Samsung has unveiled its new budget smartphone, the Galaxy A27 5G. It boosts screen design, artificial intelligence (AI) functions and performance, but the price rises and its water and dust rating drops.

On June 25 (local time), major foreign media outlets including Engadget reported that Samsung set the Galaxy A27 5G starting price at $350 (about 540,000 won). That is $50 (about 70,000 won) higher than the previous Galaxy A26.

The most noticeable change is the display. The Galaxy A27 5G keeps the same 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel but removes the top notch and adopts a punch-hole Infinity-O display. It also supports a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. Samsung explained that it designed the bezels thinner and more balanced to increase immersion.

Performance also improves. The processor is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3. Samsung said it improved graphics performance and overall responsiveness compared with the previous model, enhancing everyday app use and gaming. Memory is 6GB of RAM, with 128GB or 256GB of storage. Storage can be expanded up to 2TB using a microSD card.

The camera setup includes a 12-megapixel front camera. On the back, it has a triple camera system: a 50-megapixel wide camera with optical image stabilisation, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide and a 2-megapixel macro. The battery keeps the same 5,000 mAh capacity as the previous model and supports 25W fast charging.

On software, it significantly strengthens AI functions. The Circle to Search feature is improved to recognise multiple objects at once, and the voice recording app supports real-time translation of transcripts in up to 22 languages.

The AI assistant lets users choose among services such as Gemini and Perplexity, and Samsung's Bixby also continues to be provided.

Long-term software support is also expanded. Samsung said it will provide up to 6 generations of Android operating system upgrades and up to 6 years of security updates for the Galaxy A27 5G. It is a strategy to use long-term update support as a competitive point even in budget smartphones.

Some specifications, however, move backward. The Galaxy A27 5G has an IP64 water and dust rating, lower than the Galaxy A26's IP67. It can handle everyday dust and splashes but does not guarantee use in conditions where it is submerged.

In the market, an assessment is emerging that the product trades a price increase and some water protection for stronger design, AI functions and performance.

The Galaxy A27 5G will start sales first in some countries from July 3, and is expected to launch in the United States on July 14.