10 Pros and Cons of the Samsung Galaxy A13

The Samsung Galaxy A13 is not the first budget-friendly smartphone series to be introduced. Previously, Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy A12, which boasted quite appealing specifications for its class. Now, users are presented with the next generation, offering new features and specs.

The Samsung Galaxy A13's affordable price has drawn the interest of numerous Internet users regarding its quality.

Can this phone fulfill the needs of users in daily life? Or is it less competitive than other mobile devices on the market?

Before digging into the details, let's examine this table of the Samsung Galaxy A13's pros and cons.

Pros of the Samsung Galaxy A13

So, what makes this smartphone interesting? Discover the following points highlighting the pros of the Samsung Galaxy A13!

1. Excellent Screen Brightness + Gorilla Glass 5

Screen size and resolution are two aspects in which the Samsung Galaxy A13 outperforms its predecessor, the Galaxy A12. Typically, smartphones in this price range feature HD+ (720p) resolution. However, the Galaxy A13 stands out by providing Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2408 pixels) on a 6.6-inch display.

Although the panel used is a PLS LCD instead of a Super AMOLED like some competitors at the same price point, its pixel density of 400 ppi is a significant improvement over the Galaxy A12's density of 270 ppi. As a result, you can enjoy sharper visuals on the screen.

According to ExpertReviews.co.uk, the color accuracy of the Galaxy A13's screen is superior to that of the Nokia G21. The phone has an average Delta E accuracy of 2.09 and a color gamut of 99.1% of the total volume of 129.3%.

In addition, the screen can reach a maximum brightness of 482 nits. This differs slightly from GSM Arena's test, which indicated that the Galaxy A13 can achieve 498 nits of brightness when the slider is manually maximized. The display can achieve a maximum brightness of 587 nits and a contrast ratio of 1310:1 in auto mode.

Samsung has included the DRM (Digital Rights Management) Widevine L1 certification. This is an advantage for those of you who enjoy binge-watching on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. With Widevine L1, you can access Netflix content in full HD+ resolution.

Moreover, the Samsung Galaxy A13's screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which is claimed to shield the display from damage when dropped from heights of up to 1.2 meters. However, the Carisinyal team still recommends adding tempered glass for extra protection.

2. Solid Image Quality + Ultra-wide Lens

The photography capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy A13 are one of its most anticipated features. Samsung has generously equipped the device's rear panel with a 50 MP quad camera setup despite the device's affordable price tag.

The 50 MP primary sensor features an aperture of f/1.8 and PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus). A 5-megapixel ultra-wide lens with a 1/5-inch sensor, 1.12 million pixels, and a 123-degree field of view complements the main camera.

These two sensors contribute significantly to a pleasant photography experience. The additional two lenses consist of a 2 MP macro camera and an f/2.4 depth sensor.

The Galaxy A13's 50 MP camera utilizes Quad Bayer technology, also known as 4-in-1 pixel binning, similar to many other smartphones with high-resolution cameras. This technology combines four adjacent pixels to increase light absorption.

Therefore, the final photo output is a 12.5 MP image obtained by dividing 50 by four. According to GSM Arena, this device's 12.5 MP photos are quite impressive, especially for a budget smartphone. The images retain fine details and show excellent color reproduction, closely resembling the original scene.

A 50 MP mode is available for those who want to capture even more detail, but it will result in larger file sizes. The ultra-wide camera appears to have slightly less detail and dynamic range than the main camera.

However, the ultra-wide lens appears to produce more vibrant color reproduction. The ultra-wide camera captures a vast area in a single frame. Here are some sample photos:

The Galaxy A13 captures decent portrait mode images. However, as reported by ExpertReviews.co.uk, the image results appear to have less detail and clarity, particularly when compared to the Nokia G21 photos in the same price range. Despite this, the Galaxy A13's dynamic range is superior.

Selfie enthusiasts will enjoy the Samsung Galaxy A13's 8 MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, which is identical to the Samsung Galaxy A12. The front and rear cameras of the Samsung Galaxy A13 are capable of recording 1080p video at 30 frames per second.

3. All-Day Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy A13 boasts a fairly impressive 5,000 mAh battery capacity, which is considered adequate for its price range. However, not all smartphones with 5,000 mAh batteries offer the same battery life. This is because battery endurance is influenced by several factors, such as software optimization, chipset efficiency, and screen panel type.

ExpertReviews.co.uk conducted a battery performance test on the Galaxy A13. During video playback, the smartphone managed to last for 19 hours. According to the review, this means that the device can easily last a full day on a single charge.

Despite having the same battery capacity, the Galaxy A12 outlasted the A13 by 25 hours and 58 minutes during the video playback test. According to GSM Arena's testing, the Galaxy A13 has an endurance rating of 114 hours, while the Galaxy A12 has a rating of 123 hours.

The Samsung Galaxy A13 is capable of making 3G phone calls for 38 hours and 20 minutes, web browsing for 16 hours and 13 minutes, and video playback for 15 hours and 59 minutes. Although its battery life is slightly shorter than that of the Galaxy A12, the A13's camera capabilities are hardly disappointing.

4. Enhanced Connectivity Over its Predecessor

The Galaxy A12 only supports the 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi protocol, indicating it can only connect to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network band. This information can be found on Samsung's official website.

The Galaxy A13 supports 802.11 b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, allowing it to connect to the faster 5 GHz network band.

Notably, phones with Wi-Fi 5 capabilities can achieve faster download speeds on 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks than those limited to 2.4 GHz. Make sure that you use 5 GHz router at home.

5. Powered by Android 12

The Samsung Galaxy A13 comes preloaded with the One UI 4.1 interface, based on the Android 12 operating system, which was the latest version available at the time of the phone's release. As a result, you can take advantage of several exclusive features, such as the enhanced Privacy Dashboard.

The Privacy Dashboard enables users to see in real-time whether an app is accessing the microphone or camera by checking the green indicator in the upper-right corner of the screen. Furthermore, built-in applications can be uninstalled or disabled to free up internal memory for other desired apps.

The One UI 4.1 interface features a variety of minor enhancements, including refined media controls, notification display, and navigation system. The user interface also provides extensive customization options, such as wallpapers and a dynamic lock screen with multiple themes.

Overall, the Galaxy A13's Android 12 interface is easy to use. It provides simple and intuitive navigation, a wide range of features, and minimal bloatware.

Cons of the Samsung Galaxy A13

The Samsung Galaxy A13 has attracted a great deal of attention due to its numerous advantages. However, it is important to be aware of the limitations of this budget smartphone.

1. Mediocre Performance for Gaming

If you want to play heavy games on the Galaxy A13, you will be disappointed. Although the Exynos 850 has greater power efficiency than the Helio P35 from the previous generation, it still falls short in terms of gaming performance.

The Exynos 850 features an eight-core CPU configuration consisting of four 2 GHz Cortex A55 performance cores and four 2 GHz Cortex A55 power-saving cores. Additionally, the chipset comes with a Mali G52 GPU, which also struggles with heavy gaming.

As reported in GSM Arena's official YouTube video, the phone experiences frame drops in certain scenes while playing games like Asphalt 9. This can negatively impact the overall gaming experience.

In addition, ExpertReviews.co.uk discovered that the Galaxy A13 scored poorly on the Geekbench 5 single-core and multi-core tests, with 156 (single-core) and 587 (multi-core) points, respectively. These results are nearly half of what the Galaxy A13 5G powered by Dimensity 700 achieves.

2. Slow Charging Speed

Another drawback of the Galaxy A13 is its charging speed. While competing devices in its price range offer 33 W fast charging, the Galaxy A13 only supports 15 W charging. It is the same as the significantly less expensive Galaxy A03s.

In contrast, the rivals such as Redmi Note 11, the Realme Narzo 50, and the Infinix Note 11 NFC all support 33 W fast charging.

GSM Arena's testing reveals that the Galaxy A13's 15 W fast charging isn't particularly quick. The device's 5,000 mAh battery requires 2 hours and 18 minutes to fully charge from zero, compared to the Redmi Note 11's that requires 1 hour and 18 minutes only.

3. No Charger Included in the Box

The retail packaging for the Galaxy A13 lacks a charging head. The box only contains a SIM ejector tool and a data cable.

The trend of excluding chargers from smartphone packaging originated with Apple's iPhone line and has since been adopted by Android brands such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Samsung.

Initially, Samsung removed only the chargers from its flagship Galaxy S series devices to reduce carbon emissions. This trend has now reached the Galaxy A series, including the Galaxy A13. As a result, you will need to purchase a separate charger or use one from an older smartphone.

4. Lack of Night Mode and Stabilization

Despite the Galaxy A13's dependable photography capabilities, the camera has a few flaws, such as the lack of a Night Mode to increase exposure in low-light settings.

GSM Arena observed that the camera on the phone performs reasonably well at night, with minimal noise and preserved details. Nevertheless, the limited dynamic range results in less vibrant colors, which could be improved by a Night Mode feature.

Furthermore, the phone's videography capabilities are limited due to the absence of gyro-EIS and OIS stabilization features. As a result, videos may appear shaky, particularly when you are recording it while walking.

5. Standard 60 Hz Refresh-rate

The Samsung Galaxy A13 has a standard refresh-rate of 60 Hz, making the animations on the screen less smooth than on some of its rivals. Surprisingly, you may encounter lag while navigating the interface due to the slow pixel response time.

The Exynos 850 chipset might not be able to support smooth scrolling, which would explain this lag. You can consider other smartphones in the same price range as the Samsung Galaxy A13 if a higher refresh-rate is your priority.

Conclusion

Should you purchase the Samsung Galaxy A13? The answer is: it depends on your needs. Some people might still be enticed by the Galaxy A13 because it bears the Samsung brand name. Furthermore, the device's camera quality, which is quite impressive for its class, may attract photography enthusiasts.

This budget smartphone is also appealing due to its user-friendly interface as well as support for WiFi 5 for faster internet connections and low latency.

However, potential buyers should be aware of the device's inadequate performance, which may cause lag when opening apps or scrolling through social media.

You may consider alternative smartphones in the same price range if gaming performance, charging speed, and a high-refresh-rate display are important to you.