The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G hits all the important spec points, with a great design and display. It could be Samsung’s most popular device of 2022.

• Great design
• Impressive display
• MicroSD card slot
• IP67

The Galaxy A series sees the most voluminous sales for Samsung, with this model, the Galaxy A53 5G, likely to be one of the most important handsets that Samsung will offer in 2022.

That’s not because it’s the best – that’s saved for the Galaxy S22 Ultra – or because it’s the most ground breaking – that’s the Galaxy Z Fold 3 – but because it will define the Samsung mobile experience for the greatest number of people.

Design and build

• 159.9 x 74.7 x 8.1mm, 189g
• Gorilla Glass 5 and punch hole
• IP67 protection

While it doesn’t offer premium materials you’ll find on Samsung’s higher-placed devices, there’s a great feel to the frosted rear, although it is plastic here as many Samsung phones now are. But we like that moulding around the cameras – something that’s also now reflected on the slightly lower-placed Galaxy A33 5G launched alongside.

This is a pretty big device – generous in fact – but it’s not too large and feels great to hold, based on our limited time with it so far.

Display

• 6.5in, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 120Hz
• AMOLED
• Infinity-O display

There’s a 6.5-inch display on the front of the Galaxy A53 and this is an AMOLED panel as you’d expect – so it appears to have plenty of vibrancy in those colours and deep blacks.

That’s going to be popular, as, based on our first impressions, there isn’t a huge difference here to what you might find on one of Samsung’s flagship devices – visually, at least.

The resolution sticks to FHD+ – 2400 x 1080 pixels, 404ppi – which is typical for a device in this position. It also offers a 120Hz refresh rate, so it will be able to smooth out fast moving content to give you a better experience.

The display is topped with Gorilla Glass 5 to keep scratches at bay, while it has a central punch hole camera, giving it a more premium look than the lower-placed Galaxy A33. There are also slightly narrower bezels on this model compared to the A33, so it’s a better looking device overall.

Hardware and performance

• Exynos 1280, 6GB RAM
• 128GB storage + microSD
• 5000mAh battery, 25W charging

The Galaxy A53 5G makes a bit of a departure in 2022, now landing with updated Exynos hardware. Samsung’s headline here is that this is the first time that a 5nm architechture has been used in the Galaxy A series, an indicator that it’s not being held back. It should be more efficient, able to deliver its performance with lower power consumption.

In 2021, the Galaxy A52 hopped and skipped through the Snapdragon 720G, 750G and 778G (Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, Galaxy A52s respectively). The Galaxy A51 in 2020 had used Exynos hardware before this, so there’s been a lot of back and forth around this class of device.

There’s a 5000mAh battery, with support for 25W charging. That’s a generous capacity and increased over the previous version of this phone. We suspect that this will lead to great battery life in typical use – Samsung is promising 2 days of life.

The phone launches on Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI over the top – and the promise of 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates.

Cameras

• Quad camera system
• Main: 64MP, f/1.8, OIS
• Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/2.2
• Macro: 5MP, f/2.4
• Depth: 5MP, f/2.4

Front: 32MP, f/2.2

Specifications

KEY FEATURES

• 6.5″ SUPER AMOLED 120HZ SCREEN
• 128GB ROM/6GB RAM
• 64MP/12MP/5MP/5MP+32MP CAMERA
• 5G LTE
• ANDROID 12
• 1080*2400 RESOLUTION
• 5000MAH WITH 25W FAST CHARGING/FINGERPRINT SENSOR

Samsung Galaxy A53 8+128GB, 5G – Brilliant