Samsung Galaxy A33 5G review

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Introduction

Samsung's Galaxy A mid-range lineup has undergone its yearly refresh, and it's looking really good. The new Galaxy A33 is probably one of the most interesting models this year as it has been significantly upgraded since the Galaxy A32 and makes for an excellent bang for the buck offer at the €300 mark.

The Galaxy A33 5G has been promoted to the waterproofed league, and it now features the same IP67-rated ingress protection treatment as the higher tier models. Until now, the A3x models weren't sealed against water. But that's not all, of course.

The Galaxy A33 is keeping the 90Hz Super AMOLED screen of the Galaxy A32, but it employs a much more powerful Exynos 1280 chipset with a newer processor and gaming-friendly graphics. And there is an integrated 5G modem, too, so now you won't have to choose between 4G and 5G versions.

The camera has been improved, too. Now the 48MP primary features optical stabilization and supports up to 4K video capturing. The 13MP selfie camera can do 4K videos, too.

The Galaxy A33 also brings stereo speakers, something that was reserved for the A5x and higher models in the previous generations. And finally, but not of least importance, the Galaxy A33 now supports faster 25W wired charging.

Let's go through the full specs sheet now.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.7x74.0x8.1mm, 186g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, plastic back; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.40" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 411ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 1280 (5 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.1", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); Stereo speakers; Virtual proximity sensing.

It's not all updates, though, as two things have changed for the worse since the Galaxy A32. The Galaxy A33 has no audio jack, and the microSD bed is now shared with the second SIM option.

Still, we have to say we are intrigued by the Galaxy A33 5G as it has been clearly promoted in rank and now can be considered as part of the premium mid-rangers like the Galaxy A53 and A73.

Unboxing the Galaxy A33 5G

The Galaxy A33 5G is packed into one of the thinnest retail boxes we've seen, and we thought we'd find the phone all alone in there.

Well, there is no charger in the retail bundled, but that was expected. And while we didn't see a cable at first, it turned out there is a USB-C cable inside the thin paper compartment.

The cable is compatible with 25W fast charging, so if you purchase Samsung's 25W Samsung USB-C charger or similar, you should be able to use that straight away.