Recently announced Samsung Galaxy A18 4G is primarily intended for Samsung, not for you
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy A18 4G, its new entry-level smartphone for those who don't need 5G. The device looks identical to its predecessor, but the price is different: €279 for 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Read more to find out what you get — and what you don't — for that price.
The Galaxy A18 4G is the successor to the Galaxy A17 4G, and it certainly looks the part. The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate is the same, including the old-school notch in the screen for the 13MP selfie camera. The 5000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging is also unchanged: it’s back up to half capacity in half an hour. On the back, there’s once again a triple-camera setup with a 50MP main camera, a 5MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera.
From MediaTek to Samsung’s own Exynos
The biggest difference is on the inside. While the A17 4G still had a MediaTek Helio G99, Samsung has now opted for an in-house chip: the Exynos 1610. This is a new processor that Samsung hasn’t used anywhere else yet. Don’t expect a huge boost in speed; it’s still a chip designed for basic tasks, such as messaging, browsing, and watching videos. Video recording is still limited to Full HD at most; 4K remains exclusive to the more expensive Galaxy models.
This processor change mainly benefits Samsung itself. The money that previously went to competitor MediaTek now stays in the company’s own pockets. As a buyer, you won’t notice much of a difference, except that the price hasn’t gone down because of it.
Furthermore, protection against dust and water has been upgraded from IP54 to IP64. In practise, this means: completely dustproof, but still only splash-resistant. So holding it under the faucet is still a bad idea. According to Samsung, the A18 4G will receive six Android versions and six years of security updates. That’s still exceptionally good for an entry-level model; most competitors in this price range don’t go beyond two or three updates. Samsung adds Circle to Search and Gemini to the mix, though these are features found on virtually every modern Android phone. The true Galaxy AI features found on the more expensive models are missing.
One UI 9 is the real news
The device runs on Android 17 out of the box with One UI 9.0. That’s striking, because One UI 9 hasn’t even been fully rolled out for the Galaxy S26 series yet. Samsung only announced in early September that the final version would follow soon, after months of beta versions. So, those who bought the latest flagship are still waiting, while one of the cheapest Galaxy devices comes with the software right out of the box. For once, as a buyer of an entry-level model, you’re ahead of the curve.
The same device, €80 more expensive
The Galaxy A18 4G comes in black, white, and light blue and is available in one configuration: 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, expandable with a memory card. The suggested retail price is €279, which is a significant increase. The A17 4G launched last year at €199. That’s a 40 percent price increase for virtually the same device. The 5G version of the A17 even cost less at launch than what Samsung is now charging for a 4G device.
Samsung hasn’t given a reason for the higher price, but the explanation is obvious: the sharp rise in memory prices. This hits the cheapest phones the hardest, since memory accounts for a large portion of their cost. However, Samsung isn’t a victim here—it’s one of the world’s largest memory manufacturers. So the company profits twice from the more expensive chips: first as a supplier and now again thru the higher price of its own phones.
For you as a buyer, the reason doesn’t really matter. You’re paying €80 more for a new processor, slightly better dust protection, and updates that last a year longer than those for the predecessor currently on store shelves.
Is the A18 4G worth it?
The Galaxy A18 4G is available for immediate order in the Netherlands for €279. For a limited time, you’ll receive a €70 introductory discount, bringing the price down to €209. Even so, there’s an even better deal within Samsung’s own line-up: the Galaxy A17 5G currently costs €185 and, as the name suggests, does support 5G. Otherwise, you’re getting largely the same phone: the same screen, the same battery, the same cameras, and six years of updates as well. If you absolutely must have 4G, the A17 4G is still significantly cheaper. The A18 4G is therefore primarily a phone for those who absolutely want the latest model number, or for those who come across a discount and don’t care about 5G.
