Galaxy A53 5G Hands-on Review: Samsung Do Much Better than Ever!
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a decent phone for those who don’t want to be surprised, but it’s short on value. Check out our review to see if it’s any good.
Every year, Samsung raises the price of its Galaxy A50 series phones at an incredible rate. This year, the Galaxy A53 does not come with a low price tag of under 25,000 dollars; instead, it costs the same as an iQOO 9 SE, an iPhone SE 2nd Gen, or any Chinese-origin flagship killer with top-of-the-line specs. On paper, the Galaxy A53 5G appears to be a tough sell—after all, if you’re spending more than Rs. 30,000 on a smartphone, you’re looking for something unique.
However, there is a market for a no-frills phone at this price point, so the iPhone SE 3rd Gen exists today. The Samsung Galaxy A53 appears to be a clear winner compared to the iPhone SE. It features more of everything: cameras, display space, and battery life. However, the pricing is lower, with the base model starting at Rs 34,499 in India.
Should you be investing this much money to get a taste of this Samsung? I used the phone for two weeks to find out, and here are my findings.
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
The Galaxy A53 is perhaps the only smartphone in this price range entirely made of plastic. Is it good or bad? It is simply up to you to make that decision. Plastic isn’t as reassuring as the glass-metal-body phones available at this price point. Furthermore, the general fit-and-finish leaves a lot to be desired, especially given its price. Of course, you can hide it behind a case and forget about its construction, but there are better-built phones at this price, and Samsung has taken too many shortcuts.
Another example of cost-cutting is that the Galaxy A53 5G does not include a charger or a protective case, which is another example of cost-cutting. Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, Realme, and iQOO all offer these accessories as standard on comparably priced phones! Doesn’t it appear to be a disaster?
If you can get past the drab packaging and cost-cutting features, the Galaxy A53 5G has a lot to offer. For example, the phone has IP67 water and dust resistance rating, which means it should be protected from sweat, light showers, and dust. If you choose the proper colour, the design is vibrant and catches the eye. Despite the plastic substance, the build quality is excellent, and it reminds me of the Nokia Lumia phones. Another sigh of comfort comes in Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the display.
5G Samsung Galaxy A53 Display
The Galaxy A53 5G’s display, like other Samsung phones, is among the best in the industry. With a 120Hz refresh rate, the 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display looks brilliant, portrays beautiful colours, and achieves a high degree of brightness to be easily seen in direct sunlight. However, neither HDR nor Dolby Vision are supported. As a result, movie buffs can choose phones for similar or lower prices than deliver high-quality OTT video. For biometric authentication, you do get a fast enough optical fingerprint sensor.
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G’s performance
The chipset of choice has changed the most between the Galaxy A52s 5G and the Galaxy A53 5G. Samsung returned to Exynos with the new Exynos 1280 processor, which offers performance comparable to, if not better than, the Snapdragon 778G chipset. I won’t mince words: the Exynos 1280 doesn’t appear to make the Galaxy A53 5G any speedier than its predecessor.
Samsung phones with Exynos processors aren’t the most responsive in performance, and the A53 5G confirms this. The phone is constantly slow to wake up, takes a long time to load apps and games, and occasionally stutters – you get the picture. This could be changed in the future with a software update, but the Galaxy A53 5G currently does not behave like an Rs. 35,000 smartphone.
Operating System of Galaxy A53 5G
On top of Android 12, there’s the One UI 4.1 interface. One UI 4.1 is one of the most refined Android experiences you can get for any price, but Samsung has bloatware pre-installed from Google, Microsoft, Samsung, and certain third-party content streaming apps. Some of these apps constantly bombard you with notifications. On a pricey smartphone like this, it’s a shame that Samsung needs to rely on bloatware.
The Galaxy A53 5G is a great phone to use when everything is working well. One-handed use is simple, and there are numerous minor features scattered throughout the UI that you are likely to overlook on other smartphones.
The Exynos 1280 is also not a gaming processor. When playing games like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile, the phone will limit the graphical settings to a low-to-medium location at a high frame rate. I, too, notice some frame drops now and then.
The dual speaker configuration works perfectly while watching YouTube videos or social media stuff. On the other hand, movie buffs should invest in a pair of wireless earbuds for a more immersive experience. So far, network connectivity has been solid, with the Galaxy A53 5G easily connecting to Jio’s 4G network, with no call drops or sluggish data speeds, while other phones struggled.
Camera accessories for the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
To summarise, the Galaxy A53 features good cameras but nothing exceptional enough to earn it the most excellent photography phone (the iPhone SE and the iQOO 9 SE). In both day and night scenarios, the 64MP primary camera performs admirably, although, in low-light situations, it tends to underexpose the subject. Under the bright sun, the images have an oversaturation that makes them look wonderful but not natural.
The 8MP ultra-wide camera is adequate with a comparable colour tone but lacks sharpness and overall details. The 5MP macro camera is sufficient but not as good as the Xiaomi 11T Pro’s 5MP macro camera. The colours in the night mode images aren’t as vibrant as they are in real life.
Finally, the 32MP selfie camera is also underwhelming. It tends to redden skin tones, underexposes, and exaggerates the image unnaturally.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Battery
With a 5000mAh battery, the Galaxy A53 5G can quickly go through the day on a single charge and leave some for the next day. 25W rapid wired charging is compatible, and a full payment from the dead takes about 1.5 hours. The phone will easily last you all day if you don’t play games and limit your usage to calls, social networking, occasional selfie sessions, YouTube sessions, and texting.
Please feel free to shed sight on our other review articles, Echt Reviews!
Verdict:
Oh, my goodness! Despite its high price, the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G was a terrific phone in many ways last year. Samsung has been unable to duplicate the same appeal with the Galaxy A53 5G. This appears to be a downgrade rather than an upgrade! The chipset isn’t as quick as it could be, the UI is bloated, the cameras are subpar, and the entire build and design are lacking. The four-year OS support period sounds appealing, but it already struggles in its current state; how will it fare in a few years?
When you have Rs. 35,000 to spend on a new smartphone, practically anything else on the market is a much better option. You are starting at Rs. 33,990, the iQOO 9 SE is our top selection in this market, giving a superb combination of performance, usability, and value. If you’re willing to spend a little extra, some excellent options for the Galaxy A53 5G will satisfy you significantly more. The Xiaomi 11T Pro, Apple iPhone SE 3rd Gen, Oppo Reno 7 Pro, Vivo V23 Pro, and Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE 5G are worth looking into. Despite its vintage appearance, the iPhone SE 3rd Gen appears significantly more enticing now.
Recommending the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G to anyone right now would be unjust unless Samsung decreases the price by at least Rs. 10,000 (which seems unlikely).
