Okay at this stage I am not going to bore you with context as to why the mid-range phone market is great for those looking at buying a device right now.
It is fairly safe to say that you can get a good Android phone that is within budget, but with the margins so fine, there are some devices that stand out more than others.
This brings us to what Samsung has been doing with its Galaxy A series of late. Back in 2018, then head of the mobile division DJ Koh, noted the importance of the mid-range space for the company.
While the South Korean firm has still put a lot of investment into the flagship and foldable ends of the spectrum, now that technology is filtering down to the mid-range segment far quicker than ever before.
It is why the company has several 5G supporting offerings on the market locally at the mid-range price point, which brings us to the Galaxy A53 5G.
It is a device that currently retails for a recommended R8 495 and finds itself in the middle of a trio of phones that Samsung recently launched in SA.
So does this middle child warrant further inspection for those on the lookout for a great value for money phone locally? We spent the past couple of weeks with the Galaxy A53 5G to ascertain just that.
This is what we uncovered.
The A series DNA
While most phones in this segment seemingly bleed into one another in terms of design, the Galaxy A series is a little different in that it is far easier to spot in the pack than others. Excuse the marketing speak here, but there is a definite Galaxy A DNA at work and the A53 5G is chock full of it.
Whether it be a large display with thin bezels, punch hole for the selfie camera or the pastel hues (Awesome Blue for our review model), the Galaxy A series is more distinct than ever.
We also appreciate some of the changes onboard for this iteration, such as the back cover having a textured feel to akin to ceramic tile. It is not ceramic tile of course, as plastic is in action here, but in terms of delivering a more premium look and feel, the A53 5G has done just that.
There is a lot to like here, which is why we were puzzled to find that no generic plastic cover was present in the box to protect the phone. This was not some mistake, it is very much intentional, as is the fact that no charger is found in the packaging either.
We were under the impression that this was simply a “good PR” move on some of the Galaxy S and Z models, but Samsung’s plan to ditch chargers has filtered down to the A series.
It is not something we are particularly happy about, as it means that consumers will need to purchase both a cover and charger when they get their hands on the A53 5G and other new A series devices, which slightly dents that R8 495 asking price.
Great visuals
Our chagrin about the charger aside, the Galaxy A53 5G is not short on power or performance. The processor at work here is an 5nm octa-core Exynos 1280 affair, which is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
The mix on offer here yields a phone that tests well. On GeekBench for example, the single-core and multi-core scores are 737 and 1 889 respectively. This is only bettered by the POCO X4 Pro 5G when it comes to similar devices and we think that phone is the best value for money 5G phone you can get in SA right now, so the A53 5G is in good company.
The 5 000mAh battery on offer here also sips on power, which is always appreciated.
In terms of the in-hand performance, the A53 5G is quick and responsive in most cases, offering solid multitasking too and never get hot under the collar when it comes to the processor-intensive tasks.
It does not all come up roses, however, with the under-the-screen fingerprint sensor taking a few split seconds than expected to work. It is not a deal breaker, but certainly something we picked up on while using the phone as a daily driver.
Two elements that are beyond contestation are the display and camera array. Regarding the latter, the 6.5″ Super AMOLED screen (2400×1080) is well sized and provides enough screen real estate to be productive and enjoy content. It also features a great deal of brightness, even at the lower settings, which we are always fans of.
Shifting to the rear camera array and Samsung has opted for a quartet of lenses – 64MP wide-angle, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth sensing and 5MP macro. This is a fairly common setup, but Samsung has eked out as much performance as it can from the lenses available.
The 64MP option is quite impressive as an all-around shooter. In fact when we compared it to the dedicated macro mode, the former proved the better option.
Final verdict
We have said the same thing when it comes to the more recent Galaxy S devices, but Samsung has a strong formula at the moment and you know precisely what you’re going to get – a reliable phone packed with features built to last and delivering little fuss.
The same goes for the A series and the Galaxy A53 5G here. We only wish Samsung kept the bloatware to a minimum and went back to offering chargers and covers in the box. It’s a great value for money mix that did not need tinkering with.
If you can stomach the fact that you’ll need to buy the two aforementioned missing elements alongside the A53 5G, this is a device will stand you in good stead and easily dispel any desires to upgrade for a few years.
