Samsung Galaxy A73 Review

Intro

The Samsung Galaxy A73 entices by being the first mid-range Galaxy phone to feature a 108MP camera. The Galaxy A73 also keeps exciting features from last year’s Galaxy A72, like an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, stereo speakers, a high refresh rate display (now 120Hz instead of 90Hz), a 5,000mAh battery, and 25W super-fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Specs

• OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.
• Rear Camera: 108 MP + 12 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP
• Front Camera: 32 MP
• Display: 6.7 inches (17.02 cm)
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W, non-removable.
• Colors: Gray, Mint, White

Pros

• Promising performance
• Good battery life
• Beautiful 120Hz AMOLED display
• Industry-leading software support
• Great pics from the main camera
• Water resistant design

Cons

• No charger or earphones in the box
• No headphone jack
• Pricing feels a little high
• No dedicated zoom camera unlike the Galaxy A72

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Design

The phone carries the design aesthetics of the previous-generation Galaxy A72, but with necessary changes and improvements only. For instance, the chassis sides are much broader which makes it an easy smartphone to hold and gives it a more complete look and feel. There’s only glass at the front; the sides and back are all plastic like most of Samsung ’s mid-range phones. Plastic that doesn’t feel cheap, mind, but it’s still plastic and that continues to be one of the negatives about Samsung’s mid-range phone design.

There’s a matte finish on the back so fingerprints aren’t a problem, and it also helps make the A73 look understated yet beautiful. On the flip side, the phone can be a little slippery and you might want to buy a case for it to avoid any accidental drops.

The Galaxy A73 is not very heavy, and thanks to the removal of the headphone jack, it’s also nearly a millimeter thinner than its predecessor, which contributes to better handling, especially when you’re trying to reach the top corners of the screen in one-handed use. Of course, the fact that the headphone jack is gone isn’t going to please everyone, but I guess wireless earphones really are the standard now and not enough customers are going to care. Overall, the design is subtle and simple which most users would appreciate.

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Display

The 6.7-inch device packs a Full HD+ Super AMOLED+ Infinity-O display with a motion smoothness refresh rate that can be manually configured to 60 or 120Hz. There is no auto-switch option although power-saving modes downgrade the refresh rate. The viewing experience is excellent and there are extensive options in the settings to configure the display to your needs. The display features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and the Dark Mode is available system-wide and really shines on this panel.

Samsung’s also finally perfected in-display fingerprint recognition, whether it’s the optical kind or ultrasonic. It’s like Samsung flipped a switch this year – the A73, like the Galaxy S22 lineup, is extremely quick at unlocking once you place your finger on the sensor area and is highly accurate too.

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Camera

One of the major highlights of the Galaxy A73 is its camera. The smartphone comes with a quad-camera setup at the back, the primary sensor you get with the Galaxy S Ultra. This is the first time Samsung has used a 108MP camera on a mid-range phone, and picture quality is excellent.

By default, you get 12MP pictures, and there’s plenty of detail, both in the bright and dark areas of the image, and noise is controlled well. The results are good at night, too, just as long as it’s not too dark. Samsung has done away with a zoom lens on the A73 in favor of that 108Mp main sensor. There is the ability to use digital zoom up to 10x, but the results are not too impressive.

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Performance

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A73 5G with Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset. The phone also features 8GB RAM and up to 256GB onboard storage. Apart from that, it also supported RAM Plus, the virtual RAM technology that allows users to expand the RAM of the phone by up to 8GB.

The 778G is not a bad processor, it is a great chip for mid-tier 5G phones and is based on the TSMC 6nm node. It is a slight downgrade from the Snapdragon 780G which is based on 5nm. The Galaxy A73 is like really, really fast and smooth. Even switching on the camera and shooting pics, something Samsung’s mid-range phones often struggle with. However, I should note that there are some circumstances where the phone can lag or stutter. It’s a rare thing, and I noticed it mostly when switching from a game to the home screen.

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Software

The phone runs Samsung’s One UI 4.1 which is based on Android 12. At this point there’s no denying the fact that Samsung’s custom Android UX is the best out there, and you’re getting that same great experience here.

The interface is snappy and fast, but it comes pre-loaded with several apps such as Amazon Shopping, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Byjus, PhonePe, Snapchat, Dailyhunt, Truecaller, Samsung Free, Glance, Moj, ShareChat, MX TakaTak, Samsung Max, Microsoft Apps and more.
There is also promised longer software support which makes it awesome.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy A53 Review

Samsung Galaxy A73 review: Battery and Charging

The 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging is a decent setup. Fast charging speeds could have been welcomed here. The A73 is capable of powering through an entire day with 7-8 hours of screen on time. Samsung is touting 2-day battery life for the Galaxy A73 5G, just like it does for the Galaxy A33 5G and A53 5G, but don’t expect those numbers except with ultra-light usage or perhaps with the 120Hz refresh rate turned off.
Wireless Charging is not available and would have been nice to have considering the audience the device is catered to.

Samsung Galaxy A73 Price & Availability

This device with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage is priced at approximately £495/$610
This device with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage is priced at approximately £520/$645

Samsung Galaxy A73 Verdict

This feels overpriced than it should be, but with a few discounts, the Galaxy A73 is a great package. Fast and fluid performance, great photos from the main camera, a beautiful high refresh rate display, a water resistant design, stereo speakers, and all-day battery life are all awesome to have, and the four years of OS upgrades that Samsung is promising is just unbeatable in any segment, let alone the A73’s. If you are a Samsung user looking for a mid-range 5G device, the A73 is a reasonably good option but it is worth pointing out that there are more powerful rivals out there if that’s more important to you.