Companies routinely launch products in other countries that never see a release here in the United States, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wish they did. Samsung launched the Galaxy A06 in India after it was first revealed last month in Vietnam, and it’s the kind of budget-friendly phone we just don’t see that often.
Priced at just $120 or $135, this phone is imminently affordable. Seriously, my current phone bill is more expensive than the Galaxy A06. It runs Android 14, has a 6.7-inch LCD display, and comes in two configurations: 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 4GB RAM/128GB storage. You can opt for light blue, black, and gold color choices.
Don’t think that just because this phone is affordable it skimps on the good stuff, though. It has an 8-megapixel camera on the front and a rear 50MP primary camera — the same MP count as the camera on the new Google Pixel 9, for reference. It obviously won’t take photos as nice as the Pixel 9, but that’s still very decent camera hardware for such a low price.
There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, too. The Galaxy A06 also has a MediaTek G85 processor that should easily handle nearly any task you throw at it, from browsing content to light gaming. The 5,000 mAh battery is actually a larger capacity than either the Pixel 9 Pro or the iPhone 15 battery.
Samsung has also promised two generations of OS upgrades, as well as four years of security maintenance. What does that mean? Simple: this phone will be a viable pick for years to come.
The Galaxy A06 sounds like an amazing budget phone, but sadly, you probably can’t buy one. It’s the sort of budget release I’d like to see more of — a practical, useful phone at an affordable price, even if it doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as some of the mainline flagship models. Good work, Samsung.