The Galaxy A23 5G has made it to North America. While it offers a lot for $300, it has plenty of competitors, including the OnePlus Nord N20 5G.
With the new Galaxy A23 5G, Samsung has a new budget 5G smartphone for the North American market, but how does it compare to the OnePlus Nord N20 5G? The new Galaxy A23 5G has a 4G version that isn't sold in the U.S. Both phones are practically identical in terms of design and even have some specifications in common such as the display size, camera configuration, battery capacity and fast charging technology.
Samsung only launches a few of its mid-range smartphones in the U.S., and since the Galaxy A23 4G didn't get a U.S. launch, it is a surprise that the 5G version made it to North America. There isn't a shortage of pocket-friendly 5G smartphones as that segment is covered with the Moto G 5G, Moto G Stylus 5G, TCL Stylus 5G and the recently announced Nokia G400 5G, to name a few. However, as the saying goes, the more, the merrier.
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The Galaxy A23 5G is the bigger smartphone with its 6.6-inch Gorilla Glass 5-protected display. It is an IPS LCD panel with an FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a V-shaped notch for the 8MP selfie camera. On the other hand, OnePlus has gone for a smaller 6.43-inch 1080p AMOLED panel that refreshes at 60Hz and with a hole punch at the top left corner that houses a 16MP sensor. Samsung and OnePlus have both gone for the same Snapdragon 695 processor. However, the Galaxy A23 5G sold in the U.S. has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while OnePlus sells the Nord N20 5G with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
In addition, both phones have a MicroSD card slot, but the Nord N20 5G supports up to 512GB cards, while Samsung's phone supports a maximum of 1TB. For the cameras, the Galaxy A23 5G packs a 50MP sensor with OIS that is paired with a 5MP ultrawide angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. In contrast, the Nord N20 5G has three cameras — a 64MP primary sensor, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP monochrome camera. In addition, the two phones have Bluetooth 5.1, an audio jack, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, support for sub-6GHz 5G and a single SIM card slot. They also have fingerprint scanners, but while it sits under the Nord N20 5G display, it is on the side of the Galaxy A23 5G.
Although Samsung's Galaxy A23 5G has a bigger 5000mAh battery, it charges a bit slower at 25W and doesn't ship with an adapter. In contrast, there is a 4500mAh battery inside the Nord N20 5G with support for 33W fast charging (adapter included). Samsung's phone runs Android 12 with One UI on top and will receive 2 OS upgrades and four years of security patches. The Nord N20 5G ships with Android 11 with a promise of one OS upgrade and three years of security updates. Both Samsung and OnePlus have priced their phones at $299. However, the Nord N20 5G offers more RAM and double the storage of the Galaxy A23 5G. It also supports faster charging and comes with a charger in the box. On the other hand, the Galaxy A23 5G has a 120Hz refresh rate, more useful cameras, a bigger battery capacity and better software support.
Habeeb has years of experience covering consumer technology and has written for multiple publications. As a Senior Writer at Screen Rant, he enjoys writing about wearables, smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Several of his articles include guides and comparisons that help users get the best out of their devices or choose the one that bests suits them. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows. He considers The Crown as peak drama and Castlevania as one of the best game-to-screen adaptations. And on days when there is nothing to watch (is that even possible?), he sneaks in a few hours of games on his PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.