Tech

Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53: our take on Samsung’s new flagship smartphones

Samsung has unveiled its two new mid-range smartphones, the Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53. These products want to offer an attractive technical sheet for a fair price, i.e. below 500 euros. The manufacturer also brings interesting innovations from its premium products. We were able to handle them.

Galaxy A
Four colors are available

Samsung often highlights its Galaxy S range, the spearhead of its technical know-how. However, its best-selling smartphones are those of the Galaxy A range. They offer an affordable price, a correct technical sheet and bring certain technical innovations that appeared on previous high-end products. The newcomers, the Galaxy A33 and A53, fully embrace this philosophy. We were able to handle them.

The Galaxy A33 and A53 offer a neat design

These two smartphones adopt three interesting innovations in the range. They are both IP67 certified, first of all, therefore resistant to water and dust. Their screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 technology then, for more solidity. Finally, their photo sensor offers optical stabilization. Note also that the terminals are compatible with 5G networks, which was already the case for the 2021 batch.

On paper, the two products are quite similar, and this is also the case once in hand. On the back we have a very pleasant to the touch soft plastic shell with a photo module materialized in the form of a bump, a design code reminiscent of the Oppo Find X5 Pro. To tell these near-perfect twins apart, you have to look at the slices. If the A33 has matte plastic sides, the A53 has shiny edges.

Galaxy A
The two smartphones are visually differentiated by their edges

Either way, they’re fun to handle. If we won’t go so far as to say that we feel like we have a top of the range in hand, we appreciate the impeccable finish (a habit at Samsung). The A33 is 186 grams and the A53 159 grams. A “normal” weight for this size, and perfectly balanced. These products could very well have been premium smartphones just a few years ago. Their flattened edges also give them false airs of iPhone. On the color side, we find (on both models) the usual white and black, but also peach and sky blue colors. We were seduced by the latter, because it brings a real visual identity to the terminal.

Two smartphones that differ in technology

The Galaxy A33 and A53 are both equipped a flat AMOLED panel in Full HD+. While the first offers a 6.4-inch screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, the second adopts a 6.5-inch panel at 120 Hz. It is difficult to differentiate the two smartphones by their size, which is almost similar , but we notice that the A33 has a slightly coarse notch to house the front camera while the A53 has a more discreet punch. In both cases, the edges of the screens are quite prominent and remind us that we are not on a high-end product.

Galaxy A
The A33 has a notch, the A53 a punch

The two Galaxy A also differ from each other by their photo module (visually identical, composed of four sensors each). Thus, the Galaxy A33 has a main sensor of 40 megapixels, an ultra wide angle of 8 megapixels, a macro sensor of 5 megapixels and a portrait sensor of 2 megapixels. The A53 is obviously better on this point with 64, 12, 5 and 5 megapixel sensors.

Read also – Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra test: the new king of Android smartphones?

We were able to quickly take some photos and even if it is premature to give a definitive opinion, the Galaxy A’s seem to be doing well. Samsung also brings some new software, such as a reworked portrait mode, but also the magic eraser of the S22 range which allows you to delete unwanted objects or people on shots. An innovation introduced for the first time on Google’s Pixel 6.

Galaxy A

Both smartphones are equipped with an Exynos 1280 SoC, a novelty from Samsung, and have a 5000 mAh battery with a 25 Watt recharge. Note that the charger is no longer provided in the box, as on the top of the range. The Galaxy A33 will be available with 128 GB of storage, while the A53 will additionally offer a 256 GB version. Both smartphones can accommodate a microSD card.

Read also – Galaxy A52 5G test: a most successful mid-range, and yet…

Finally, on the software side, the new generation Galaxy A ships Android 12 with the One 4.1 overlay, the latest. Samsung promises software updates for 4 years and security updates for 5 years. A very good initiative.

Galaxy A
The Galaxy A53

Aggressive prices to seduce

The Galaxy A33 will be released “in the coming weeks”, without further details. Samsung wants to highlight the A53, the king of the range. It will be available on April 1, 2022 and pre-orders are already open on the manufacturer’s website. If you crack before the release, a pair of Buds Live will be offered, as well as 50 euros to spend on the Play Store.

Here are the advertised prices:

  • Galaxy A33: 379 euros
  • Galaxy A53 128 GB: 459 euros
  • Galaxy A53 256 GB: 519 euros

Aggressive prices therefore for smartphones which should sell like hotcakes. The Galaxy A are indeed Samsung’s flagship products. If the competition is becoming more and more aggressive in this price segment (we think of Xiaomi, for example), the Korean brand can count on its know-how to seduce, but also by the brand effect: a user unfamiliar with of the tech news who are looking for a product under 500 euros will more easily go for a Samsung phone, a brand they necessarily know and can trust.

Galaxy A
The entire family

The first approach with these Galaxy A33 and A53 is therefore very positive. We have well-finished smartphones, pleasant to use and with an attractive technical sheet for their price. Of course, they will have to be tested more thoroughly to really see what they are worth. What about the battery, the power of the processor and especially the quality of the shots? This will be data that we will dissect very carefully during our tests.

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