The Galaxy A27 is Samsung's newest mid-range A-series phone, and it is a slightly awkward update. The good news first: it moves to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, a sensible chip for this bracket, and it keeps the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate that has become the main reason to pick an A-series Samsung over a cheaper rival. The 50MP main camera has optical stabilisation, which helps more with handheld low-light shots than the megapixel count suggests, and it records 4K video. The headline is software: Samsung commits to six Android upgrades and six years of security patches, unusually generous at this level, so the phone should stay safe to use well into the 2030s. The catch is durability. Samsung has stepped back from the Galaxy A26's IP67 rating to IP64 here, so the A27 is splash resistant rather than submersible. Charging also stays at 25W, which is no longer quick by mid-range standards. It has only just launched, so independent long-term testing is still thin on the ground.