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Purchased on October 30, 2023 for €362 along with a transparent case, since my Xiaomi Poco M3, which I had as a second phone, died and its motherboard burned on October 27, 2023, meaning it lasted me 2.5 years despite the good use I gave it. From what I read and hear from others, Xiaomi phones don't last more than 2, 2.5 years, and I saw it myself. I still have the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 as a backup phone and it still works fine, even though it's very old and slow by today's standards. I have even installed Android 10 with my own ROM based on Lineage OS and it runs smoothly.... :)
So I went back to Samsung, even though I have an iPhone as my main phone. I wanted an Android as a second phone since I use it for other tasks as I am a programmer.
After searching on Google, I found the Galaxy A54 and it is a very good mid to high-range smartphone.
Pros:
It came with Android 13 and will receive updates for 4 years and security updates for 5 years. Good move by Samsung.
It has all the features of the new technological characteristics such as a high-resolution AMOLED display, 120Hz, a decent 4905mAh battery that easily lasts for 2 days, excellent connectivity with WiFi 6, 5G support, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC for contactless transactions, supports eSIM, has a microSD card slot for extra storage, cameras that are comparable to or even better than the iPhone 11/12, the fingerprint sensor is on the screen and works even with a screen protector on, supports 25W fast charging with Power Delivery charger, specifically with the PPS protocol with variable voltages, and offers the option for slow charging for better battery health, as well as the option for additional RAM called Virtual RAM, which takes a portion (4, 6, 8GB) from the storage space for extra assistance. However, even with the Virtual RAM, the 8GB of regular RAM is not enough, which is the usual amount even in flagship phones. For me, turn off the Virtual RAM as it consumes a little more storage space and battery since it is constantly accessed by background apps. The speakers are more than satisfactory.
In terms of appearance, it looks very similar to the flagship S23 models from Samsung, especially in terms of appearance, screen, and other features, except for the processor, compared to the S23 FE, which makes it a premium-looking phone for those who want it as a showcase.
You can customize various fonts for the time and style on the lock screen, similar to what iPhones have from iOS 16 onwards.
It has IP67 certification to protect the phone from water if it falls into a glass, for example.
In terms of performance, the Exynos 1380 of the A54, along with the 8GB of RAM, will easily handle all social and non-social applications, as well as games, without any lag. Of course, in benchmarks, compared to the flagship S23, the A54 will have about half the processing power, which justifies the double price of the S23 and the ability of the S23 to be more future-proof as application requirements and better cameras increase for demanding users.
Cons:
The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack and radio, which Xiaomi phones have.
Some gamers would prefer to have a Snapdragon 778g+ or a 782g processor instead of the Exynos 1380 in this mobile category for slightly better performance in heavy games, but I hope that with Samsung's support, they will optimize the 1380 through software updates, as it is a Samsung chipset.
It could include a charger like other manufacturers offer, such as Xiaomi, Realme, and others. This trend that Apple started without a charger is spreading dangerously. Be careful to find the original 25W Samsung charger and not an imitation that is compatible with iPhone fast charging. If you still want another charger, it should have a Type C port and support the PD protocol, and preferably PPS, as in many tests, even with a 100W charger with Power Delivery and Type C to Type C connection, it will only charge the phone at 15W. It requires PPS to charge at a maximum of 25 Watts, like all Samsung phones.
In terms of cameras, the lack of continuous video recording from one lens to another, as done in iPhones, is missing. Instead of the macro camera, it would be better to have a telephoto camera, which would be much more useful and complement the main wide and 0.5 ultra-wide cameras. You might say that flagship Android phones and the iPhone Pro series have telephoto cameras, but mid-range phones have a macro camera as the third camera for aesthetics and style, although practically it is somewhat useless. That's why the regular iPhone series, not the Pro, doesn't have a macro camera, but only two cameras: the main wide and the 0.5 ultra-wide camera.
Also, the three rear cameras protrude a lot, so you should get a well-designed case that covers them to prevent scratching or breaking. Just like a screen protector.
Tips for longer battery life: Activate battery saving mode, which disables 5G, always-on display, and limits background apps.
Secondly, choose the version with 128GB of storage space if you don't have many heavy games and apps on your phone, and if you have a number (SIM card), the phone accepts a microSD card up to 1TB with one SIM card or two SIM cards. I have inserted a 64GB Samsung EVO microSD card for storing songs, old photos, etc.
I am satisfied with the phone as I have it as a second phone, but even if I used it as my main phone, I wouldn't have any problems. It covers the needs of the average user who also wants a taste of Samsung flagship phones. With a price below 400 Euros, it's worth getting, especially since it will receive five years of security updates as a 2023 model. After all, we have reached a saturation point in terms of features in mobile phones.
I will reevaluate it if I see anything.
Update on November 23, 2023: I upgraded to OneUI 6.0, which brings Android 14 to the phone. It does not affect the functionality of the phone and adds some features that I saw in the menu and lock screen, among others, but it also covers security gaps.

A good and affordable Powerbank 10000 mAh for about 16E that supports fast charging, both for the device being charged and for the devices it charges, at 20W. It has a good construction with an aluminum casing.
A big positive is that it charges your phone or devices through the Type C port, which is also used for charging the Powerbank itself, making it compatible with the widely used Power Delivery charging standard. You can also charge it with an iPhone charger and cable, as it has a Lightning port for input, along with the older microUSB port that previous chargers had. Additionally, it displays the energy level as a percentage, rather than using the typical 4 dots like other powerbanks.
Of course, when using one of the USB A ports, it is compatible with Quick Charge, Samsung Fast Charge, SCP 4.5V, Huawei FCharge, Apple [email protected], etc.
Now, in terms of performance, like all powerbanks, it has an efficiency factor. From its internal battery, which is 10000mAh at 3.7V, it will lose about 25% to 40% of energy when delivering it as output. According to the manual, it provides an output of 5800mAh at 5V @ 3A. In practice, this may vary slightly. However, this is a common characteristic of all powerbanks. In practice, it will fully charge the battery of a modern large-sized smartphone and still have some power left to charge Bluetooth headphones or something else if desired.
It was purchased today, October 11, 2023. It seems like a good purchase, let's see how it goes.

Simply a very good quality and at the same time economical cable (1M) Type C to Type C that is definitely worth its money (2.5E). It has high-quality connectors, a beautifully braided cable, and fast charging compatibility with all the devices I tested it on, including Samsung, Xiaomi, and Powerbanks. They all charged quickly, just as fast as with their original cables.

For data transfer speeds, it will be somewhat slow as it supports the USB 2.0 standard (480Mbps), which is about 40 MB/s, similar to the old standard USB with the black classic Type A port. If you want fast data transfer, you will need to spend more money on a cable with USB 3.1 or higher, and the devices should also be compatible with the same standards as the cable.

However, where it is worth buying is for charging speeds, as it is certified with the Power Delivery standard, which is widely used in most applications. It can provide up to 60 Watts with corresponding voltages of 5V, 9V, 12V, 20V, and a current of up to 3A, depending on the charger you use, which should be 60 Watts or lower.

It was purchased 3 days ago for around 250€ from a well-known chain, for my mother (who doesn't have high demands) who had a Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 which works and the battery lasts, but the 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, small screen but Super AMOLED, and the outdated Android 8.0 operating system made the phone practically slow for today's standards of common applications (FB, Youtube, Viber, Chrome, Netflix). The Poco X5 5G is a beast compared to the A3 and economical for what it offers.

Let's start with the positives:
- It has a 5G antenna for future investment, but the coverage has not yet been completed in Greece, so I have disabled 5G from the settings for better battery life and it runs on 4G+.
- It has 6GB regular RAM along with a setting for 3GB Virtual RAM, totaling 9GB, along with the fast Snapdragon processor, it runs smoothly without lagging in the applications of an average user. The 128GB internal storage can hold everything, along with a 64GB microSD.
- It has a regular FM radio without the need for internet connection.
- Easy menu with customization options, it had some bloatware but they can be easily removed.
- It has NFC for contactless payments and infrared for functioning as a remote control with the appropriate application.
- In terms of security, Xiaomi, like Apple, with the corresponding Xiaomi Account and locked bootloader, locks the phone in case of a hard reset.
- The fingerprint sensor works perfectly, the screen has a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming, but it consumes more battery.
- The high-resolution screen has rich colors (OLED panel) in this price category.
- The 48MP camera along with the 8MP camera on the back of the phone are decent in good natural lighting, both in photos and videos, but they struggle in low light conditions, which is expected in this price category. Also, the 48MP is for marketing purposes, as the shots are much better with a 12MP camera on an iPhone.
- The box contains the necessary items that all mobile manufacturers should provide. It actually includes a transparent case, the phone has a thin protective film on it as soon as you take it out of the box, and the 33W fast charger with its cable.
- Strong speakers and excellent call quality.
- The battery is 5000mAh, and for my mother's usage, it lasts 3 to 4 days and charges in an hour with the 33W fast charger. But make sure to use the original Type-C cable, or if you lose it, get the genuine one from the authorized dealer because if you use another cable, the charger will cut off the power and it will charge at 18W instead of 33W. The Poco X5 5G has a special contact in its USB port and cable internally (known as GND Drain) which is colored red/orange, similar to some OnePlus phones or purple in Huawei Super Charge, as an identifier to allow more current above 3A usually and higher power for faster charging. Also, the different voltages and currents that the charger outputs during fast charging (5V, 9V, 11V, 12V, 20V) depending on the battery percentage. The slow charging from 20% to 80-85% (with a simple and quality 5V @ 10W charger) as well as the removal of the plastic case during charging, due to the lower temperature, is good for the battery's health, but it takes too long to charge and the constant putting in and taking out of the case is inconvenient...

- It came with Android 12 out of the box and immediately received a 3.3 GB update to Android 13.

For now, I don't see any negatives, we'll see how it goes...

In conclusion, it is an excellent phone for the price (around 250€) for the average and not only user, make sure to protect it with a screen protector and case because the one it comes with will turn yellow.