This year, Samsung launched not just one, but five smartphones in their March 2022 Galaxy A lineup — the Galaxy A73 5G being one in the roster alongside the Galaxy A53 5G, A33 5G, A23, and A13. And the Galaxy A73 5G is Samsung’s top-of-the-line smartphone in the midrange segment.

A quick rundown

For the spec-obsessed, the Galaxy A73 5G doesn’t differ that much from its smaller sibling, the Galaxy A53 5G, as well as last year’s A72 and its 5G version.

	A73 5G	A53 5G	A72/A72 5G
Display	6.7” 120Hz Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display + Gorilla Glass 5	6.5” 120Hz Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display + Gorilla Glass 5	6.7” 90/120Hz Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display + Gorilla Glass 5
Processor	Snapdragon 778G 5G 6nm chipset	Exynos 1280 5nm chipset	Snapdragon 720G/750G 8nm chipset
Memory	6/8GB
Storage	128/256GB + microSDXC slot
Cameras	108MP f/1.8 wide 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide 5MP f/2.4 macro 5MP f/2.4 depth 32MP f/2.2 selfie	64MP f/1.8 wide 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide 5MP f/2.4 macro 5MP f/2.4 depth 32MP f/2.2 selfie	64MP f/1.8 wide 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide 8MP f/2.4 3x telephoto 5MP f/2.4 macro 32MP f/2.2 selfie
Battery + Charging	5000mAh 25W Fast Charging
Operating System	Android 12, One UI 4.1		Android 11, One UI 4.1

Compared to the Galaxy A53 5G, the big brother clearly has the bigger and better display technology along with a Snapdragon 5G chipset instead of using Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1280. Moreover, the main camera of the A73 5G has double the megapixel size, but that’s about it.

Appealing and lightweight

The design of the Galaxy A73 5G isn’t any different from its other Galaxy A siblings. Heck, it’s even harder to distinguish if you place it beside last year’s Galaxy A72.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Samsung “recycling” last year’s design is not a bad idea at all.

I have the Awesome White colorway and it’s perfect for my taste! I love how there’s more emphasis on the camera lenses (in contrary to last year’s black). The subtle hump of the whole camera module is also a nice touch to an already clean design language.

Although the back is made of polycarbonate, it doesn’t feel like the flimsy, cheap-o plastic phones we used to have back in the day. This reminds me of the Galaxy S21 FE I’ve held for some time back in January.

Some people may have been fooled but I need to point out that the frame is also made of plastic. It just looks nice with a shiny, chrome finish, imitating a stainless steel frame. I just hope it wouldn’t fade or chip overtime.

The plastic also makes the phone very lightweight and not too fragile unlike most glass-touting phones these days. This also means I can hold the phone without slapping an icky silicone case on it.

The idea of having plastic on premium midranger isn’t exactly thrilling. That’s understandable especially when a lot of midrange smartphones have glass backs for that added premium feel.

Flipping the phone doesn’t reveal anything different either.

It’s still the same 6.7-inch Infinity-O display — more on the specifics later.

All-rounder midranger

As previously mentioned, the Galaxy A73 5G has the same display size as last year’s Galaxy A72 — but it doesn’t mean there are no upgrades.

First off, the Galaxy A73 5G features a better and faster 120Hz Super AMOLED Plus display as opposed to the 90Hz Super AMOLED screen of the A72. Its 5G version has a faster 120Hz refresh rate but still having a Super AMOLED display without the ‘Plus’ moniker.

While the differences between the two types of Samsung display are pretty far to differentiate from a consumer’s standpoint, all I can say is that the Super AMOLED Plus display is a real visual treat.

Visuals ultimately pop with its bright display that reaches up to 800nits — perfect if you’re always out and about.

No need to worry about artifacts as the Full HD+ resolution makes everything crisp and clear. Pixel density is pretty much compact too. That’s 393ppi if you want to know the exact number.

If you’re the type who doesn’t want a display that looks too colorful, it can easily be changed from Vivid to Natural in Settings for that less saturated look.

If you’re curious about its audio performance, the speakers are loud enough with the right amount of bass and treble.

It may not be the best stereo speakers around but it’s not that bad — with my definition not being too mediocre-sounding nor flat-tuned.

Day or night, I’m sure most of you will truly enjoy the Galaxy A73 5G as your next best all-rounder multimedia device.

Assuring performance

On paper, the Galaxy A73 5G is equipped with Snapdragon’s 778G 5G chipset. The specific variant I have has a 6GB memory with 128GB of internal storage. Other models can be configured with 8GB+128GB or 8GB+256GB options.

No doubt, the Galaxy A73 5G can handle most tasks and games quite well without hitches.

Playing Asphalt 9 Legends with the maximum graphics settings did very well on my end.

I also turned the best possible settings while I played Call of Duty: Mobile.

And just like my favorite racing game, this FPS game also ran smooth without hiccups that I sometimes encounter on other Android smartphones.

The presence of an even faster display contributed to my gameplay since it comes hand-in-hand with faster touch sampling rate as well that’s very well needed for shooting games.

This is when things fell apart when I played with the Galaxy A73 5G…

Even if I didn’t change the graphics setting for Genshin Impact, the laggy gameplay and choppy frame rate was evident at the very start of the game. If you’re a heavy Genshin user, you might want to take your Traveler exploits elsewhere.

Awesome endurance

“Long-lasting battery life” has been with Galaxy A’s tagline ever since the new breed of A-devices were announced back in 2020.

The Galaxy A73 5G isn’t any different — just like it’s 5000mAh battery that’s the similar capacity to last year’s Galaxy A72 and A72 5G, as well as this year’s A53 5G.

I’ve used the phone with basically everything turned on — Wi-Fi when I’m indoors, 4G LTE/5G mobile data when outside, as well as Bluetooth, and location services.

Surprisingly, the Galaxy A73 5G can last until the end of the day with moderate usage. Of course, expect faster battery draining if you play games for hours.

While Samsung’s “two-day” battery life seems like a stretch, it is achievable if your phone is in power saving mode while being used lightly for short calls, text messaging, or chatting. Most of all, when it’s just resting on your desk instead of being used extensively.

But unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy A73 5G doesn’t have a bundled charger out of the box — one among many tech companies’ “initiative” to reduce e-waste production and consumption.

Despite that, Samsung never made any move to make up for that unwanted bold move that most consumers will surely whine about. The phone is still stuck with a not-so-fast 25W Fast Charging just like it was in the Galaxy A72, Galaxy A71, and even the Galaxy A70 from three years ago.

That being said, I used my third-party adapter with a 45W max output. It displayed inconsistencies, switching between “Fast Charging” and “Super Fast Charging” every once in a while. In my two different charge tests, it still took around 1 hour and around 30 to 45 minutes to fully-charge the A73 5G.

At the same price point, Chinese counterparts still provide chargers inside the packaging. Regardless if it’s the proprietary USB-A charger and cable, I would still want to have them rather than sacrificing charging speeds by using a super-fast third-party USB-C charger and cables that won’t be recognized by the phone itself.

Adequate cameras

As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A73 5G features a quad camera setup.

Ultra-wide

Most phones have mediocre ultra-wide angle (UWA) cameras. The one on the Galaxy A73 5G performs well despite having the similar 12MP f/2.2 — just like younger and older Galaxy A phones from last year.

As long as there’s enough source of natural light (whether you’re indoors or outdoors), this phone can produce picture-perfect super-wide shots.

In the examples below, the wide and ultra-wide camera may have looked consistent…

…but there are instances where there’s a huge gap in quality taken through these two different modes.

Sometimes, the ultra-wide shot produces a cooler shot, other times it’s warmer than the main one, and vice versa.

Not that most people post both ultra-wide and wide-angle shots on socials, but it’s one point that these two lenses don’t perform coherently with one another.

Wide (Main)

The cream of the crop (or the filling of the cake) of the camera segment has got to go with the A73 5G’s 108MP f/1.8 main camera.

The wide camera isn’t a slouch. It focuses fast and accurate at the right amount of distance.

HDR sometimes suffer in times where there’s harsh sunlight or a hazy sky above.

Not that everyone always take photos of light bulbs but this is another example that HDR doesn’t do its job properly.

Food shots look appetizing with precise focus and creamy bokeh at the back (and yes! No pesky radial blur-ish effect).

But relying on indoor light somehow affects the exposure, highlights, sharpness, and even the AWB (Auto White Balance) processing of the image.

And even with the presence of natural light outside, as long as your primary source light is warm, it messes up the AWB and overall AI algorithm of the A73 5G.

Zoom

Another unnecessary bold move that Samsung did in the Galaxy A73 5G (other than the removal of in-box charger) was the elimination of telephoto zoom lens.

Last year’s Galaxy A72 had an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. This was replaced by a 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor (together with the already existing 5MP f/2.4 macro lens).

If you barely use the zoom feature, you would hardly notice quality difference especially when you just mix / collage it alongside other photos taken with the wide and ultra-wide lenses.

But if you zoom in a lot, you would know the difference it makes. Fairly, zooming in at a modest distance of 2x would still make photos acceptable and shareable. The trick is that it uses its 108MP main sensor and totally relies on digital crop just like other phones with a dual-camera setup.

And with a fair amount of light or shooting outdoors, zooming in does the job right, too.

Once you go past that zoom distance, everything crumbles — exposure, contrast, and most of all, sharpness.

The photo above was zoomed in at just around 4.5x. While all of us can still recognize the trees, bungalow houses, as well as the tall condominiums and buildings, it’s a photo you won’t ever dare post on Instagram because of how smudged-looking it is.

And you know what makes it more puzzling and baffling? It’s the fact that Samsung still opted to show more “zoom” options in its camera UI — I mean, the audacity to even include 10x despite the bad quality of zoomed shots below 5x?

Night Mode

One separate segment are photos taken using Samsung’s built-in Night Mode for low-light scenarios that had little to no source of light.

Using the wide lens for most of your night time scenery can work wonders for a dark low-light shot.

Good enough, Night Mode also works when you take zoomed shots…

…but not so much when shooting in ultra-wide (the f/2.2 aperture being mostly at fault).

Taking photos of pets are a hit or miss, though. It’s decent when there’s brighter artificial light…

…and obviously worse when there’s little to no light.

Fortunately, it was still able to shoot the photo of the beer I had despite only relying on strobing party lights that changes every split second.

Portrait Mode

For people who are pretty much confident in flaunting their full-blown #OOTDs or #NewMakeupLook, I’m glad to report that the A73 5G takes decent portrait shots.

Whether it’s on or off, the skin tone looks nice overall.

And with the effect turned on, it gives better background segmentation with clearer distinction between the subject and the background with creamier bokeh. I think this is where the new 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor plays a pivotal role.

For a midranger like the A73 5G, you would barely expect a great-looking portrait shot.

Thankfully, unlike the zoomed shots, the Portrait Mode delivered great results.

Alluring Selfies

Another thing that was unchanged from several Galaxy A phones is the front-facing 32MP f/2.2 camera.

Anyone would like this selfie camera especially with an extra ultra-wide option for those who take wider selfies (or groufies).

While it all boils down to personal preferences, my [redacted] actually preferred the cooler selfies taken with the A73 5G against the vivo V23 5G which is basically one of the midrange smartphones with the best cameras on front.

But too much coolness evades from the real look of you (and what you wear). Take for instance the pineapples on my polo shirt below looked pinkish instead of a solid red and orange.

At night, it looks alright as long as there’s enough source of artificial light.

I don’t want to ruin someone’s day (or night) but for fun, I took these cringey low-light selfies to show there’s a stark difference between with and without the fill light.

You’ll be the judge though. Some of the photo samples here were in the camera shootout article I did against the vivo V23 5G — especially the difference between Samsung’s fill light feature against vivo’s dual-tone dual-LED flash.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy A73 5G vs vivo V20 Pro: Camera Shootout

Added novelties

The Galaxy A73 5G still has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 for front glass protection just like the old Galaxy A72 as well as its younger A53 5G sibling.

Beneath the display is an under-display fingerprint scanner. While it’s still the optical one instead of the ultrasonic found on higher-end Samsung Galaxy smartphones, it’s still fast and responsive.

And while the plastic material may be a feature most of you frowned upon, the good thing is that Samsung still made this smartphone IP67-rated which can withstand dust and water in a certain amount of volume for a certain amount of time.

And just like other Galaxy A phones, it would be amiss for Samsung to skip the inclusion of microSDXC slot. Just take in mind that it’s still a hybrid tray: you can only store one SIM + microSD or two nano SIMs but without the card in it.

An upgrade some might not even know other than the inclusion of 5G (vs A72’s limited 4G network support) is the addition of Wi-Fi 6. This means the Galaxy A73 5G can achieve blazing-fast download (and upload) speeds not just through 5G, but also through Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

A few stumbling blocks

This particular Galaxy A73 5G is sluggish every time I open the camera app.

Regardless if I open it from the camera app or through double-pressing the power button, it takes around 5-6 seconds before the camera shows the viewfinder — all when I already missed the fast-moving subject/object I was about to capture. I hope Samsung addresses this issue via a software update.

Last but definitely not the least, Samsung has also decided to remove the beloved 3.5mm audio jack from the A73 5G. So if you still rely on your pair of wired ear/headphones, the only 2022 Galaxy A phones for your specific need are the less-powerful Galaxy A23 and A13.

Is the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G your GadgetMatch?

You can purchase the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G in three Awesome colors: gray, mint, and white. Pricing and configuration are as follows:

• 6/128GB = PhP 26,990
• 8/128GB = PhP 27,990 / SG$ 618 / INR 41,999
• 8/256GB = PhP 29,990 / SG$ 718 / INR 44,999

Without a doubt, the Galaxy A73 5G is an “Awesome” phone. But unless you need the larger display, better Snapdragon chipset, and a larger 108MP main camera, the A73 5G is harder to recommend when the Galaxy A53 5G is just around the corner.

The PhP 3K/SG$100/INR 9000 price gap is still huge for budget-conscious buyers. That difference can easily be traded for an additional accessory purchase: wireless earbuds, USB-C earphones, or a charger that Samsung doesn’t provide.

I know my heading subtitle sounds a little bit controversial, but that could mean both ways. The Galaxy A73 5G is not meant for the A-ffordable list nor the ‘A-list’ of smartphone users who want the best in tech.

If you’re looking for a “more premium-looking” 5G smartphone that’s much like the Galaxy A73 5G, you can consider the vivo V23 5G — even at a more discounted price. It’s a plus too if you’re a heavy selfie user especially with its special set of front-facing camera hullaballoos.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro is also a clear contender — another midrange phone with better internals, build quality, audio output, and even a 120W charger out of the box. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t feature a dedicated telephoto lens.