Samsung Is Launching Yet Another Cheap 5G Phone In The US
The new Samsung Galaxy A23 5G phone adds a $300 option to its A-series phones.
Why is it important?For buyers looking for cheaper smartphone options, the phone is getting dirty with price inflation.
Samsung is bringing its new $300 Galaxy A23 5G phone to the US, adding another model to the company's affordable A-phone line. It is the latest phone aimed at customers on this budget, where competition is growing for affordable phones from Google and Apple. This is due to inflation affecting smartphone shipments. The Galaxy A23 5G will be available starting September 1 through Samsung, AT&T, T-Mobile and other retailers.
Samsung previously announced the Galaxy A23 5G, but now it's bringing it to the US market. At $300, the A23 is cheaper than the $400 Galaxy A42 5G but slightly more expensive than the $250 Galaxy A13 5G. It's also priced the same as the $300 OnePlus Nord N20 5G.
The Galaxy A23 5G has a 6.6-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is the same size as most Samsung A-series phones.
While the Galaxy A23 5G technically has four rear cameras, the highlight is the 50MP main camera. The Ultraline camera only has a 5-megapixel sensor, which means the resolution may not be very sharp. Similarly, there is a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth lens for close-up shots. Although the quality of the last three cameras is low, usually only the main camera gets the best performance for this price. The front selfie camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels.
Like most Samsung A-series phones, the Galaxy A23 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery. My colleague Mike Sorrentino, who tests Samsung Galaxy A phones under $200, says he was able to get about two days on this battery. But keep in mind that none of these phones support 5G, unlike the A23. The A23 5G's increased refresh rate, which offers smooth scrolling, drains the battery faster.
The Galaxy A23 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, the same chip found in the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G and N20 5G at the same price. Internal storage is 64GB, which is on par with 32GB on Samsung phones like the $200 Galaxy A03S and the $250 Galaxy A13 5G. But like this phone, the Galaxy A23 5G has a microSD card slot to expand its storage up to 1TB.
While Samsung's Galaxy S phones and foldable phones are getting more attention, the Galaxy A series has gained popularity. According to Counterpoint research data provided by CNET, the Galaxy A will account for 58 percent of Samsung's total smartphone sales in 2021.
But Samsung is facing increasing competition from rivals like Google and Apple. The $449 Pixel 6A, which competes directly with the $450 Galaxy A53 5G, has been well received by critics. In March, Apple introduced the third-generation iPhone SE for $429.
However, according to Canalys Research, consumers are looking for more affordable devices as inflation affects the demand for smartphones. Canalys Research analyst Brian Lynch said in a recent report that devices like the iPhone SE, Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 in the $250 to $600 range are performing better than expected. Meanwhile, according to the Lynch report, the demand for low-cost devices is still strong. The Galaxy A23 5G is part of Samsung's efforts to attract more US consumers who want to spend less than $500 on a new 5G phone.
