Smartphones, Tablets & Wearables

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G in review: Better than the predecessor?

Samsung does not only stand for good consumer electronics. With the triumph of smartphones, the South Korean tech company could also celebrate great successes in this market segment. It is especially the flagship series that has helped Samsung gain a very good reputation among industry experts and consumers. However, it is by no means the upper-range devices like the currently available Galaxy S22 that Samsung sells the most. Instead, the cheaper alternatives seem to be even better received by customers.

The A-series in particular is extremely popular and helps Samsung achieve record sales year after year. The budget series consists of different devices. The Galaxy A13 is the entry-level model, and the A53 5G is the top model. Samsung places the Galaxy A33 5G between the two. It is supposed to be a real all-rounder with a good value for money. A look at the spec sheet makes this clear. Samsung relies on solid hardware, but none of the technical details looks outstanding – a true all-rounder.

With this, Samsung is clearly targeting the important market of average users. They want to stream a movie, surf in the browser or do online shopping from time to time. They do not need much performance for that. However, since Samsung pursues this goal with its entire A-series, consumers can quickly lose track. We take a closer look at how well the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G does in practice without a lot of bells and whistles and what differences there are to the predecessor A32 and the siblings of the current generation A13 and A53 in our review.

The battle in the mid-range

Just a few years ago, it was a law of nature that Samsung held the Olympus of Android smartphone manufacturers. But over time, this rule has changed quite a bit. The turning point is probably Huawei’s more or less voluntary market exit. In the wake of the US sanctions, the Chinese tech company had to give up its claim to the smartphone throne willy-nilly and left the field to Samsung without a fight. But as the saying goes, when two quarrel, the third, or rather the thirds, rejoice.

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After all, with Huawei’s departure, it was other Chinese smartphone manufacturers that placed their devices on the market. Since they could still rely on Google’s services and the support of established chip manufacturers, they took over Huawei’s regular customers without further ado. Companies like Xiaomi or Poco called up fighting prices that Samsung still cannot keep up with today. It was mainly the mid-range that the newly established manufacturers targeted.

The Galaxy A33 5G comes in four different colors

In particular, Xiaomi’s Redmi devices are almost considered a nail in the coffin for Samsung’s A or M series. The reason for that is an almost outrageously good value for money. It was anything but helpful that Samsung’s Galaxy A32 from last year was a real disaster. Now, however, the South Koreans want to do things differently and better. In particular, a sharper display and a revised processor with 5G should show customers that the company has learned from the predecessor’s mistakes. We will find out whether that is really the case at the end of our test. In the process, it makes sense to compare the Galaxy A33 5G with the only about 30 Euros more expensive Redmi Note 11Pro+ 5G from time to time.

Technical details of the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

Name Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
Memory Data storage: 128 GB (up to 1 TB possible via microSD), RAM: 6 GB
Processor Exynos 1280 octa-core processor running at 2.4 GHz (2 x 2.4 GHz + 6 x 2 GHz)
Interfaces Bluetooth, USB Type C, W-LAN, NFC
Connectivity Dual SIM card slot: nano-SIM (4FF) + nano-SIM (4FF), 5G
Battery Lithium-ion battery with 5,000 mAh
Protection against water and dirt IP67 certification
Dimensions and weight 159.7 x 74.0 x 8.1 mm and 186 g
Display 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2,400 x 1,080 pixels and 90 Hz refresh rate
Camera Quad camera with main camera (48 MP), ultra-wide camera (8 MP), macro camera (5 MP), and depth camera (2 MP); front camera with 13 MP
Price € 254.00 *

Scope of delivery

In the flat packaging of the Galaxy A33 5G, Samsung doesn’t show itself to be too spendy. Besides the smartphone itself, the necessary paperwork, the matching charging cable (USB-C to USB-C), and the matching tool for opening the SIM card slot can be found here. You have to get a power adapter on your own. Samsung probably follows Apple’s trend here. What is good for the environment might cause annoyance for one or the other buyer.

Design and workmanship

The Samsung Galaxy A33 5G is not a compact device, but not a huge one either. Especially following the review of the A13, which has a 6.6-inch display, I found the A33 to be almost handy with its 6.4-inch screen. The smartphone measures 159.7 x 74.0 x 8.1 mm and has a comparatively high weight of 186 grams. In terms of design, you can already sense that Samsung wants to distance itself from its partially failed A32 from last year.

Samsung relies on a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display

Thus, the A33 5G rather speaks the design language of the slightly more expensive A53 5G. Only the bezel clearly distinguishes the two devices. While the A33 5G comes with a matte bezel, Samsung relies on a glossy bezel for the more expensive A53 5G. Of course, it is a matter of taste which one you like better. Since I am allergic to ugly fingerprints on the smartphone, I generally like matte designs better.

Although some things have improved compared to the predecessor, some people will be annoyed that the A33 5G no longer has a 3.5 mm jack. This is probably due to Samsung’s step to protect its mid-range smartphone from dirt and water according to the IP67 standard. Speaking of protection: Samsung relies on Gorilla Glass 5 so that the display can also cope with harsher handling.

Of course, the A33 5G also has a front-facing camera. This is hidden behind a teardrop notch. Samsung gives its presumed price-performance hit one speaker each on the top and bottom, which should be able to offer stereo sound in cooperation.

The case of the Galaxy A33 5G has a high-quality finish

The South Koreans praise this with a Dolby Atmos certification. The rest of the case does not reveal any big surprises. The SIM card slot for two nano-SIMs and a microSD is on the upper side. On the right is the power button as well as the volume rocker.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A33 is anything but small. The display is also correspondingly large. Samsung relies on a 6.4-inch Infinity U display here. Thanks to a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, the content is very sharp. Samsung has thus made a commendable leap from 720p in the A32 to 1080p (Full HD). Samsung relies on an AMOLED panel here, which ensures high contrasts and gorgeous colors.

When scrolling and gaming, the frame rate of 90 Hz ensures that you don’t have to put up with jerkiness or distorted images. In practice, the Galaxy A33 5G convinces across the board. We find it very good that Samsung has turned this screw and made improvements compared to the predecessor. A fingerprint sensor is installed under the display, which worked responsively in practice.

The performance of the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

The Exynos 1280 works under the hood of the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G. The in-house processor does not have the reputation of a powerful chip by any means. And this cannot be denied in practice. I had to put up with a few stutters in everyday use. And I didn’t play demanding games or the like at all. Just switching between the home screen’s pages sometimes resulted in stutters. Unfortunately, even the 6 GB working memory cannot change this.

We took a closer look at the results in Geekbench and 3DMark in particular. While the first benchmark shows the general processor performance, the graphics performance is more important in the second benchmark. The Galaxy A33 5G scores 2,164 points in 3DMark Wild Life. This puts it roughly on par with the Galaxy M33 5G. We assume that both have the same processor. In Geekbench, however, the A33 5G scores 683 points (single-core) and 1,628 (multi-core). While the mid-range device scores better than the comparable Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G (1,957 points) in 3DMark, Xiaomi’s smartphone is superior in Geekbench with 734 and 2,215 points, respectively.

The Galaxy A33 5G has a total of 128 GB of storage space for storing photos, videos and apps. Although there is no version with more storage on board, it is worth taking a look at the SIM card slot if you need more. There is not only room for two nano-SIMs. You can also insert a microSD with up to 1 TB. By the way, the installed flash memory is not only used for storage. Samsung also has a special technology where up to 3 GB can be added to the working memory for support.

In terms of software, Samsung of course continues to rely on Android. More specifically, the Galaxy A33 5G comes with Android 12. The South Korean tech company adds its own touch to Google’s operating system with its in-house One UI 4. We get a huge battery with a total of 5,000 mAh. It easily lasts for a day even with increased use. I even assume that it can last two days for average users.

This is most likely due to the energy-saving, low-power processor. When the battery is empty, it can be recharged with up to 25 watts. What Samsung calls a fast charging feature here is far weaker than in other devices in this price range. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is again a suitable comparison. Thus, Xiaomi’s mid-range device can be charged with a proud 120 watts.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G cameras

Let’s move on to the camera. Samsung relies on a quad camera for the A33 5G, which consists of a main camera (48MP, f/1.8 OIS), ultra-wide-angle camera (8MP, f/2.2), macro camera (5MP, f/2.4) and depth camera (2MP, f/2.4). On the front is again the obligatory selfie camera, which offers a resolution of 13 MP with an f/2.2 aperture. Of course, no miracles can be performed with the A33 5G when hunting for the next snapshot.

However, the quality should be perfectly adequate for photos and videos for social media. However, anyone who wants to take hobbyist or even professional shots is definitely at the wrong address here.

The results may be satisfactory, but the competition is also ahead of the game here to some extent.

Social media fans can let off steam in fun mode

What’s cool are the social media features that Samsung obviously puts in the foreground here. For example, the A33 5G offers some exciting filters in the “Fun” mode that allow you to make adjustments already in the camera app.

Furthermore, the camera offers many different modes that are very useful. For example, Samsung implements a special mode for taking pictures of food. The portrait mode also showed good results in practice.

All in all, the camera should more than satisfy conventional users. Those who want a powerful camera for professional applications in their smartphone will not get around the flagships anyway.

Comparison to other devices

Samsung offers its Galaxy A33 5G at an MSRP of 369.00 Euros. Thus, it is not the most affordable 5G device on the market. Before you blindly buy it, it is definitely worth taking a closer look at a suitable competitor at a similar price. There are other Samsung smartphones that offer 5G and even cost similarly. One example would be the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G. It comes with a slightly better performance and a better camera.

However, you also have to settle for a TFT screen in Samsung’s alternative. An alternative that I would recommend is the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G. It comes in an almost identical form factor, but beats the Samsung in every discipline. Especially those of you who are bothered by the weak performance and the only 25 watts of power when charging the battery should take a closer look at Xiaomi’s mid-range device.

Summary of the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G review

The Samsung Galaxy A33 5G is a real bargain with a lot on the plus side. Not only do you get a very good 6.4-inch AMOLED display, which is much sharper than last year’s model. The long-lasting battery that can last up to two days in normal use is also a big plus. The camera is good and should be perfectly sufficient for snapshots for social media. 5G as the latest mobile standard is also on board.

However, there are also a few reasons to complain. The most serious are the performance issues. Samsung’s in-house Exynos processor is often overtaxed, which leads to annoying stutters in everyday use. The battery’s charging technology, which only allows a maximum of 25 watts, is unfortunately outdated as well. If you have a few more Euros in your wallet, you should rather take a look at the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, which is superior in almost every discipline.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

Workmanship
Hardware
Camera
Performance
Battery
Value for money

85/100

Samsung has learned from many mistakes of last year's A32 and corrects them in the successor. Despite some performance issues, the Galaxy A33 5G is a good mid-range smartphone.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Samsung does not only stand for good consumer electronics. With the triumph of smartphones, the South Korean tech company could also celebrate great successes in this market segment. It is especially the flagship series that has helped Samsung gain a very good reputation among industry experts and consumers. However, it is by no means the … (Weiterlesen...)

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