The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G Is A Mid-Range Phone With 5G Capabilities.
A few weeks ago, Samsung released its latest Galaxy A smartphone, the Galaxy A13 5G. It’s not really a groundbreaking device, but it does offer solid mid-range specs and features at an affordable price point of $249.Â
The phone’s standout feature is 5G connectivity, which will be available in South Korea, Germany, and the U.S., with the phone set to release there in December 2021.
Let’s dive into this new Samsung release to see if it’s worth the cost of admission.
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Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy series is one of Korea’s most popular smartphone lines. Though they may not be as high-end as their S and Note lines, they offer many premium features at much lower prices.Â
Samsung’s Galaxy line has begun to grow with more mid-range phones, giving consumers more options without completely sacrificing quality.Â
The Galaxy A10 (2018) was a solid choice for anyone looking for a good phone on a budget, but now we have something even better: Samsung’s new addition to its mid-range lineup — which features an octa-core processor and gigabit LTE speeds.
This makes it perfect for heavy usage or those who want to get work done on mobile devices in remote locations, quickly and efficiently… In terms of specifications, though, there are some key differences from last year’s model.
The Price
At $249, Samsung’s latest offering is a solid mid-range smartphone that doesn’t reinvent Samsung’s wheel in any way but adds a few new bells and whistles.
The combination of good performance, a great camera, and an exceptional display make it one of your best options if you’re in search of an affordable phone that can take amazing photos.
But, despite its strength across some key areas, it falters in others; with poor battery life and no headphone jack, you might want to consider other options before dropping your hard-earned cash on a Samsung Galaxy A13 5G.
It’s clear that Samsung is making a concerted effort to keep their latest phones affordable and competitive in the mid-range category, and if you’re looking for something with a good camera and great display at an affordable price point, then your search might just end here.
Design & Build
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G has a design very similar to that of its predecessor. It has a polycarbonate glass body with metal sides, a fingerprint sensor in front, and an A logo on the back — just like we saw last year.
In fact, it almost looks like it’s a repackaged version of that phone because little seems to have changed between them.
This is even more apparent if you look at the pictures side by side — you’ll see there are more than a few shared design elements between them…
This isn’t a huge surprise. The phone does cost roughly $249, after all, so we shouldn’t expect it to have revolutionary build quality or premium features that you get from more expensive phones.
But we still think Samsung could have done more here. Its plastic build just doesn’t feel as premium as that of other phones in its price range and the glossy finish on our review unit quickly started to show scratches and scuffs from regular use.
This problem is made worse by how slippery it is — thanks to its curved edges, it tends to slide off flat surfaces more often than other smartphones with a similar shape…
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G has a 6.5 Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The display is bright and colorful and gives you plenty of room to work, watch videos, or read your favorite book on your phone.
The biggest advantage of choosing a mid-range phone like the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G over an entry-level device is that your screen will be better than average.
You won’t have to squint to see small text or strain your eyes reading in sunlight. Also, if you use your phone for watching videos or playing games, a higher resolution makes images more vibrant and pixels less apparent.
For most people, 720×1600 pixels resolution is just fine. If you want to use your phone for VR, you’ll want at least 2K resolution. Most entry-level devices fall short here, but many mid-range phones have displays that are just as good or better than high-end devices.
You’ll also be able to take advantage of HDR video on supported apps and services. The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G also has a nice 6.5-inch AMOLED display with very thin bezels for a larger screen in a smaller device.
In addition to your main display, there is an Always-On screen that shows you important information like a clock, date, notifications, and more.
This feature only works when your phone is sleeping so it won’t consume any battery if you don’t use it. Finally, a fingerprint sensor sits on the front of the display for easy unlocking of your device.
It’s easy to set up and very convenient for everyday use. You can also use face unlock instead of or in combination with a fingerprint sensor depending on which one is more convenient for you.
Camera
Most of Samsung’s phones have great cameras, and that is no different from the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G.
The 50MP camera on the back has a good dynamic range and performs admirably in low light. The front camera is a bit weak at 5MP but still gets you some great selfies.
With multiple aperture settings as well as depth modes (like portrait mode) it’s easy to get a photo that looks like it came from a more expensive phone. Overall, there’s nothing spectacular about Samsung’s cameras, but they are solid.
I really like that Samsung included a dedicated camera button on the back. I also love that it launches straight into your most used camera mode.
This makes it easy to use without having to dig through settings or remember what is where. It’s a great feature and one that I miss when I go back to other phones. As far as video goes, there are three choices — 1080p at 60fps, 4K at 30fps, and 720p at 120fps.
They all look great on social media (and even on YouTube) but lack some of the finer points of higher-quality cameras and processing engines found in high-end phones like Samsung’s own S10 series.
If you want more power, you should consider another Best Phones So Far in our list of smartphones if you can swing it.
Value & Features
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G offers a lot of features that users have come to expect in a smartphone in 2022. It includes 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 5000mAh battery and it runs on Samsung’s own Exynos 700 Octacore processor.
The device features no Face ID, but you do get an in-display fingerprint scanner which isn’t as reliable as one that you would find on a high-end model like an iPhone.
Overall though, with its 6-inch full HD+ display and long-lasting battery life, it is well worth considering if you are after something that will get you through your day without needing to charge it up mid-afternoon.
There are a lot of things to love about Samsung’s new phone, but one of its biggest features is definitely that it offers great value for money.
Even if you don’t want to spend on an iPhone, there are still other high-end devices that are worth paying more for. The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G will cost you $249 which makes it one of, if not, the cheapest options in its price range.
It has all of the features you would expect from a top model and even some of those found in much pricier devices like Face ID and no-notch.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is one of Samsung’s cheaper devices, but that doesn’t mean that you need to put up with a lower-quality display.
It features a full HD+ display which is bright and easy to read even in direct sunlight. As well as giving you ample space for your apps and favorite media files, it also looks great when watching Netflix or YouTube on it.
Battery Life
One of my biggest concerns with mid-range phones is always battery life.
This isn’t to say that I want a super huge battery, but I want enough so that if I’m using my phone all day and doing things like streaming videos on YouTube or playing games, I can still use it in bed without having to charge it before going to sleep.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G has just over 5,000 mAh which allows me more than enough battery life to use it throughout a full day of intense usage.
However, when you compare it to high-end phones with batteries over 6000mAh, it does seem a bit small.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G’s battery life does provide a good amount of power for its price, but it doesn’t allow for as much usage time as I would prefer.
When I used it consistently during an eight-hour period, it usually lasted from 7 AM until around 3 PM before needing to be charged again.
Of course, if you use your phone a lot less frequently and don’t need to stream videos or play games, you will likely get better battery life than I did.
But even with moderate to heavy usage, using apps like Instagram or Facebook and playing games like Fortnite, I typically only got about four hours of screen on time at most.
Software and Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G also has a solid processor. The MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700, Octa-core 2.2 GHz CPU isn’t quite as fast as some higher-end phones, but it’s not that far behind. Apps open quickly and load without any lag or hesitation.
The 4GB of RAM ensures you have enough memory to run several applications at once. Also, its 64GB of internal storage can be expanded up to 512GB by using a microSD card which allows you to carry around your entire library of games, books, music, and videos wherever you go.
This phone also comes with Android 11 preinstalled and upgradable to Android 12, and OneUI 4.1, for easy access to all your favorite apps and games from Google Play Store including Fortnite Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Facebook Lite, and YouTube Go.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G has an attractive design as well. It comes in Blue, Black, and Gold colors and has slim side bezels which make holding it comfortable and easy.
It has a 6.5 FHD+ Super AMOLED screen that you can use in direct sunlight, making it a great choice for summer trips and holidays.
Battery life is also good on average usage, with around 11 hours of heavy use and over 26 hours of standby time.
The 5000mAh battery takes only around 1 hour to charge to full capacity which means you can get plenty of juice back in a short amount of time whenever you need it.
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Heat
The Samsung Galaxy A 13 5G is a pretty basic phone, especially with its entry-level Dimensity 700 chipset. The UI is built on top of Android 12 and there aren’t many additional features that are included in it.
It does come with the Samsung Game Launcher for games, but you won’t be able to download any other games from the Play Store because this device doesn’t have Google Services installed.
When it comes to gaming, you’re more likely to run into issues of performance as a result of just not having enough power.
The phone is rated for decent graphics in mobile games and doesn’t have any heating issues when playing games, but 3D games might suffer because of hardware limitations.
We tried playing Asphalt 9 and it ran without any stuttering or other issues. It isn’t going to be running any advanced new releases that require a lot of horsepowers, but most basic titles will work just fine.
You should expect a smooth gaming experience and no heating issue if you play without demanding high-end titles like Shadowgun Legends.
We’d recommend playing video games on a Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, but that’s because it does feel like a phone that you could use to play games on – it won’t blow your mind, but it will allow you to get in touch with your gaming site if you’re just not quite ready for an Android gaming console.
As far as other things go, they work just fine and we didn’t run into any performance issues while using them.
Overall Verdict – Should you buy it?
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is a fairly solid mid-range smartphone. It isn’t without its drawbacks, but for most users, it will be an excellent buy.
If you’re looking for a quality phone with a good camera and great battery life, look no further than Samsung’s latest offering.
Sure, there are some quirks to address before purchase, but as far as mid-range phones go, you won’t find much better at such an affordable price point. You can even get it with a free Smart TV!
As long as you can live with its small screen size and performance issues when streaming content over WiFi, then I’d definitely recommend buying one of these smartphones if you’re in the market for something new and want to spend less than $250.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is a great option for those who want quality at an affordable price.
It’s got a solid battery life, an excellent camera, and some nifty features such as IP68 water resistance without an unsightly notch to accommodate facial recognition.
If you can live with its performance issues and small screen size, then I’d recommend buying one of these phones as long as you can find it on sale for less than $250.
As always, remember to leave your comments below if you have any questions about my review!