When I first got my hands on the Samsung Galaxy F05, I was eager to see what this budget-friendly device had to offer. Released in late September 2024, the Galaxy F05 sits comfortably in the entry-level segment, but my first impression was that it felt like a well-rounded phone for everyday users. The moment I unboxed it, I noticed its sleek look and balanced weight. Despite being an affordable device, it didn’t feel cheaply made. In fact, it gave me the impression that it could handle the basics with ease.
Right out of the box, I could tell this phone was designed with the everyday user in mind. Whether you’re a casual user or someone who just needs a solid phone for daily tasks, this device immediately felt like a solid option. I was curious to see how it would handle regular use, so I dove right into exploring its features, starting with the design and build quality.
Design and Build Quality
The Galaxy F05 measures 168.8 x 78.2 x 8.8 mm, which gives it a relatively large footprint. Holding it in my hand, I found it to be a bit on the larger side, but not uncomfortably so. Weighing in at 195 grams,
it feels substantial without being too heavy, which is a nice balance for a phone this size. The eco-friendly silicone polymer back (which has a leather-like feel) immediately stood out. It gave the phone a premium vibe that I wasn’t expecting from a budget device, and it also helped with grip, making it feel secure in my hand.
Another aspect I appreciated was the dual SIM setup, which is always a plus for anyone who juggles between personal and work numbers or travels frequently.
The overall ergonomics of the phone are decent. Even though it’s on the larger side, I didn’t have much trouble using it with one hand after getting used to the size.
In terms of design, Samsung managed to strike a nice balance between form and function, making it feel like a device that could hold up well over time.
Display
The display is where I had mixed feelings. On one hand, the 6.7-inch PLS LCD screen provides a decent amount of real estate for watching videos, browsing, or gaming.
However, with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, it’s not the sharpest display out there. Personally, I found the colors to be vibrant enough for most tasks, but the lower pixel density of around 262 ppi meant that I could see some pixelation when looking closely, especially when reading text or viewing high-resolution photos.
That being said, in everyday use, the display did well for casual streaming and social media browsing. The brightness was more than adequate for indoor use, though I did notice some struggle under direct sunlight. Still, for a phone in this price range, the display holds up well. It may not be a high-end AMOLED panel, but for basic tasks, it does the job without much complaint.
Performance
One of the first things I noticed about the Galaxy F05 was its performance, thanks to the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. It’s not a flagship processor, but for the price, it handles everyday tasks without much trouble. During my time with the device, I didn’t experience any major slowdowns while multitasking between apps, browsing the web, or streaming videos. The 4GB of RAM ensures that switching between tasks is smooth enough, though there were times when heavier apps took a second or two longer to load than I’d like.
Gaming was another story, though. The Helio G85 is more of an entry-level chipset, and while it handled light games pretty well, I did experience some lag and stutter during graphically demanding titles. Casual games like “Subway Surfers” ran smoothly, but more intensive games required turning down the graphics settings to keep things running smoothly. For everyday tasks, however, the performance was solid and rarely gave me any frustration.
Software and User Experience
The Galaxy F05 comes with Android 14 out of the box, layered with Samsung’s One UI Core 6.0. One UI Core is a lighter version of Samsung’s full-blown UI, but in this case, I found it to be perfect for a phone at this price point. It kept things simple and straightforward without bogging the system down with too many unnecessary features. Navigating through the menus was smooth, and I didn’t encounter any hiccups or crashes during my time with the device.
One thing I particularly appreciated was how customizable the interface was, even in its simplified form. It allowed me to tweak things to my liking, whether it was rearranging home screen icons or changing up the color scheme.
However, like many budget devices, the Galaxy F05 does come with some pre-installed apps, some of which I didn’t find particularly useful. Thankfully, most of them can be uninstalled or disabled, making the overall experience fairly clean and user-friendly.
Camera Performance
The dual-camera setup on the Galaxy F05 consists of a 50MP wide lens and a 2MP depth sensor. On paper, the camera specs seem promising, especially for an affordable phone. In practice, I found the 50MP shooter to be surprisingly capable in good lighting. It captured a decent amount of detail, and the colors were relatively accurate. I took a few shots outdoors, and the results were pretty solid for a phone in this range. However, as expected, the quality drops significantly in low light, with some grain and noise creeping into the photos.
The 2MP depth sensor didn’t seem to do much to improve portrait shots. It does help blur the background, but the effect was a bit hit-or-miss in my experience. As for video recording, the phone can shoot in 1080p at 30 or 60 fps, and while the footage isn’t cinema-quality, it’s serviceable for casual recording. The 8MP front-facing camera did a decent job with selfies. Skin tones looked natural, though the detail wasn’t always there, especially in lower-light environments.
Battery Life and Charging
With a 5000mAh battery under the hood, I was optimistic about the Galaxy F05’s battery life, and I wasn’t disappointed. Even with moderate use—browsing the web, streaming videos, and using social media—I could easily get through a full day without needing to reach for the charger. For someone who spends a lot of time on their phone, this long-lasting battery will be a real selling point. On lighter usage days, I even managed to push it into a second day, which was a pleasant surprise.
Charging is handled by a 25W fast charger, and while it’s not the fastest in the market, it did a respectable job of juicing up the phone. In my experience, it took about an hour and a half to get from 0 to 100%, which is pretty standard for a device with this battery size. The 25W charger ensures you won’t be stuck waiting for ages, and the long battery life means you won’t need to plug it in too often anyway.
Connectivity and Other Features
In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy F05 covers the basics well. I didn’t have any issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections during my testing. The dual-band Wi-Fi worked flawlessly, and Bluetooth 5.3 provided a stable connection to my wireless earbuds without any dropouts. I also appreciated the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly rare these days. If you’re someone who still prefers wired headphones, this is definitely a plus.
One downside, however, is the absence of NFC. For someone like me who uses mobile payments frequently, this was a bit of a letdown. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to consider if you rely heavily on contactless payments. On the other hand, the phone’s GPS and other connectivity features like USB Type-C and OTG support worked just fine during my testing, and I didn’t notice any issues with call quality or signal strength.
Storage and Expandability
The Galaxy F05 comes with 64GB of internal storage, which felt a bit tight after installing a few apps, games, and taking some photos. If you’re someone who likes to download a lot of media or games, you’ll likely need to expand the storage sooner rather than later. Thankfully, there’s a dedicated microSD card slot that supports expansion, so you won’t have to sacrifice one of the SIM slots to add more space. Personally, I found the expansion option to be a lifesaver, as I quickly ran out of the internal storage after just a week of use.
The eMMC 5.1 storage type isn’t the fastest out there, and I did notice some slower app loading times when compared to phones with faster UFS storage. However, it didn’t significantly detract from my overall experience. For general usage like streaming, social media, and light gaming, the storage speed wasn’t much of an issue, though you might notice it if you’re used to higher-end devices.
Price and Value for Money
In terms of price, the Galaxy F05 is quite competitive. Converted from ₹7,499, the price comes in at roughly $90 USD, which is impressive given the features it packs. For a phone under $100, the Galaxy F05 offers a lot, especially in terms of battery life, display size, and camera performance. It’s not going to blow anyone away with flagship-level specs, but for everyday use, it’s hard to find a better deal at this price point.
For anyone on a tight budget, this phone is a great option. It offers enough to get by comfortably without feeling like you’re using a cheap, underpowered device. If you’re looking for a solid, budget-friendly option for daily use, the Galaxy F05 is a worthy contender, especially for those who don’t need high-end performance but still want a reliable smartphone.
Conclusion
After spending time with the Samsung Galaxy F05, I can confidently say that it’s a great budget option for anyone looking for a phone that handles the basics well. It won’t win any awards for cutting-edge technology, but it’s not trying to. Instead, it focuses on delivering a solid, reliable experience at a price that’s hard to beat. From the large display to the long-lasting battery, it checks most of the boxes for everyday use.
While there are a few compromises, like the lack of NFC and a slightly underwhelming display resolution, they don’t take away from the overall value of the device. If you’re in the market for an affordable phone that can get you through the day without any major hiccups, the Galaxy F05 is definitely worth considering.
