The Galaxy A57 leans embarrassingly close to the Galaxy A56: progress or regress?

If your "new year, new me" resolution prohibits you from spending anything above $500 on a new phone – but you want the most bang for your buck – well, the cheap and cheerful $200 handsets are out of the equation. These are often too buggy and slow to be bothered with.

That's why mankind created the mid-range dominion, where you get to save some hard-earned $$$ while simultaneously getting a capable phone that won't let you down.

But you have to choose carefully.

Leaving Apple and the iOS genre aside, I think most people will end up with a Samsung phone from their Galaxy A5x series, especially if the hypothetical buyer is not particularly tech-savvy. I'm not saying that Sammy's mid-rangers should be avoided – they're fine – but I think this series' popularity owes much to Samsung's overall reputation and recognition across the world.

Since the Galaxy A57 is the next installment (and it's approaching fast; it's expected in March… or even earlier), it's logical to dive a bit deeper into this particular mid-ranger.

Big leap? Not so fast

Now, about the Galaxy A57. If you were hoping for a big leap forward from the A56, brace yourself: Samsung is playing it safe. On paper, the most notable upgrade is the Exynos 1680 chipset, which should bring a GPU and efficiency bump thanks to its 3nm process.

That's promising, and it could mean smoother gaming and better heat management, but everything else seems largely recycled. Early info speaks of the same 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, same triple-camera setup led by a 50MP main sensor, same 12MP selfie cam, and worst of all, the battery remains at 5,000mAh with 45W charging.

Frankly, for a mid-ranger in 2026, that could be seen as underwhelming. Not because it's "bad" in any sense of the word, but because it's… uninspiring. It's too safe, and we need some adventure from time to time.

Samsung could have pushed the envelope a little more here, especially when rivals are steadily upping battery size and charging speed in this price tier.

Don't get me wrong, the A57 will absolutely, definitely, positively work fine for the average user. Apps will run smoothly, the display will look vibrant, and the cameras are competent enough for casual snaps.

But it's hard to ignore that Samsung is basically repeating what it did last year, only swapping in a slightly faster chipset.

Hello, Moto!

Contrast that with the upcoming Motorola Edge 70 Fusion, which feels like a phone built to impress.

Starting with the display: 6.78 inches of AMOLED, 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and brightness reaching up to 5,200 nits. Of course, that last metric refers only to a small portion of the screen (and for a limited period of time), but it seems that this panel won't struggle in sunlight, and motion will look crisp.

The rear 50MP camera (Sony LYTIA sensor) and 32MP front shooter promise solid imaging capabilities, while the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, paired with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, should translate to a decent performance level.

Sure, in synthetic benchmarks the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 may fall slightly behind even the Galaxy A56's Exynos 1580 – but the Edge 70 Fusion's 7,000mAh battery more than makes up for it. Oh, yes, it also supports 68W charging speeds, which is a revelation in a world of 45W speeds.

Durability is another strong suit. With Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, a nylon- and linen-inspired back, and MIL-STD-810H plus IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance, the Fusion poses as a tough one.

Of course, you'll get fewer software updates with Motorola, so keep that in mind.

Which one to choose?

Now, let's be honest: neither phone is a flagship, and that's fine. Mid-rangers have limits, and anyone looking for top-tier gaming or photography knows to spend more.

But if I had to pick between the two, I'd lean toward the Moto. Even if Samsung's Exynos 1680 delivers a noticeable performance boost over the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (and I expect it to), the Edge 70 Fusion's enormous battery and high-end display are simply too compelling to ignore. Realistically, most mid-range buyers aren't chasing the absolute fastest chip, but crave reliability, long battery life, and a solid overall experience.

If you're leaning towards the Galaxy A57, there's nothing wrong with that! It seems like a cool phone, just not a revolutionary one.