The Galaxy A13 5G doesn’t provide many surprises, good or bad. It’s a dependable smartphone with solid performance, a long battery life, and a decent camera for $249. None of this is surprising given that Samsung manufactures a large number of these types of phones and is quite good at it.

The phone was first available only through AT&T in the United States, however it is now available unlocked or through T-Mobile as well. However, that initial carrier relationship contributes to what may be the most compelling reason to consider the A13 5G right now: it is certified to use AT&T’s newly enabled C-band spectrum. This is the 5G variant that offers faster-than-4G speeds as well as good signal reach – a combination that some US 5G networks lacked until now. With the exception of the Galaxy A13 5G, the list of C-band supported devices during the network’s introduction was sparse and dominated by high-priced flagships.

More phones at various price points will join the C-band club this year, but for the time being, the A13 5G is the most affordable option if you’re on AT&T. That’s hardly a compelling reason to buy the A13 5G, especially because AT&T’s C-band launch is confined to only eight US cities and will be gradual, but it’s a point in the A13’s favour if you’re already thinking about it.

The Galaxy A13 5G has a 6.5-inch 720p screen, which is low resolution for such a large display. It also has an LCD display, which is popular in the sub-$300 price category and looks a touch washed out compared to the richer OLED screens found on midrange phones like the Galaxy A52 5G. It does have a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, which helps scrolling and animations look a little smoother than the typical 60Hz. However, the screen’s low contrast and low resolution mean that it isn’t one of the A13 5G’s strong points.

YOU MAY NEED TO ADD $10–20 TO YOUR PURCHASE TO ACCOMMODATE FOR A MICROSD CARD.

The MediaTek 700 5G chipset and its 4GB of RAM, on the other hand, are good points. For a phone at this budget, it performs admirably in daily duties, allowing me to switch swiftly between apps and without being prone to abruptly dismissing apps in the background. It stutters slightly when performing more intense operations, such as zooming / scrolling around Google Maps or Zillow, but the A13 kept up with everything I wanted it to do in my daily life.

The A13 5G has only 64GB of internal storage. That’s not unusual in the budget category, and it’s enough to get by if you’re careful with your cloud storage options and downloads, but it’s not much. You should budget an extra $10–20 for a microSD card when making your purchase.

The fingerprint sensor is incorporated in the power button on the phone’s side, and it’s really fast — so fast that I had to double-check that the phone was indeed locking properly (it was). It’s not as sleek as the in-display readers found on high-end phones, but it feels more stable and user-friendly. I say, “Long live the side-mounted fingerprint reader!”

Another of the A13’s good characteristics is its battery life. The phone’s 5,000mAh battery lasted me a couple of days of moderate Wi-Fi use; a heavy user would probably get through the day and then some.

Photos taken in bright daylight appear fine, and images taken in fairly low light look decent enough for social media, however images taken in very low light are a smudgy mess of noise reduction. The live display in the camera app while shooting shots is badly washed out, but the final image is usually always much better. This makes it difficult to tell exactly what you’re getting, so you must rely on the A13’s camera to do its job.

The Galaxy A13 5G is a good budget handset for individuals who choose day-to-day performance and long battery life over a high-quality screen or a capable camera. If you’re on a tight budget and an AT&T customer, those are two additional compelling reasons to choose the A13. Although the carrier’s C-band 5G network is currently confined to a few markets, the phone will be supported for three years of security patches and two years of OS upgrades – long enough for the network to extend to more big cities.

If any of the above requirements do not apply to you, there are better solutions for the same — or even less — money. If you’re on T-Mobile, the $239 OnePlus N200 5G is a wonderful option, as it delivers comparable performance and a sharper screen for $10 less than the A13. The N200 isn’t compatible with AT&T or Verizon’s 5G networks, so it’s a 4G-only phone if you’re with one of those carriers – not a bad deal for the price, but you’ll lose out on the faster 5G speeds that will be available in the coming years.

 

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