Samsung Galaxy A18 4G review

The competition

The chip shortage is sadly showing no signs of easing off. In fact, as of writing this, it seems to be affecting more and more devices. We noticed that local retail prices for the S26 family just jumped €50. And the unfortunate thing is that while budget phones like the Galaxy A18 4G definitely use slower less-expensive chips they arguably suffer even more from the chip shortage and price hike on account of their low price point in absolute terms.

As of writing, we managed to consistently find listings for the 128GB/4GB Galaxy A18 4G for €280 - an unfortunate price increase or rather storage "decrease"since last year's Galaxy A17 4G, which launched at €290 for an 8GB/256GB variant. Things get really crazy and unfortunate for the 256GB Galaxy A18 4G. That one is listed for a whopping €450 in most places we even found it. And mind you, this one still has only 4GB of RAM. We can guess why most retailers don't even bother stocking or trying to sell it.

The one "saving grace" at least for the time being and especially for manufacturers like Samsung whole have an enormous number of already manufactured older devices out there in circulation on the market is that you can fall back on some of those. If you just want the basic "Galaxy experience", quite similar to the A18 4G, just grab the Galaxy A17. You get 5G and basically the same overall experience and specs. Samsung has promised to support this device through six major OS updates as well, so no worries there.

That said, we would very much try our best to avoid getting a 4GB RAM phone in 2026. At around €230, you can at least get a base Galaxy A27 which has 6GB. However, by the time you are doing that, you are already pretty close to the insane A18 4G asking price, so you might as well get your money's worth properly and get the Galaxy A37 for about €270. We are still talking a base 6GB/128GB unit for that amount and sadly with no expandable storage, but the A37 is certainly superior in many other ways. Its display is much brighter and has a 120Hz refresh rate. The camera setup is better, though not incredibly so. It does have 4K video capture, though. You also get a stereo speaker setup and 45W charging.

Samsung Galaxy A37 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 • Honor 600 • Motorola Edge 70 Fusion

Over in camp Xiaomi things aren't looking much different. The most obvious competitor to the Galaxy A18 4G would be the Redmi Note 17. It comes with 6GB of RAM in its base 128GB variant, plus expandable storage and notably a huge 7,700 mAh Si/C battery with 45W charging. Unless you really want that battery, though, you are probably much better off with the Redmi Note 15. It has a notably better and HDR-certified display, a faster chipset, a better camera setup with 4K video capture, stereo speakers and notably, you can get a 8GB/256GB unit for around €290, which is much better value.

The Honor 600 is certainly an interesting alternative. It can currently be had for around €220 in its base 128GB configuration, which, granted, might be a bit too tight for many since the phone lacks expandable storage. But on the plus side, it does come with a whole 8GB of RAM. You also get excellent build quality and proper IP68/69K ingress protection, a gorgeous 120Hz, HDR-capable display with great brightness, a pretty capable Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 7 (even tri-band in some regions) and fast 80W charging. The EU version has a slightly smaller 6,400 mAh battery, compared to the 7,000 mAh on the international model. Still. And the camera setup is pretty impressive compared to the Galaxy A18 4G as well.

Motorola has an interesting competitor in the Edge 70 Fusion. No expandable storage on this one either, but for €280 you do get 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. A pretty awesome display with high brightness, HDR10+ support and 144Hz refresh rate, a decent chipset, good camera setup, good stereo speaker setup and again a sizable battery pack with fast charging. Not a bad deal in our book.

Our verdict

There isn't anything fundamentally wrong with the Galaxy A18 4G. In fact, in isolation, it's a pretty well-rounded budget Galaxy phone that delivers more or less exactly what we'd expect from this part of Samsung's lineup. It is solidly built, now has IP64 ingress protection, its 90Hz Super AMOLED display is pleasant to use, battery life is dependable, and the main camera can produce some perfectly decent photos. The new Exynos 1610 isn't exactly a powerhouse, but it gets the job done, runs cool and represents a small performance step forward compared to the Helio G99 that Samsung had been using in previous 4G models.

There are even a few things about the A18 4G that are genuinely easy to appreciate. Expandable storage is becoming increasingly rare, the speaker gets plenty loud, and Samsung's software package remains one of the phone's strongest selling points. One UI 9 is feature-rich even at this end of the lineup, and a promise of six major OS upgrades is difficult to argue with on a budget handset.

Unfortunately, that last point also highlights one of our biggest concerns. Every Galaxy A18 4G variant we know of comes with just 4GB of RAM. That's already pretty limiting in 2026 and the phone can feel noticeably slow even today. Asking that same hardware to comfortably carry six future Android generations seems optimistic, to put it mildly. Samsung also made some less-than-ideal compromises elsewhere. The move back to Gorilla Glass 3 is a notable downgrade, there are still no stereo speakers and video recording tops out at a basic 1080p30. The ultrawide camera is modest, the macro camera is largely there to fill out the spec sheet, and the 2x zoom isn't particularly useful.

Most of those shortcomings would be perfectly understandable on a properly inexpensive phone. And that's where the Galaxy A18 4G runs into its real problem.

At around €280 for the 128GB/4GB version, the A18 4G is simply launching into a very awkward market. We appreciate that 2026 isn't exactly a normal year for smartphone pricing and the ongoing chip shortage has clearly made life particularly difficult at the budget end. Even with that context, though, there are too many better deals around. Samsung itself still has plenty of older models floating around retail channels, including the Galaxy A17 5G, while stretching only slightly higher - or in some cases spending even less - can get you devices with more RAM, faster chipsets, brighter and faster displays, stereo speakers, considerably quicker charging and more capable cameras.

That doesn't make the Galaxy A18 4G a bad phone. Far from it. It is a very typical modern entry-level Samsung: dependable, familiar, straightforward and backed by excellent long-term software support. We can easily see it making sense as part of a particularly good carrier deal, after the inevitable retail discounts arrive, or for someone who specifically wants the Samsung experience and doesn't demand much from their phone.

At its current launch price, however, it's a tough sell. Samsung produced a perfectly sensible Galaxy A18 4G for rather less sensible money. The phone itself mostly does what it sets out to do; the market around it is what makes recommending it difficult.

Pros

• Solid build quality, IP64 rating.
• Good 90Hz Super AMOLED display for the class.
• Dependable battery life.
• Expandable storage.
• Feature-rich One UI 9 and excellent six-generation OS update promise.
• Main camera produces good daylight photos; decent Night mode.
• Good selfies for the class.
• Loud speaker.
• Cool and stable sustained performance.

Cons

• Too expensive at launch, with much stronger alternatives available for similar money.
• Only 4GB of RAM across the range; already feels somewhat slow.
• No stereo speakers.
• Video recording limited to 1080p30; stabilization isn't particularly effective on the main camera.
• Poor 2x zoom quality; low-resolution ultrawide and largely useless 2MP macro.

Pricing

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128GB	£ 240.00	€ 209.00
256GB	€ 358.48
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