Samsung is no stranger when it comes to smartphones. In fact, they have had one of the most successful Android flagships for years with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. However, their mid-range offerings have been somewhat of a sore spot as the company struggles to be relevant. That changed last year with their A52 5G; the phone has been one of the most successful mid-range smartphones for Samsung ever.
Bringing Flagship Features to the Midrange
This year, they’re looking to build on that success and capitalise on bringing flagship features to the Galaxy A lineup. The 2022 Galaxy A series will be spearheaded by the Galaxy A73 5G, Galaxy A53 5G and the Galaxy A33 5G. Yep, that’s right, the series will be equipped with 5G across the board. In addition to 5G, Samsung is also bringing some of the software features we’re used to seeing in their flagships to the Galaxy A73, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33.
You will now see software features such as Bixby Routines, Buds Auto Switch, Continue App and Link to Windows as mainstays in the Galaxy A series. Continue App allows you to take apps across from your phone to your Samsung tablet while Link to Windows will allow you to seamlessly integrate apps from your phone to your Windows PC. Bixby Routines, on the other hand, will allow you to create “routines” that will be able to be executed with a simple voice command. That said, DeX will not be making an appearance on the new Galaxy A devices.
In addition to these software features, the Galaxy A series is getting IP67 water and dust resistance – yes, even the A33. Together with this, the series is also getting Gorilla Glass 5 and a large 5,000mAh battery. They will also be getting 5 years of security updates with 4 years of major software updates.
Flagship cameras for the Midrange Heroes
The Galaxy A33, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A73 will all come with top of the line cameras. The trio comes with a quadruple sensor setup with a main sensor equipped with optical image stabilization across the board. The Galaxy A73 5G comes with a 108-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and autofocus functionality. The A53 5G comes with a smaller 64-megapixel while the A33 5G is equipped with a 48-megapixel sensor.
Complementing this main sensor are an Ultrawide sensor, a macro sensor and a depth sensor. On the A73, these are a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The A53 comes with the same. The A33 comes with a smaller 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel depth sensor, it does, however, come with the same 5-megapixel macro sensor. On the front, the A73 and A53 come with a 32-megapixel fixed focus sensor while the A33 comes with a smaller 13-megapixel one.
Samsung isn’t just focusing on the hardware when it comes to the cameras. Software features such as hybrid zooming and even Single Take are making their way to the Galaxy A series.
Same Same but Different
The overall outlook of the Galaxy A series of 2022 can simply be surmised as “same same but different”. The smartphones inherit the design language of the Galaxy A series of 2021 with small tweaks for better ergonomics and to keep up with the colour palette of 2022. Other than that, they come with the same design as the 2021 Galaxy A series. The same rectangle with a fluidly camouflaged camera hump melding into the back of the phone.
On the front is a Super AMOLED panel. The A73 comes with the largest of the three phones at 6.7-inches while the A53 comes with a 6.5-inch display. Both these models come with a 120Hz refresh rate. The A53 comes with a smaller 6.4-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate. All of the displays have a Full HD+ resolution with an 800 nits peak brightness.
The smartphones come with new 5nm processors. The Galaxy A73 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G while the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 run on the Exynos 1280. The new Galaxy A series comes with 8GB of RAM. This can be expanded with up to 6 GB of additional RAM with Samsung’s RAM plus feature. The Galaxy A73 and A53 will be available with 256GB of storage while the A33 will be available with 128GB of storage. All three support up to 1TB additional storage via microSD card.
The new Galaxy A series devices will not ship with a charger in the box. It will only have a USB-C charging cable. Also absent is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy A73 will be available in Awesome White, Awesome Gray and Awesome Mint. It will be retailing for MYR2,099.
The Galaxy A53 and A33 will be available in Awesom White, Awesome Black, Awesome Pink and Awesome Blue. They will retail for MYR1,849 and MYR1,499 respectively.
No availability dates have been shared just yet.
Official Specifications
| Model | Galaxy A33 5G | Galaxy A53 5G | Galaxy A73 5G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 90Hz Infinity-U Display | 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 120Hz Infinity-O Display | 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED+ 120Hz Infinity-O Display |
| Dimensions & Weight | 74.0 x 159.7 x 8.1mm, 186g | 74.8 x 159.6 x 8.1mm, 189g | 76.1 x 163.7 x 7.6mm, 181g |
| Camera | Rear (Ultra-Wide) 8 MP F2.2 (Main) 48 MP F1.8 OIS(Depth) 2 MP F2.4 (Macro) 5 MP F2.4 Front 13 MP F2.2 | Rear (Ultra-Wide) 12 MP F2.2 (Main) 64 MP F1.8 OIS(Depth) 5 MP F2.4 (Macro) 5 MP F2.4 Front 32 MP F2.2 | Rear (Ultra-Wide) 12 MP F2.2 (Main) 108MP F1.8 OIS(Depth) 5 MP F2.4(Macro) 5 MP F2.4 Front 32 MP F2.2 |
| Processor | Octa-Core (2.4GHz, 2GHz) | Octa-Core (2.4GHz, 2GHz) | Octa-Core (2.4GHz, 1.8GHz) |
| Memory | RAM: 8 GB Internal Storage 128 GB microSD: up to 1TB | RAM: 8 GB Internal Storage: 256 GB microSD: up to 1TB | RAM: 8 GB Internal Storage: 256 GB microSD: up to 1TB |
| Battery | 5,000mAh(typical) | 5,000mAh(typical) | 5,000mAh(typical) |
| Charging | 25W Super Fast Charging | 25W Super Fast Charging | 25W Super Fast Charging |
| OS | Android 12 One UI 4.1 | Android 12 One UI 4.1 | Android 12 One UI 4.1 |
| Security | Samsung Knox | Samsung Knox | Samsung Knox |
| Network and Connectivity | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5GHz), Bluetooth® v 5.1 | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5GHz), Bluetooth® v 5.1 | 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4G+5GHz), Bluetooth® v 5.0 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Light Sensor, Virtual Proximity Sensing | Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Light Sensor, Virtual Proximity Sensing | Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor |
| Water Resistance | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 |