Samsung Teases Midrange Galaxy A-Series Phone Reveal This Week

Samsung's A-series phones don't get the buzz that their S-series flagships do, but they're best-sellers. Samsung just announced that the next A-series phone announcement will come on Thursday, March 17 at 10 a.m. ET, on its website.

High-end smartphones get a lot of buzz and make a lot of profit per unit, but in the Android world, midrange is where the volume is. The budget Samsung Galaxy A12 was the best-selling Android phone in the world in 2021, according to Counterpoint, and the Galaxy A32 5G is regularly among the most-read phone reviews here on PCMag. IDC cited the A12 and A32 specifically as having a major role in the growth of chipmaker MediaTek here in the US.

In the US, we currently have the A03, A12, A13, A20, A32, A42 and A52. Other models are available in other countries. Most of the other numbers will probably turn to A?3 this year, but by far the most anticipated one is the A33.

Rumors about a global A33 don't quite ring true for me, though. Most notably, GSMArena says the A33 will use a Samsung Exynos processor, where I think that in the US they are much more likely to run a MediaTek Dimensity, like the successful A32.

Other changes from the A32 aren't very clear as of yet. I'm hoping that the A32 will support AT&T's new 3.45GHz 5G network, but that's not likely, as Android Police's Dan Bader found out that the 3.45GHz spectrum requires very new modems.

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One thing is clear, though: Samsung needs to keep a handle on the price. The A13 so far has been criticized for costing $70 more than the A12, and with Motorola's dynamic G series out there, as well as upcoming new OnePlus Nord phones, Samsung needs to make sure it stays competitive.

We'll have more on the new Samsung A-series phones on Thursday.

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