You'll still be treated to premium features found on the pricier Galaxy S26 series

Samsung has just unveiled its newest budget-friendly smartphone — the Galaxy A27 5G.

The Galaxy A series are entry-level models that still have built-in premium features at a more wallet-friendly price point.

This particular handset comes equipped with a refreshed design, an updated processor for a more reliable performance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) elements like live translation of up to 22 languages, and more. It arrives hot on the heels of the released Galaxy A57 and A37 handsets earlier this year.

However, it's meant to be the successor of last year's Galaxy A26.

Here's how the Galaxy A27 is designed to stack up against its predecessor.

The South Korean tech firm's big change this time around is the screen design. Samsung has ditched the small notch found on last year's A26 and replaced it with a neat punch-hole cutout for the front camera. This Infinity-O design means you get more usable screen space without that little dip at the top getting in the way.

Speaking of the camera, the Galaxy A27 introduces a new 12MP selfie camera designed to outperform the A26's older 13MP sensor, delivering better colours and details across a wider range of lighting conditions.

However, it appears to be getting a downgraded 5MP ultra-wide camera at the back, down from the Galaxy A26's 8MP unit.

The bezels around the display are thinner too, giving the whole phone a more modern look.

That screen itself is a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel, which means colours are meant to look vibrant, and blacks appear properly deep rather than washed out. This is the same as last year's model.

It runs at up to 120Hz, so scrolling through social media or browsing the web is designed to feel buttery smooth compared to standard 60Hz displays. For instance, you might really notice the difference when flicking through Instagram or reading long articles.

The phone's body is just 7.8mm thick — very similar to the Galaxy A26's 7.7mm width. This makes it more comfortable to hold during those lengthy scrolling sessions or video calls.

Under the bonnet, the Galaxy A27 5G runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, which Samsung says makes the phone feel snappier when jumping between apps or handling multiple tasks at once. Gaming and streaming should also benefit from improved graphics performance.

In terms of battery life, the Galaxy A27 is expected to match the Galaxy A26's promised 17 hours.

The clever stuff comes with the AI features baked in. Like the Galaxy A26, you'll have access to Circle to Search, which now recognises multiple objects at once, so you can search for several items in a photo simultaneously rather than one at a time.

For example, if you fancy a jacket and trainers in someone's outfit from a photo, you can circle them both, and the AI will go to work to search for them online.

There's also voice transcription that translates in real time across 22 languages, handy for capturing meeting notes or interviews. Like several of its other handsets, you can pick your preferred AI assistant too, whether that's Google Gemini, Perplexity, or Samsung's Bixby.

Samsung is backing this phone for the long haul, promising six years of Android updates and security patches from launch. It's ideal if you're not looking to upgrade your mobile immediately.

The Galaxy A27 arrives in the colours black, blue, and light pink, so there's something to suit different tastes.

The phone officially hits stores on July 3, with prices starting at £319 for the 128GB version. If you need more storage space, there's also a 256GB option at £379.