Samsung Galaxy A23 5G review

The competition

The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G starts at about €230 for its 4/64 model, which is a great price for a 5G-enabled phone on a budget. It offers modern specs like a 120Hz display, a solid chipset, fast charging, four cameras on the back, and recent software. And we liked the performance, the battery life, and the camera experience for the most part.

It's just the Ui performance is not as smooth as we'd like and knowing this chipset pretty well, we'd wager that the 4GB RAM equipped on the standard model may simply not be enough. Unfortunately, the models with more RAM are also more expensive - we are talking €300 and above - and this is where we step into the Galaxy A33 5G and A53 5G territory.

The Galaxy A33 5G starts at about €270 for its 6/128 version, and in addition to more RAM and storage, it also offers an OLED panel, IP67-rated design, more powerful hardware, stereo speakers, and even better all-round camera experience with 4K video capturing. We see no reason to get the A23 5G instead of the A33 5G.

The 6/64 Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G costs about €280, and it's a good alternative as the Xaiomi's offer has an AMOLED screen, IP53 rating, stereo speakers, and even faster charging. It runs on MIUI-skinned Android, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But this can be said for any launcher, really, One UI included.

The recently launched Realme 10 has a 90Hz AMOLED and similar performance and battery life, but it lacks 5G, and the camera performance is subpar. That's why we'd suggest looking at the Realme 10 Pro instead, which is pretty much the same phone as the A23 5G sans the ultrawide and macro cameras, but with stereo speakers and faster charging. If you fancy a different design and launcher than Samsung's offering, you should give the Realme 10 Pro a chance.

Of course, the previous Realme 9 Pro+ remains the better offer for having an AMOLED screen, a more powerful chipset, and faster charging. It should be cheaper than the new Realme 10 Pro model, too.

And, finally, the Moto G82 deserves some attention for its 120Hz OLED screen, the same chipset with more RAM, and a similar camera setup. The Moto G82 has a better selfie camera, stereo speakers, water-repellent design, and runs on a cleaner Android version. Its price is around the same as the Galaxy A23 5G, too.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G • Realme 10 Pro • Realme 9 Pro+ • Motorola Moto G82

Our verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G is a well-rounded phone with a smooth-running screen, likable design, powerful enough hardware, plenty of cameras, and a large battery with reasonably fast charging. We appreciate the latest software suite and the various fan-favorite features like a standalone microSD slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, and even the old notch shape.

The 4GB RAM model is a bit slow, but it is also the cheaper one, and it makes sense to get it if you are not too fussy about performance. The higher tier Galaxy A23s are already in Galaxy A33 territory, and that one is better in almost every way.

And that's where the Galaxy A23 5G fails - it has too many missing features, and you can get better phones by just adding €30-€50 on top of the A23 5G asking price. There is no water protection, no proximity sensor, no ambient light sensor, no 4K video capturing, and the screen isn't all that bright for an LCD - all these could be fixed by increasing your budget by a fraction.

But if you can find the Galaxy A23 5G on sale for about €200 or lower, then it is going to be worth every penny as there will be no phone to beat it, stutter or no stutter.

Pros

• Sturdy and grippy design.
• Smooth 120Hz display, wide color, good accuracy.
• Outstanding battery life, fast charging.
• Latest Android 13 with One UI 5.
• Adequate chipset, excellent stability.
• Great photo and video quality from the main camera.
• Dual SIM, 5G, microSD, 3.5mm jack, NFC.

Cons

• No OLED, no ingress protection like other A phones.
• Not as bright screen as on other competitors.
• The 4GB model offers a sluggish user experience.
• No stereo speakers.
• The virtual proximity and ambient light sensors are not as reliable.