Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy A57 5G and Galaxy A37 5G in Kenya, adding two new mid-range phones to a segment where the company already dominates. Both devices are available now at Samsung Experience Stores and authorised dealers nationwide.
The Galaxy A57 5G is the stronger of the two, and Samsung is positioning it as the most capable A-series device ever made. The A37 5G sits at a slightly lower tier but shares most of the core features that matter.
Pricing
The Galaxy A57 5G retails at KES 68,300 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and KES 60,900 for the 8GB + 128GB. The Galaxy A37 5G comes in at KES 60,200 for 8GB + 256GB and KES 49,000 for 6GB + 128GB.
What’s actually in these phones
Both devices run on Samsung’s new One UI 8.5 and are powered by Exynos chips built on a 4nm process. The A57 5G uses the newer Exynos 1680, which Samsung says delivers a 10% bump in CPU performance and a significant 42% improvement in neural processing over the Exynos 1580 found in the outgoing A56. That last number matters more than it sounds: the neural processing unit (NPU) is the chip dedicated to running AI tasks locally on the device, without sending your data to a cloud server. More NPU power means AI features like Object Eraser, scene recognition, and voice transcription run faster and with less battery drain.
The A37 5G makes an even bigger NPU leap, moving from the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in the A36 to the Exynos 1480, which Samsung says results in a 167% improvement in neural processing performance.
Both phones have 6.7-inch displays running at 120Hz with a peak brightness of 1,900 nits and a Full HD+ resolution. The A57 5G gets a Super AMOLED+ panel with near-symmetrical bezels and a slimmer 6.9mm chassis built on an aluminium frame. The A37 5G sticks with a plastic frame but still gets Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front.
On cameras, both phones carry a triple rear setup led by a 50MP main sensor. The A57 5G gets additional processing enhancements: faster shutter speed, better noise reduction, and a Best Face feature that works across burst shots. This is the feature that picks the best version of each person’s face from a burst sequence, which is especially useful for group photos where someone always seems to blink at the wrong moment.
Both phones are rated IP68, meaning they can handle being submerged in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for 30 minutes. That is an upgrade over previous A-series ratings and puts these phones on par with Samsung’s flagships in that specific regard.
Battery is 5,000mAh on both models, with Samsung claiming up to two days of use on the A57 5G. Fast charging is rated at 45W, and Samsung says you can get to 60% in about 30 minutes.
The AI story
Samsung has branded its AI suite “Awesome Intelligence,” which is a marketing name for a collection of on-device and cloud-assisted tools that come bundled with One UI 8.5.
The practical ones worth paying attention to:
- Voice Transcription in the Voice Recorder app automatically transcribes and translates call recordings or voicemails into text. If you attend a lot of meetings or lectures you’d rather not replay in full, this is genuinely useful.
- Object Eraser uses AI to remove unwanted elements from photos and fill the background naturally. The quality of results varies depending on the complexity of the background, but Samsung says the newest version produces more convincing fill than the previous iteration.
- AI Select lets you long-press the Edge Panel handle on the side of the screen to immediately pull text or images off whatever is on your display, then drop them directly into Samsung Notes or the photo editor. It removes the usual copy-and-paste routine for moving content between apps.
- Circle to Search (a Google feature, not Samsung’s own) now supports selecting multiple objects in a single search. You can circle an entire outfit in a photo and search for every item simultaneously, rather than doing one piece at a time.
Both Bixby and Gemini are available as voice assistants. Bixby handles device controls and settings. Gemini handles more complex tasks across apps. They serve different purposes and coexist rather than compete.
Six years of updates:
This is the part of the press release that deserves more attention than it typically gets.
Samsung is committing to six generations of Android OS upgrades and six years of security patches for both phones, starting from their global launch date. In practical terms, if you buy an A57 5G today, Samsung has committed to keeping it updated until roughly 2032.
That matters for a few reasons. Security patches protect you against newly discovered vulnerabilities. OS upgrades bring new features and often improve app compatibility. And in a market like Kenya where the average smartphone upgrade cycle tends to be longer than in Western markets due to cost, buying a phone that will remain supported for six years is a meaningfully different value proposition than buying one that will be abandoned in two or three.
Most Android phones outside of Samsung and Google’s Pixel line still receive only two or three years of major updates. Apple’s iPhones typically receive five to seven years, which has historically been a key iPhone selling point. Samsung is now matching that commitment at the mid-range tier.
Security
Beyond the AI features, both phones include Knox Vault, Samsung’s hardware-based security chip that stores sensitive data like biometrics and encryption keys in a physically separate, tamper-resistant environment. This is distinct from software-only security and offers a meaningful layer of protection against attacks that try to extract data by bypassing the operating system.
New additions include a Private Album in the Gallery app for locking away personal photos and videos, and Privacy Alerts, which notify you when an app is accessing your location or monitoring sensitive data in ways that might be unusual.
How do these prices stack up?
At KES 68,300 for the top A57 5G variant, Samsung is asking for more than it has historically charged for the A-series in Kenya. For context, the A56 5G (the direct predecessor) launched at around KES 50,500 for the 8GB/128GB model on several local retail sites. The A57 5G’s 8GB/128GB variant starts at KES 60,900, a notable step up.
That pricing puts the A57 5G in a more competitive bracket. At that price point, you’re looking at alternatives including the Nothing Phone 3a at around KES 45,500, the Google Pixel 9a (when available), and other mid-to-upper mid-range Android devices.
The case for the A57 5G over those alternatives rests primarily on the six-year software commitment, the Knox security layer, and Samsung’s local service network. The case against it is straightforward: you’re paying more for incremental hardware upgrades, and the Exynos 1680 is not a dramatic performance leap over last year’s chip.
The A37 5G at KES 49,000 for the base variant is the more interesting value story. It delivers most of the same core experience at a meaningfully lower price point.
Colours and availability
The Galaxy A57 5G comes in Awesome Navy, Awesome Gray, Awesome Icyblue, and Awesome Lilac. The A37 5G is available in Awesome Lavender, Awesome Charcoal, Awesome Graygreen, and Awesome White. Both are available now at all Samsung Experience Stores and authorised dealers nationwide. Samsung Care+ is also available for both models.
