The Samsung Galaxy A33, being the younger sibling of the Galaxy A53, incorporates certain features from its mid-range counterpart. In addition to the shadow of the A53, the shadow of the new Galaxy A34 will also fall over the Galaxy A33 in 2023. You can find out in our revised test whether you can still confidently buy the Galaxy A33 and what else we think of this cheap Samsung phone.
Evaluation
| Pros | Cons |
| Strong AMOLED display | A little too expensive |
| Decent performance in everyday life | No wireless charging |
| Great software support | Quite slow quick charging |
| Usable main camera | No charger in the pack |
| No headphone jack |
Summary of the Galaxy A33
The Galaxy A33 is a worthy successor to the Galaxy A32 2021. For an RRP of 369 euros, you get a solid mid-range cell phone with a really strong display, IP67 certification, a thick 5,000 mAh battery and a 48 MP cam with optical image stabilization. The camera sensors in the quad cam setup may not be as impressive, the Exynos 1280 chipset may not be suitable for gaming enthusiasts, and there are other drawbacks to consider is no charger in the box does not particularly hurt the overall package.
The device can also score with the software, because a) there is Android 12 with OneUi 4.1 and b) the update promise of the South Koreans also applies here. The only real problem with the A33: The huge competition in this price range, including some from the company itself! The latter applies in particular to the Galaxy A34, which inherits the A33 and is currently not that much more expensive.
Samsung Galaxy A33: design and finish
Samsung does not dare wild experiments with the design language. But that’s not necessary either, because the Galaxy A33 knows how to please with its mix of plastic on the back and Gorilla Glass on the front. The Samsung Galaxy A33 boasts a premium feel and excellent craftsmanship, offering a high-quality build. Additionally, it stands out with its IP67 certification, ensuring water and dust resistance.
Strengths of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- Valuable processing
- IP67 certification
- Fits comfortably in your hand
- Matte finish
Weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- Wide border under the display
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A33, while not groundbreaking, does not earn Samsung a Nobel Prize for innovation. But it’s also not necessary to tweak a good thing too much. The look, including the camera island with its transition into the housing, is based on other South Korean models. With the predecessor, the Galaxy A32 5G, the camera sensors could not be seen without this island.
I also like the matte finish, although I have immortalized myself there several times with my fat fingers. On the front, it is evident that the bottom bezel (chin) of the Samsung Galaxy A33 is wider than the top bezel (forehead). As a result, the edges around the Gorilla Glass 5-protected display are not symmetrical – and my inner Adrian Monk throws his hands over his head and howls.
The back is made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap by any meansOverall, the device provides a comfortable grip and feels great in hand. However, individuals with smaller hands might have a different experience, as it could feel less comfortable due to its larger size. Interestingly, the A33 is slightly longer at 159.7 mm than the A53, which also has a slightly larger screen diagonal.
Regarding the IP67 certification, I really appreciate that Samsung makes the effort and pays this price every time. Certifications are definitely a cost factor – anyone who complains about Samsung models that are too expensive should keep that in mind! Xiaomi & Co. often save these costs even with flagships!
Some users may find it inconvenient that the Samsung Galaxy A33 lacks a headphone jack, which could be a potential drawback for those who prefer wired audio connections.Personally, I’ve only been using wireless headphones for years, but I wanted to at least point that out to you.
Display: Samsung’s usual convincing
Again, the display is Samsung’s flagship discipline. Full HD+, AMOLED technology and 90 Hertz refresh rate – this is a convincing bundle for this price range.
Strengths of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- Great AMOLED display with crisp colors
- 90 Hertz
Weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
Once again, Samsung deserves applause for delivering a robust display with impressive performance. In contrast to the Galaxy A53, images are not repeated at 120 Hertz, but 90 Hz is also fine in this price range. Unfortunately, the display of the Samsung Galaxy A33 does not offer adaptive refresh rate, but it can be manually set to a 60 Hz refresh rate. If you would like to know more about the display, please let me know what specific information you are interested in. That the screen diagonal is 6.4 inches and the FHD+ panel uses Super AMOLED technology. I don’t think the U-Notch is that nice, I would have preferred a punch hole.
The display impresses with its crisp, radiant colors and high contrast. As is usually the case with Samsung, the colors are quite saturated, which may not appeal to some people – I like it anyway!The fingerprint sensor located in the lower part of the display on the Samsung Galaxy A33 delivers quick and responsive performance.
The display impresses with its crisp, radiant colors and high contrast. As is usually the case with Samsung, the colors are quite saturated, which may not appeal to some people – I like it anyway! The fingerprint sensor in the lower display area response quickly
Performance and software:
The Exynos 1280 does its job quite well in everyday life.However, Samsung’s proprietary SoC with 5G support tends to struggle when faced with more demanding computational tasks, causing performance limitations.
The SoC of the successor Galaxy A34 offers significantly better performance, especially in the Geekbench benchmark.
Strengths of the Galaxy A33:
- Quite passable performance
- 5G
- Long software updates
Weaknesses of the Galaxy A33:
- It stutters properly in demanding games
My colleague Rubens also dealt with the Exynos 1280 installed here in his test of the Galaxy A53. Unlike him, however, I had my difficulties playing Genshin Impact.A noticeable but not alarming increase in heat was observed during usage. Additionally, even when running on low graphics settings, the device experiences noticeable stuttering. When set to high graphics settings, the gaming experience resembles that of a flip book, lacking smoothness.
But apart from that, the Exynos 1280 is still an “okay” SoC in 2023, with which average users should have no problems in everyday life. Applications start quickly and run without problems. I wouldn’t recommend the A33 as a gaming machine though. A closer examination of our data clearly indicates that the performance of the Exynos 1280 chipset in the A33 is remarkably similar to the performance of the same chipset in the A53.
In the updated table below, I have listed the values measured for the A33 last year as well as those measured now. In addition, you will also find the benchmark results of the current Galaxy A34 (test) and the Galaxy A53. While almost nothing moved in the 3DMark Wild Life test, it went up noticeably in Geekbench 6. However, this can also be due to the new version (Geekbench 6 instead of 5), which is supposed to evaluate a little differently and more precisely.
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Camera: Everything is fine during the day
The quad cam is led by a 48MP camera with optical image stabilization. The remaining sensors, on the other hand, fall behind a bit, which is not unusual in this price range. A 13 MP shooter is installed for selfies. Samsung also focuses on buyers with an affinity for social media. These are supplied with filters and effects.
Strengths of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- Decent main camera
- OIS on the main camera
- Many filter and effect gimmicks (if you like it)
- Nice portrait mode
Weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- Beyond the main camera, the other sensors fall behind
- Moderate digital zoom
- Not a convincing night mode
The primary camera of the Samsung Galaxy A33 captures photos at a resolution of 48 megapixels and produces commendable results, particularly in daylight conditions.Thanks to pixel binning, images with 12 MP are stitched together here in standard mode. The camera setup includes a total of four cameras in the array.
- Main camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, OIS, AF
- Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2
- Depth: 2MP, f/2.4
- Macro: 5MP, f/2.4
As usual, you have to look closely at what is hidden behind the sensors, especially with cheaper smartphones. The equipment is weaker than that of the A53. This is a very exciting fact in times when the street prices of the two models hardly differ from each other. The ultra-wide-angle cam also takes usable pictures during the day, although slight color differences to the main camera catch the eye. Overall, the ultra-wide-angle photos look a little paler to me.
Additionally, there is a dedicated 5 MP camera specifically for capturing macros, as well as a 2 MP sensor that solely provides depth information. Don’t expect miracles from the macro sensor. Finally, there is a 13 MP selfie shooter at the front. In general, the camera setup on paper reads exactly like that of the predecessor, apart from the optical image stabilization. This also means that there is only a digital zoom again. 2x magnification is absolutely fine, but you better skip the 10x magnification.
When it comes to night photography, I didn’t particularly notice the night mode. Yes, sometimes colors seem less exaggerated. However, overall, the disparities between the main camera and the other cameras without night mode are relatively minor and can be considered manageable.
Samsung also wants to score much more with software features. There is the “Fun” option that gives you Snapchat filters. In portrait mode you can use different options for the background and then there are the AR features. Samsung is therefore addressing the A33 more to people with an affinity for social media who upload their pictures to Insta with filters – and less to photo experts who want to draw their snapshots big on canvas.
Battery: The Galaxy A33 is an endurance runner
With 5,000 mAh, the battery capacity is again quite high, and the battery lasts for a pleasantly long time. Thrifty smartphone users even get two days more. It’s just a pity that neither a charger is included in the scope of delivery, nor is really fast quick charging supported.
Strengths of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- large battery with 5,000 mAh
- Very decent battery life
Weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy A33:
- “Fast charging” only with 25 watts
- No charger in the box
- No wireless charging
When it comes to the battery, too, we keep telling two identical stories: First, that “quick charging” isn’t really fast with an output of 25 watts. That’s okay, absolutely – but if you look at what the competition from China shovels onto your smartphone within 10 minutes, that’s a huge difference. And the other story is the “yikes, where’s the charger” story. Similar to its predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy A33 does not come with a charger included in the packaging.
But to come to the positive things: The PC-Mark battery benchmark shows me a time of 12 hours and 19 minutes (the A53 achieves more than 13 hours) and thus convinces me with the battery life. You’d have to do wild things with the Galaxy A33 to drain that 5,000mAh battery in a day. I would even argue that average cell phone users can use the device for up to two days.
| Samsung Galaxy A33 | |
| Display | 6,4 Zoll FHD+ Super-AMOLED 90 Hz Infinity-U-Display |
| SoC | Exynos 1280 5nm octa core (2 x 2.4 GHz, 6 x 2 GHz) |
| Memory | 6GB RAM | 128GB internal |
| microSD Yes, | expandable up to 1 TB |
| Software | Android 13 with OneUI 5.1 |
| Rear camera Main camera | 48 MP, f/1.8, OIS, AF |
| Ultra wide angle | 8 MP, f/2.2 |
| Depth | 2MP, f/2.4 |
| Macro | 5MP, f/2.4 |
| Front camera | 13 MP, f/2.2 |
| Battery | 5,000mAh 25 watt quick charging Charging plug sold separately |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g (2.4 GHz), WiFi 4.5 (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.1 |
| IP certification | certification IP67 |
| Dimensions and weight | 74.0 x 159.7 x 8.1 mm, approx. 186 g |
| Colors | colors including Awesome Blue, Awesome Black, Awesome Peach, and Awesome White. |