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Introduction and specs
Samsung has been going strong with its mid-range lineup in the last couple of years, and the Galaxy A23 is yet another iteration of its low-end to mid-range offering. As it's usually the case with budget Samsung phones, the main focus seems to be the camera department. We often see better ultrawide solutions and more advanced main cameras used in Samsung's midrangers, compared to rivals, that is.
The Galaxy A23 is no exception to the rule. Despite being a budget handset, it carries a 50MP main camera, which also happens to be optically stabilized. The other three cameras don't stand out in any way, though.
We also have a big 6.6-inch display, which is not OLED, but we rarely get to see an OLED around these price points. Something had to give, after all, and it's understandable.
Samsung Galaxy A23 specs at a glance:
- Body: 164.5x76.9x8.4mm, 195g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, plastic back.
- Display: 6.60" PLS LCD, 90Hz, 1080x2408px resolution, 20.07:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver); Adreno 610.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/5", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; 3.5mm jack; Virtual proximity sensing; No ambient light sensor.
The Snapdragon 680 SoC powering the device is a recent one with fairly capable CPU, which offers a substantial upgrade over older Snapdragon 6xx chipsets. That's not to say there aren't some considerable drawbacks of the said platform, including the lack of 4K video recording and 5G connectivity. Then again, some of the said issues plague current mid-range smartphone alternatives using the Snapdragon 6xx series in 2022. More on that later.
However, the chip has enough cores that are clocked sufficiently high, so performance shouldn't be an issue compared to devices running the latest Snapdragon 690 series. In other words, it should hopefully offer just about the right level of performance as other competing solutions.
Other than that, the Galaxy A23 shapes up to be a decent budget solution with a big 5,000 mAh battery, competitive 25W fast charging (with a separate charger) over Power Delivery, Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and the fan-favorite microSD card slot. The Galaxy A23 is also launching with the latest Android 12 and Samsung's One UI 4.1 out of the box, which isn't a given with low-end phones.
Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A23
There's nothing out of the ordinary inside the Galaxy A23's retail box. It contains the standard user manuals and a 15W charger, although the phone can take a 25W charger as well. Of course, there's a USB-A to USB-C cable inside for charging and data transfer.
Interestingly, there's no bonus case, which is usually a thing in the low-end to mid-range packaging.
Design and ergonomics
The Galaxy A23 has a familiar design language, which puts it closer to the Galaxy A33 and the A53 than its more affordable Galaxy A13 sibling. This means that the camera module is slightly protruding, but it's not a separate piece. It's still part of the back panel and the edges are smoothed out. Also, contrary to the Galaxy A13, the A23 doesn't have a unibody design. The plastic back panel is separate from the side frame.
Despite the curved panel and frame, the two form a noticeable ridge, which isn't ideal, but it's not a deal-breaker either. It just feels a bit clunky in hand.
We have the Black color with us, which looks more like a dark, graphite gray, probably due to the glossy finish. It's a tad less slippery than glass, but fingerprints and smudges still stick.
As we go around the sides, we find the volume rocker and the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader as well, on the right side. Both are positioned adequately, and the indentation makes it easy to find the power key. The bottom, as usual, is the place for the USB-C connector and the loudspeaker. The left houses only the SIM card tray, which happens to be compatible with two SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously.
Samsung Galaxy A23
There's not much to talk about the front side of the phone, however. It's business as usual, except for the notch. The V-shaped notch is an outdated design but is still being implemented on low-end and rarely on mid-range devices. The A23 also has some thick bezels all-around that don't really come as a surprise.
Despite its drawbacks, the handset is fairly comfortable to hold and even surprisingly hefty. A 6.6-inch, plastic phone that weighs 195 grams is a bit above the average. That shouldn't scare you, though, as some of us find the little extra weight pleasing. It adds a little sense of sturdiness, and that's always welcome. It also wouldn't be fair to complain about trivial things when the price point of the handset is in the mid-€200. Having Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front is a good enough bonus.
V-shaped notch on an LCD panel
The Samsung Galaxy A23 is built around a 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel with a V-shaped notch housing the selfie cameraр. However, that's pretty much what you'd expect from a phone in this price range. Resolution is adequate, too - 1080 x 2408px.
The V-shaped notch is somewhat outdated, and the panel only goes up to 90Hz, whereas most rivals boast 120Hz. Still, we doubt this would be a deal-breaker for most users looking for a basic phone such as the Galaxy A23.
As part of the cost-cutting measures, the Galaxy A23 seems to omit proximity and ambient light sensors. The first one may pose a problem during calls as most virtual proximity sensors are notorious for their poor performance and consistency. The absence of an ambient light sensor, though, might be the bigger problem.
We found that the current implementation adjusts screen brightness far from adequate. Phones that lack ambient light sensors use the front-facing camera to measure lighting conditions. This means it's less energy efficient, takes too much time to react to changes, and it's inaccurate at times. Taking the phone out of the pocket takes a couple of seconds for the software to increase the brightness or when taking it indoors. We found ourselves reaching for the brightness slider more often than not.
We also couldn't make it go beyond 464 nits. This will probably be enough for most scenarios but using the handset on a bright sunny day outside is a challenge. Sub-500 nits aren't enough, and the more reflective nature of LCD panels makes it even harder. And even in this price category, we've seen brighter displays.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 597 | ∞ | |
| 0.236 | 385 | 1631:1 | |
| 0.376 | 498 | 1324:1 | |
| 0.448 | 587 | 1310:1 | |
| 0 | 477 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 754 | ∞ | |
| 0.374 | 464 | 1241:1 | |
| 0 | 470 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 746 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 746 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 470 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 465 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 736 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 383 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 800 | ∞ | |
| 0.288 | 461 | 1601:1 | |
| 0.385 | 567 | 1473:1 | |
Color accuracy isn't the best either, as whites and grays are straight up blue. Unfortunately, Samsung didn't put color presets, and there's no way to adjust the color temperature, so you are stuck with a bit oversaturated colors across the board (which might not be bad for most users), but the blue-ish tint on white and gray backgrounds is a hard pill to swallow.
HRR control
The software offers just two modes - Adaptive and Standard. The latter limits the refresh rate to 60Hz, while the other prioritizes 90Hz. The HRR management is pretty simple and predictable, though. If you are not interacting with the display, it will tone down to 60Hz, no matter the scenario. And we are happy to report that all of the popular apps we've tried saturate the full 90Hz.
Battery life
The Samsung Galaxy A23 packs a 5,000 mAh battery, which has become an industry standard in the last two or so years. Combined with the efficient Snapdragon 680 SoC, the device scored an impressive 130h overall endurance rating.
Moreover, the arguably more important components of the test - the screen-on runtimes - deliver excellent runtimes as well. The web browsing test is above 18 hours, and the video playback test returned a score of almost 16 hours.
To be frank, most of the handsets in this category offer good battery endurance, but the Galaxy A23 edges out.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
Although the device supports 25W fast charging over the Power Delivery 3.0 standard, the A23 ships with Samsung's standard 15W charger. You can always pick up one of Samsung's 25W-rated chargers and the appropriate USB-C to USB-C cable.
Anyway, we tested the provided 15W charger against the 5,000 mAh battery inside the phone, and the results aren't impressive. The phone chargers from 0 to 100% in 1 hour and 43 minutes while a 30-minute charge from flat fills up the cell to just 32%. Those numbers are pretty far off of what the competition has to offer.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
78% - Poco X4 Pro 5G
75% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
74% - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
53% - Realme 9 Pro
52% - Samsung Galaxy A23
32% - Samsung Galaxy A13
27% - Samsung Galaxy A22
23% - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
23%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
0:45h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
0:48h - Poco X4 Pro 5G
0:49h - Realme 9 Pro
1:14h - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
1:28h - Samsung Galaxy A23
1:43h - Samsung Galaxy A13
2:18h - Samsung Galaxy A22
2:20h - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2:29h
Speaker
The handset relies only on a single, bottom-firing speaker, which received a "Good" overall score at -27.6 LUFS. That's slightly higher than the Galaxy A13's score. Quality-wise, it's understandably unimpressive. The sound is rather flat with non-existing bass and lacking mids. That's still par for the course.
Samsung provides a couple of customization features, including an in-depth equalizer and Dolby Atmos support, but the latter is limited to headphones and Bluetooth speakers only.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
One UI 4.1 on top of Android 12
As we already mentioned, not often do we see a low-end smartphone launched in early 2022 running the latest Android OS. So kudos to Samsung for including the One UI 4.1 software based on Android 12. Of course, there are quite a few features missing from the software when compared to Samsung's mid-range and top-tier models.
We also found even some Samsung-specific features missing from the list, such as the voice assistant Bixby, Samsung Pay and Windows Link, among others. However, Easy mode, Good Lock and Secure Folder are at hand, suggesting that this isn't exactly the One UI 4.1 Core version of the software that the Galaxy A13 is running. Still seems like a toned-down version of the proper One UI 4.1, though. Of curse, Always-on is absent as well since the handset runs an LCD panel. The good news is that Smart View (read Screen Cast) is on the menu as opposed to the Galaxy A13. We believe this is an essential feature, so it's good to see it on a basic phone like this one.
We've also noticed that there are stutters and the occasional short hangs here and there. The software definitely doesn't run as smoothly as you'd expect, not the best user experience, that's for sure. Let's move on to the features we can work with, though.
Unlocking the screen with the side-mounted fingerprint scanner is a breezy experience - the reader is always-on and has superb accuracy and speed.
Home screen, notification shade, recent apps, settings menu
If you've used an older version of One UI, you will feel right at home. The whole point of One UI is to provide a pleasant one-handed experience, so you can pull down on pretty much all system menus, so that the interactive UI elements are moved to the lower half of the screen. There are a couple of customization options like accent colors (which are automatically generated based on the wallpaper of your choice), lock screen style, widgets, etc.
Customization options and themes
Another fairly new addition you might notice coming from an older Android is the reworked multimedia controls originally introduced with Android 11. You get the active audio playback apps right below the quick toggles, and swiping to the side switches between the apps.
Media controls
The Media screen was already available on One UI 2.5 pre-Android 11, and it offers similar functionality for picking the output device. The volume control panel has gotten a makeover too, and now the four sliders are vertical instead of the horizontal ones of One UIs past.
There are plenty of system navigation options, with a few tweaks and layouts available for gestures, as well as old-school button controls, even the really-old original style, with the back button on the right side.
Navigation customizations
The settings menu has recently undergone a subtle but meaningful makeover. Subcategories are made more legible by using a dot separator and extra spacing, while recent searches are now shown as bubbles instead of a list. Additionally, there's a newly added feature to search settings by hashtags - for conceptually related things found in different places in the menu.
Beyond all of this, the Galaxy A23 comes loaded with a standard set of apps from Samsung, Microsoft and Google.
So despite being a trimmed version of the original One UI 4.1, the software still provides a plethora of features that most of you will find useful. Our only complaint is about performance. The Snapdragon 680 seems to be struggling with the rather heavy One UI. On the other hand, we've seen the Snapdragon 680 run well before, and its performance isn't too far off from the Snapdragon 695, for example, so it might be due to software optimization issues alone. We hope Samsung takes note and improves performance down the road.
Synthetic and sustained performance
On the surface, the Snapdragon 680 (SM6225) is a modern chip. It was released in Q4 2021 and is made on a current and efficient TSMC 6nm node. Once you start reading into some of its other specs in detail, though, some major compromises start to show through. For one, its four "big" Kryo 265 Gold cores are based on the ARM Cortex-A73 from all the way back in 2016, while the Cortex-A53 base for the "LITTLE" Kryo 265 Silver ones was unveiled in 2012. Both are several generations old and can't really keep up with more potent and recent CPU cores. The Snapdragon 680 has these set up in a 4x2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver configuration.
Then there is the Adreno 610 GPU - another aging piece of kit that is almost operating at its maximum supported display resolution limit of 2520x1080 pixels on the Galaxy A23, with its 1080 x 2400 resolution display. That should be a good enough indication of its performance. We are almost wondering how it is managing 90Hz or rather anywhere close to 90fps at all. The Spectra 346 camera ISP and Hexagon 686 DSP of the Snapdragon 680 are nothing to phone home about either and are the reason why the Samsung Galaxy A23 is only limited to 1080p video capture. By the way, the Snapdragon 695 is even more of a disappointment than the Snapdragon 680 in this regard since it shares this limitation, while the older and "lower number" Snapdragon 690 doesn't. But, we are getting off-topic.
Continuing the list of less-than-impressive Snapdragon 680 features, we have the X11 LTE modem, rated at Cat. 13 speeds, capped at 390 Mbps down and 150 Mbps up. Quick Charge 3+ support is also a bit old.
Without further ado, let's see how the Snapdragon 680 holds up in our synthetic benchmark test selection.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
771 - Realme 9 Pro
694 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
688 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
687 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
560 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
511 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
505 - Realme 9i
384 - Samsung Galaxy A23
380 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
376 - Samsung Galaxy A13
153
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2801 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
2063 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
2063 - Realme 9 Pro
2020 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
1729 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
1719 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
1673 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1662 - Samsung Galaxy A23
1632 - Realme 9i
1581 - Samsung Galaxy A13
588
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
506432 - Realme 9 Pro
401894 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
384646 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
382902 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
319093 - Samsung Galaxy A23
273554 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
244526 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
223188 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
222125 - Samsung Galaxy A13
136286
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
56 - Realme 9 Pro
35 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
34 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
34 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
24 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
24 - Realme 9i
23 - Samsung Galaxy A23
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
15 - Samsung Galaxy A13
9.4
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
49 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
30 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
30
29
22
21
14
12
12
8.3
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
33 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
20 - Realme 9 Pro
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
14 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
14 - Samsung Galaxy A23
8.3 - Realme 9i
8.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
8 - Samsung Galaxy A13
6.2
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
28 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
17 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
17 - Realme 9 Pro
16 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
12 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
12 - Realme 9i
7.3 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
6.8 - Samsung Galaxy A23
6.7 - Samsung Galaxy A13
5.2
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
4231 - Realme 9 Pro
2773 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2509 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2257 - Realme 9i
1291 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1267 - Samsung Galaxy A23
1261 - Samsung Galaxy A13
931
To be frank, there's nothing inherently wrong with the Snapdragon 680 SoC in terms of raw performance; it's just that it's not intended for this particular tier. The Galaxy A23 seems to struggle against the competition running more powerful hardware.
In fact, last year's Galaxy A22 with the Dimensity 720 scores better in all scenarios - CPU, GPU-intensive and combined. The rather outdated Adreno 610 is mostly to blame for the lackluster performance of the Galaxy A23.
Quad-camera setup with a 50MP sensor
The Galaxy A23 features four cameras on its back, led by a 50MP sensor. Sadly, we couldn't find any official detailed specs, nor were we able to identify the exact sensor, so we don't know the size or the size of the pixels. We do know that it's paired with a relatively wide f/1.8 aperture, and the optics are stabilized.
The main camera is joined by a 5MP ultrawide camera consisting of a tiny 1/5" sensor with 1.12µm pixels. The lens provides an impressive 123-degree field of view and f/2.2 aperture. The other two cameras are merely fillers - 2MP. F/2.4 macro camera and a 2MP one for depth sensing. The camera on the front uses an 8MP f/2.2 unit.
Camera menus
The camera app is the same you'd find on most Samsung phones these days, but it misses on a few features. Swiping left and right will switch between all available modes, and there's an option to re-arrange or remove some of the modes from the viewfinder. Vertical swipes will switch between front and rear cameras.
Default camera app
The settings icon is located in the upper left corner of the screen and gives you fine control over the cameras. You don't get separate setting screens for photos and video since the options aren't that many in total. Grid lines, location data - the usual stuff can be found there. You can also turn on and off the Auto HDR.
Default camera app
There are some fun extras to explore, like Deco Pic and its AR stickers. Also, a Pro mode is available, but only for the main camera and with a rather limited set of controls. You can manually adjust ISO between 100 and 800, Exposure compensation within a two-stop range and white balance between 2300K and 10000K. No manual focus or focus peaking, no shutter speed controls.
Also notably missing from the Galaxy A13 camera experience: Scene Optimizer, Night Mode and Video stabilization.
Daylight samples
Main camera
We can go as far as saying that the Galaxy A23 punches a bit above its class when it comes to picture quality in broad daylight. At least when those pictures are taken with the main 50MP camera, of course. We found sharpness and fine detail to be pretty good, despite the soft patches that may occur when shooting foliage. Colors may come out as oversaturated for the trained eye but the majority of users will find them pleasing and directly instagrammable.
Main camera daylight samples
When the lighting conditions are good, noise is hard to spot while dynamic range is more than satisfactory. One might argue that some shadows appear crushed in some rare instances, but given the price of the A23, that's just nitpicking.
There's no zoom toggle and no way to utilize the full 50MP resolution of the sensor, although we believe those are not notable omissions. The 2x cropped zoom and the un-binned 50MP images are almost never good enough, especially in the budget class.
Ultrawide camera
Samsung kept mostly the same rendition style for the ultrawide camera, but the overall quality deteriorates fast. All samples are noisy, fuzzy, lack detail and have limited dynamic range. The punchy colors, contrast and exposure are the only things that resemble the main camera. Despite all the drawbacks, the camera performs just about as you'd expect from a budget sensor like this one. Some competitors use 8MP ultrawide snappers, though, they offer marginally better performance at best.
Ultrawide camera daylight samples
Macro camera
The popular 2MP macro camera makes it to the Galaxy A23 as well, and to be honest, it's all just a numbers game at this point. This camera barely provides any value as it has a low resolution that affects detail, and since it's a tiny sensor, the optimal lighting conditions are a must. Still, even under good light, photos are dull, contrast is lacking, and the overall level of detail is underwhelming. The lack of autofocus is another big downside.
Macro camera samples
Low-light samples
Main camera
Even with the Galaxy A23's price in mind, the low-light performance is underwhelming, to say the least. The standard Photo mode produces somewhat soft and noisy images with washed-out colors and low contrast. It also appears to go for a brighter exposure which reveals quite a bit of detail in the shadows but clips the highlights in the process.
Low-light main camera samples
To our surprise, the Night mode didn't resolve most of the issues. It takes care of the noise, but it also smears away the little detail we see on the samples. And it takes a lot of time to process the images, so we can't really recommend using that mode. Better stick with the standard Photo mode. The good news is that the OIS seems to make the shooting experience more consistent at night, and not a single photo was shaky.
Night mode samples
Ultrawide camera
It's probably needless to say that the ultrawide camera is unusable at night. Photos are fuzzy, lack contrast and color and have limited dynamic range.
Low-light ultrawide camera samples
Here's how the primary camera on the Samsung Galaxy A23 stacks against the rest of the competition in the controlled environment of our Photo Compare Tool.
Samsung Galaxy A23 vs. Poco X4 Pro 5G and the Galaxy A52s 5G in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
Portraits look good overall. Colors are punchy, the subject's face is well-exposed most of the time, and the bokeh effect is somewhat convincing. Sharpness and detail need a little work. Luckily, quality remains rather consistent across different lighting scenarios.
Portrait samples
Selfies
The selfies turned out pretty good. Under more challenging lighting conditions, the software may struggle with the subject's exposure, but overall we are happy with the quality. Sharpness and detail are good, colors are punchy.
Selfies: Normal • Portrait
Video recording
Galaxy A23's video shooting capabilities cap at 1080p@30fps. You can also record using the ultrawide camera, again at 1080p. Just like other handsets running one of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 6xx series chipset, this one can't do 4K videos due to the inferior ISP.
Let's start with the main camera. It actually produces pretty decent 1080p footage. In fact, it's even a tad better than most competitors, at least in terms of overall detail. Sharpness is good for mid-range 1080p video, colors are juicy, and dynamic range is borderline impressive. There's virtually no noise and contrast is great.
Understandably, the ultrawide camera produces subpar video quality in pretty much all aspects. We also see a tendency for a warmer white balance judging by the yellow-ish grass and trees. Dynamic range isn't great and aside from the poor detail and sharpness, the footage shows prominent noise as well.
Once you are done with the real-life scenarios, take a look at our video compare tool to see how the Samsung Galaxy A23 stacks against the other phones we've reviewed.
1080p: Samsung Galaxy A23 vs. Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G and the Galaxy A52s in our Video compare tool
Competition
The mid-range segment has some cutthroat competition. OEMs try to offer a larger set of features at a low price and within small profit margins. Samsung's attempts to disrupt the said segment are rather successful as most of the Galaxy A phones are competitive and have the edge over some of its rivals, usually when it comes to display and camera quality.
Unfortunately, the Galaxy A23 doesn't fit the formula. We struggled to find it in some of the biggest markets. Still, the handset lands at around €270-280, while in India, it's a little lower at INR 18,500.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G • Realme 9 Pro
Let's begin with some in-house competition. For about €280, Samsung is willing to sell you the Galaxy A52s 5G, as long as you can find it on shelves, which is not very hard, at least for now. Anyway, the Galaxy A52s 5G is a better phone in pretty much every way - faster processor, brighter and better OLED screen, better camera performance all around, faster charging (with the provided charger), comparable battery life, it's water-proof and has stereo speakers. It might be an older phone released in September last year, but it deserves your hard-earned money more than the A23.
Next, we have the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G. The device is a direct competitor to the A23 (price-wise, that is) both in India and Europe. And just like the A52s, it offers much better value overall with a far superior 120Hz OLED display, performance, charging and build. Strangely enough, the A23 offers about the same camera performance in daylight and both phones skip 4K video recording.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
The Realme 9 Pro is right up the Galaxy A23's alley in terms of features and price as well. The device settles for an LCD panel, too, albeit being much brighter, faster charging, and arguably better camera performance. Battery life, on the other hand, is a tad longer on the 9 Pro and the Snapdragon 695 delivers better performance, especially in the GPU department.
Lastly, we have the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G priced at around €260 in Europe or the Redmi Note 11 Pro in India. The latter makes it a bit hard to recommend given the sub-optimal and old MediaTek Helio G96 SoC, but the rest of the feature set makes it a viable option over the Galaxy A23. The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, on the other hand, is a much more capable device for the European market bringing a better screen, faster chipset, stereo loudspeakers, comparable battery life, faster charging and somewhat better build.
Verdict
It's quite apparent that the Galaxy A23 isn't priced right. It has many competitors that are better equipped for the job, even ones that are a bit older - from last year. Even some home-grown competition is at hand. Sure, the Galaxy A23 snaps some pretty good photos during the day, and battery life is dependable, but that's not nearly enough to make it desirable.
The display uses an IPS panel without an ambient light sensor, making things worse, the charging solution isn't competitive, the chipset drags behind most of the competition in terms of raw performance, the software is laggy, and the ultrawide camera is surprisingly even more underwhelming than initially expected.
Perhaps within a couple of months or a year, the Galaxy A23 may become a bit more competitive, but with its current pricing, there are better options out there, that's for sure.
Pros
- Excellent battery life.
- Highly customizable One UI 4.1, ships with Android 12.
- Good main camera performance.
- Loud stereo speakers, good audio.
Cons
- Lacks ambient and proximity sensor.
- Mediocre screen quality.
- Slow and laggy software.
- Slow charging with the provided charger.
- Ultrawide and macro cameras have poor performance.
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