Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: A perfect upgrade over its predecessor?

Samsung has been on a roll in 2022. Ever since 2022 has begun, the company has been launching new smartphones one after the other, whether they belong to the premium S series, F Series, or A-Series. After launching Galaxy F23 5G last week at affordable prices, Samsung is back with its next in the mid-range category, an A Series device. Galaxy A53 5G has launched in India for a starting price of Rs. 34,499 which is being considered an upgrade over last year’s A52s. [हिंदी में पढ़ें]

The Galaxy A53 is loaded with specs and its mid-budget price range allows it to compete with devices like Moto Edge 20 Pro, Xiaomi 11T Pro, and more. Samsung has packed the Galaxy A53 with Exynos 1280 chipset, 120Hz AMOLED display, Android 12, and more. All this and more in the 35k price range seems like a very good deal, but is it really better than its competitors? Read on to find out.

Unboxing | Specs | Design | Display | Battery | Performance | Camera | Verdict | FAQs

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Design

The design of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G looks great. Although the design is quite similar to its predecessor Galaxy A52s, It gives a more premium feel in hand. The phone comes in 4 colors- White, Black, Peach, and Light Blue. The variant loaned to us was Light Blue and I liked this color at first look. The phone has a matte finish and doesn’t catch smudges easily.

The rear panel of the A53 has a quad-camera setup on top with an LED flash. The camera module is of the same light blue color and thus merges with the rear panel. At the front, it’s a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack which is a bummer. At the bottom edge, the device has a USB Type-C port, speaker grille, microphone, and SIM tray. The top edge consists of one microphone whereas the right side has a power button and volume rockers. The left side is empty.

The phone weighs 189 grams which is not heavy considering most phones crossing the 200grams mark these days. It is easy to operate with one hand but if the screen would have been slightly smaller, then usage would have become even easier. It comes with IP67 certification as well. Let us have a look at the display now.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Display

The Galaxy A53 5G sports a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display which is similar to its predecessor in size. In fact just like the galaxy A52s, it also has a 120Hz refresh rate, 800 nits peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Samsung hasn’t given any protective guard for the front screen which is usually seen in many phones these days.

Colors look super vibrant on the Galaxy A53 and the 120Hz refresh rate makes sure scrolling is ultra-smooth. The display is visible in sunlight and the adaptive refresh rate allows you to set it between 60Hz and 120Hz. There is Widevine L1 certification and HD support for all OTT content, but there is no HDR10+ support which is a downer. The display is equally good for both streaming and gaming.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Battery

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support but the charger doesn’t come inside the box. Samsung provides a cable with USB Type C connector at both ends so it can’t be used charger from old phones at home. You will have to purchase a Samsung charger additionally and that would cost you  Rs. 1999.

The phone’s battery gives a decent backup. After a full day’s use, the battery didn’t drain out completely. The usage included YouTube streaming, gaming, calling, and using different apps. This means even if you are a heavy user, the battery easily lasts for an entire day which is commendable.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Performance

Samsung has powered the Galaxy A53 with octa-core Exynos 1280 SoC whereas it had powered A52s with Snapdragon 778G. The performance of Exynos 1280 is satisfactory on most counts. It has been paired up with 6/8GB RAM variants and 128GB storage capacity. We have the 8GB RAM variant with us and the smartphone is smooth during everyday tasks. There is no lag, app crashes as such. The Galaxy A53 5G manages to offer smooth Internet surfing and social media browsing experience. It was no mug with multi-tasking as It managed to keep more than two apps cached in the background for hiccup-free multitasking experience.

We tried gaming too on this device and games such as BGMI and COD ran well with medium-high graphics and medium frame rates. Max frame rate causes the device to stutter a little but that can be ignored. There was no heating or warming up issues with the handset which means overall performance is good.

Talking about the software, Galaxy A53 has Android 12 with One UI 4.1. Samsung promises of 4 Android updates and 5 years of security updates. The phone’s software is simple and good. The only issue is bloatware, as the smartphone comes with not only Samsung’s apps but also various third-party apps pre-installed. These include Daily Hunt, Moj, Takatak, Snapchat, Byjus, Amazon, Netflix, and more. This can be a little annoying but these apps can be easily uninstalled if you don’t need them.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Camera

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a quad-camera setup on the rear end. The device has 4 lenses- a 64MP primary lens, 12MP ultrawide lens, 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro lens. The camera setup is the same as last year’s A52s. The 64MP primary camera clicks detailed images with accurate colors and contrast. Dynamic range is good as well which means even if you zoom in on an image, detailing doesn’t get lost. Images in low-light don’t have good colors as they seem slightly saturated and detailing also gets affected.

Coming to the 12MP ultrawide sensor, its performance is decent as well. The pictures clicked with this lens have accurate colors but detailing is on the lower side as the resolution is a mere 12MP.  The primary sensor is the one that is used for clicking maximum images but if you want a panoramic view or a wide-angle shot, a 12MP sensor can be used.

Apart from these two, there are two 2MP depth and macro sensors and images clicked with these are strictly average. The depth sensor has various modes which are good to make clicks better.

The device has a 32MP front camera for video calls and selfies which works well. The camera gives above-average images in daylight with good details. Whereas in low light, image quality as well as detailing deteriorates a few notches.

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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is a phone Sammy loyalists would enjoy. The phone offers an attractive design, a gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED screen, a fast processor, a decent camera setup, and a good UI with maximum software upgrade promise in its class.

If you are looking for a reason to not buy you must take note that Samsung doesn’t bundle a wall charger with this phone. If you have been a Samsung user and have an existing charger and cable you may consider buying the Galaxy A53 5G smartphone as it has most basis-covered barring charging.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G FAQs

Does Galaxy A53 5G has a MicroSD slot?

Yes, Galaxy A53 comes with a hybrid dual SIM slot, the second slot can be used for SIM or SD cards.

What is the SAR value of Galaxy A53?

SAR Value is 0.34W/kg (head); 1.6W/kg (body)

Does Galaxy A53 support dual-band WiFi?

Yes, it does.

How many microphones are there in Galaxy A53?

Galaxy A53 has 2 microphones.

Is Galaxy A53 water-resistant?

Yes, it comes with IP67 certification which makes it dust and water-resistant.

Which Android version comes in Galaxy A53?

It has Android 12 with One UI 4.1

Does Galaxy A53 5G support Full HD streaming?

Yes, it comes with Widevine L1 support which gives Full HD streaming.