Galaxy A54 Camera in 2026: Reviewer Findings and Settings

The Samsung Galaxy A54 debuted with a 50MP OIS camera in March 2023 for $449 (US). Since then, Samsung has released three more Galaxy A5x series phones, the latest being the Galaxy A57 (March 2026). Chances are if you’re shopping for a Galaxy A54 today, you’ll find yourself looking at either old stock or second-hand options.

The good news is that the Samsung Galaxy A54’s 50MP OIS camera still manages to deliver. The less exciting news is that as we move further into 2026, the more pertinent question becomes how much longer Samsung will continue to support the Galaxy A54 with software updates.

Galaxy A54 camera specs

How the A54 camera performs

We don’t have an A54 to hand so can’t comment on image quality ourselves, but according to GSMArena’s review, daylight shots from the main camera are excellent, with accurate white balance, wide dynamic range and unobtrusive sharpening. Switching to 50MP adds a little detail but isn’t magic – grass, for example, still isn’t going to resolve all that well.

According to GSMArena’s review, the main camera also performs well at night. It’s worth noting that Photo mode will engage some sort of night-time processing when conditions warrant, so Night mode often won’t offer much in the way of additional benefit (at least on the 1x camera; the ultrawide produces rather washed-out colours in poor light, and GSMArena reckons Night mode only improves things a little).

There’s no telephoto camera, so tapping 2x in the camera app performs a crop from the 50MP main camera – GSMArena’s review suggests these aren’t bad at all – and anything beyond that is digital zoom. The 5MP macro camera has a fixed focus distance of around 4cm, so be prepared to get up close and personal (and watch out for casting your phone’s shadow onto your subject!). There are a couple of workarounds in the macro photography guide.

Video capture maxes out at 4K30. Stabilisation was limited to 1080p video at launch, but GSMArena has since updated its review to reflect the fact that Samsung has added stabilisation for 4K footage via a software update. Footage shot in poor lighting conditions is GSMArena’s least favourite, however, with colours looking a little washed out and highlights a touch harsh.

Settings that suit the A54

Pro mode gives you even more options and lets you choose settings like shutter speed and ISO. The Pro mode guide explains the order to set them in. For dim scenes, the Night mode guide covers situations when it makes sense to use the dedicated mode.

A54 vs A55, A56 and A57

Image processing and speeds set the four phones apart, as the main cameras are identical on paper (there’s no telephoto lens on any of the models). All four feature a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with OIS. According to GSMArena, the A57’s camera hardware is identical to that of the A56; it’s the image processing and camera speeds that have been tweaked. Selfie camera specs and lengths of software support also vary. The Galaxy A56 camera guide and the Galaxy A55 camera guide go through those phones in detail. The Galaxy A55 settings page has a list of initial values for the newer phone.

None of these phones has a telephoto. If zoom matters, the Galaxy S26 FE adds an 8MP 3x telephoto. Our guide to the A57 and A37 covers Samsung's current mid-range pair.

Software updates and Galaxy AI

Samsung promised four generations of Android updates and five years of security updates for the Galaxy A54 at the time of its launch. One UI 9 with Android 17 has started rolling out in South Korea as per a report by SamMobile and has since expanded to India and other countries/regions as of early November 2026. Since this is the fourth update for the phone, you shouldn’t expect any more Android updates. However, security updates should continue till around 2028.

One UI 8 also added some Galaxy AI-based photo editing features to the Galaxy A54 5G. According to Samsung’s Canadian support page, the Galaxy A54 5G gets One UI 8’s Generative photo editing feature that can remove/move objects in images using the Gallery app. This feature will require a Samsung account, and images edited with it will have an AI watermark. The Galaxy A54 already had Object Eraser and Remaster features when it launched (via SamMobile).

Should you buy a Galaxy A54 in 2026?

If you can pick one up at a steep discount off the price of an A56, and you tend to take most of your pictures in daytime or at-home scenarios, it’s worth buying, as the A54’s camera is still pretty good. It also retains 2x cropping and Pro mode, both of which are carried over to newer models.

But if you want a handset that’ll stick around for four or five more years, you’ll want to look elsewhere, as the A54 has no major Android updates left, and will see an even shorter stretch of security-only support.

Upgrading from the A54? There’s not much of a camera-related reason to move up to the A55. You’re better off getting an A56 or A57, which come with a speedier chip and two additional promised generations of OS updates, or jumping to Samsung’s FE models in the S-series line for a dedicated telephoto camera.

Checks before buying a used A54

• Visit Settings > Software update and see if One UI 9 is available for download or already installed. If your Galaxy phone is lagging far behind, it could be down to a slow rollout from your carrier (if it’s a carrier model).
• Hold the phone up to a bright light and check the glass covering your rear cameras for any scratches. A scratched camera lens can result in blurry and light-flared photos, and there’s no camera setting that can compensate for this.
• Focus check: Use each of your Galaxy phone’s cameras (including 2x and Macro) to take a few test snaps. The primary camera should snap focus when pointed at objects up close.
• Shake check: To make sure video stabilisation is still going strong, record a brief video while taking a few steps.