Samsung Galaxy A13 5G evaluation: an inexpensive 5G cellphone on AT&T

The Galaxy A13 5G doesn’t supply a lot in the way in which of surprises, good or dangerous. For $249, it’s a dependable system with good efficiency, wholesome battery life, and an honest digital camera. None of this comes as a shock as a result of Samsung makes numerous these sorts of telephones, and it’s one thing the corporate is excellent at.

The cellphone launched within the US as an AT&T unique; now, you should purchase it unlocked or by T-Cellular, too. However that preliminary provider relationship performs into what is perhaps essentially the most compelling cause to take a look at the A13 5G proper now: it’s licensed to make use of AT&T’s newly enabled C-band spectrum. That is the number of 5G that guarantees faster-than-4G speeds and good sign attain — a mix that some US 5G networks have been missing till now. The listing of C-band enabled gadgets on the community’s launch was quick and dominated by expensive flagships, aside from the Galaxy A13 5G.

Extra telephones at a variety of value factors will be part of the C-band membership this yr, however for now, the A13 5G affords the bottom value of admission in case you’re on AT&T. That’s not cause in itself to purchase the A13 5G, particularly since AT&T’s C-band launch is restricted to only eight US cities, and rollout can be gradual, nevertheless it’s a degree within the A13’s favor in case you’re already contemplating it.

Value noting: Samsung introduced the A13’s alternative, the Galaxy A14 5G, in January 2023. It comes with an extended safety assist coverage and a decrease $199 value. We’ll be testing it quickly; till then, our information to the very best telephones beneath $500 is the very best place to seek out our newest suggestions for budget-friendly telephones.

The Galaxy A13 5G incorporates a 6.5-inch 720p display screen — a low decision for a comparatively large show. It’s an LCD panel, too, which is frequent within the under-$300 class and appears a little bit washed out in comparison with the richer OLED shows you’ll discover on midrange telephones just like the Galaxy A52 5G. It does function as much as a 90Hz refresh fee, which makes scrolling and animations look a little bit smoother than the usual 60Hz. However general, the poor decision and low distinction imply the display screen isn’t one of many A13 5G’s strengths.

The MediaTek 700 5G chipset and its 4GB of RAM are, nonetheless, sturdy factors. For a cellphone at this value, it handles every day duties very properly, letting me leap rapidly between apps and isn’t liable to closing apps within the background overzealously. It stutters a little bit with extra intensive duties like zooming / scrolling round Google maps or Zillow, however general, the A13 stored up with the whole lot I requested it to do in my day-to-day. 

The A13 5G consists of simply 64GB of built-in storage. That’s not unusual within the funds class and is sufficient to get by in case you’re very cautious along with your cloud storage choices and downloads, nevertheless it’s not lots. Chances are you’ll have to issue an additional $10–20 for a microSD card into your buy. 

There’s a fingerprint sensor embedded within the energy button on the aspect of the cellphone, and it’s very quick — so quick I truly double-checked that the cellphone was truly locking appropriately (it was). It’s not as smooth because the in-display readers on high-end telephones, nevertheless it truly feels extra dependable and simpler to make use of. Lengthy stay the side-mounted fingerprint reader, I say.

Battery life is one other one of many A13’s sturdy factors. The cellphone’s 5,000mAh cell lasted me a few days of reasonable use on Wi-Fi; a heavy person would doubtless get by a full day after which some. 

The A13 5G’s digital camera setup is fundamental: there’s a 50-megapixel fundamental digital camera with f/1.8 lens joined by 2-megapixel macro and depth sensors. These 2-megapixel cameras are largely ineffective, so that you’re actually simply working with the usual wide-angle rear digital camera and a 5-megapixel selfie digital camera. There’s no ultrawide — you’d have to step as much as the A32 5G in Samsung’s lineup for that — and there’s no night time mode within the digital camera app. 

Images in vibrant daylight look high quality, and even reasonably low gentle photos look ok for social media, although photos in very low gentle are a smudgy mess of noise discount. The stay preview within the digital camera app as you’re taking pictures seems to be horribly washed out, however the ultimate product nearly all the time seems to be significantly better. This makes it arduous to know what you’re getting precisely, so that you simply must belief the A13’s digital camera to do its factor.

The Galaxy A13 5G is a high quality funds system that is sensible for many who are extra involved with day-to-day efficiency and lengthy battery life than a high-quality display screen or a flexible digital camera. If you happen to’re on a strict funds and also you’re an AT&T buyer, these are two extra causes to think about the A13. The provider’s C-band 5G is restricted to just some markets now, however the cellphone can be supported with three years of safety updates and two years of OS upgrades — lengthy sufficient to see the community broaden to extra main cities.

If any of the above standards doesn’t apply to you, then there are higher choices out there for a similar price — even much less! The $239 OnePlus N200 5G is a superb alternative in case you’re on T-Cellular — it affords comparable efficiency and a nicer display screen for $10 lower than the A13’s retail value. The N200 doesn’t work on AT&T or Verizon’s 5G networks, so it’s a 4G-only cellphone in case you’re with a kind of carriers — not a foul deal for the worth, however you’ll miss out on the higher 5G speeds coming over the following couple of years.

As of this writing, the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G has come down in value to $249 in case you purchase by AT&T (from $399), providing a greater display screen and equally wholesome battery life. It’s not at present licensed for AT&T C-band, nevertheless it’s purchase in case you’re outdoors of a kind of eight launch cities anyway. 

If these options don’t enchantment, then the A13 5G will serve you high quality — it’s a dependable system for properly beneath $300 that’s absolutely ready for the following era of wi-fi expertise, with no disagreeable (or nice) surprises included. 

Replace January twenty third, 2023, 7:10PM ET: Added particulars in regards to the Galaxy A14 5G, which was introduced by Samsung in January 2023 because the A13’s successor.

Pictures by Allison Johnson / The Verge