Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: Rarely an upgrade
The A53 could have been so much more.
Samsung's Galaxy A52 5G wasn't the best midrange phone ever bought in 2021, but it does have some standout features, including a responsive display and a versatile camera.. It was easy to imagine that the company was repeating the A52 5G to make it top of its class. Sadly, the Galaxy A53 is not dramatically different from its predecessor 5G. Samsung has made a handful of changes by adding a more efficient processor and a larger battery. But, at best, they look like window dressing. Worse, in some ways, the phone seems to take a step back.
Display:
Let's start with what hasn't changed. The A53 has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 2,400 by 1,080 resolution, 800 nit maximum brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. This screen is the main reason to buy A53 - it is big, lively, fast and makes everything enjoyable from scrolling through social media to watching videos. It doesn't support HDR or offer a variable refresh rate like Samsung's more expensive phones, but that's not too much of a problem. Even with the display set to 120Hz, I can get about two days of moderate usage and light gaming from the 5,000mAh battery.
Cameras:
The A53 also comes with the similar quad-camera system as the A52 5G. The standout here is a 64-megapixel main sensor with an f / 1.8 aperture lens and optical image stabilization. On sunny day, the camera and Samsung's photo shootting software consistently capture photos with saturated colors. It is surprisingly good at preserving both shadows and highlight details in high contrast scenes. The main camera fights when there is not much light, taking pictures with a noticeable amount of sound, but this is something you see on many midrange phones.
A supportive 5-MP depth sensor helps the A53's main camera take beautiful portrait shots. One of the best macro modes I've used on a midrange device is the A53, thanks to an interface that makes it easy to make sure you're focused on your subject. With adequate lighting, the 32-MP selfie camera is similarly capable of taking flattering pictures. By default, Samsung's Beauty Filter applies a moderate amount of polishing, which you can adjust by tapping on the "magic wand" icon above.
Gallery: 24 Photos | Samsung Galaxy A53 56 samples camera
Then there’s the 12-MP ultra-wide camera that sounds like a thought. It does a decent job of capturing scenes that are too large for the main lens, but have a noticeable reduction in quality due to its lower resolution. Across all of the A53's cameras I've noticed that they're not great for color temperature adjustment. Many of the shots I took showed a noticeable green or purple tinge It was easy enough to fix with an editing app like Snapped, but not everyone has the patience for it.
Overall, the A53 features a capable camera system, but I think it's a missed opportunity. Of course, it does offer versatility, but phones like the Pixel 5a can consistently take better pictures. The A53 does nothing to keep Samsung in a better position against competition in the midrange market, and it may seem outdated if the Pixel 6a comes out.
Samsung has made some changes, though, starting with the exterior of the phone. The company shaved the A53 to 0.3 mm to make it 8.1 mm thick. At the same time, it has removed the headphone jack. According to this review, Samsung is offering a free set of Galaxy Buds Live when you buy the A53 through its website, so at least the company is helping to make the transition easier? Still, it's a shame to look at the headphone jack, as it makes the A52 5G a bit more unique.
What makes the external changes even more frustrating is that the Samsung A52 did not solve any of the problems we had with the launch of the 5G. The matte material on the back of the phone is still a magnet for fingerprints and scars. Also, in the US, Samsung is again offering only the annoying black phone.
Performance:
If the A53 is fast I can ignore the removal of the Samsung headphone jack and leave the camera as it is. Moderate performance was a major reason we didn't recommend the A52 5G, and a significant update to the A53 table is a new chipset. Samsung has equipped this year's model with its own Exons 1280 SoC, and this is by far the most frustrating thing about the phone.
Simply put, it's not much of an upgrade compared to the A52 5G's Snapdragon 750G. In my experiments, the A53 stagnated frequently when I tried to switch between apps, and there was constant stuttering in regular use. It was also slow to launch and operate the camera app with a few seconds-long delay between pressing my shutter button and firing the camera. It got worse when I tried to play games.
Samsung claims that the Exons 1280 offers up to 33 percent faster graphics than the Snapdragon 750G, but I've seen regular frame rates drop in games like League of Legends: Wild Rift and Jinshan Impact. I suspect that some of the A53's performance issues are only apparent in phones that come with 6GB of RAM. Unfortunately, Samsung does not offer the 8GB variant in the US.
The A53 comes with the latest version of Android 12 and the One UI, along with the promised four-year platform update and five-year security fix. This is one of the best support you can get on a device at this price and Samsung should be commended for it. But I doubt you would like to keep this phone for so long. I find myself annoyed with a slow processor in a year.
Wrap-up:
At $ 450, the A53 costs $ 50 less than the A52 5G. This may seem like a bonus, but Samsung no longer sends the phone with a wall charger and it doesn't add wireless charging. The company's 25W power adapter costs an additional 20. In addition to the Galaxy Buds Live promotion I mentioned earlier, the company is currently offering discounts from A53 to $ 100 if you trade on your existing device.
The A53 is a good buy if you want the best display you can get for under $ 500, but there are better options. For example, the Pixel 5a has a cleaner version of Android, quicker updates, as well as a headphone jack and a more compatible camera.
If you have set up a Samsung phone and have an extra $ 100 to spend, consider the Galaxy S21 FE. At $ 700, it cost more. But nowadays, you can regularly find it for around $ 550. It offers much faster processors with WiFi 6 support. These are the things that will make it possible for the S21 FE to last longer than your A53
If Samsung did anything more to prove the future of the A53, it would be easier for me to recommend. But with a medium chipset and a camera that seems to be stuck in the past, you better spend your money on a phone that will make you happy for next year.