The new Galaxy A53 5G is now here for review. Since the 5X series has arguably been one of the better-geared devices in the series, it is also the toughest one to upgrade. In comparison, this year’s Galaxy A33 5G is a much lower hanging fruit seeing how its predecessor came with an LCD. Changes going from the A52s 5G to the A53 5G are a lot more subtle. Simply put, not much has changed, certainly not enough to entice current owners of a recent Galaxy A5X series phone, but there are still some noteworthy changes here and there.

First up – the straight-up positive change – the A53 5G has a larger 5,000mAh battery than its predecessor. There is also a brand new chipset made by Samsung – the Exynos 1280. A modern 5nm part, still not officially present or detailed on Samsung’s semiconductor website, but very much already in the wild and looking intriguing with a 2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 CPU configuration, a Mali-G68 GPU and arguably even more versatile 5G setup than the Snapdragon 778G 5G inside the A52s 5G.

• Body: 159.6×74.8×8.1mm, 189g; plastic body, glass front; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.50″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 1280 (5 nm): Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.7X», 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree, 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 5 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); Virtual proximity sensing.

More battery life is always a good thing to have, and the A53 5G has a better one than the already good A52 5G from last year. The display and audio quality are an impressive wombo combo, adding a lot to the phone’s value and making it a great device for enjoying lots of media.