Samsung Galaxy A73 Review: A Solid Phone, But Not Worth the Premium Price - A Comparison with the Samsung A51

Hello there.

When it comes to choosing a phone, I've always gone with Samsung. I've never owned an iPhone - some things just don't appeal to me. I've had Asus, Nokia, and Honor phones, but two out of three of my phones have been Samsung.

The Samsung A73 was purchased as a replacement for my A51, which had more modest specs. So, in my review, I'll be comparing these two models. I'll also talk about whether it's worth buying the A73 or if you should consider the more budget-friendly A53.

You can buy a smartphone like this either online or offline. When I last bought one, it was significantly cheaper online. You can find it for around 30,000 rubles in unknown online stores. In Mvideo, Poisk Home, and DNS, the price varies between 40,000 and 45,000 rubles.

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Samsung Galaxy A73 5G Features

Display

6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus, 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 393 ppi density, 120 Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio

Processor

Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm): octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Kryo 670 + 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 670)

Graphics

Adreno 642L

RAM

6/8 GB

Internal Storage

128/256 GB (microSD support up to 1 TB)

OS and Software

Android 12, One UI 4.1

Main Camera

108 MP, f/1.8, wide-angle, PDAF, OIS

12 MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle

5 MP, f/2.4, macro lens

2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor

Front Camera

32 MP, f/2.2, 26 mm, wide-angle

Video Recording

Main: 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 30/60 fps

Resolution-wise, the front camera can shoot at 4K at 30 frames per second, or 1080p at 30 frames per second.

Connectivity and ports

The phone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NFC, and USB Type-C 2.0, with USB On-The-Go.

Network

The phone is compatible with GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G networks.

Sound and audio

It features stereo speakers, but no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Dust and water resistance

The phone has an IP67 rating, which means it can withstand being submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Sensors and features

It comes with a fingerprint scanner (under the display, optical), accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and proximity sensor.

Battery

The phone is powered by a non-removable 5000mAh Li-Po battery, which supports fast charging at 25W.

Colors

The phone is available in gray, mint, and white.

Materials

The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, while the rest of the body is made of plastic.

Dimensions and weight

The phone measures 163.7×76.1×7.6 mm and weighs 181 grams.

Price

The phone starts at around 35 thousand rubles.

What's in the box

The phone comes in a minimalist white box with an image of the phone on it. The image shows the phone in the same color as the real thing – in my case, it's white.

The box contains a USB Type-C to Type-C charging cableand a set of SIM card ejector tools. What you get in the box: a warranty and a bunch of manuals.

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Design and build quality

I was initially eyeing the mint color, but it was out of stock, and I’d have to wait a week for it to arrive. Luckily, the white and dark gray options were available, and I ended up with one of those. To be honest, the color wasn’t a top priority for me since I always keep my phone in a protective case.

The Samsung Galaxy A73 feels surprisingly ergonomic, considering its 6.7-inch display. It weighs in at 181 grams, and while it’s comfortable to hold, I can see how it might be a bit tricky to manage with one hand.

The build quality of this phone is top-notch, but the phone itself is made of plastic, and I’ve got to say, that’s not the most impressive part. It really cheapens up the overall look of the phone. The body isn’t super prone to marks or scratches – you can barely see any fingerprints or scuffs, but it’s worth noting that white is always a bit of a tricky color.

Comparing it to the budget A51, which had a plastic back, but it felt way more solid to the touch and looked nicer too, thanks to the rainbow effect. The A73 feels a bit flimsy, and from what I’ve read in the product reviews, the back panel can even bend. But, personally, I haven’t had that problem.

The camera module is pretty big, taking up almost half the width of the phone, and it sticks out a bit too.

One of the A73’s advantages is its water and dust resistance. It’s supposed to be able to withstand being submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. I haven’t tested it, and I don’t plan to.

The phone’s got a hybrid slot at the top for your SIM card and microSD card. You can choose to install either one SIM card and a microSD card, or two SIM cards.

On the right, you’ll find the volume slider and power button. On the left, there’s nothing.At the bottom, you’ll see the speakers and a USB port for charging your phone. I was really disappointed with the charging situation. Samsung has followed Apple’s lead and removed the earbuds and charging adapter from the box. But, they’ve included a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable. In older models, it’s a USB to Type-C cable, so I had to buy a separate charger. Honestly, I would’ve preferred to buy the phone with a normal bundle. The earbuds are one thing, but the charger is a must-have, in my opinion.And then there’s the earbuds situation. It turns out there’s no headphone jack. You’re either stuck with wireless earbuds or buying a separate adapter or new earbuds. It’s a pretty questionable cost-cutting measure, if you ask me. I didn’t even notice the lack of a headphone jack when I bought the phone, so I only realized it when I got home. I use wireless earbuds, so it wasn’t a big deal for me. But, if you’re planning on buying this phone, keep that in mind.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A73 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ Infinity-O display with Full HD resolution. The aspect ratio is 20:9, and the bezels around the display are relatively thin. There’s a front-facing camera module above the screen, which is actually embedded right into the display itself.

I’ve got to say, the display really won me over. The colors are vibrant and rich, and the brightness adjustment has a wide range. Even as someone who prefers minimal brightness, I found it to be dark enough. However, the maximum brightness feels a bit limited. If the sun is directly shining on the screen, it can be a bit distracting and I found myself wanting to add a bit more brightness. But in a room, there were no issues whatsoever. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, which doesn’t mean it’s completely scratch-proof. It will scratch, and quite badly at that, but it’s difficult to shatter. The glass is designed to withstand a fall from around 1.5 meters onto a hard surface, but I’d say the chances of it surviving are around 80%. That being said, I didn’t feel like testing its durability or water resistance, so I applied a screen protector within a few days of buying the device.There’s also a fingerprint scanner built into the screen, which I’m not a fan of. In some Samsung models, it’s placed on the power button, which I think is a better design. I’ve used an A51 with a fingerprint scanner embedded in the screen for two years, and it’s been a bit finicky. The problem is especially pronounced in the winter, and applying a screen protector only makes it worse.

I noticed a significant issue with the screen sensitivity after applying the glass screen protector. It’s really noticeable when I’m unlocking the phone or taking photos. To be honest, I didn’t experience this problem before applying the screen protector. It’s not just a issue with this model, I’ve seen it on the A51 too.

I’m also not a fan of Samsung only allowing up to 3 fingerprints for biometric authentication. I wish they’d allow at least one more.

Sound

The sound quality is pretty good, no distortion. It’s clean and loud enough for my taste.

Of course, this is a personal preference, but for me, the sound is loud enough. I’ve actually turned down the volume on my alarm to around 20% and the ringtone to half volume. In fact, I often switch to silent mode altogether. I’ve read in other reviews that the sound is just average, but for me, it’s loud and clear.

I’ve also been impressed with the phone’s speakers. I can hear my conversation partner clearly, even when the volume is turned down. The same goes for loudspeaker mode – I can hear even the quietest voices without any issues.

Cameras on the Galaxy A73

I’ll start with the front camera. It’s got 32 megapixels, but the quality of the photos is pretty mediocre. I’ve always wondered why they even bother increasing the megapixels when you could just put a good camera in there. I mean, I had a phone with an 8-megapixel main camera, and the photos were way better than these 32-megapixel shots.

Under normal lighting, the photos are passable – they’re clear enough, but a bit dull. And under low light, they’re pretty terrible – lots of blur and distortion. The flash helps a bit, since it’s built into the screen, but you’re not going to get any sharp, beautiful photos.

a73, front camera a73, main cameraThe main camera here is 108 megapixels, and there are three additional ones – 12 megapixels and two at 5 megapixels each.When you’re using the maximum resolution, you can’t zoom in at all. There are a few modes available, though – pro, night, macro, food, and so on.

I really like how the phone automatically switches to macro mode. a73 The camera takes great photos, but to be honest, I don’t see a huge difference between the 48 MP camera on the a51 and the a73. Half of the photos in this review were taken on the a51, and the other half on the a73 – and the quality is virtually identical.

a73 a73 a73 a73 When you’re not a pro, it can be tough to tell the difference. a73 a73 a73 I’ve taken some great shots with the a51 in good lighting, and to be honest, I don’t see a huge difference between the two. a51 a51 a51Nighttime shots in low-light conditions aren’t exactly what I was hoping for. Switching to night mode helps a bit, but if you’re counting on getting amazing photos thanks to that 108MP camera, you’re out of luck. If you don’t know how to tweak it, 48MP, 64MP, or 108MP – it’s all the same.

a73 a73I deliberately took photos against the light with the backlight behind it, and the results were great – no shadows, everything’s clear. In this regard, the camera really shines.

Software

The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G runs on Android 12 with One UI 4.1.

I’m happy to report that there’s no lag or freezing on this smartphone. Plus, many of the design elements are super easy to customize.

For example, the power button isn’t actually the power button by default – it’s the voice assistant button. But you can easily swap it out in the settings.

The main screen and settings interface are pretty standard for Samsung devices. But it’s easy to change up the themes, widgets, and labels if you want.

All your apps can be organized into folders. Some apps come pre-installed, which can be a bit annoying since half of them aren’t even necessary.

Additionally, this phone has NFC capabilities and comes with Samsung Pay by default – but unfortunately, it doesn’t support MIR cards.

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Hardware

The processor is an octa-core one, and you get either 6 or 8 GB of RAM, depending on the model.

I’ve got the 128GB storage and 6GB RAM model, which is the default, but you can actually reduce it to 2GB or bump it up to 6GB by sacrificing some internal storage.

If you’re a heavy photographer or videographer, 128GB (which is 23GB taken up by the system and a few gigs for various apps) will fill up quickly.

The thing is, photos taken at maximum quality weigh in at around 20-40MB each – for this review, I had to compress them to 80% because they were over 20MB. And nature shots are even bigger, around 35MB.As for performance, I’ve found it more than adequate for my moderate usage, which mostly consists of listening to music, reading books, and browsing the web, with the occasional video watch.

Under normal usage, the phone doesn’t even get warm, but if you’re watching videos for several hours, the back panel can get pretty hot. I can only imagine what it would be like during gaming sessions.

Battery Life on the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

The phone has a 5000mAh battery and supports fast charging, but not wireless charging.

According to the manufacturer’s claims, the battery should last almost a full day of video playback, but in reality, it’s more like 15 hours of active use. For my music listening habits, I’m looking at around 3-4% battery drain per hour in the background.

I was able to adjust the power consumption settings and turn on the simplified mode, but it still wouldn’t last me more than a day.

With my usual daily routine, I’d use up about half the battery by 6 pm – 4 hours of music and a couple of hours of browsing the internet, without actively using messengers or making calls. If I add 4 more hours of reading and browsing in the evening, my phone would be down to 10% by midnight, even with the brightness turned down to minimum and most features turned off.

Despite supporting fast charging, the phone still takes a while to charge – about an hour to reach half full. By today’s standards, that’s a bit slow.

Verdict

This is a decent phone, but I think it’s overpriced. If you can get it for around $30-35 with a discount, it’s a good deal. But at the usual prices of $40-45, I’d say it’s not worth it.

I’ve gotta say, the specs on this phone are pretty average. Unless you’re planning on using it for heavy gaming or apps, you might want to consider the same A53 model. It’s got slightly lower specs, but you won’t notice the difference in everyday use.

The camera’s another story – 108 MP doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get top-notch photos. In my experience, the quality’s pretty similar to what you’d get from a 48 MP camera.

To be honest, I was really let down by this phone. I just didn’t see anything that justified the $45,000 price tag. My A51 is basically the same device, except with a smaller battery.

The A53 has slightly lower specs, but you won’t notice the difference, and it’s $10,000 cheaper to boot.

I was also not a fan of the lack of a network adapter and 3.5mm headphone jack.