This is Samsung’s first attempt to break into the mid-range market in 2022, launching alongside the slightly cheap phone. In terms of specifications, it’s on par with any modern smartphone, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Maybe, aside from the fact that there isn’t a 4G model this year. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is the successor to the highly successful Galaxy A52 5G and Galaxy A52s from 2021. It doesn’t differ significantly from its predecessors, but Samsung appears to have refined its popular Galaxy A device in many important ways. For starters, it’s $50 less expensive. The 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage configuration is now available for $449. There’s also a better version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, though it’s more difficult to find in most markets. Whatever model you choose, you can use the microSD card slot to expand your storage.
Samsung Galaxy A53 review: Design
We previously praised the phone’s design, primarily because of the colour. You can get the phone in peach, which is what we did, as well as white, black, and blue. Samsung prefixes each of the colour names with the word ‘Awesome,’ but we’d be too embarrassed to repeat that. The colour you choose has an impact on both the plastic back panel and the metal frame. The phone is medium-sized, measuring 159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1mm and weighing 189g. It’s not too big to be uncomfortable to use, as long as your mitts aren’t too big. The power button and volume rocker are located on the phone’s right edge, and the USB-C port is located exactly where you’d expect it to be. Unlike some other phones at this price, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, but there is an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is uncommon in phones at this price. The phone’s camera bump, which protrudes from the back, is understated. This is due in part to the fact that it does not protrude too far, but also to the fact that the back of the device rises to meet it.
Samsung Galaxy A53 review: Display
The Galaxy A53 5G features an Infinity-O (punch-hole style) Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2400 x 1080 resolution, and 800 nits of maximum brightness. It measures the same as the A52 5G—6.5 inches. The 120Hz mode on the A53 5G is just as good as you’d expect. It makes the phone feel snappier regardless of what you’re doing on it, and animations look extra buttery-smooth. Viewing the display from an angle is not an issue, and colours look fantastic in both the Vivid and Natural modes, which is not always the case with other mid-range phones. The optical fingerprint scanner is integrated into the screen of the A53 5G, but it is not Samsung’s well-known ultrasonic sensor. This is one of my major complaints about the A53. The issue is not that there is no ultrasonic sensor, but rather how slow the optical one is. This method takes a long time to unlock the phone.
Software
In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G borrows heavily from the Galaxy A52s 5G. This year, Samsung used the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G from the Galaxy A52s in the more expensive Galaxy A73 5G, while the Galaxy A53 5G gets a new Exynos 1280 in-house Samsung SoC. This is the same SoC that powers the less expensive Galaxy A33 5G. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is compatible with 5G, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, and the standard satellite navigation systems. The Galaxy A53 5G lacks the previous model’s 3.5mm headphone jack and does not include a USB Type-C audio adapter. The phone supports dual-5G standby, and the hybrid dual-SIM tray can hold up to 1TB of memory card.
Samsung Galaxy A53 review: Hardware and performance
The Galaxy A53 will not win any performance races thanks to its Exynos 1280 system-on-chip. Having said that, the phone performs admirably in everyday use, though it isn’t the best gaming device available at this price. The iPhone SE (2022) with its A15 Bionic chip takes that honour. The Galaxy A53 outperforms the Pixel 5a in every way, despite the latter’s almost two-year-old chipset. The A53 does not win by a wide margin, but it is more powerful than the Snapdragon 765G-powered Pixel 5a. Of course, the iPhone SE (2022) outperforms the Galaxy A53 in every way. Geekbench results aren’t even close. In the 4K-1080p video transcoding test, the iPhone SE annihilated the A53, completing the task in a quarter of the time. Even with its small 4.7-inch LCD, the latest iPhone is also the better gaming device.
Camera
On the back, there are four cameras: a 64-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 12MP wide-angle camera with a 123-degree field of view, and two 5MP cameras for macro and depth. It’s the same setup as the Galaxy A52, and it includes the same 32MP selfie camera mounted top-center in the screen. Night mode and a Pro mode are included, as well as Samsung’s Single Take mode and video recording at up to 4K and 30fps or FHD at 60fps. Furthermore, Snapchat Lenses are built into the camera, and the augmented reality effects work extremely well. The goal here is not realism. Instead, it provides you with the ideal social media photo without the need for editing. Overall, the A53 produces good images. The main and wide-angle cameras have acceptable consistency, lowlight performance is adequate without excessive noise in images, and the selfie camera captures skin tones and details effectively.
Samsung Galaxy A53 review: Battery Life
After shrinking the cells on some of its Galaxy S22 flagships, Samsung appears to have decided that bigger is better, at least for its budget phones. The battery capacity of the Galaxy A53 5G increased by 500mAh over the previous model, bringing it to a nice, even 5,000mAh. It’s comparable to the cell found on the high-end Galaxy S22 Ultra, and there are no complaints about battery life. During my testing, it was able to get almost two days of regular use out of the Galaxy A53 5G’s battery. We frequently finished the first day with 40% to 50% remaining and didn’t need to look for a charger until late in the second day. Given the features of the Galaxy A53 5G, the battery life was especially impressive.
Price and Avalibiality
The Galaxy A53 is available for $449/£399 from Samsung. You get 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for that price (with microSD card support up to 1TB). The phone is available from Samsung and other electronics retailers. The Google Pixel 5a costs $449 and, like the Galaxy A53, has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Even with its older chipset, it’s currently one of the best cheap phones you can buy. The current Pixel, on the other hand, lacks expandable storage and is only available in the United States and Japan. If you’re not dead set on having an Android phone, there’s also the $429 iPhone SE (2022), which starts with 64GB of storage. However, with its class-leading A15 Bionic processor, the latest iPhone offers the best bang for your buck.
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G offers a number of compelling features for the price. For starters, the phone includes a capable set of cameras that can capture stunning images at any time of day or night. The unit also performs well, and the smartphone’s beefy cell can outlast even the most intense binge sessions. That being said, the Galaxy A52s 5G outperforms the Galaxy A53 5G in every way. Furthermore, the market is flooded with high-performance devices that will be better suited to those who frequently game on their phone. Regardless, buyers looking for a good-looking mid-ranger that will run the most recent version of Android for years can rely on the Samsung Galaxy A53 review.
