The next Galaxy A phone is in the works, but I'm already worried about its fate

The Galaxy A38 pops up at a key certification platform

The folks over at SammyGuru have uncovered a specific listing of the Galaxy A38 at India's BIS certification database. Although the listing doesn't explicitly mention the Galaxy A38, it provides the model numbers of two battery cells, EB-BA386EAE and EB-BA386EAY, which point to that exact device. 

As usual, the listing doesn't reveal anything else. That is, there's no expected launch window, specs, or anything else to work on. However, an earlier report from ZDNet Korea has actually given us an insight into the upcoming Android phone's specs. 

Let me tell you right here, they may be rather disappointing.

Samsung has long established its Galaxy A3x lineup as a compelling sub-$500 option for users who value display quality. With the upcoming Galaxy A38, the South Korean tech giant may break this tradition in the worst way possible, eliminating one of its main strengths.

The Korean outlet reports (machine translated) that Samsung might be considering downgrading the Galaxy A38 display, borrowing the OLED panel from the Galaxy A27. This phone is cheaper and has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Although solid for the Galaxy A2x series, this kind of display would be a serious compromise for the Galaxy A38.

Reportedly, Samsung has come to this decision due to the increasing costs of key components during the ongoing RAMpocalypse. While the downgrade may help Samsung keep the cost of the Galaxy A38 relatively manageable, I don't think many would be happy with this decision.

Set to lose its main strength?

If Samsung goes ahead with this display downgrade, will the Galaxy A38 lose its identity? That's certainly possible, especially if we take a moment to check out what the competition delivers. 

Google's upcoming Pixel 11a, for instance, is expected to feature a 6.3-inch OLED display with an improved peak brightness of 3,350 nits. If it arrives at the same $499 price as the Pixel 10a, it might just be the better variant for those who value display quality.

Given that we're just now getting the BIS listing of the Galaxy A38, it's obviously way too early to know how much the model will cost. 

Still, given that Samsung has bumped up the price of the existing Galaxy A37 to as much as $489.99 in its base storage configuration, we can almost certainly expect a similar or slightly higher asking price for the Galaxy A38.

I'm set for disappointment

I'd love for Samsung to give us a mid-range phone that's actually worth it, but I'm increasingly feeling the Galaxy A38 won't be it. Say it won't downgrade the display and actually upgrades it to rival the Pixel 11a. That would most likely come at a cost, pushing the MSRP way beyond the $489.99 mark. 

If the Galaxy A38 ends up costing $550 or more, it'll simply no longer be a mid-ranger for the masses. The other side of the coin is just as frustrating, though. 

Should Samsung downgrade the display, even if it keeps the asking price unchanged, the Galaxy A38 could be a hard sell. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't spend even $450 for a supposedly impressive mid-range phone that simply fails to impress.