Samsung recently announced the Galaxy A23 5G as its latest budget 5G smartphone, but how does it compare to the Galaxy A13 5G? Despite dropping the tradition of launching 4G and 5G versions of its flagship phones and even upper mid-range models, Samsung is still following the same trend with its more affordable smartphones. Before the Galaxy A23 5G launch, it announced the Galaxy A23, a 4G smartphone with a Qualcomm chipset.

The Galaxy A13 5G, which launched in Dec. 2021, also has a 4G version that was announced in March 2022. Considering several countries still don't have 5G networks, it is understandable why Samsung hasn't ditched this strategy. Sure, it can stick to an all 5G lineup, but that could backfire since it will drive up the cost of its phones. And considering its best-selling smartphone of 2021 was the Galaxy A12, a 4G smartphone, it is in Samsung's best interest to continue to offer affordable 4G smartphones.

The Galaxy A23 5G is the successor to the Galaxy A22 5G, which was its cheapest 5G smartphone until the Galaxy A13 5G. Concerning design, the Galaxy A23 5G and Galaxy A13 5G could pass for the same device when looking at them from the front. However, they are easy to tell apart when flipped over. The Galaxy A23 5G has a quad camera setup that sits on a protruding island, while the A13 5G has three rear cameras almost flush with the back. Both phones are made of plastic and lack any form of water resistance. Samsung has announced the A23 5G in Black, Blue and Peach, while users can purchase the A13 5G in Black, Blue, Green and White depending on the market.

The Galaxy A23 5G Is A Refined Galaxy 13 5G


With a 6.6-inch FHD+ display, the Galaxy A23 5G is not a small device, and it towers slightly above the Galaxy A13 5G whose screen is 6.5 inches with an HD+ resolution. Both phones have a V-shaped notch in their LCD panels, which refreshes at 120Hz for the A23 5G and at 90Hz for the A13 5G. Under the hood of the Galaxy A23 5G is a Snapdragon 695 processor, which is more powerful than the Dimensity 700 processor that powers the Galaxy A13 5G. The A23 5G is available in 4/6/8GB RAM options with 64GB or 128GB of storage.

On the other hand, the Galaxy A13 5G is available in a single configuration with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. Thankfully both phones have a MicroSD card slot for adding more storage. Samsung has equipped both phones with a 50MP primary rear camera, but the Galaxy A23 5G should be able to take better shots as it has optical image stabilization (OIS). They also have a 2MP depth camera and a 2MP macro camera. However, the Galaxy A23 5G gets a 5MP sensor with an ultrawide angle lens. In addition, the Galaxy A13 5G has a 5MP sensor for the front-facing camera, while the A23 5G gets an 8MP sensor.

The two phones have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, NFC, a USB-C port, and even an audio jack. They also have the same 5000mAh battery capacity. However, while the Galaxy A13 5G can charge up to 15W, the Galaxy A23 5G will refill faster thanks to supporting 25W fast charging. Samsung launched the Galaxy A13 5G with Android 11 but has provided an update to Android 12. On the other hand, the Galaxy A23 5G runs Android 12 out of the box. Samsung currently sells the Galaxy A13 5G in the United States for $249, while the Galaxy A23 5G is available in Taiwan only for now with a starting price of TWD 8,990 (~$297) for the base model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.