The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is an interesting proposition from the well-known Korean manufacturer. We’re talking about a mid-range device running the latest Android and with some noteworthy choices in terms of hardware. The screen, battery, and camera system are the first things that come to mind if you browse its specs. But is it a good smartphone? Is it worth buying? Read this review and find out what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G:

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: Who is it good for?

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a good choice for:

• People who are looking for a good mid-range Android smartphone
• Users who appreciate a good quality screen
• Anyone who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on a flagship yet prefers a midrange option from a trusted manufacturer

Pros and cons

The best things about the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G are:

• Super AMOLED screen with 120 Hz refresh rate and excellent brightness
• For a mid-range device, the camera system is quite capable, supporting 4K resolution and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
• It’s protected against dust and water (IP67 certification)
• It comes with the latest Android 12 and Samsung One UI 4.1
• The battery life is good, and the smartphone supports fast charging (25 Watts)

There are some negatives as well:

• Samsung doesn’t include a charger, nor a headphone jack
• It doesn’t offer support for Wi-Fi 6
• The camera system has some color consistency issues

Verdict

I think that the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a safe and pleasant mid-range Android smartphone. For a reasonable price, you get satisfying performance in daily smartphone activities and popular apps. The battery life is good, and the screen is great for a device in its price range. The cameras provide pleasant results in all lighting conditions but they also have weaknesses that may matter to you, like the color consistency between the primary camera and the ultrawide one. And then, there’s the somewhat disappointing gaming performance and the lack of Wi-Fi 6 support. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a good mid-ranger that should satisfy most people, especially those who don’t want to fiddle with smartphones from less known brands. However, before buying it, I recommend reading the rest of this review for more details about its strengths and weaknesses.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G comes in a white cardboard box that looks good, but you can tell just by looking at it that it doesn’t include a charger. Unfortunately, this is something we see more often nowadays. Putting this issue aside, on the front of the box, you can see a picture of what the smartphone looks like on both sides.

The packaging for the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Inside the package, there’s the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G smartphone, a USB Type-C to Type-C charging cable (3.3 feet or 1 meter long), a SIM ejector tool, the user manual, and warranty documents.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G - What you find inside the box

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is straightforward. Only the very basics are included in the package. There’s no charger, no headphones, no case, no screen protector. Otherwise, the box looks good and pretty solid.

Design and build quality

Measuring 6.28 x 2.94 x 0.32 inches (159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 millimeters) and weighing 6.67 ounces (189 grams), the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a large and heavy smartphone. While some people might not like it, the increased weight is probably the consequence of Samsung using a high-capacity battery for this phone. We’re talking about a 5000 mAh, non-removable, Lithium Polymer battery. Also, the added weight makes you feel that the smartphone is robust.

The back of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

The back of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is made of plastic materials, holding only the camera system and the Samsung logo. As you’ve seen in the previous photo, the sample I tested was white-colored, a simple but quite good-looking choice if you ask me. By the way, besides white, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is available in three other versions: black, blue, and peach.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: The colors in which it is available

The back of the smartphone is matte, so thumbs up for no reflections and also for not showing fingerprints and unavoidable smudges. Moving on, the camera system (including the flash) is slightly protruding, but, unlike many other smartphones, it doesn’t have sharp edges.

Perspective of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

On the front, the A53 features a large 6.5 inches AMOLED screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The selfie camera’s cutout is quite small, and a thing that I like, the top speaker is camouflaged under another long and very thin cutout between the screen and the smartphone’s frame.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: Front view

On the top side of the smartphone’s frame, there’s only a tiny microphone, while the left side is completely empty. The volume rocker and main (power) button are found on the right side, and the bottom side of the frame houses the USB-C port, a loudspeaker, another small microphone, and the SIM tray.

The charging port, SIM tray, and a loudspeaker are all on the bottom

Unlike most mid-range Android smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G comes with IP67 certification for protection against dust and water (up to 1 meter, 30 minutes maximum). That’s a big “yes!” on my part and a big “no-no” to manufacturers who sell smartphones with mid-range prices that are not resistant to dust and water.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is a large Android smartphone that feels solid and looks nice. It didn’t impress me with its design, which is rather conservative. However, I must admit that I like the way its camera system bump is designed and the fact that the back of the phone is matte.

Hardware specifications

When it comes to hardware specs, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is an interesting device. It’s powered by a Samsung-made chipset - Exynos 1280 - which includes eight cores (two 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 and six 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G68 graphics unit. The sample I tested had 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage space, out of which about 38 GB were occupied by the operating system and its default apps. However, Samsung sells this smartphone in other configurations, with less memory, for smaller prices. You can also find models with 128 GB storage and 4 GB RAM, 128 GB storage and 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM, or 256 GB storage and 6 GB RAM.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has plenty of storage and RAM

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is one of the best things about this smartphone. The Super AMOLED display can show images at up to 120 Hz refresh rate, at a brightness of up to 800 nits in HBM (High Brightness Mode). The 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution paired with the 6.5-inch physical size translates into a 405 ppi density (pixels per inch), which means the images and fonts shown on it are detailed and smooth.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a high-quality display

There are four cameras on the back of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G:

• The main camera has 64 megapixels, PDAF (phase detection autofocus), and an f/1.8 aperture with OIS (optical stabilization system)
• An ultrawide camera with a 12 megapixels sensor and an f/2.2 aperture
• A 5 megapixels macro camera with an f/2.4 aperture
• A 5 megapixels depth camera, also with an f/2.4 aperture

Unfortunately, the smartphone lacks a telephoto camera but that’s not surprising on mid-range devices. Switching sides, on the screen, the selfie camera uses a 32 megapixels sensor and has an aperture of f/2.2 lens. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G can shoot videos in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second or in 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 fps, and it can also record slow-motion videos in 720p.

The camera system on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

In terms of connectivity and sensors, you should know that the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G comes with Dual-SIM (only some versions), Wi-Fi 5 (no Wi-Fi 6!), Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS, accelerometer, gyro, virtual proximity sensing, compass, barometer, and an optical fingerprint scanner found under the screen.

The Li-Po battery is very generous: 5000 mAh. Furthermore, the smartphone supports fast charging at 25 Watts. There’s no support for wireless charging, and, unfortunately, there is no compatible charger bundled in the package either, so you’ll have to buy one separately if you want to fast charge it.

For the complete list of technical specifications, check the official product page here: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Turn the page to see what my experience using the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G was like, what I’ve found about its cameras, and the results the smartphone got in a couple of benchmarks.