The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G was announced last month, which is the successor of last year’s Galaxy A52. This time around, Samsung only has the 5G model and it is now available in Malaysia retailing at RM1,849. I’ve just received the phone and it’s time for the unboxing and first impressions!
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
Unboxing
Much like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Galaxy A53 comes in a pretty thin box, but in white color. In case you didn’t know, Samsung uses black boxes for its premium flagship devices and white boxes for more affordable ones.
Opening up the box, you’ll see the Galaxy A53 sitting on the top, and there’s a pull tap for you to lift up the phone. The plastic wrap of the phone shows three main features — Infinity-O Display, Quad Camera with OIS, and IP67 Water & Dust Resistant.
Taking out the phone then you’ll see another box, which has the SIM ejector tool, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and the paperwork.
Yup, Samsung has eliminated the charging brick from the Galaxy A53, just like the Galaxy S22 series. I’m actually surprised by this move, but it seems that this is the new norm right now.
First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is available in four colors — Black, White, Blue, and Peach. My review unit is the Peach variant, which actually looks quite close to the Cloud Orange Galaxy S20 FE I reviewed a couple of years ago, less vibrant though.
In terms of form factor, the Galaxy A53 is nearly the same as the Galaxy S22+, but not as wide as the S22+ since the A53 has a smaller screen.
It has a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O 120Hz display and the bezels are thicker than the Galaxy S22+, that’s why it has almost the same form factor as the S22+ but a narrower body. It still has a nice display, but not that power efficient since it’s not an LTPO panel.
The 32MP front-facing camera has a silver trim around the camera cutout. Not surprising to see it since this is the way Samsung trying to differentiate between its flagship and non-flagship devices.
The Galaxy A53 runs on the latest One UI 4.1 based on Android 12 and Samsung has promised to provide four Android OS upgrades for the A33, A53, and A73. Kudos to Samsung for stepping up the game, so now at least the phone is future-proof, at least as far as firmware support is concerned.
However, the amount of pre-installed apps and bloatware is actually quite annoying. Thankfully, you can uninstall or disable all the pre-installed apps if you don’t wish to see them.
The Galaxy A53 has a quad-camera setup on the back — 64MP main with OIS + 12MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro + 5MP depth sensor. The camera bump is now curved up from the body, making the phone looks more aesthetic.
It still has the plastic back but the phone does look more premium than its predecessor. One worthy reminder is that Samsung has also eliminated the 3.5mm audio jack from the Galaxy A53.
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is now available in White, Blue, Peach, and Black. The phone is now available at Samsung Online Store, Shopee, and Lazada, retailing at RM1,849. Stay tuned for the full review as we are now in the middle of testing the phone.