Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is one of the two smartphones launched during the Galaxy A event a few days ago. It means the phone shall arrive in the Nepali market within the next few weeks.
This is a mid-range offering from Samsung and is the successor of last year’s Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. This device offers a new and efficient chipset, a better battery backup, and features the latest Android 12. However, the phone is priced at a quite high point, and it may be detrimental to the brand’s market here.
Let’s get into the details of the phone.
Specifications
| Dimension | Height: 159.6mm Width: 74.8mm Thickness: 8.1mm Weight: 189 grams |
| Display | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 405ppi |
| Sim | Hybrid dual sims |
| Resolution | 1,080*2,400 pixels |
| OS | Android 12, One UI 4.1 |
| Chipset | Exynos 1280 5G, 5nm |
| GPU | Mali-G68 |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB |
| SD card slot | Yes |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB |
| Camera | Front: 32MP, f/2.2 Rear: 64MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS 12MP, 123 degrees (Ultrawide) 5MP, f/2.4 (Macro) 5MP, f/2.4 (Depth) |
| Sound | Loudspeakers No 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Battery | 5000mAh, li-po, non-removable Fast charging 25W |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Side-mounted fingerprint sensor Gyro sensor Geomagnetic sensor Sensor virtual proximity |
| Colours | Black, white, blue, peach |
| Price (Expected) | Rs 55,500 |
Design and display
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a similar build to that of Galaxy A52 5G. The phone has a glass front, plastic build and a plastic frame build. Nothing much changed in the design as well. The front is a punch-hole display in the middle and the back houses a similar design camera module. However, the change has been made in the fingerprint sensor. There is a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of the in-display one seen last year. This is a bit upsetting as the in-display fingerprint sensor gives more of a premium feel than the side-mounted one. The phone weighs around 189 grams and is 8.1mm thick.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G features a 6.5-inch, Super AMOLED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate and has a resolution of 1,080*2,400 pixels. The 120Hz display is the same found in last year’s model but it is really a useful feature for the users, especially during gaming and video streaming. The display on the phone has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Furthermore, the phone also has an IP67 certification for water and dust (up to 1m for 30 mins).
Cameras
Nothing much has changed in terms of the camera as well. The new Samsung Galaxy A53 5G features the same 64MP quad-camera setup on the back with a single selfie camera on the front. This phone has a similar 64MP main camera on the back accompanied by a 12MP, 123 degrees ultrawide and a couple of 5MP macro and depth sensors. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie shooter offering a massive resolution for selfie photos and videos.
The main camera on the phone features optical image stabilisation (OIS) and phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) for faster and sharper images and videos. Samsung usually offers natural photos and videos and this is one of the best camera phones in this segment.
As for the video, both back and front cameras can record videos in 4K resolution. However, the video is limited to 30fps only and also only the rear camera has image stabilisation, so you should expect more shaky videos if you are shooting from the front camera.
Performance and storage
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G runs on OneUI 4.1 based on Android 12. Though it is not revealed officially, various sources claim that the phone is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 1280 5G (5nm) chipset. When the phone will be officially released locally, the users will be able to know how much of an impact this chipset has made on the phone over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750 5G chipset which was used last year.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. The storage can be expanded up to 1TB with the use of a microSD card. There is no dedicated slot for the card but the phone also offers a shared slot for it.
Battery life, connectivity and other features
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G features a 5,000mAH non-removable Li-po battery, an improvement from last year’s 4500mAh. However, it uses the same 25W fast charger this time as well.
Connectivity options on the phone include a 5G network, dual-band Wifi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS and USB Type-C 2.0. Like Samsung Galaxy A33 5G, this phone is also NFC enabled, but this feature is only available in certain regions. The sensors on the phone include an accelerometer, fingerprint sensor, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, hall sensor, light sensor and virtual proximity sensing.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, but there is no inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is priced at EUR 449. There is no official announcement of the release of the phone in Nepal yet. But when the phone is released in Nepal, one can expect the starting price of Rs 55,500.
Verdict
Well, the competition in the smartphone market in Nepal is growing intense and the price is increasing. With the given pricing, Samsung Galaxy A53 5G may find tough competition here for the market rights. There are no major changes on the phone compared to its predecessor. It features a new and more power-efficient chipset, but it is not sure if that justifies the increase in the price of the phone.
The latest release from OnePlus, OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G should also impose a great threat to Samsung Galaxy A53 5G in terms of market share as OnePlus has a good number of followers here in Nepal. Even Realme GT Neo 2 will still pose a threat as it was arguably the best premium mid-range smartphone launched last year.
Samsung, however, has the upper hand in terms of UI and OS though. Samsung phones offer simple and neat UI, which can be an attractive factor for buyers. Then, again, a huge increase in the price will definitely be a major factor in influencing the purchase of the new Samsung Galaxy A series smartphone. For sure, everyone will only know how the phone will fare once it is released.
