How close is a midrange phone actually to a flagship in 2023?
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Samsung Galaxy S54: https://geni.us/9ccVJI5
Galaxy S23 Ultra: https://geni.us/BAj7Bbx
Tech I'm using right now: https://www.amazon.com/shop/MKBHD
Playlist of MKBHD Intro music: https://goo.gl/B3AWV5
A54 provided by Samsung for review.
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I am coming from long time iphone use all the way from 7 then 10r then 11. After 11 i kinda got bored. Cause I was gonna go for 14 plus. Big screen and ultra wide. Thisw are the two things i need in a phone. you do get a new phone but because the os is so similae that while using it it kainda sort of feels the same phone. So the novelty of owning a new phone goes away within a week. So, I thought of switching. I havw to say nothing short of the ultra 23 and 24 felt nearly as smooth as the iphone 11. Certainly familiarity, comfort with old phone would be factors. But still.
I did considwr the A series for a moment but , though I dontt need them, the 100x zoom and quad hd display 120hz all that surely made me want to gwt the 24 ultra. I still find that the iphone are jsit better camera phones. It is still quicker on my almost dead iphone to open a camera and get to taking a video than it is on the s24 ultra could be bigger screen needing more hand movement but still these are two quick manuver I miss from the iphone. It was super quick to search anything just swipe down and search in phone and on net and the smoothness and quickness at which it can go from vwing in my pocket to camera and shooting.
@BlessingsMupenda Says:
I have been following you all am asking is a free phone
@HookedonChronics Says:
Makes more sense to buy an older flagship than a new mideange
@VeronicaThoms-d3s Says:
I have a A56 5g and an ultra as I smashed my ultra screen while travelling and my provider had a deal where the A56 cost me NZ$99. I really enjoy using it and dont use wireless charging ever, even though I bought wireless charging everything for other half. The only reason I havent made the swap permanent is I use my S pen a lot. From remote camera operation to screen writing, to signing things. I use it a lot. But I like the flat screen. I like everything about the A56. If I stay with the ultra level I am going to miss some of the features the s pen has lost. So there is actually becoming less reasons to hang in there, especially as I still have a s pen on my tablet. And while i love good cameras, my work photography will now be done by a team, so I dont need to have such high quality. I havent has any issues with the photos from the A56. A lot of the issues i used to find on budget phones are not really issues anymore. I use both phones for different things so it would be a swap rather than stop using one of them.
@stanshamusic Says:
Why they hardly talk about the sound quality???
@tatendareserchtips Says:
l saw a deal for 100 usd in 2026 wow wow
@dvirolberg5677 Says:
Had the A54 for 3 years right until i bought the s26 ultra
The A54 was an awsome phone, Okay+ cameras and battery
I could say i downgraded from the note 20 ultra to the A54 so the smaller screen was a real learning curve, but i got used to it
Overall the A54 is an amazing phone for the money
@MagicianUseless Says:
While mid-range phones offer a lot, you have to ignore a LOT of reality to claim that "80% quality for 1/3rd the price"
I understand that not everyone wants to compare with others' phones, and not everyone wants to spend $1000+, and not everyone has a use of the highest priced flagship, but the reality is that these phones are just outright bad. Period.
A surface-level, or spec-sheet review like this just cannot capture the reality of these phones. Constant frame-drops, lag spikes, degraded cameras, and overall lack of quality from start to finish.
The arguments in "performance" pillar perfectly capture it - "If you never compare it with a flagship, ignore all issues like dropped frames, and don't push it beyond a certain level, it is quite good!". Ignorance is what that is.
The market isn't empty between A54 and S23 Ultra, and that's where the answer lies for 99% of the people considering something like the Galaxy A54.
As of 2023, phones like the Pixel 7, OnePlus 11, or even S22 Plus would be the ideal choices for most people - Not the "flagship", but still higher end, and all available around 500$ because of age or market positioning, or just offers
@PajamaVibe Says:
watching in 2026. not sure why anyone needs a phone costing much as rent. Especially considering 70%+ of most users, just use it for social media n for an odd sense of status. most ppl dnt work from their phone, they get a tablet for that so 1k+ for a phone, i jus dnt get why ppl get it.
But then again, most jus follow the trends haha 👏
@Xtra4Christ Says:
A54 here battery life is amazing.
@muhammaddeliochannel Says:
This is a my dream phone
@connorsizemore8281 Says:
Cool video 😎
@sup3r-d4n1-bg Says:
Came only to say
Get a midrange when you want to be someone
Get a flagship when you ARE someone
@markrobby7136 Says:
I m currently using the galaxy A55 5g - awesome smartphone indeed!
@chaudharysaadkhan9875 Says:
Next time you should review the Galaxy A07 which is priced lower than 100 dollars.
@T.j2607 Says:
2:24 yeah it's not Aluminum you can't even see antennas it's metal like feeling plastic frame
@shotzburynative4384 Says:
i want to upgrade from the a54 ive had for almost 3 years for this Christmas and I'm on a $400 budget... what's the best android i can get for $400 or under right now????
@KLOCKOWEanimacje8652 Says:
I am woting for lebron whatever it says
@BigDaddy66292 Says:
I stand by flagship phones. Buy man ever since the s21. When they got rid of the sd card alot. I refused to buy one. And now here we are end of 2025 and still no flagship with a sd card slot. This is ridiculous. I should not have to go down in quality for a feature. I'm not paying for cloud storage. And what happens if the phone breaks everything you had is gone. Not me. I pull out my sd card and move it to my 4th s20 plus on a row and keep pm going. But I need something newer. I can't handle these used batrerys anymore. The s seris is supposed to be superior yet missing a key feature thag makes then future proof.
@alemalohe Says:
do an A56 vs S25 ultra comparison please
@calvincazares Says:
Honestly if you think you need an almost 2000$ phone theres somethin wrong with you
@JungleTeacher Says:
4:52 have been using this phone for two years and have NEVER EVEN NOTICED THEM before you told me
@anson.j.dmello-----insta Says:
only get a A series, only if u have an A tablet. Got the a06 and s10 ultra kinda suffering, I use the phone mostly. But for the average user the A series is good
@kadceo Says:
@12:25, flagship phone chip efficiency is another reason to own them. It helps one have and use the battery longer than the midrange. Especially that 1% thing. So useful
@kadceo Says:
@8:17, I think the performance is what really matters in everything, the reason one gets a motor bike instead of a bike. So as long as flag ship phones are the best at performance, they are my focus. Midrange can be used by those who just want to own an use a smart phone. Performance matters most indeed.
@unune9069 Says:
Y'all are nuts talking about bezels like it's important it's literally the most unimportant thing not even worth mentioning. Y'all just stick to high end phones cuz y'all have weird obsession with petty shi
@veoquenoesunproblema Says:
I still love Apple Warranty, there is no comparison no matter how "good" is any Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei.
@veoquenoesunproblema Says:
Funny how that Samsung which is a expensive one looks like old Nokia Windows phone XD
@Mr_Gut_stretcherr Says:
This video came out on my birthday
@orlando3436 Says:
I use samsung a54 and the only issues im experiencing is the constant overheating
@jxp21 Says:
i got this used for 375 in 2025
@nathansharma87 Says:
I used to have Apple phones because everyone else did. Never considered Android until one day I got so frustrated trying to achieve a simple task I bought the first Android at the nearest store.
It did everything the iPhone did. And more.
I continued to buy Android phones every two years. They would get too large for my use.
I not once thought about going back to iphone. It now felt like it was made for the elderly and used by the juvenile.
I didn't realise I was an intense user. Who kept buying budget to midrange phones.
I often have calls via numerous apps for work, with emails, with live Web pages constantly updating or tracking fleets, numerous pdf files open, then plugged into Android auto when I also need to unlock it now and then and use the phone, that's where my old phones completely died.
Bit the bullet. Bought an S24 Ultra. Absolutely nothing slows it down. Not a single lag. Not a single delay. 0.2s and I'm unlocked and underwater.
I always bought new phones and felt in a month, ok this will be fine but not for long I guess. This time I see this ultra and think, this will do me fine for a decade.
@Ashtyyyy Says:
you should always get a used s22u or s23u instead, it's just so much better
@ShehryarMalik-sm1 Says:
when i heard him talk about mohs scale of hardness he reminded me of jerryrigeverything
@EduAbs13 Says:
I love how grounded and not elitist you are. Great vid!
@ebowalker571 Says:
For me, the only reason to buy the S23 ultra is for the camera. It has a way better camera than the A54. Much better zoom capability. Other than that the A54 is fine.
@mannnaaaal Says:
Using A54 for more than an year. No observations.❤
@catsamazing777 Says:
My a54 5g now is running One ui 7 and what I can say is "No regrets, saving a lot of Benjamins $" It’s still competing with the latest midrange phones. And I just discovered that I really 100% fine with a midrange phone. I usually buying before a flagship too expensives phones and switching on buying midrange phone like this a54 5g is one of the best phone that I have.🎉
@GravaFidaner Says:
How do you get it for free though??????
@Sapp.7420 Says:
I know I'm late to say this. But, if you want to play action video games, don't buy any Galaxy series with the Exynos SoC. Look for other SoC. For example, the Galaxy A54 is on par with the iPhone X and I play PUBG Mobil but its Exynos SoC stutters a lot. Don't be like me who didn't do any research and just hoped that Samsung Exynos would experience major development after 7 years.
@arvanrama6495 Says:
hello Marques, between a54 and s21 fe which is a better pick
@PedroLuisHurtadoBranquino Says:
Cool video
@FortuneOnyeachonam-ps4zw Says:
Watching this 2 Years after, you?
@AragornArathorn-i5e Says:
I have the A54, another thing positive is that the finger print sensor works with a glass cover due to the optical light.
@NinjaCatIsHere Says:
All you need is a Samsung A series phone no need for any expensive S series phone.
@moaz5652 Says:
Is your a54 running One UI 6..Battery drainage is worst
@baddestkhalil Says:
There have been two upgrades to the A54 since this video dropped until now A55 and A56. Would love to see a video like this about those soon.
@Sar0 Says:
I love my note 20 ultra but soon as samsung started to make their phones look very similar in looks.
If the pixel or pixel a came with sd I would get those phones all day long
@tazgoetze9023 Says:
Cool video but I would like a comparison to older phones. Seems like older phones were cheaper and performed better than any cheap phone today. I simply did not have the issues I have on my new phones on my older phones 10 years ago. I am just assuming the android OS has gotten worse and in turn slows them down. They are drawing a definite line between flagship and cheap phones whether this video points it out or not and I refuse to pay the prices of flagship phone just to have a phone that doesnt lag continuously and really negatively impact my life as opposed to helping it.
@duvaldavidr Says:
I'm actually watching this from an a51, pretty damn good phones tbh, didn't expect them to be that good
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