Samsung has launched its latest Galaxy A-Series 5G smartphone in India, the Galaxy A53 5G is an upper mid-range smartphone featuring a 120 Hz Super AMOLED display, IP67 water-resistant design, 64 MP OIS camera, and comes in four different color variants. Take a look at our Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, Full HD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate
- Software: Android 12, OneUI 4.1
- CPU: 5nm Samsung Exynos 1280 octa-core SoC clocked at 2.4 GHz
- GPU: Mali-G68 MP4 (quad-core)
- Memory: 6 GB OR 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Storage: 128 GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, microSD slot (on SIM2)
- Main Camera: Quad cameras (64 MP f/1.8 IMX682 main + 12 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + 5 MP f/2.4 macro + 5 MP f/2.4 depth), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP f/2.2
- Others: In-display fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, Dolby Atmos, Stereo Speakers
- Cellular: 5G network, dual SIM, dual standby support
- Battery: 5,000 mAh battery
- Charging: 25W fast charging
- Price: ₹34,499 (6 GB + 128 GB), ₹35,999 (8 GB + 128 GB)
- Availability: 27th March 2022 on Samsung store, and other online and offline retail outlets
- Offers: Flat ₹3,000 off instant discount (ICICI Credit Cards & EMI), additional ₹2,000 off via Samsung Shop app
Design, Display, & Build
On the design front, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a unique back with an Ambient Edge design that blends with its quad cameras, you will see a matter finish look rather than the glossy and glass design.
The overall design of the phone looks good and feels solid in the hands. We have the Awesome Blue color, while the other three color variants are Awesome Black, Awesome White, and Awesome Peach.
The front side has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of Full HD+. The display is protected by scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5. You will find an in-screen selfie camera and an in-display fingerprint scanner on the front.
The bottom side has a USB Type-C port that doubles as a 3.5 mm audio jack (via converter), one microphone (second at the top), and stereo speakers (one at the earpiece).
The bottom side also has a dual SIM tray supporting 10 5G bands, but the microSD slot is on SIM2, you can’t use its dual SIM functionality if you plan to expand the storage. The right side has volume controls and a power key.
Software & User Interface
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G runs on the Android 12 out-of-the-box with Samsung’s latest OneUI version 4.1. What’s surprising is that Samsung has worked on the software division, unlike some smartphones which are still stuck with the Android 11, the Galaxy A53 5G offers the newer Android 12 based operating system. The security patch dated 1st March 2022 appears to be the latest.
The One UI 4.1 is seamlessly optimized and designed for the Android 12 operating system and is now improved, you get most features of the previous OneUI version with newer updates and optimizations in the current version i.e. 4.1, alongwith the native Android 12 perks. With its 120 Hz display, the UI feels very smooth, the overall performance of the user interface is good and works fairly well, no lags encountered in our usage.
You do get a small about of bloatware, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t remove it, all you can do is uninstall it if you don’t want. The bloatware includes a handful of third-party apps like Snapchat, Truecaller, PhonePe, Prime Video, Josh, BYJU’S, Dailyhunt, and a few apps from Microsoft and Samsung.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
On the performance side, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G packs a homegrown 5nm Exynos 1280 octa-core processor clocked up to 2.4 GHz alongwith Mali-G68 GPU (quad-core) for gaming and graphics applications.
About the CPU, the Samsung Exynos 1280 is manufactured in a 5nm process consisting of 2+6 cores configuration, two high-performance Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz, and six power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.
The SoC is further is laced with up to 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage which is the highest offering while the base variant starts from 6 GB RAM with the same 128 GB storage with microSD storage expansion (on SIM2) in all variants. The storage type here is UFS 2.2 while the RAM type is LPDDR4x. The price for the 6 GB + 128 GB starts at ₹34,499 and the price for the 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage is ₹35,999.
Talking about the performance of the Exynos 1280, you can expect the performance between Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750G and Snapdragon 778G, the Exynos 1280 is faster than the Snapdragon 750G and is close to the Snapdragon 778G, but not ahead. Since it’s manufactured in a 5nm process, it tends to consume less battery power in addition to the OneUI battery optimizations.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a quad-camera setup on the backside with the main camera of 64 MP f/1.8 aperture utilizing the Sony IMX682 image sensor. The rest three cameras are a 12 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle, 5 MP f/2.4 macro, and 5 MP f/2.4 depth. On the front side, it has a 32 MP f/2.2 selfie camera for selfie and video calling needs.
The camera amazes us with its OIS feature, you will find hardware stabilization on its camera which is useful in photography, any hand-shake or movement, while recording or taking pictures, is minimized.
The camera offers 0.5x (wide-angle), 2x zoom (up to 10x), Portrait mode, Pro mode, Single Take, Pro Video, Night, Food, Super Slow Motion, Macro, Hyperlapse, Fun mode, Super Steady, and more.
It has 4K video recording at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps with super slow-motion 960 fps at 720p resolution. You can adjust the manual camera settings in the Pro video mode as well as use its Super Steady feature to stabilize videos.
We took some camera samples from its cameras to show you how the camera performs. Take a look at the shots below.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G packs a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging. In a world where smartphones have evolved with 50W, 65W, and even 120W charging speeds, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G remains behind in terms of fast charging competition, however, the 25W power is still a considerable option if compared to the 18W and 22W charging.
Its affordable sibling, the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G also offers a 25W fast charging which is equivalent to that of the Galaxy A53 5G. The downside is that you don’t get a charger in the box, you need to get it separately. The battery performance is good, it offers about 2 days of battery life on average use.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G equips a stunning 120 Hz Super AMOLED display, packs a 5nm Exynos 1280 octa-core processor that performs well, the camera performance is impressive, supports hardware OIS, and comes with an IP67 water-resistant design. Other features include Android 12 out-of-the-box, stereo speakers, 5G support, and its sleek Ambient Edge design. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is an overall reasonable option for those who are looking for a smartphone (especially non-Chinese) with such features in the price range of ₹30,000 to ₹35,000. You can grab exciting discounts of flat ₹3,000 off on ICICI Credit Cards on pre-orders as well as up to ₹2,000 off via the Samsung Shop App.
Strength
- Smooth 120 Hz Super AMOLED display
- Good performance (5nm Exynos 1280)
- Impressive Camera
- IP67 water-resistant
- 5G support
- Stereo Speakers
- microSD support
Weakness
- No 3.5 mm port (requires a converter)
