Samsung’s Galaxy A27 debuts modern hole-punch display and Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 for $350

At a glance:

• Samsung’s Galaxy A27 launches July 14 in the US at $350, completing the current Galaxy A series lineup.
• The phone features a new hole-punch display replacing the teardrop notch, plus a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset and 6GB base RAM.
• Galaxy AI features arrive on a budget device, with One UI 8.5 promising six generations of Android updates and six years of security patches.

Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy A27, the final piece in its current Galaxy A series puzzle. The budget smartphone brings a refreshed aesthetic with a modern hole-punch display that finally retires the teardrop notch design that lingered on the A26 and earlier models. Beyond the visual upgrade, the A27 adopts a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, marking a significant shift from the Exynos 1380 found in its predecessor, and increases base RAM from 4GB to 6GB while maintaining the same 128GB storage option.

The display remains a 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, but now sits beneath more uniform bezels that reduce the appearance of the previous chin design. Samsung has also introduced new color options including Deep Navy, alongside Pink, Black, and Light Green. The polycarbonate body features body-colored accents around the camera island that give a subtly metallic appearance, a departure from the simpler design language of recent budget models.

Camera capabilities receive modest upgrades across the board. The triple rear setup consists of a 50MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultrawide camera (downgraded from 8MP on the A26), and a 2MP fixed-focus macro lens. More notably, the front-facing camera jumps from 13MP to 12MP but Samsung claims it captures a wider dynamic range with richer color reproduction, addressing previous complaints about selfie quality in the budget segment.

Power comes from a 5,000mAh battery paired with 25W fast charging, matching the specification sheet of the A26 while delivering all-day endurance for typical users. The device maintains the same physical footprint as its predecessor, ensuring familiarity for existing Galaxy A users considering an upgrade.

Software represents perhaps the most ambitious aspect of this launch. Out of the box, the Galaxy A27 runs One UI 8.5, Samsung's latest interface layer built on Android 15. More impressively, Samsung guarantees six generations of Android OS updates and six years of security patches, an extraordinary commitment for a budget device. The phone also debuts Galaxy AI features previously reserved for flagship models, including Object Eraser in the Gallery app, automatic transcription in Voice Recorder, a reenergized Bixby voice assistant, and Perplexity as the third AI assistant pre-installed alongside Google Assistant and Bixby.

Priced at $350 for the base model in the US starting July 14, the Galaxy A27 represents a $50 increase over the A26's launch price. This pricing places it in direct competition with its own predecessor and the newer Galaxy A37, which retails for just $314 on Amazon. Samsung's success with the A27 will largely depend on whether consumers perceive the design refresh, AI features, and extended update commitment as worth the premium over both the outgoing model and the competing A37.

The storage variants expand to include 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB configurations alongside the base 6GB+128GB option, providing flexibility for different usage patterns and budgets. All models will receive the same software support commitments, ensuring longevity regardless of which configuration a buyer chooses.