Samsung offers two budget smartphones with different network support, the Galaxy A13 5G and Galaxy A13 4G, but the differences don’t end there.
The Galaxy A13 5G and Galaxy A13 LTE are two of the cheapest smartphones sold by Samsung in the U.S., but despite their similar names, the two phones are quite different. The Galaxy A12 was the best-selling Android smartphone in 2021, and Samsung will want to hold on to that title again for 2022. Its successor is the Galaxy A13 which Samsung has split into two — a 5G version and a 4G version. The 5G version is reported to be its cheapest 5G smartphone, and it should appeal to those who are on a budget but don’t want to miss out on the benefits of the new generation network.
The Galaxy A series of smartphones are incredibly popular, but only select models are available in the U.S. Despite not providing many options for buyers, Samsung enjoys a comfortable lead in the U.S. as its biggest competitors in the segment, such as OPPO, Xiaomi (Redmi), Vivo and Realme, don’t sell their phones in the country.
One will not be wrong to think the Galaxy A13 5G and the Galaxy A13 4G are identical devices based on the front view look, but that isn’t the case. While both phones have a flat Infinity-V display adorning their fronts, their screen sizes are not the same. The more glaring difference is on the back, where the Galaxy A13 5G has a triple camera array against the quad-camera setup on the 4G version. Save for these disparities, the rest of the design is the same. Both phones are made of plastic, based on them being entry-level models. Therefore, it is not surprising that they do not have dust- and water resistance. The Galaxy A13 5G is available in Black and Green in the U.S., while the Galaxy A13 4G is sold only in Black.
Both Phones Have Big Battery Capacities
The Galaxy A13 4G is the bigger model, thanks to its slightly larger 6.6-inch LCD display. Not only is it bigger than the 6.5-inch panel of the 5G model, but it is also sharper as it is a Full HD+ (2408 × 1080) panel, unlike the HD+ (1600 × 720) resolution of the Galaxy A13 5G. Interestingly, the 5G version has a 90Hz high refresh rate which should translate to a smoother user experience against the 60Hz refresh rate of the Galaxy A13 4G. Samsung ships the 5G model with a Dimensity 700 processor, a 7nm chip with two Cortex-A76 cores, and six Cortex-A55 cores. In addition, there is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. In contrast, the 4G version has an Exynos 850 processor with eight Cortex-A55 cores. It also has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. In addition, both phones have a dedicated MicroSD card slot for adding up to 1TB of extra storage.
A 50MP sensor is the primary camera on the back of both phones. There is also a 2MP depth camera and a 2MP macro camera. However, the Galaxy A13 4G gets an additional 5MP ultrawide angle camera with a 123-degree field of view. It also has a higher-res front-facing camera—an 8MP sensor—while the Galaxy A13 5G settles for a 5MP sensor. Both phones have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, an audio jack, a USB-C port, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0. Samsung has also been generous with the battery capacity as it ships both phones with a 5000mAh battery and support for 15W fast wired charging. Unsurprisingly, a charger isn’t included in the box. On the software side, the Galaxy A13 5G ships with Android 11 out of the box, while the Galaxy A13 4G ships with Android 12. Both phones run a trimmed version of One UI and are eligible for two OS upgrades and four years of security updates.
Priced at $189, the Galaxy A13 4G offers a sharper display and better cameras. It also launched with Android 12. The $249 Galaxy A13 5G, which supports sub-6GHz 5G networks only, has a more powerful processor, more RAM, and more storage. The choice of which to buy will depend on a user’s needs. Those who don’t require 5G connectivity are better off buying the Galaxy A13 4G as it offers a lot of value for a lower price. While those who find 5G connectivity an absolute necessity should pick the Galaxy A13 5G, which also has a more powerful chipset and more RAM and storage.
