Samsung Galaxy A Series launch: How to claim your free Galaxy Watch 4

Budget phone enthusiasts will be stoked the A54 and A34 officially on sale and there's a bonus freebie worth $399 to grab alongside.

The 2023 range for the A Series is a smaller but sharper roster than before. The 2 main mid-range phones are the A54 5G and A34 5G followed by the more low key A14 5G and A14.

The bonus Galaxy Watch 4 Bluetooth (40mm in Black) is only available if you purchase the A54 or A34 models from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. If you prefer to buy outright you can get the same deal from Samsung directly.

• Keep in mind: The bonus offer is available from 31 March 2023 until 13 April 2023 so you'll have to get in quick.

Galaxy A series pricing

Samsung's attempted to close the gap between its premium and mid-range phones by making them look and feel more polished without bumping up the price tag.

Here's how much each one will cost for 128GB capacity. You have the option for a microSD slot if you ever need to expand your storage which is neat.

• Galaxy A54 5G: $699, available in two colour options, Awesome Graphite and Awesome Violet
• Galaxy A34 5G: $599, available in two colour options, Awesome Lime and Awesome Graphite
• Galaxy A14 5G: $379, available in Black
• Galaxy A14: $329, available in Black

Galaxy A Series from Optus

Want a free Galaxy Watch 4?

Sign up to an Optus phone plan for 12, 24 or 36-months for either the A54 or A34 models and pair it with its SIM only plan. The cheapest one costs $49 a month for 30GB.

Here's how much you'll be looking to pay:

• A54: From $68.40 per month over 36 months
• A34: From $65.62 per month over 36 months

Galaxy A Series from Vodafone

Vodafone's yet to launch the phones on its website but we do know it's only offering the bonus Galaxy Watch 4 on the A34 model if you sign up to its phone plan over 12, 24 or 36 months.

You'll need to pair your phone repayment contract with its SIM Only mobile plan. The cheapest one costs $45 a month for 40GB.

Here's how much you'll be looking to pay:

• A34: From $61.63 per month over 36 months

Galaxy A Series from Telstra

Telstra's offering the same deal as Optus, that is you can get the bonus Galaxy Watch 4 if you sign up on a phone plan for either the A54 or A34.

Existing Telstra customers can also purchase the models outright.

The cheapest mobile plan from Telstra to pair your phone repayment contract with will cost $58 a month for 40GB.

Here's how much you'll be looking to pay:

• A54: From $77.41 per month over 36 months
• A34: From $74.63 per month over 36 months

Galaxy A54 vs A34 - features

The Galaxy A54 is a solid mid-ranger that ticks plenty of boxes and is almost a flagship look-alike.

It's premium look and feel is mostly due a similar camera setup at the rear as the S23 lineup - a trio of lenses that are more minimalistic plus a glossy, full glass finish on the backside and more rounded corners.

It also has an IP67 water and dust protection rating which is handy.

There's a $100 gap between A54 and the A34, with key feature differences being the camera specs, display size and the A34's plastic rear. Everything else is pretty much the same.

• Good to know: Both models also guarantee up to 4 generations of OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates so you can maximise your smartphone cycle easily.

Galaxy A54 hands-on review (first look)

I've been playing with the A54 for less than 24 hours but already the sleek design and great display scream the opposite of budget.

It was fairly swift in launching apps and carrying about your usual phone activities. It's a bit heavier than Samsung's flagship - I weighed it against the S21 just to compare but it's not a massive deal.

I've yet to see how the 2-day battery life lives up with constant use on the go but for light to moderate use it seems to be promising.

The camera looks to be sharper and the colours are less saturated though you'll notice a lag when switch between different zoom levels which can be a bit annoying if you want quick shots.

However, Samsung's promise of better camera stabilisation and improved low light performance are evident from some shots I took.

While testing the digital zoom, things got a bit fuzzy (first image). I tried to take a picture from across the road but the clarity wasn't great. However, the overall camera upgrades are definitely appealing enough to let it slide (images 2 and 3).