Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G: Should you upgrade

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G: Samsung has released the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G as the successor or upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. But for the most part, the new Galaxy A53 5G does not bring the desired upgrade. If you won the Galaxy A52s 5G and thinking about upgrading to the Galaxy A53 5G, you might want to pause and see this comparison first. Even if you want to decide which to buy between these two phones, this comparison will help you make an informed decision.

There are lots of things to look out for when a new phone is launched. For example, does the new phone has a better chipset? does it have a better camera system? is the display better, etc. Well, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G, it gets a little interesting.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G Specs

Specs	Galaxy A53 5G	Galaxy A52s 5G
Display	6.5-inch, 120Hz	6.5-inch, 120Hz
RAM	6/8GB	8/12GB
Storage	128/256GB	128/256GB
Back Camera	64 + 12 + 5 + 5MP	64 + 12 + 5 + 5MP
Front Camera	32MP	32MP
Chipset	Exynos 1280 5G	Snapdragon 778G 5G
Software	Android 12	Android 11
Battery	5,000mAh (25W)	4,500mAh (25W)
IP Rating	IP67	IP67

Display and Design

Both the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A52s 5G come with a 6.5-inch display, 120Hz refresh rate, AMOLED panel, and has support for HDR10+ support. Both phones also have a 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution and similar peak brightness. The build materials on both phones are Glass front (Gorilla Glass), plastic back, and aluminum frame. Both the Galaxy A53 5G and A52s 5G are rated to be IP67 water and dust resistant and it has a single punch hole at the top center screen.

Everything about both smartphones seems to be the same. The design, the weight, the size, the screen to body ratio, the PPI density, the screen resolution, etc. It’s difficult to tell the difference between both phones when placed side by side. The resemblance of both smartphones is uncanny. So, there is really not much of an upgrade here.

Camera

When it comes to the camera, again both the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A52s 5G comes with the same camera setup. Both feature a 64MP main camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 32MP selfie camera. Both the front and back camera can shoot videos in 4K resolution and also has gyro-EIS for video stabilization.

Both phones do not just come with the same camera setup but Samsung also used the same camera hardware from the Galaxy A52s 5G inside the Galaxy A53 5G. Again, the quality you’ll get here from both phones is basically the same.

Performance | Storage | RAM | 5G

Both phones are powered by 5G chipsets and this means both have 5G network connectivity. The performance of both smartphones is quite different and here is why.

The Galaxy A52 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset while the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1280 5G chipset. These chipsets have different names and are produced by two different companies. The chipset inside the Galaxy A52s 5G is paired with the Adreno 600 GPU while that of the Galaxy A52 5G is paired with the Arm Mali-G68 MC4.

Both phones also come with the same RAM and storage configuration. You get the option for 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. There is also space for storage expansion via a microSD card slot on both phones.

Although so many things are similar on both phones, the performance on both phones is different. The Galaxy A52s 5G tends to have better performance thanks to the Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset inside. Below are the Geekbench scores for the chipsets used in both phones:

Geekbench Score for Snapdragon 778G 5G and Exynos 1280

Cores	Snapdragon 778G 5G	Exynos 1280 5G
Single Core	777	552
Multi-Core	2833	1894

According to a vote conducted by Nano Reviews, most people prefer to buy a phone powered by the Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset than a phone powered by an Exynos 1280 5G chipset.

Software

The Galaxy A52s 5G boots One UI 3.0 based on Android 11 out of the box. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G boots One UI 4 based on Android 12 out of the box. Samsung has promised four years of major software updates and five years of monthly security patches. The Galaxy A52s 5G is upgradeable to One UI 4 based on Android 12.

As a new phone, the Galaxy A53 5G is one software update ahead of the Galaxy A52s 5G. But given that the older Galaxy A52s 5G will get updated to Android 15, that is not such a bad deal.

Battery

The Galaxy A52s 5G is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with a 25W fast charge. The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery but with a 25W fast charge. The Galaxy A53 5G offers better battery life and will last longer.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G: Price

The starting price of the Galaxy A52s 5G is $399 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration. While the price of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is about $450 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration. The Galaxy A52s 5G is more affordable and also has better deals now. You can actually buy the 256GB version of the Galaxy A52s 5G for about $450 which is a very good deal.

Buy Galaxy A52s 5G and Galaxy A53 5G

Galaxy A52s 5G	Price	Galaxy A53 5G	Price
Buy on Amazon	$399	Buy on Amazon	$449
		Buy on Amazon DE	€509

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Galaxy A52s 5G: Verdict

So, should you upgrade from the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G to the Galaxy A53 5G? The answer is “NO REALLY”. First of all, there is really not much of an upgrade here. Allow me to explain.

The Galaxy A53 5G comes with the same display, the same RAM, the same storage, the same camera hardware, has no 3.5mm jack port, has the same IP67 water and dust resistant feature, has a lower-performing chipset, and it’s more expensive. If you ask me, I’d say wait for the release of the Galaxy A54 5G to see if it brings a better upgrade.

For first-time buyers, the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G will save you money and give you all the features you need inside the Galaxy A53 5G. But, if you need a bigger battery and more software updates, then the Galaxy A53 5G is a good buy.

If I’m to score both phones, I’ll score the Galaxy A52s 5G (51%) and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (49%). The higher-performing chipset and being the more pocket-friendly phone give the Galaxy A52s an edge over the Galaxy A53 5G.