Above: Samsung’s new A53 smartphone. Photos courtesy Samsung.
This morning, Samsung launched the newest version of its A series smartphones. The A series has long been positioned as a lifestyle version of the premium Galaxy line, inheriting many features from the premium Galaxy devices (currently the S22) in a more affordable, polycarbonate housing.
The biggest surprise is the delayed announcement of the top end of the line, which was usually the bridge device for users looking for a premium Galaxy experience without the associated price tag.
The are just two devices now, the A33 and A53 with the A73 to be available from April 22.
Both devices have essentially the same screen, with the A53’s 6.5 inch Amoled display with a 120GHZ refresh rate that shrinks by 0.1 of an inch for the A33.
The prominent camera bump of the S21 gets smoothed out with a gentle polycarbonate bevel on both devices and the plastics used in both devices make use of recycled plastics for the SIM tray and side keys as part of Samsung’s commitment to supporting the UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The four camera array skips a telephoto lens to offer an ultrawide 12MP lens, a 64MP main lens (48 on the A33) and a 5MP macro lens. The fourth lens is for depth calculations and the front selfie camera delivers a 32MP image.
The camera array inherits the improved optical and video stabilisation of the recently announced Galaxy S line as well as AI powered multi-frame still capture and automatic frame-rate adjustment to reduce noise in low light conditions.
The presentation was heavily slanted to a hip youth market and delivered in vertical mode to better demonstrate features like software powered object removal and a ‘Fun Mode’ that targets tweens.
The new A-series devices inherit the 5G radio and boast a huge 5,000 mAh battery that is able to run the camera for two days. The stereo speaker system is enhanced with Dolby Atmos technology and the devices are water and dust resistant to IP67 standards.
The new A-series devices will be available from April 01, 2022 at US$499 and $399. Both ship without a charger and are guaranteed four generations of Android updates and five years of security updates
Samsung’s A53
