The Galaxy A23 5G is Samsung's latest affordable 5G smartphone that offers many connectivity options, but does it come with a 3.5mm headphone jack?

The Galaxy A23 5G is Samsung's latest affordable 5G smartphone that offers a plethora of connectivity options, but does it come with a 3.5mm headphone socket? Samsung announced the Galaxy A23 5G in late August before launching it in the U.S. in early September. It is yet another Galaxy A-series device that offers decent specs and 5G connectivity at an affordable price. Samsung also has a 4G version of the Galaxy A23 that was released in Taiwan earlier this year. However, the 5G model is powered by a different processor that comes with a 5G modem.

The Galaxy A23 5G is part of Samsung's rapidly-expanding mid-range portfolio that has seen many new launches over the past year. The newer mid-range Samsung phones typically offer great specs and features at affordable price points, and are vastly different from the older Samsung mid-rangers that often failed to compete with Chinese offerings in terms of specs, features, and performance. Alongside the Galaxy A23 5G, Samsung's current mid-range portfolio also includes the Galaxy A13 5G and the Galaxy A53 5G, both of which are available for purchase in the U.S.

Related: Galaxy A23 5G Vs Galaxy A13 5G: How Samsung's Budget 5G Phones Compare

The Galaxy A23 5G comes with many connectivity options, including a 3.5mm audio socket that lets users hook up their wired headphones without needing an adapter. The 3.5mm option has gone the way of the Dodo in high-end phones and is even becoming increasingly rare in mid-range devices, so it is a welcome move from Samsung to include it in the new phone. Alongside the 3.5mm jack, the other connectivity options in the Galaxy A23 5G include dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth v5.1, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and USB Type-C.

While the inclusion of the 3.5mm socket is a heartening move that is sure to delight many potential buyers, the Galaxy A23 5G also disappoints many by following another recent trend that has come under severe criticism from consumers over the past couple of years. Like most other modern smartphones, the Galaxy A23 5G does not come with a charger, with the company saying that charging adapters are sold separately to those who need them.

The lack of an in-box charger notwithstanding, the Galaxy A23 5G is a decent all-round phone, and is especially lucrative at its $299.99 price-point. The device comes with a 6.6-inch FHD+ 120Hz infinity-V LCD screen, Snapdragon 695 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. It also comes with a 5,000mAh battery and runs Android 12 with One UI 4.1 on top. The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G is available for purchase in black from Samsung's official website, Samsung Experience Stores, AT&T, T-Mobile, and other retailers across the U.S.

Kishalaya has almost a decade's worth of experience in tech journalism, having written thousands of news, guides, features, and reviews for multiple American, Canadian, and Indian blogs. As a senior writer at ScreenRant, he covers everything from consumer electronics to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies to virtual reality, and electric vehicles to space. Entertainment to him means 90s sitcoms, such as Fresh Prince, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Friends, That 70s Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. He loves dogs, sports, and pizza (in that order) and can listen to The Doors, Def Leppard, Metallica, and Guns N' Roses all day long. He also loves watching cheesy 90s sci-fi/disaster movies like Independence Day, Armageddon, Twister, Volcano, Dante's Peak, etc.