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    Samsung Launches Galaxy A53 5G Phone With a Bigger Battery, New Processor, and Smaller Price Tag

    The $450 starting price makes the model competitive with the $429 Apple iPhone SE

    3 angles of Samsung Galaxy A53 phone Photos: Samsung

    On Thursday, Samsung introduced the Galaxy A53 5G, a midrange phone with a new processor and a great big battery. It’s a logical evolution from the Galaxy A52 5G, $500, which earns admirable scores from CR’s testers. And yet, the A53 5G arrives with a lower $450 starting price.

    And that’s a welcome upgrade.

    The Galaxy A53 5G uses Samsung’s home-brewed Exynos 1280 5nm processor instead of the Qualcomm processor found in the Galaxy A52 5G. The company says the new chip will fuel software-based, AI camera enhancements designed to capture better photos and videos in lowlight and provide users with more style options when shooting Portrait Mode images.

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    Samsung has packed a 5,000mAh battery into the Galaxy A53 5G, too. The 4,500mAh battery in the prior model lasted an impressive 45 hours on a single charge in CR’s tests. So, theoretically, this one should exceed that. We look forward to testing the phone’s performance when we can buy lab samples at retail.

    Other than a slight redesign to the camera housing, which makes the rear lenses more flush with the back (similar to the tweaks in Samsung’s S22 line of phones), the A53 5G should look and feel much like the A52 5G. 

    The Galaxy A53 5G has the same 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate for speedier scrolling and animations than you get with the standard 60Hz rate. It has the same four rear cameras (main, ultra-wide, depth, and macro), along with a 32-megapixel front camera. And it still comes with handy features you might not expect to find in a phone priced under $500: a memory card slot, fast battery charging, and water and dust resistance.

    The Galaxy A53 5G is available for pre-order now and arrives in stores on March 31. If you preorder at Samsung.com, you’ll also get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live. The phone comes with two storage options (128GB or 256GB), but just one color (black), so you’ll have to buy a case if you want to add some flair.

    Samsung offered slim details on two more models soon to be available “in select markets:” the Galaxy A33 5G (the successor to the Galaxy A32 5G) and the A73 5G, which will be available in late April. A company representative told us over email that there’s nothing specific to share about U.S. versions of those phones at this time.


    Melanie Pinola

    Melanie Pinola

    Melanie Pinola covered smartphones, home office products, and a wide range of other technology topics for Consumer Reports. Her work appeared in the New York Times, Popular Mechanics, Laptop Magazine, PCWorld, and other publications.