The $200 Samsung Galaxy A17: A closer look at just the basic phone

Samsung’s Galaxy A17 5G is the most affordable option in the company’s 2026 phone lineup. The phone runs on Android 16 and Samsung’s One UI 8 interface, offering plenty of features from more expensive Galaxy phones to a less powerful, less expensive device.

The back of the phone is made of plastic, and is available in black (pictured) or blue. Available cameras include a 50MP wide-angle lens, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens.

The Galaxy A17 has a 13-megapixel front camera housed in a small screen.

Samsung’s $200 phone no longer has a headphone jack, having initially been omitted from last year’s Galaxy A16 but appearing in the previous Galaxy A15.

The Galaxy A17’s bright 1080p display is a highlight, and makes streaming videos look good.

The Galaxy A17’s 6.7-inch display offers plenty of room for YouTube videos, though the less powerful Exynos 1330 processor struggles with some gaming.

I can generally get the Galaxy A17 to play games at low settings — here’s a photo of me playing Asphalt Xtreme. However, this is not a gaming phone. I struggled with Duolingo Even I turned off the animations for the app.

Samsung Wallet is among the services arriving on the Galaxy A17, with support for both NFC payments and boarding passes.

Google’s own search circle is available, and is activated by pressing and holding the home icon.

Like other phones with this feature, you can circle the topic you want to learn more about.

The Galaxy A17’s Now Bar feature supports dynamic notifications, which can include media controls, timers, and boarding pass information.

Samsung’s Weather app is available and includes an animated person interacting with the weather.