The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is expected to be a hit much like its predecessor, the Galaxy A52 5G, but its success may not come easy with alternatives like the Google Pixel 5a 5G in the same price segment. Samsung's entry-level and mid-range Galaxy lineup was confusing in the past with multiple models housed under different series such as Galaxy J, Galaxy C, and Galaxy On. Samsung decided to streamline this a few years ago by combining all of these under one Galaxy A series umbrella.
Now the Galaxy A series includes entry-level, mid-range, and premium mid-range smartphones with the hierarchy being determined by the numbers at the end of the product name. The Galaxy A12, one of the entry-level models in the series, was the best-selling Android smartphone in 2021. It now has a successor that adds 5G support but it remains to be seen if it can surpass its predecessor in sales.
The newly-launched Samsung Galaxy A53 5G will go head-to-head with the Google Pixel 5a 5G, and their identical $449 price puts them on equal footing. In terms of design, the Galaxy A53 5G has a display with a centered punch-hole camera, Gorilla Glass 5 protection, a plastic back with a matte finish, and a quad-camera setup with a design Samsung has dubbed Ambient Edge. It also has an IP67 rating and comes in four color choices. The Pixel 5a 5G, on the other hand, has a punch-hole camera cutout at the top left corner of the screen. The display features the older Gorilla Glass 3 protection, while the phone has a premium aluminum unibody that is covered in plastic. The back features an almost-flush camera housing that is home to two sensors. It also has an IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating, but comes in only one color option.
Galaxy A53 5G Vs. Pixel 5a 5G: Specs And Features
The Galaxy A53 5G has a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display compared to the Pixel 5a's 6.34-inch FHD+ OLED panel. Samsung's phone has a 120Hz refresh rate while the Pixel sticks to 60Hz. Powering the Galaxy A53 is the Exynos 1280 chipset, a 5nm octa-core processor clocked at 2.4GHz and paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. Unlike the Galaxy S22 which is missing a microSD card slot, the Galaxy A53 retains this feature and allows for up to an extra 1TB of storage. In contrast, the Pixel 5a has a Snapdragon 765G chip which also has eight cores and a 2.4GHz clock speed. It is available in only one configuration that has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage.
Cameras are another area where the phones differ. Google equips the Pixel 5a with a 12MP f/1.7 main rear camera and a 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera. In contrast, there are four on the Galaxy A53 5G consisting of a 64MP f/1.8 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, 5MP depth camera, and a 5MP macro camera. Samsung also goes all out with a 32MP front-facing camera whereas the Pixel 5a has an 8MP sensor. The Pixel 5a 5G packs a 4,680 mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging (charger included) while Samsung's phone has a greater capacity 5,000 mAh battery along with 25W fast charging (charger not included). Both devices have stereo speakers, NFC, Bluetooth 5, a Type-C port, and Wi-Fi 5. They also have a fingerprint scanner, although Samsung has placed it under the display while the Pixel 5a's sensor is on the back. The Pixel phone is also the only one with an audio jack.
In terms of software, the Pixel 5a launched with Android 11 and has already been updated to Android 12, while the Galaxy A53 5G runs Android 12 with One UI 4.1 out of the box. Google says its phone will get three years of OS and security updates, but it doesn't match the four years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates the Galaxy A53 5G will receive. On paper, the Samsung phone comes out on top with its 120Hz refresh rate, greater battery capacity, faster charging, higher resolution cameras, storage expansion, and longer software support. Nevertheless, the Pixel 5a 5G does have some advantages over the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G with its audio jack, bundled power brick, and a tougher aluminum unibody build.