Samsung's Galaxy A17 was discovered in stores at the beginning of August, but it is only now that the Korean manufacturer has officially unveiled it. Despite the fairly affordable price, the manufacturer promises Android updates for six years.
Thinner than its predecessor
The Galaxy A17 replaces the Galaxy A16, which was launched in October 2024 and became a bestseller according to market researchers from Counterpoint Research. The smartphone was more successful than the Galaxy S25 Ultra in the first quarter of 2025 and was only beaten by Apple's iPhone 15 and the 16 series.
With the Galaxy A17, Samsung appears to be giving the A16 a cautious update: This is because it is similar to its predecessor in terms of the 6.7-inch screen with a 90 Hz refresh rate and Full HD Plus resolution. The manufacturer has improved the front glass and the back: Samsung now uses Gorilla Victus on the front and glass fiber-reinforced plastic instead of "Glastic" on the back. Glastic" is a material that consists of an extremely thin layer of glass between two layers of plastic and is quite susceptible to scratches.
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Furthermore, the new model measures 7.5 mm in thickness, which is slightly thinner than the Galaxy A16, which has a height of 7.9 mm. The other dimensions of 164.4 × 77.9 mm are identical.
There are hardly any changes to the processor, battery and memory: As with the Galaxy A16, Samsung's own Exynos 1330 processor from 2023 is used, which Samsung produces using the 5-nanometer process. The 5000 mAh battery and the memory options with 4, 6 and 8 GB of RAM and 128 and 256 GB of flash memory are also the same. The microSD slot is now designed by Samsung for memory cards with up to 2 instead of 1.5 TByte.
Six years of updates
The rear triple camera with 50 megapixel wide-angle, 5 MP ultra-wide-angle and 2 MP sensor for macro shots is largely identical to its predecessor. The wide-angle camera of the A17 has optical image stabilization (OIS), which the A16 lacked. A 13 MP selfie camera is integrated on the front. The IP54 certification with protection against dust and splash water is also unchanged.
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The long software support, which Samsung had already promised for the Galaxy A16, is pleasing for a smartphone in the €200 segment: The Galaxy A17 receives Android updates and security patches for six years. This means it is also on the safe side regarding EU ecodesign requirements. It is still delivered from the factory with One UI 7 based on Android 15.
In Germany, the smartphone is available in black, blue and gray: The variant with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of mass storage costs 229 euros, while another with 8+256 GB comes in at 309 euros. We would tend to recommend the model with 8 GB of RAM, as four GB of RAM is quite limited. However, we would wait a little while before buying, as experience shows that the street price of the devices drops quite quickly.
(afl)
