Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a: Which should you buy

Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a: Both the Google Pixel 6a and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G are good mid-range smartphones. Both phones come with IP67 water and dust resistance features and have the same starting price tag. But, between the Galaxy A53 5G and Pixel 6a, which should you buy?

In this post, I’ll compare the specs of the Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a side-by-side to help you know which is better. At the end of this post, you will know which of these two phones to buy and why.

Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a Specs

Specs	Galaxy A53 5G	Pixel 6a
Display	6.52-inch, 120Hz	6.1-inch
RAM	6/8GB	6GB
Storage	128/256GB	128GB
Back Camera	64 + 12 + 5 + 5MP	12.2 + 12MP
Front Camera	32MP	8MP
Chipset	Exynos 1280 5G	Google Tensor
Software	Android 12	Android 12
Battery	5,000mAh (25W)	4,410mAh (18W)
IP Rating	IP67	IP67

Display, Build, and Design

The Galaxy A53 5G comes with a 6.52-inches AMOLED display with support for a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. While the Pixel 6a comes with a smaller 6.1-inches OLED display with support for the standard 60Hz refresh rate. The display resolution on both smartphones is FHD+.

The front design of both phones is the same. There is a punch-hole on the top screen that houses the selfie camera, the front screen is flat, and it has small bezels. But, the back panel designs of both phones are very different. The camera module of the Galaxy A53 5G is placed vertically while that of the Pixel 6a runs horizontally across the upper part of the back panel (from one edge to the other).

The build materials on both phones are also different. The build materials of the Galaxy A53 5G are Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, and plastic back. This build combination is not as good as that of the Pixel 6a with a Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), an aluminum frame, and a plastic back.

Both the Galaxy A53 5G and Pixel 6a offer similar display quality. The major difference is that the display of the Galaxy A53 5G has support for a 120Hz smooth refresh rate. For durability, both phones are rated IP67 water and dust resistance.

Camera

The Google Pixel 6a features a dual rear camera set-up and a single front camera. It has a 12.2MP primary camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS features. The primary camera is supported by a 12MP ultra-wide lens and the front has an 8MP front camera.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has quad rear cameras and a single front camera. At the rear, it has a 64MP primary camera with PDAF and OIS features. The primary camera is supported by a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5Mp macro lens. On the front, it has a 32MP front camera that can shoot steady videos in 4k resolution.

The Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G have good camera setups. But, the Galaxy A53 5G gives you more camera options and its 32MP front camera offers better selfie photos than the 8MP front camera of the Pixel 6a. The quality of photos and videos from the primary camera of the Pixel 6a is top-notch.

Overall, you can take good photos and shoot nice videos using the cameras of the Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G. The only camera advantage of the Galaxy A53 5G is the 32MP front camera.

Performance | Storage | RAM | 5G

Both the Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G have support for 5G connectivity but both phones have different performances. This is because the chipsets inside both phones are very different.

Inside the Google Pixel 6a is the Google Tensor 5G chipset and inside the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is the Samsung Exynos 1280 5G chipset. The Google Tensor chipset is a flagship chipset and is better than the Exynos 1280 5G chipset. The Tensor chip has faster CPU cores and a more powerful GPU. So, when it comes to playing games and rendering graphics, the Pixel 6a is the better phone.

The RAM inside the Pixel 6a is 6GB and it’s paired with 128GB of storage. The RAM inside the Galaxy A53 5G is 6/8GB and the storage options are 128/256GB. There is no room for storage expansion via a microSD card in the Pixel 6a but you can expand storage via a microSD in the Galaxy A53 5G.

Software

The Google Pixel 6a boots Android 12 out of the box and will get up to four years of major software updates. The Galaxy A53 5G boots One UI 4.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. Samsung is promising four years of major software updates and five years of monthly security patches for the Galaxy A53 5G.

Battery

Google Pixel 6a is powered by a 4,400mAh battery while the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery. The Pixel 6a has support for an 18W fast charge while the Galaxy A53 5G has support for a 25W fast charge solution.

Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a: Price

The price of the Google Pixel 6a is $449 and it comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage while the starting price of the Galaxy A53 5G is $449 for a model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Pixel 6a will be available for purchase starting July 21.

Buy Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G

Pixel 6a	Price	Galaxy A53 5G	Price
Buy on Amazon	$449	Buy on Amazon	$349
Buy on Amazon	£399

Galaxy A53 5G vs Pixel 6a: Verdict

So, between the Google Pixel 6a and Samsung Galaxy A53 5G which should you buy? Buy the Google Pixel 6a instead of the Galaxy A53 5G. Here is why.

Both the Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 5G have the same price tag and while the Galaxy A53 5G has a faster and smoother display, it falls behind in other key areas. For example, the chipset inside the Galaxy A53 5G is not as powerful as the chipset inside the Pixel 6a. This makes the Pixel 6a a better phone for playing games, extensive use, and high graphics rendering.

When it comes to photography and videography, the Pixel 6a is still better when it comes to overall camera quality. The battery inside the Galaxy A53 5G is 5,000mAh but turn on the 120Hz refresh rate and it won’t last as long as the 4,400mAh battery inside the Pixel 6a. So, these are some of the reasons why I’ll recommend the Pixel 6a ahead of the Galaxy A53 5G.

So, if I’m to score both smartphones, I’ll score the Google Pixel 6a (53%) and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (47%). Although the Galaxy A53 5G features a 120Hz refresh rate, the Pixel 6a has a better chipset, and longer battery life, and is still priced the same as the Galaxy A53 5G.