Samsung's Cheap New A17 Android Phone Is Only $200, But Is It Worth It?

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Samsung sells a wide variety of smartphones. The company has the Galaxy S and Z series of premium devices for those who want cutting-edge technology and high-end performance, but the Galaxy A series is for budget shoppers. As expected of a Galaxy A series smartphone, the A17 5G has a pocket-friendly sticker price, making it a tempting device for anyone looking for a 5G-capable phone for less than $250. 

This low-cost phone was launched in the U.S. by Samsung toward the end of December 2025 at an MSRP of $200, succeeding the Galaxy A16. Although it isn't a big refresh in comparison to its predecessor, Samsung brings artificial intelligence (AI) goodies o the A17 5G, like Google's Circle to Search and Gemini, that make it worth considering. 

As of this writing, it's one of the cheapest phones you can buy from the South Korean tech giant. If you've come across the new Galaxy A17 5G, you might be wondering whether it's worth buying or if it's one of the cheap Android phones you should avoid.

Aside from the AI-smarts, the Galaxy A17 is more or less the same as its predecessor, and at its $200 price, you can't expect a whole lot. The phone comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth motion and transitions while scrolling through social media feeds. The phone's front design isn't on par with high-end devices, with Samsung opting for a teardrop cutout, which was quite popular in 2017, to house the 13MP selfie camera. On the back is a vertical camera module that's home to the 50MP wide, 5MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro camera lenses. 

Under the hood, Samsung uses an in-house Exynos 1330 processor, working in tandem with 4GB of memory. For storage, the A17 5G includes 128GB onboard. Furthermore, the device has a microSD card slot, which supports up to 2TB of storage if you need extra. (In other regions, this phone is also available in higher memory and storage options, with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.) A 5,000 mAh battery powers the full setup, and you can juice it up via a USB-C port at charging speeds of up to 25W with a capable charging brick (Samsung doesn't include one in the box). 

One of Samsung's key highlights of the A17 5G is durability, as the device is IP54-rated and, thanks to this, it's shielded against the entry of water and dust particles to a certain extent. Samsung's Galaxy A16 will receive six years of operating system and security updates, and for the A17, the company is maintaining the same policy.

The Galaxy A17 sure is affordable, but it isn't the only device you can buy on a budget. The elephant in the room is whether it's worth buying. To answer this question, we lean on the sentiment from both reviewers and users. According to a YouTube video review by GSMArena, the A17 5G feels sluggish (due to its low 4GB memory and old processor) and, with the existence of competitors with better hardware, the team only recommends this phone if you can get it at a discount. 

TechAdvisor doesn't feel the A17 is worth buying over the A16, and recommends checking if you can find the latter at a better price first. Users also have mixed feelings about the A17, with the device currently having a 3.9 out of 5 rating from over 100 reviews on Samsung Australia's website. Some users feel it's a great device, impressed by either its overall value for money proposition, performance, camera, low price, or display. However, other users who've bought this device aren't loving it, highlighting a variety of issues, such as bloatware that can't be removed, sluggish performance, and poor battery life. 

Users on Reddit feel 4GB of memory is tiny in 2026, and some discourage buying it because of that. Others share the same sentiment, advising anyone considering getting a Galaxy A17 5G to look elsewhere for alternatives. In short, it's a mixed bag. But if you're still laser-focused on getting the Galaxy A17 5G, you can buy it directly from Samsung at a discounted price of $169.99 — down from $199.99. You can also buy it from Amazon and Best Buy at a similar price in either blue or black.