Five months following the global launch of the Samsung A53 5G, Samsung’s local office in the Philippines has decided to introduce three new additional members to the growing A-series roster of entry level and flagship entry level smartphones and tablets.
There are two common denominators between the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, the Galaxy A23 5G and the Galaxy A04s – all of them are priced under P20,000 and use minimalist design unlike pricier offerings that the brand currently has.
Only the Galaxy A13 and the Galaxy A23 are powered by 5G, while the Galaxy A04s only supports 4G LTE. Among the three, the Galaxy A13 is marketed as an affordable 5G device while the A23 is considered as a more premium budget smartphone that also boasts gaming-level performance and better photography.
“The Galaxy A-series smartphones are all about bringing awesome innovations and making it accessible for everyone. We want to give you the best smartphones so that you can achieve your awesome goals, you can capture those awesome moments, and you can bring your A game every single day,” Samsung Philippines product marketing head Jun Guevara said during an exclusive media sneak peek in Makati City.
Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
This model is one of the new Samsung smartphones quietly launched and was not announced at the last Unpacked 2022 event. Samsung says that the stronger points of the A23 5G include fast 5G connectivity, a large screen real estate, a quad camera setup, and all-day battery life.
Under the hood, the device is run by a midrange ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) manufactured using a 6-nanometer process technology first introduced on September of 2021.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 supports both sub-6 and mmWave types of 5G and offers a 15% performance improvement over its predecessor at 2.2GHz. It powers imaging systems using a triple image signal processor paired with Qualcomm Spectra 346T primed for multi-camera photo and video shots.
The Galaxy A23 5G also features up to 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, a 120Hz refresh rate on its 6.6-inch Full HD+ Infinity-V display, a 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), and three color options: Awesome Black, Awesome Orange, and Awesome Blue.
The smartphone is available in two memory and storage configurations; a 6GB+128GB variant priced at P16,990, and an 8GB+128GB variant retailing for P17,990.
Samsung Galaxy A13 5G
Offering a similar 5G experience at a cheaper price point, the Galaxy A13 5G does not have the quad-camera setup found on the more premium A23 5G. This device also lacks Gorilla Glass protection, only comes with 90Hz screen refresh rate, and uses a MediaTek processor instead of a Snapdragon.
The MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor powering the Galaxy A13 is a midrange SoC designed to support dual 5G and high screen refresh displays among others. Despite it being in the market for 22 months now, it can handle processing speeds of up to 2.2GHz and 1GB/s of data streaming.
The Galaxy A13 5G runs on an Android 11-based OneUI upgradeable to Android 12, and features a dedicated microSDXC slot for memory expansion, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 5000mAh battery charging at 15W capacity, and a USB Type-C port.
This model also arrives in two memory configurations; a 4GB+128GB version retailing at P13,990, and a 6GB+128GB version priced at P14,990.
Samsung Galaxy A04s
The Galaxy A04s is the budget entry-level among the three new A-series smartphones. Although it is priced under P10,000, the device is equipped with a 50MP main camera and 128GB of storage.
The device is powered by the brand’s own Exynos 850 processor which is meant to be installed in entry-level smartphones. The 8nm SoC is based on based on Bifrost architecture and focuses on delivering enhanced power efficiency to users.
The Galaxy A04s also features dual sim support, One UI Core 4 based on Android 12, up to 1080p at 30 frames-per-second video recording, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 5000mAh non-removable battery.
Available in Black and Green colorways, the Galaxy A04s retails for ₱9,490.
