Not long ago, I unboxed the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and gave my first impressions of the device. I’ve been using the phone for a couple of weeks, and it’s time for us to dive into the full review.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Specs
- 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O 120Hz display
- Exynos 1280 processor
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB expandable storage
- Camera
- Rear: 64MP main with OIS + 12MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro + 5MP depth
- Front: 32MP
- 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging
- IP67
- One UI 4.1 on top of Android 12
- Colors: Black, White, Blue, Peach
Design
In terms of design, the Galaxy A53 actually looks pretty much like its predecessor. The front is a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O 120Hz display that has reasonable thick bezels around. It still has a silver trim around the 32MP front camera cutout and there’s also an optical in-display fingerprint sensor that can register up to three fingers only. The fingerprint sensor is not as fast as the ultrasonic one on the S22 series, but the speed is still acceptable.
Unlike last year’s A52, the Galaxy A53 now doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack. It still has stereo speakers, one doubles up as the earpiece and another one at the bottom, enhanced with Dolby Atmos.
The back of the phone is still made of plastic, but it now looks more premium than ever. The camera bump is now curved up from the body, making the phone looks more aesthetic.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G sports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate. If you have been following us for quite some time, I’m always a fan of Samsung’s AMOLED display as it is one of the best screens in the smartphone industry. The A53 still has the best display in its class that offers a good viewing experience. Of course, there are still some compromises compared to the flagship S22 series, such as the lack of variable refresh rate and lower screen brightness.
Performance
Powering the Galaxy A53 is the company’s own Exynos 1280 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB expandable storage. Samsung claims that the Exynos 1280 processor performs similarly to the Snapdragon 778G processor. The Exynos 1280 chipset is able to handle day-to-day usage pretty well without any stuttery, but it is still not as powerful as the Snapdragon 778G processor yet when it comes to gaming. The phone can handle games well without overheating, but it struggles to maintain high fps when it comes to more graphically demanding games.
Software
The Galaxy A53 runs on One UI 4.1 based on Android 12 and Samsung has promised to provide four generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. The overall software experience is pretty much the same as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but with some features taken away, you still get features like Samsung Pay and Edge Panel though. However, don’t expect it to have the same great haptic feedback as the S22 series, which really downgrades the entire user experience.
Camera
In terms of camera, the Galaxy A53 has the same camera setup as its predecessor — 64MP main with OIS + 12MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro + 5MP depth. The Galaxy A53 still gets OIS for its main camera, which aided in better image quality, especially in low-light photos.
Image quality generally is pretty much the same as its predecessor, photos that were taken with the main camera and ultra-wide camera are now more consistent in terms of white balance and detail. The main camera still shoots 16MP photos by default, but you can shoot 64MP photos by switching to 64MP mode. Overall, you still get the same impressive cameras for your social media usage, though the macro and depth sensors are kind of pointless.
Battery Life
The phone packs a 5,000mAh battery, which is larger than its predecessor. It still supports 25W fast charging, but Samsung now no longer includes a charging brick in the box. I was able to get 2 days of battery life with more than 7 hours of screen-on-time easily. Charging the phone from 15% to full took me around an hour.
Final Words
Retailing at RM1,849, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is now available in White, Blue, Peach, and Black. Samsung got off a good start with last year’s model, this year’s model just got even better. The phone still has a few best-in-class features — the screen, camera, and battery life. The performance is still not the best compared to its rivals, but it’ll still get the job done without any issues. What you normally don’t get from a phone below RM2k are a top-class display and an impressive camera, but Samsung just did it with the Galaxy A53, though the performance is slightly lacking behind compared to its rivals.
Buy Here
Yay
- Best-in-class display
- Good cameras
- Impressive battery life
Nay
- No 3.5mm audio jack
- Less powerful performance compared to its rivals