The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Like final 12 months’s Galaxy A52 5G, Samsung’s new Galaxy A53 5G packs a variety of performance for the worth. It has a roomy 6.5-inch display and a digital camera system that features lenses for huge, ultrawide and macro pictures. At $450 (£399, AU$699), it is also $50 cheaper than its predecessor and is assured to get at the least 4 generations of Android updates. It helps all three flavors of 5G: sub-6Ghz, C-band and millimeter wave.There’s actually loads to love about this telephone, however its low worth means there are some compromises to be made. You could expertise some occasional lag because it runs on a much less highly effective processor. The digital camera is not nearly as good because the one you’d get on a pricier telephone such because the $800 Galaxy S22 or the Galaxy S21 FE, which launched at $700 however now sells for $550 and has a extra refined design.
LikeMassive displayLong battery lifeVersatile digital camera for the priceFour years of Android updatesExpandable storage
Don’t LikeSome efficiency lagScreen might be arduous to see in vivid daylight
That stated, the Galaxy A53 5G delivers greater than sufficient for the worth — particularly contemplating the equally priced iPhone SE has a considerably smaller display and only one rear digital camera. If you are on the lookout for a stable Android telephone that prices lower than $500, you will not be upset with the Galaxy A53 5G.A well-known Samsung design with an enormous displayThe Galaxy A53 5G follows what has seemingly develop into a design system for Samsung. It has an almost borderless display with a gap punch cutout for the selfie digital camera, whereas the again of the machine has a matte end with a cutout for its multilens digital camera.I name this a “formula” as a result of we have seen related designs from Samsung prior to now. The Galaxy A53 appears nearly an identical to the Galaxy S21 FE in addition to final 12 months’s Galaxy A52 5G. There’s nothing new or attention-grabbing right here when it comes to aesthetics, however I would not count on something too flashy from a telephone of this worth. Just you’ll want to use it with a case because it collects fingerprint smudges simply.Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G
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The Galaxy A53 5G has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1,080×2,400-pixel decision. That makes it loads bigger than the 6.1-inch Galaxy S22 and the 4.7-inch iPhone SE. It’s additionally a hair bigger than the 6.4-inch Galaxy S21 FE and barely smaller than the 6.6-inch Galaxy S22 Plus. If you favor telephones with bigger screens however wish to spend lower than $500, the Galaxy A53 5G strikes that stability. My one grievance is that the show might be troublesome to see in daylight. On multiple event, I needed to crank the display’s brightness all the best way up when utilizing it open air. Long battery life and OK efficiencyThe Galaxy A53 5G has a 5,000-mAh battery, which matches the $1,200 Galaxy S22 Ultra’s capability. That goes a great distance in a telephone just like the Galaxy A53, which is not as massive or highly effective as Samsung’s top-of-the-line Ultra. I used to be simply capable of get greater than a day’s price of battery life even with the show’s refresh price set to excessive. After a full day’s price of use, I nonetheless had greater than 50% of the battery left the following morning.Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G
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Battery life will differ, nonetheless, relying on utilization. To provide you with some context, I used the A53 for a 13-minute telephone name, spent half an hour taking photographs, performed the racing sport Asphalt 9 for 10 minutes and had the display set to full brightness for 15 minutes whereas open air. That’s along with utilizing the telephone to test notifications, e mail, social media and different apps all through the day. I additionally used the telephone with its refresh price set to excessive. We’ll replace this assessment with outcomes from CNET’s official battery check at a later date, however I’m pleased with what I’ve skilled up to now. Since the Galaxy A53 5G is a inexpensive telephone, it additionally runs on a much less highly effective processor. The Galaxy A53 depends on Samsung’s midrange Exynos 1280 chip, whereas the pricier Galaxy S22 lineup is powered by both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Samsung’s Exynos 2200. Most of the time, you won’t even discover that the A53 runs on a special processor than the Galaxy S22. Games like Asphalt 9 and Shadowgun Legends run easily, and scrolling by means of the interface feels fluid more often than not. The incontrovertible fact that the A53 5G can increase its refresh price as much as 120Hz actually helps with that.I did expertise some occasional lag. There have been a number of situations by which the keyboard did not pop up as shortly because it ought to, or once I needed to press the house button a number of occasions to give up an app. I additionally seen some sluggishness when utilizing the search bar to retrieve apps. It did not occur usually sufficient to really feel disruptive to the general expertise, however it was frequent sufficient to note. This was most obvious simply after restarting the telephone.Benchmark checks advised the same story, contemplating the Galaxy A53 5G scored considerably decrease than the Galaxy S21 FE and that iPhone SE.
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Note:
Higher scores are higher.
Geekbench 5 Multicore
Note:
Higher scores are higher.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Note:
Higher scores are higher.
A flexible digital camera for the worth that is good however not niceThe Galaxy A53 5G’s digital camera stands out for its versatility greater than its picture high quality. The telephone comes with a 64-megapixel important digital camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide digital camera, 5-megapixel macro digital camera and 5-megapixel depth digital camera. But it is actually the primary and ultra-wide cameras that I discovered myself utilizing essentially the most usually. The truth that you just get ultra-wide digital camera and night time mode in addition to modifying instruments like Samsung’s object eraser on a telephone of this worth looks like a win. The Galaxy A53 5G is not the one telephone in that worth vary with these options; Google’s $449 Pixel 5A with 5G additionally has an ultrawide lens and Google’s Night Sight. But it is nonetheless an excellent worth for the worth. The iPhone SE, then again, solely has a single-lens 12-megapixel important digital camera with out night time mode.Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
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Image high quality on the Galaxy A53 is sweet however not nice. Photos have been clear and colourful, however I usually felt just like the iPhone SE and dearer Galaxy S21 FE did a greater job with colour and lighting. Some of the Galaxy A53’s photographs that I took in vivid daylight appeared washed out by comparability. It is perhaps arduous to inform on this assessment, however I seen this when trying on the full-sized information on my monitor.That stated, when you’re not choosy and simply need an inexpensive telephone that may take first rate photographs, the Galaxy A53 5G will do the trick. And most individuals will doubtless be viewing photographs immediately on their telephones reasonably than on a 27-inch monitor. Galaxy A53 5GA photograph taken with the Galaxy A53 5G.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy S21 FEA photograph taken with the Galaxy S21 FE.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
iPhone SEA photograph taken with the iPhone SE.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
There’s no telephoto lens on the Galaxy A53 5G, so do not rely on taking nice photographs from far-off. Here’s a photograph I took with the A53 5G’s digital zoom as much as 10x in contrast with the identical photograph taken on the Galaxy S21 FE, which has an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. Let’s be sincere: Neither of those photographs look nice. But the sculpture’s element is clearer within the S21 FE’s photograph.Galaxy A53 5GThis photograph was taken on the Galaxy A53.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy S21 FEThis photograph was taken on the Galaxy S21 FE.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The Galaxy A53 took higher photographs at the hours of darkness in comparison with the iPhone SE, which lacks night time mode. The Galaxy A53 and S21 FE’s photographs are related, however I can see Buddy’s stripes extra simply within the S21 FE’s picture.Galaxy A53 5GThis was taken on the Galaxy A53 utilizing night time mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy S21 FEThis photograph was taken on the Galaxy S21 FE utilizing night time mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
iPhone SEThis photograph was taken on the iPhone SE, which does not have night time mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Portrait mode photographs taken on the Galaxy A53 appeared detailed and colourful, though not as vivid as these taken on the iPhone SE and S21 FE.Galaxy A53 5GThis photograph was taken on the Galaxy A53 5G utilizing portrait mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy S21 FEThis photograph was taken on the Galaxy S21 FE utilizing portrait mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
iPhone SEThis photograph was taken on the iPhone SE utilizing portrait mode.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
I did not discover myself utilizing the A53’s macro and depth cameras too usually. It nearly looks like Samsung added these lenses simply so it might say the Galaxy A53 has 4 cameras. But the 5-megapixel macro lens was enjoyable to make use of once I might get it to focus correctly.Galaxy A53 5GThis photograph was taken utilizing the Galaxy A53 5G’s macro lens.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
A photograph taken with the Galaxy A53 5G’s selfie digital camera appears crisp sufficient, however the Galaxy S21 FE’s has extra element and colour. Both telephones have a 32-megapixel front-facing digital camera, which is a step above the iPhone SE’s 7-megapixel entrance digital camera.Galaxy A53 5GA photograph taken with the Galaxy A53 5G’s selfie digital camera.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy S21 FEA photograph taken with the Galaxy S21 FE’s selfie digital camera.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
iPhone SEA photograph taken with the iPhone SE’s selfie digital camera.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The latest software program from Samsung and GoogleSamsung’s Galaxy A53 5G
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The Galaxy A53 5G runs on Android 12 and One UI 4.1, the most recent software program from Google and Samsung, which ships with the Galaxy S22. This consists of Samsung’s system-wide refinements like extra polished widgets, further customization choices for themes and colour palettes, a extra intuitive digital camera interface and extra privateness options. The Galaxy A53 5G can also be eligible for 4 generations of Android working system updates and 5 years of safety updates, just like Samsung’s pricier telephones. The Pixel 5A with 5G, then again, solely will get three years of Android model and safety updates from its launch. The Galaxy A53 5G comes with another extras which can be price noting. It helps as much as 1TB of expandable storage — which is a uncommon discover on at the moment’s telephones — along with its 128GB of onboard area. You additionally get 25-watt quick charging identical to the Galaxy S22 and S21 FE, though you will need to purchase the ability adapter individually. But not like the Google Pixel 5A with 5G, there is not any headphone jack on Samsung’s $450 telephone. The backside lineSamsung’s Galaxy A53 5G
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Samsung is doing its greatest to make this midrange telephone really feel like a premium machine. It succeeds for essentially the most half by giving the Galaxy A53 5G a big display with a excessive refresh price, a number of cameras, night time mode pictures and lengthy battery life. But each from time to time, you will get a reminder that that is certainly a middle-tier telephone. An app won’t shut immediately if you press the house button, or it’s possible you’ll end up cranking up the display’s brightness when open air.The Galaxy S21 FE is an incremental step ahead for many who need a reasonably improved digital camera and smoother efficiency. But I’d solely advocate selecting it over the Galaxy A53 5G if you’ll find it for considerably lower than its $700 launch worth. (Right now, Samsung is promoting it for $550 unlocked.)The stated, Samsung can also be going through stiff competitors from Apple and Google. The 2022 iPhone SE, for instance, is lacking a variety of the Galaxy A53’s bells and whistles. But it has the identical speedy chip because the iPhone 13, which means there is a slim probability you will expertise any lag. And its single-lens 12-megapixel digital camera takes good photographs with loads of colour.The $449 Pixel 5A with 5G additionally offers Samsung a wholesome run for its cash. That telephone has an almost borderless display, an ultrawide digital camera, night time mode pictures, a headphone jack and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor with stable efficiency. Plus, Google usually brings unique options to its personal Pixel gadgets earlier than launching them for different Android telephones. But it is lacking another perks you’d get with the Galaxy A53 5G, like an in-screen fingerprint scanner (the Pixel’s sensor is on the again), a 120Hz refresh price for its show, expandable storage and an additional 12 months of Android OS upgrades.Overall, the Galaxy A53 5G has loads to supply for the worth, with the proper stability of options for most individuals. If you simply need a telephone for fundamental duties like studying the information, taking informal photographs of your pets for Instagram and video chatting over Zoom, the Galaxy A53 5G will just do superb.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G specs vs. Google Pixel 5A with 5G, Apple iPhone SE (2022), Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Google Pixel 5A with 5G
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Display dimension, decision
6.5-inch AMOLED (2,400×1,080 pixels); 120 Hz
6.34-inch OLED; (2,400×1,080 pixels); 60 Hz
4.7-inch LCD; (1,334×750 pixels); 60 Hz
6.4-inch AMOLED; FHD Plus (2,400×1,080); 120 Hz
Pixel density
405ppi
413ppi
326ppi
401ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.28 x 2.94 x 0.32 in
6.1 x 2.9 x 0.3 in
5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in
6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm
156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8 mm
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm
155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
6.67 oz; 189g
6.45 oz; 183g
5.09 oz; 144g
6.24 oz; 177g
Mobile software program
Android 12
Android 11
iOS 15
Android 11
Camera
64-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth)
12-megapixel (huge), 16-megapixel (ultrawide)
12-megapixel (huge)
12-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 8-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing digital camera
32-megapixel
8-megapixel
7-megapixel
32-megapixel
Video seize
4K
4K
4K
4K
Processor
Exynos 1280
Snapdragon 765G
Apple A15 Bionic
Snapdragon 888 (within the US)
Storage
128GB
128GB
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
128GB; 128GB; 256GB
RAM
6GB
6GB
Undisclosed
6GB, 8GB
Expandable storage
Up to 1TB
None
None
None
Battery
5,000 mAh (charger not included)
4,680 mAh
Undisclosed (charger not included)
4,500 mAh (charger not included)
Fingerprint sensor
In-display
Back
Home button
In-display
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
Lightning
USB-C
Headphone jack
None
Yes
None
None
Special options
5G-enabled; IP67 score; helps 25W wired quick charging, lacks wi-fi charging; Samsung Pay
5G-enabled, Titan M chipset (safety chip), Dual-pixel important digital camera’ IP67 water score, Dual Sim, Stereo audio system; 18Wfast charging
5G-enabled; Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wi-fi charging
5G (Sub-6GHz and mmWave), 120 Hz show, IP68 score, 25W wired charging, 15W wi-fi charging
Price off-contract (USD)
$450
$449
$429 (64GB), $479 (128GB), $579 (256GB)
$700 (6GB/128GB); $770 (8GB/256GB)
Price (GBP)
£399
Converts to roughly £350
£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)
£699 (6GB/128GB); £749 (8GB/256GB)
Price (AUD)
AU$699
Converts to roughly AU$600
AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)
AU$899 (6GB/128GB); AU$999 (8GB/256GB)
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