What can you do to improve a good midrange smartphone? if you’re Samsung, you swap in a house-made processor, double the battery capacity, delete the in-box charger, and drop the price by $50. The $449 Galaxy A53 5G is the result of following this method.
Samsung also followed the cardinal rule of not tinkering with a problem that wasn’t there to begin with. This year’s model features the same cameras, screen, and overall design as previous year’s model. Even with the swap from a Snapdragon processor to a new, untested Exynos chipset, performance is approximately the same. However, it was inevitable that the previously supplied charging brick would be lost.
In addition to a few tweaks to the hardware, Samsung has made significant improvements to its software support strategy. The A53 5G will receive Android OS platform updates and security patches for four years and five years, respectively. So long as Google continues to provide security upgrades for the Pixel 6 top phone, that is. When it comes to mid-range Android devices, getting any form of update five years after its launch is a tremendous achievement.
Samsung has also addressed some of our software issues. The One UI 4.1 that comes preloaded on the A53 5G is a bit cleaner than the version that came before it, based on Android 12. As a Samsung smartphone, you’ll still have access to its app store, virtual assistant, and slew of pre-installed apps that encourage you to stay in its sphere.
Those who are content or at least willing to put up with Samsung’s worldview should find the Galaxy A53 5G to be a great investment.
- Very good battery stamina
- OS updates for four years, security updates for five years
- High-definition display
- charger not included
- Still, Samsung’s software is a mess
- Saturated camera colors aren’t right for everyone, however
It is the first time since 2015 that a Samsung phone has been sold in the US with an Exynos chipset. In international versions of its phones, Samsung has continued to use its own-brand semiconductors (which have also appeared in recent wearables). But in the US, Qualcomm and MediaTek have been the only options since the Galaxy S7. It is the first time that this particular 1280 Exynos CPU has been used in a mobile device. 6GB of RAM is included with the phone, which is more than most midrange phones have.
The A52 5G appears to perform similarly to the A52 5G. Using them side-by-side, the keyboard on the A53 takes a little longer to appear after touching on the search bar. The A53, on the other hand, opens apps faster than the A52 in many cases. If I had to choose between the two, I would say that it is a coin flip. While using the phone daily, I do notice a few hiccups here and there, but nothing that I couldn’t live with. In spite of the numerous stutters that occur when there is a lot going on, it can run Genshin Impact. Even after three or four years of software changes, I expect the general performance to hold up quite well.
Even if you buy the phone through a US carrier, you will only be able to get 128GB of storage. A microSD card slot is available if you run out of storage capacity after a few years, so you’ll never run out of space on this phone.
It’s about as good as you can expect from a phone screen at this price point.
An OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution are included in the A53 5G. It can be a little difficult to see in particularly bright outdoor conditions, but in all other situations, it’s a colorful and smooth display that looks great. A phone screen at this price point is about as good as you can hope for.
For biometric unlocking, a fingerprint scanner is integrated within the display. This is the same chip used in the A52 5G, and I believe Samsung. The new model, on the other hand, is much easier to use than the prior one, and I’m getting less reminders to try again. The software may have improved. I may have a greater tolerance for delays. Who knows what the future holds? Although it is slightly slower than the best optical fingerprint sensors in flagships like the OnePlus 10 Pro, it is generally accurate and quick enough to avoid any severe frustration on a daily basis.
In this class, IP67 dust and water resistance is still a rarity, but that’s what the A53 5G has. When it comes to water, the A53 5G should be capable of withstanding a few drenches as well as occasional submersion in the ocean. If you’ve ever seen a phone drown after being dropped in water (let’s not speak about what occurred at West Seattle Summer Fest 2019), then you understand the importance of water resistance for smartphones.
The battery capacity has been increased from 4,500mAh to 5,000mAh. As long as you don’t use the phone constantly or rely heavily on Wi-Fi, Samsung’s boast of a two-day battery life is believable. Streaming some movie and spending most of my time on 5G is no problem, but I can’t quite get through two days. On the second day, I downloaded Genshin Impact and gave it my all, but by 2 p.m., I was getting warnings to recharge the phone. If you’re a moderate or heavy user, it’s probably advisable to recharge overnight to avoid dropping into the single digit percentages. Light users can get away with two days of use on a single charge.
The A53’s box does not include a charging brick, and there is no USB-C cable either.
Neither a power brick nor a USB-C cable are included in the A53‘s packaging. To say goodbye to the A52‘s headphone jack would be an understatement. In my opinion, these are two of the A53‘s marquee features that should not have made it down to the A53.
Those who purchase the A53 through AT&T, T-Mobile, or unlocked will receive a model only compatible with low and mid-band 5G, not the ultrafast high-band millimeter wave (mmWave). mmWave is a rare commodity, so this isn’t an issue. Verizon’s version of the phone includes mmWave compatibility and costs $50 extra than the regular version.
The mmWave variant is your sole option if you’re purchasing your phone through Verizon and paying for it on a monthly basis rather than at the full retail price. Go ahead and save yourself $50 if you can get the phone unlocked, even if you’re currently on Verizon. You won’t miss it, and it may not even be included in your wireless package at all.
The Galaxy A53 5G’s camera system is based on the 64-megapixel f/1.8 standard wide of its predecessor. Mid-range cameras typically lack optical stabilization, which is a pleasant and unusual feature. When photographing in moderate lighting circumstances, you are more likely to capture a clear picture. There is also a 12-megapixel ultrawide, as well as 5-megapixel macro and depth sensors, on the camera.
Expect vivid, saturated colors and high-quality images. As long as your subject isn’t moving too much, the main camera can handle shooting in low light and even complete darkness. Portrait mode photographs are fine, but not as striking as the Galaxy S22’s, especially when there’s a lot of light. The wide-angle perspective of the regular camera is your sole option for taking portraits because there is no telephoto lens available.
The highest video resolution is 4K / 30p, with 30 and 60 frames per second possibilities in 1080p. In low light, the camera’s autofocus can be a touch erratic, but the video clips seem fine. For bright outdoor lighting, there is additional stabilization available in the 1080 / 30p mode. (With this function enabled, clips taken in dim light appear dark and loud.)
Overall, it’s a decent camera system for the money. Even if a flagship camera with a telephoto lens would be preferable, this one gets the job done. The A53 isn’t nearly as good as Google’s Pixel 5A in the intermediate category. In terms of portraits and low-light photography, the Pixel has a little edge over the iPhone. However, if you’re looking to spend less than $500 on a phone, the Pixel 5A is still the best option when it comes to camera quality.
As an example, SAMSUNG has removed the ads that appear at the top of the weather app.
Everything you could reasonably expect a $450 phone like the A53 5G to perform can be found in its hardware. However, there are a few things about Samsung’s software that irritate me – primarily the fact that it is Samsung software.
If Samsung has its way, when you first use your phone, you’ll have a slew of Samsung apps downloaded to it. Fortunately, you have the option to skip downloading several of these files throughout the installation process. Regardless, your phone will come preloaded with a second app store and a second voice assistant, whether you use them or not. I found out that Bixby often misunderstands radio DJs who say “KEXP” as the station’s name. This may be a problem unique to the Pacific Northwest, but I was already annoyed with Bixby before this happened, so it doesn’t make things any better.
It’s fair to say that with One UI 3.0, Samsung has made some improvements, such as removing the ad at the top of the weather forecast app. If you don’t need Samsung accounts or any of the extraneous Samsung apps, you can put them all in a folder and not have to worry about them again. Just be aware that you’ll need a Samsung account to access the Galaxy Store if you ever want to alter the font on your phone. Some wins and some losses are to be expected.
If you live in the United States and want an Android phone for less than $500, the Galaxy A53 5G is an obvious choice. Only the Google Pixel 5A can compete with the phone, but it’s likely to be updated soon and has a shorter shelf life with only a few more OS updates ahead of it. A better camera and better software would be available without the Samsung duplications, but there are no carriers selling it if you want to pay for it out of pocket.
One alternative would be to wait for the Google Pixel 6A, or spend more money and get the Pixel 6. With Android 12 security upgrades, Google appears to have solved some early problems, and for $599, it’s a beautiful gadget with a great camera and lovely UX. There is, however, a huge increase in price – a whopping $150 more. If you don’t mind Samsung’s version of Android 12 and aren’t concerned about getting the highest possible image quality, there isn’t a compelling reason to spend the extra money.
The A-series cheap phones from Samsung are among the best in their respective price ranges, and Samsung makes a lot of them. The A53 5G is the pinnacle of Samsung’s A-series. If you take care of it, it should last for another four or five years at the very least. An additional $50 spent on a better camera will pay off even more in the long run with the A53, even if you’ll have to pack your own charger.
Galaxy A Series Comparison
| Galaxy A53 5G | Galaxy A13 5G | Galaxy A13 LTE | Galaxy A03s | |
| Screen | 6.5″ FHD+ Super AMOLED 120Hz | 6.5″ HD+ LCD | 6.6″ Infinity-V Display FHD+ | 6.5″ HD+ LCD |
| Processor | Exynos 1280 | MediaTek Dimensity 700 | Octa-Core | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| Camera | Rear: 64MP Ultra Wide: 12MP | Rear: 50MP Macro: 2MP | Rear: 50MP Ultra Wide: 5MP | Rear: 13MP Macro: 2MP |
| Battery | 5,000mAh. Fast Charging 25W* | 5,000mAh. Fast Charging 15W* | 5,000mAh. Fast Charging 15W* | 5,000mAh. Fast Charging 15W* |
| Storage | 6GB RAM | 128GB; Expandable | 4GB RAM | 64GB; Expandable | 3GB RAM | 32GB; Expandable | 3GB RAM | 32GB; Expandable |
| * Up to 25W | * Up to 15W | * Up to 15W | * Up to 15W |
- Very good battery stamina
- OS updates for four years, security updates for five years
- High-definition display
- charger not included
- Still, Samsung’s software is a mess
- Saturated camera colors aren’t right for everyone, however
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