciousTech I wanted mentioned that Samsung website do carry refurbished phones that would get a new battery and so forth but yes if mom or dad go to a carrier and the A54 for a sweet deal then of course they would consider it indeed
Today is the golden age of smartphone.. all of the technology puts it in back 3-4 years ago is still relevant from today. It so exciting what we will get on the next years.
Good comparison, Delicious Steve. I don't think I've seen anyone else compare these. However, I think the S20 Plus would have been the best comparison, because they have more similar size, power and number of cameras.
S20 plus is like below 200 is cheapest price I've seen
I have no idea why he would compare 100+ price gap
It's about the price not about devices being similar In power and number of cameras
S21 ultra was favorite design Samsung phone.
Yep, I prefer it more than my s23 ultra
As a gamer I prefer a refurbished flagship
I'm having a tough time giving up expandable memory. I really am. My S20 Ultra is getting over the hill, so I'm likely moving to the A-Series of phones.
Yeah, it's really the next most powerful new phone you can get that still features MicroSD from Samsung.
I've always preferred an old flashiphone over mid-range phones, the reason is that I will get a stronger processor and better cameras, especially for video shooting, and it also contains flashchip specifications that mid range phones do not get.
Ultra 👍
You also take the chance of buying a used flagship with a really bad battery. I still buy used flagship from time to time. But a lot of people aren't willing to risk it
I completely agree 👍
The only reason to pick the A54 is getting a good deal with the carrier, paying like 15 bucks max with service included... and hopefully for less than 36 months. Other than that... its MEH... i just got a refurbished S20 FE for 180bucks...
Wow you really sold me on the A54 I wasn't expecting that
The heat you are describing with the 888 SoC is bit overexaggerated.
Yeh the way he described the heat feel like he got the defected unit and blame the phone lmao
I love ❤️ your explanation its so beautiful ❤
I'm from Uganda , I use A54 but i haven't received Android 14 update 😢on my phone
Yep you make very good points. I've been tempted to get the a54 just to have a Samsung phone and try out -5.1... got a friend. He'll sell to me for $350
Not bad! It’s worth checking out.
I don’t think you get all the features unless it’s a flagship
@@katinasoutherland7693 you don't get Dex, but not even the Flip 4 has that. Otherwise, it's a decent 5.1 experience.
i just got the s21 ultra refurbished sd888, from note 10 sd855 for 5 years. im late to the game. but its still good.
I love my samsung galaxy a54 5g best ever
It's like comparing a new Toyota Corolla Altis to last year's Toyota 86.
I just ordered a54 for $250. I come from iPhone, but this samsung convinced me
How are you liking it?
@@aanaa99 it's really good for my usage, great battery, beautifull display and it's fluid, cameras are good. I am not a mobile gamer but so far it's a very decent device. I loved that samsung will support updates for 4-5 years.
@@zcosmonaut9982 Awesome! I think I will buy it as a present for my sister
Forgive my ignorance 😂 so I live in the UK and obviously we have the ability to pay monthly through a carrier or we can pay samsung per month for a device. When you say $4 a month, how is that possible for a $400+ phone? I don't get how they can charge so little? 😂 am I missing something? Is it $4 a month for the phone as long as you buy a plan with it or?
Yes, it's over 2 years, so you are with T-mobile or whoever for two years just paying your bill. Our carrier experience is much different here in the US. But if you were paying that anyway, adding $4 and getting a device isn't such a bad deal.
@@StevealiciousTech I get you! That makes much more sense now 😂 so maybe it could be around $20-25 a month for the a54 together with the t-mobile service you reckon?
Oh boy, don't we wish. Cell service through major carriers costs quite a bit more here. If you manage to be under $100, you're doing ok. I just looked it up and the average cell bill in the US is $127.
@@StevealiciousTech HOLYYY 💩 😂 here in the UK a lot of people just pay for the service and buy a phone separately. So some people may only be paying £20/$20 a month for service! And then if for example you want the latest and greatest like the S23 Ultra, from a carrier you could probably get it for about £65/$65 a month and that's WITH service 😂. It's crazy how much more expensive it is in the US considering there's about 5x the population of the UK! 😂
@Xander89m yeah I pay £45 a month for 4 lines. Mine has unlimited everything. Then my three boys have unlimited calls and txt with small amount of data. I then share 100GB of data between them for the month. Then when I'm ready I just by my phone from Samsung and pay off monthly for the year or even 18 months interest free.
Only in the states people get phone from the provider wich is a way to get tied to a plan and to a provider. An oligopplist ice market with ridiculous price of plans and a service not the best.. The phone must be bought by the user. At the end will cost less and give you ability to switch provider whenever you want at your convenience.
Do you remember which had a "cooler" color temp?
A54 but barely. They are both punchy.
I'd rather have less updates than having more and then phone being slow AF due to the slow cpu,in europe carriers are not a problem you can find even s8's or s10's at vodafone new! I have the s21 ultra Exynos and have no problem with heat,I live in Romania and there are about 40°C outside and it has no problem in my pocket even in the car it dosebt heat....Plus from a Tech guy's perspective updates are no problem I can install custom roms on my phone....,plus display is better on the s21 ultra not same quality Dynamic Amoled 2X (1500 nits peak with HDR) vs Super Amoled (1000 nits peak) ,not even Super Amoled+ which was on A73 which i dont know if the A74 will come out...cameras are decent,...Interesting review..
I wouldn't exactly call the s21ultra old. Ppl who bought it new are still paying payments and using it. You can slide in w one like u had it all along 😊 There's very little difference between note 20 ultra and s23 ultra. I like the note 20 ultra better.
Here its a no brainer if you own your phone you get unlimited everything for $11 a month. If you get the A54 phone on contract the phone is free, but you are locked into a two year contract at $66 a month. So total cost for the second hand option is about $650 for the new phone it's about $1600, over the first two years.
Yeah, and that's the cool part. It depends on your situation and what makes sense for you. But, you still have to have the $650 out of pocket up front, which some people don't, but if you do, it makes sense.
True, but more and more people here are choosing that route as after deducting the cost of the phone you are paying $700 odd more for the same service over two years. The last time i got a good deal with a contract was the s9+ for €200. The note 20 ultra with a contract was €700, plus €60 a month. I hope the contracts there are better value
Usually, it depends, carriers here are a mess by default. So cheap service through one of the majors even bringing your own phone is not really a thing.
@@StevealiciousTech makes the decision much more difficult.
If A54 oled is anything close to S22, it's a bad screen. And I guess the A54 is worse than S22. S21u beats it in every way of color saturation, depth and looks.
There is no comparison bro hello
I don't really get the 4$ a month argument.... Where do you get a phone so cheap? Is he talking about those contracts where you finance the 400$ phone over two years with a overpriced monthly payment like 35$ for a data plan that would usually cost 10$ ?
There are often promotions here in the US through T mobile and others. You want to say the service is overpriced, that's anything with our carriers here.
So I got mines today honestly wanted the s21 fe couldn't find it anywhere don't due used fones so I got this and I'm pleasantly surprised don't believe the lies this thang a MONSTER extremely snappy looks as good and I do mean as good as the 21 honestly I can't tell the difference as far as performance camera is actually extremely underrated again this is my day 1 but man these CZcamsrs LYING BETWEEN THE S21 N THIS IS this definitely a mid range but flagship aspects are here and honestly I'm not even disappointed like I thought I would be
Good phone for sure!
I am afraid 6.8 inch might be too big
s21 ultra is supported till 2027 plus the CPU and RAM is considerably more powerful in the ultra.. very important if you want to multitask run apps or games ,, I'm debating between the two devices right now , I always pay for my phones n full ..
Very early 2026 and that's for security patches only on a relatively infrequent basis. It stops getting Android upgrades next year.
Just paid off my S21 Ultra recently and still happy with it. I did see that Samsung is giving 600 in trade in credit towards an S22 Ultra that is certified renewed, but I don't really think its worth it to "upgrade," to it and would prefer at least a few years between devices. 400 for an S22U is a pretty good price though.
It is, but it's not a real upgrade in battery and the performance would be...not really noticeable at this point. Unless you are a big s-pen person from way back, you are certainly ok holding off for a bit.
s21u better in everything by miles
Flagsip still flagship. Btw exynos 2100 >> exynos 1380
always go with s series for galaxy. and no to exnos chip. a series will be old in 1 year and s21 is flagship phone
If u think a A54 IN ANY WAY is better that s21 ultra it not sorry upgraded from buying dat midrange and its like night ove day
Thank you so much I had A S21Ultara and I am looking for Better Oltantive like S23 midrange $ price right now is 900$ US dollar 💵 and I don't like it A54 right now,"
Of course s21 ultra only.
People, I've tried all phones, cheap, mid, high end flagships... Don't let them fool you. Specs aside, these A series don't match an S series no way. S21u belongs to maybe top 20 phones in the world rn. A54 as others cheaper phones doesn't come close. A 2 or 3 yo flagship beats ANYTHING new mid range in terms of feel, speed, sound, and screen.
I've had a regular S22. The screen on my current s21 ultra is in a different league. Maybe 3 tiers above
Your not wrong. I got the Galaxy A54 in hopes to switch to the Samsung devices from the iPhone. And I don’t like it. It’s a decent phone but I still find myself going back to the iPhone 8 Plus which is crazy to say. The iPhone 12 & 13 are miles ahead.
& I used the S23 and it is also miles ahead. Only great thing about the A54 is the battery.
Most likely going to get the iPhone 11 Pro Max refurbished.
@@Tybapz I'm not a heavy user, but I'm a battery, screen and speaker guy. I confess I watch CZcams on phone sometimes 2+ hours a day.
I need a perfect screen and sound. There are top tier oled screens, and low tier oleds too. Also, fit and finish, frame thickness, weight balance, overall feel...
Like... The s22 has a 120hz dynamic amoled 2x and a newer CPU. My s21u has oder CPU and also a dynamic amoled 2x screen. And guess what... The 120hz on the s21u feels faster don't know how else to say it. And the screen is much better looking. I heard the s22 line was efd. And that the s22u has better screen than the s22 but the speakers suck too. I heard them. In terms of sound it's s23u > s21u > s22u. Screen is s23u > s22u/s21u.
As for A series, like A54 and older A53/52, you can feel the micro lags, low tier oled, less smooth 120hz (don't understand why tho), and cheaper feel even in cases. Just goes to show you can't do wore a 399$ phone to 1000-1500$. They wouldnt make it the same. That's be impossible to sell.
@@ancientslav4863 Me too I like a good quality screen & sound and decent battery. Because when im at work i like to have the phone on the background watching videos youtube etc.
Reason I would lean more into the iPhone is because i’ve used it my whole life and its easy and simple for me to use.
If I was a Samsung user I would definitely use the S21 and above over the A54. Old flagships are just so much better then any kind of mid range phone.
Disrespectful comparison
Ooooooook
Missed so many photos bc the A54 is dog shit slow.
- for me, it's totally fine to buy an old flagship rather spend more money on midrange. Not worth it tbh. Why? Because flagship is flagship. Periodt.
This Galaxy A54 remains a real enigma for me, I can't understand how some people buy it full pot 🤔
This smartphone is worth a maximum of $250 in view of the current market, whether in North America or elsewhere🤧
Seriously, the bezels, the chin, and Above all that silver circle around the A54's selfie 🤢
Not to mention the difference in quality in photo-video (What's the point of having optical stabilization and being able to shoot in 4k, when only the FHD/30 is stabilized 🤷🏽♂️) and especially the difference in brightness and real quality of the screens of the S compared to the A.
Frankly, if you necessarily want Samsung, buy a refurbished S21 Plus Snapdragon or even Exynos 2100 or a OnePlus 10 or a Pixel 7, or, if there's no rush, wait for the Pixel 7a instead of this A54
I can promise you the people buying it don't care about the bezels or chin. And the A54 does the job enough with camera. All of those devices you mentioned that were new were slightly or significantly more expensive, and some people don't want to or can't go refurbished. If it's not for you, that's fine, we get it. The point is that for the people it is for, it will do the job just fine. And I've lived with it for 30 days. The thing can do the job for the money. It's a nice phone. Listening to other reviewers gripe on the internet doesn't give you a proper impression. Use it, you'd be pleased.
Id rather have a new phone for 450 dollars that will serve me for 4 years, than an old flag ship that isnt supported in 2 years. Bezels and chins.. i dont care.
Just retired my old S10 for this A54, and thats only because the S10 isnt supported anymore and the battery left something to be desired after 4 years of use.
It's a new phone, battery lasts me for a full day and a half if I don't charge it by that time... It's good, I don't much care about specs, it runs CZcams and email and Whatsapp and basically anything I use on daily basis.
I will throw it out in a year anyway.
S21 ultra was favorite design Samsung phone.
A really good design for sure!