Samsung’s Galaxy A37 sits at a genuinely tricky spot in the mid-range market. At $450, it’s not cheap enough to be an obvious budget buy, yet it’s not powerful enough to compete with phones that cost only a little more. If you’re circling it as your next purchase, these Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives deserve a serious look before you hit the checkout button — and in most cases, they give you meaningfully more for your money.
- The best Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives offer more RAM, faster chips, or better cameras for only $50–$100 more.
- Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives like the Pixel 10a and Nothing Phone 4a Pro beat it on processing power and design.
- The refurbished Galaxy S24 is a standout option, available for as little as $350 with flagship-grade hardware.
- Samsung’s six-year update policy remains one of the strongest reasons to stay within its ecosystem despite weaker specs.
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy A57: The Obvious Step Up
If you’re already sold on Samsung’s design language and One UI software experience, the Galaxy A57 is the most logical upgrade among Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives. For $550 — that’s $100 more than the A37 — you get a faster Exynos processor, a jump from 6GB to 8GB of RAM, and an aluminium frame instead of plastic. The ultrawide camera also gets a bump, moving from 8MP to 12MP, though the difference in real-world shots is more incremental than transformative.
What’s interesting here is how much DNA the two phones share. Same AMOLED display specs, same battery capacity, same software update commitment. Samsung hasn’t artificially crippled the A37 to make the A57 look better — the A37 is genuinely a decent phone. The question is whether the build quality upgrade and modest performance headroom are worth a $100 premium. For anyone planning to keep their phone for three or four years, they probably are.
Google Pixel 10a: The Most Compelling Samsung Galaxy A37 Alternative
Here’s where things get interesting. The Google Pixel 10a costs $500 — just $50 more than the A37 — and it outperforms Samsung’s mid-ranger in almost every category that day-to-day users actually care about. The camera system is genuinely better, both in hardware terms and in Google’s computational photography processing, which remains best-in-class for this price tier. The sensors also sit flush against the phone’s back, avoiding the protruding bump that’s become something of an A-series trademark.
Google’s Tensor G4 chipset isn’t going to threaten a Snapdragon 8 Elite in benchmarks, but it comfortably clears the Exynos 1480. The Pixel 10a also ships with 8GB of RAM, wireless charging, and a UI that prioritises speed and clarity over feature density. If you’ve ever found Samsung’s One UI slightly overwhelming, Pixel’s interface is a breath of fresh air.
The A37 does fight back in a couple of areas. Its 45W wired charging is noticeably faster than the Pixel 10a’s 30W, and its 6.7-inch display gives it a clear edge for media consumption over the Pixel’s more compact 6.3-inch screen. But for the majority of buyers, those trade-offs are minor against the Pixel’s camera and software advantages. Of all the Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives on this list, the Pixel 10a is the one that feels most like a direct upgrade rather than a lateral move.
Motorola Moto G Stylus (2026): For the Note Loyalists
There’s still a sizeable group of Android users who genuinely miss the Galaxy Note series — and Motorola has been quietly chasing that audience for years. The 2026 Moto G Stylus, priced at $500, makes its most convincing case yet as one of the more niche Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives available. The bundled active stylus now includes palm rejection and Circle to Search integration, closing the gap with Samsung’s S-Pen in ways that previous Moto G Stylus generations never managed to.
The camera story is also solid. Motorola matches the A37’s 50MP main shooter and actually edges ahead with a 13MP ultrawide compared to Samsung’s 8MP option. More dramatically, Motorola’s 68W TurboPower charging blows past the A37’s 45W, and there’s 15W wireless charging on top — something Samsung doesn’t offer on the A37 at all.
Where Motorola stumbles, though, is software longevity. Samsung’s six-year OS and security update policy is among the best in the Android ecosystem right now, while Motorola’s commitment here is considerably shorter. If you’re the type who runs a phone into the ground over four or five years, that matters a lot. The A37’s Exynos 1480 is also a more modern chip than what Motorola is running. Still, as Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives go, the Moto G Stylus 2026 occupies a genuinely unique niche — there’s nothing else at $500 that gives you a capable active stylus.
Nothing Phone 4a Pro: The Design-First Option
Most phones at this price point treat design as an afterthought, pouring every dollar into specs. Nothing takes a different approach. The $500 Nothing Phone 4a Pro is one of the more visually distinctive Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives available right now, with a large transparent camera module and the brand’s signature Glyph Matrix — a secondary display on the back that surfaces notifications and glanceable information without you needing to wake the main screen.
Beyond the aesthetics, the specs are genuinely impressive for the price. A Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor is a substantial step above the Galaxy A37’s Exynos 1480. The camera system includes a 50MP Sony LYT-710 primary sensor and — crucially — a periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom, which is simply absent from the A37’s camera array entirely. For photography enthusiasts on a mid-range budget, that telephoto alone is a compelling reason to look at Nothing Phone 4a Pro as one of the stronger Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives.
The trade-offs are real, though. Nothing’s IP65 rating trails the A37’s IP68 — both are dustproof, but the Galaxy holds up better under deeper water exposure. And Nothing’s three-year OS update promise looks modest next to Samsung’s six. If long-term software support is non-negotiable for you, that’s a legitimate reason to pause. But if you want a phone that actually turns heads and packs a real telephoto, the Nothing Phone 4a Pro is worth the look.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Refurbished: The Wildcard Pick
This one requires a slight mental shift. The Galaxy S24 is a two-year-old flagship, but it’s available refurbished on Amazon for roughly $350–$400 — meaning you could spend less than the Galaxy A37’s $450 asking price and walk away with a phone that’s categorically more powerful. Among Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives, this is the one that most dramatically reframes what your budget can achieve. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside the S24 is in a completely different league compared to any Exynos mid-range chip, and the camera system includes both a 12MP ultrawide and a 3x optical telephoto lens that the A37 simply can’t match.
Refurbished shopping carries its own considerations, of course. Battery health, warranty length, and seller reputation all matter, and buying refurbished isn’t for everyone. But for a buyer who’s comfortable navigating Amazon’s refurbished listings and wants flagship-tier performance without a flagship price, the S24 is the most interesting of all the Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives discussed here.
So What Should You Actually Buy?
The Galaxy A37 isn’t a bad phone — it’s a fine, safe choice with a good display and Samsung’s excellent long-term software support. But the mid-range Android market in 2025 is genuinely competitive, and the phones surrounding it at the $450–$550 price point are better in more ways than Samsung would probably like to admit.
The Pixel 10a is the sharpest challenger for most buyers. The Nothing Phone 4a Pro wins on design and raw processing power. The Moto G Stylus 2026 owns a niche that nobody else is serving right now. And if you’re willing to go refurbished, the Galaxy S24 reframes the entire conversation about what your money can buy at this price tier. The Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives in this bracket collectively suggest that $450 should buy you more than what Samsung is currently offering — and the competition seems to agree.
Source: Android Authority
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives under $500?
The Google Pixel 10a at $500 and the Nothing Phone 4a Pro at around $500 are both strong Samsung Galaxy A37 alternatives. Both offer better processors, more RAM, and more distinctive designs than the A37 at $450.
Is the Samsung Galaxy A57 worth the extra $100 over the A37?
The Galaxy A57 adds a faster Exynos processor, 8GB of RAM versus 6GB, a slightly better ultrawide camera, and a premium aluminium frame. If build quality and extra performance headroom matter to you, the $100 premium is reasonable.
Does the Nothing Phone 4a Pro have a better processor than the Galaxy A37?
Yes. The Nothing Phone 4a Pro runs a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, which is considerably faster than the Exynos 1480 inside the Galaxy A37. It also includes a periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom, something the A37 entirely lacks.
How does the refurbished Galaxy S24 compare to the Galaxy A37?
A refurbished Galaxy S24 can be found for around $350–$400 on Amazon, making it cheaper than the A37 while packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a camera package that includes both a higher resolution ultrawide and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. It’s a compelling value for anyone willing to go the refurbished route.
