The most popular phones are frequently those in the middle of a price range. They provide many of the advantages of their more expensive siblings while costing significantly less. The Samsung Galaxy A53 is an upgrade to last year’s A52, and while it appears nearly identical, there are some subtle differences—some good, some bad.
The A53 is available in black, white, peach, or blue, with high-quality plastic build. My review device’s frosted black finish looks great and is less likely to break than glass. However, it lacks the premium feel of other devices that use glass and metal.
The edges have a glossy finish, and the four-lens rectangular camera module on the back has a gradual bevel all the way around. On the front, the admittedly large 6.5-inch screen is surrounded by a slim — but not the thinnest — black bezel. Only a small central punch-hole for the 32MP selfie camera breaks it up. The optical fingerprint reader is located near the bottom of the screen, where it is easily accessible. It’s not the fastest, but it’s dependable for the most part.
The front glass is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, which should keep it safe from drops and scratches. There’s also IP67 dust and water resistance, which is always a plus on a mid-range device. The 3.5mm headphone jack has been removed, which is a significant change from the A52.
Audio and visuals
One of the A53’s highlights is its 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display. It has a peak brightness of more than 800 nits and a refresh rate of 120Hz. This is a fantastic screen that has everything we love about OLED, including vibrant colours and infinite contrast. The 120Hz refresh rate is also a welcome addition, making the phone feel snappy and smooth, especially when scrolling and swiping.
The sound system has two speakers for a stereo setup that is ideal for watching movies or playing video games. The sound quality is excellent, and it can get quite loud.
Despite the lack of a headphone jack, USB-C and Bluetooth headphones can be used. Dolby Atmos is also supported by the d by the phone. The A53 supports 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, and WiFi 5, but not WiFi 6, as the older A52s did. It has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via the microSD card slot up to 1TB.
The A53 outperformed the A52 in benchmark tests. I received a score of 637 on the A53 and 333 on the A52 in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test. In Geekbench 5, the A53 had a single-core score of 674 and a multi-core score of 1,837, while the A52 had a single-core score of 398 and a multi-core score of 1,579.
In terms of gaming performance, the A53 is a big step up from the A52. However, it can’t handle the latest graphics-heavy games with all the bells and whistles turned on. I didn’t find the phone to be slow in general use, and it was quick to switch between apps, swipe through the interface, and scroll through social feeds.
Samsung claims up to two days of battery life, and with moderate use, you should be able to get through the day. While the A53 supports 25W charging, it is no longer considered fast charging in a world where up to 150W charging is available.
Furthermore, Samsung does not include a charger in the box, only a cable, and they recommend that you only use supported chargers. Their Super Fast charger costs €35 and comes with the type-C to type-C cable you need. Wireless charging is not supported, which is unfortunate.
Cameras: The main 64MP f/1.8 camera is excellent and capable of producing stunning images. In addition, only the main camera has optical image stabilization. The 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide and 5MP f/2.4 macro cameras perform admirably but do not capture the same level of detail or sharpness, especially in low light. A 5MP f/2.4 depth camera is also included to help improve features like portrait mode.
The overall camera experience is fantastic, and the camera app plays a significant role in this. It has a lot of great features and an easy-to-use easy-to-use interface. The Galaxy A53 is a solid phone with a lot of extras that aren’t always found in mid-range phones. The display is stunning, and the audio system is superb. The performance is about what I’d expect from a phone in this price range, and the 5,000mAh battery lasts at least one if not two, days. It improves on the A52 by having a slightly larger battery and a faster processor, but it loses the 3.5mm headphone jack.
