The Galaxy A23 has gotten a 5G variant in a quiet launch by Samsung. This is not really surprising given the number of leaks in the past few weeks. However, a quiet launch is something that was not expected.
Just like the 4G version of the Galaxy A23, the 5G variant should still fit in the budget to lower-midrange segment of the market, and should be a good fit for anyone looking for a 5G-capable device without breaking the bank. Once in the Kenyan market, it should rival the likes of the Redmi Note 11 5G and the Infinix Hot 12 5G in the entry-level 5G market.
The phone was listed by Samsung on its website, confirming the very similar design to the 4G version. However, the company stopped short of listing the price. The South Korean company has also failed to announce which regions will receive the device. However, it is a good bet that the Indian, European and African markets would be top targets for the affordable smartphone.
Sammobile thinks the A23 5G will start from 300 Euros (around Kshs 36,000), which is around the retail price of the aforementioned Redmi Note 11 5G and Infinix Hot 12 5G in the Kenyan market.
In terms of what it brings to the table, the A23 5G is still very similar to the 4G version, except obviously for 5G connectivity, which has also made it necessary to replace the chip present in the 4G variant (a Dimensity chipset from MediaTek) with a 5G-capable chipset, the Snapdragon 695 SoC.
Another significant change from the 4G variant is a tweak to the refresh rate. The A23 5G gets a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which is a downgrade from the 90Hz refresh rate present in the 4G version.
Samsung has not explained the downgrade, but it is likely to be tied to battery life issues, as 5G devices tend to be power hungry and can quickly drain a battery. Couple this with a 90Hz refresh rate and the battery life could have been less than ideal in Samsung’s view, making the downgrade a necessary evil.
As is the case nowadays with entry-level and middle-range devices, you get a plethora of RAM and storage combinations to suit your need. There will be options with 4, 6 or 8 GB of RAM while the internal storage will come in either 64 GB or 128 GB.
Luckily, Samsung still has the microSD slot in the A23 5G that can support an additional 1 TB of storage. Bluetooth 5.1, and Android 12 layered with One UI 4.1 are among the other technicalities the 5G version shares with its older 4G brother.
Samsung lists the A523 5G with four colour options; black, blue, pink, gold and white although there is the possibility of other colour options being available in different regions
