Review and specifications of the Samsung Galaxy M53 phone, review of technical specifications, price, camera, design, body and general specifications of the new Samsung Galaxy M53 phone.

Samsung Galaxy M53 review, price and specifications

Introduction

Samsung’s mid-range M series got an upgrade earlier this year, and we covered its A series counterpart after covering the Galaxy M53 a few months back. We said “upgrade” in the previous sentence, but is it really like that? Let’s check out the specs to see what it looks like on paper.

For  starters, the cameras are kind of a ‘neither here nor there’ situation – the main camera has a bigger, higher-resolution sensor, but that’s at the expense of the macro and ultrawide units, which have both been scaled back.

Then there’s the chipset – there’s no problem with the 5G-capable Dimensity 900 we have here, but the Snapdragon 778 is a more powerful performer.

The 6.7-inch OLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz is still here. Battery capacity, while a departure from the M51’s leading 7000mAh, remains the same as the M52’s 5000mAh, so this too can be filed under “no change is a good thing”. The 25-watt charging feature remains.

You can also read about review of Samsung Galaxy A04s phone, price and specifications

Technical specifications of the Samsung Galaxy M53 at a glance

Body:  164.7×77.0x7.4mm, 176g; Plastic back, plastic frame.

Screen: 6.70 inches, Super AMOLED Plus, and 120 Hz, resolution 1080×2408 pixels, aspect ratio 20.07:9, 394ppi.

Chipset: MediaTek MT6877 Dimensity 900 (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68 MC4.

Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses a shared SIM card slot).

OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.

Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Ultra Wide Angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 1/4″ 1.12 µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.

Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26 mm (wide).

Video recording: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps. Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.

Battery: 5000 mAh; Fast charging 25 watts.

Other specifications: Fingerprint reader (mounted on the side).

Samsung Galaxy M53 unboxing review

 Another, yet very tangible, downgrade is in the box and its contents . The white two-piece cardboard box is now half-height, which immediately tells you there is no charger inside. There’s still a USB-C cable – perhaps for the last time, as things are going.

Samsung Galaxy M53 design review

Samsung’s design language  has been a bit inconsistent across the range, though that’s somewhat understandable with a lineup this wide. The A series seems to have reached a universal style that extends to the A13 this year, although the smaller models still retain some distinctive features.

And that all brings us to the Galaxy M53 we have here, which doesn’t show much continuity from last year’s M52 5G, although it’s still clearly different from the As.

The quad-camera setup  is the most distinctive feature about the M53’s appearance, and has been seen on lower-end A-series models for the past year. This time, however, Samsung has opted for a seamless molding of the bump as part of the back panel – so while it’s not entirely new, it’s not quite the same as before. We have to say we love it.

As  far as we can tell, the panel is made of plastic and has a matte finish that can play with light and turn into different shades of blue (in the case of our review unit’s blue color, that is). Note, the official photos don’t do the color justice from a distance – the navy only shows up if you angle the phone down so no light is reflecting back at you. We think it’s a similar story with the green and brown options.

From looks to practicality, we actually appreciate the switch from the glossy back of the M52 5G to this matte finish. It’s barely resistant to fingerprints – it actually picks up its fair share of smudges, still tends to look a lot cleaner during and after use than last year’s model.

The Galaxy M53’s frame  is glossy, so it’s more prone to smudges, but then it’s slim and curved enough that it doesn’t look like a big greasy, smooth mirror surface. Its frame is also made of plastic.

With  a slight indentation in that frame, you’ll find the power button with the embedded fingerprint sensor – on the right side of the phone, just above the midpoint. It is in a fairly convenient spot for the right thumb of a typical male hand to work with. Reaching it with your left index finger might be just as easy or somewhat more of a deliberate practice, depending on how you hold your phone, though the habit should quickly replace any initial awkwardness.

Since it’s also a button, there’s a provision in the settings that makes the phone require a click in order for pressing it to be interpreted as an attempt to unlock. This way, you can minimize the chance of accidental scanning. Both the power button and the volume button above it click confidently.

On the opposite side, there is a card slot tray. It’s a dual slot that takes either two nano-SIM cards or one nano-SIM and one microSD card, but not all three at the same time. The tray also has a seal to keep the slot clean, but the phone has no official IP rating – the A Series gives you that.

The M51  was the last model to have a headphone jack, and the M53, like the M52 before it, doesn’t ditch this old-fashioned connection. The USB-C port is on the bottom, and if you insist and can find it, you’ll get a headphone dongle. Also at the bottom is the Galaxy M53’s only speaker – there’s no stereo functionality on this phone. Well, there is, but only for input – there’s a microphone on each end of the phone.

The Gorilla Glass 5’s display  is mostly unremarkable from a design perspective. The phone has the same amount of bezels you’d expect from a phone in this class, though admittedly that means less bezels than a few years ago.

A  punch hole at the top end of the panel allows light to make its way into the selfie camera. It’s also a medium-sized hole, so to speak – not big enough to be an eyesore, but not small either because it has to house a relatively large sensor.

The Galaxy M53 measures  164.7x77x7.4mm and weighs 176g, so it’s basically the same size and weight as the previous model. The M52’s shock value is lost at 40 grams of weight and 2 mm of thickness compared to the chunkier M51, but we can still appreciate the reasonable weight and very impressive thinness of the current phone. It’s still a 6.7-inch smartphone, so it’s anything but compact, but we’ll settle for manageability.

Samsung Galaxy M53 screen review

The Galaxy  M53 has a slight edge over the A53 when it comes to screen size – it’s 6.7 inches in diameter, compared to the top model’s 6.5 inches – the same as last year. This Super AMOLED Plus panel has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz.

We  measured more than 800 nits of maximum brightness in bright ambient conditions with adaptive brightness enabled and 403 nits when working with the slider. Those are pretty good numbers for a phone in this class, though the A53 boasts an extra 30 nits.

Color management  is implemented in the usual Samsung way. There are two modes – Vivid and Natural, the first being the default mode. In Vivid mode you get a five-position temperature slider, as well as an RGB slider behind the “Advanced Settings” button. This Vivid mode supports a wide color gamut and is reasonably accurate for displaying DCI-P3 content, although we measured slightly higher deviations from targets than the older model. The very typical pale blue color can be overcome by pushing the temperature slider in the warm direction.

Natural mode similarly wasn’t as accurate for displaying sRGB content as the M52, but it was still closer to our test samples’ targets than Vivid for DCI-P3.

Samsung makes no claims for HDR capability on the Galaxy M53, and the list of HDR search apps shows no HDR support – the M52 at least plays HDR on YouTube, but the M53 doesn’t. Widevine L1 certification means you can get FullHD resolution on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

You get the usual smoothness menu item in display settings to enable 120Hz refresh rate. As expected, it offers standard 60Hz options across the board.

Conversely,  the High setting locks almost everything at 120Hz – there’s no adaptive activity-based switching. This means that even for video playback, you can get the full 120Hz (in Gallery, YouTube, Netflix, Google Photos – basically everywhere), which is hardly ideal in terms of battery life. Actual rendering renders things at different fps depending on the content, but the screen refreshes at 120Hz anyway. The usual exceptions also apply – the camera viewfinder and Google Maps are forced to shift to 60Hz.

What’s really impressive is that the M53 allows for high frame rate gaming, keeping the display at 120Hz for games that can go beyond 60fps, just to limit the number of frames. It is left to GPU performance.

Checking the battery life of Samsung Galaxy M53

The Galaxy  M53 has a 5,000mAh battery inside – same as the M52, but a far cry from the M51’s 7,000mAh battery. With the A53 now also sitting at 5,000 mAh (the A52 had 4,500 mAh power packs), the M model has lost that nominal advantage as well.

However, it still maintains its superiority in some areas. In our testing, the M53 was good for 14 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing (at a constant 120Hz), more than an hour higher than the A53’s result. 20:45 Hours of offline video playback (at 60Hz) are slightly better than the A53’s numbers. The M53 wasn’t quite as good at voice call lifetime, but the 27:31 hour result isn’t half bad either.

The Galaxy M53’s overall endurance score comes in at 114 hours – not quite as good as the M52’s, but respectable nonetheless. Obviously, the result of 156 hours of M51 is no longer possible.

Checking the charging speed of the Samsung Galaxy M53 phone

There is no  charger in the Galaxy M53 box, a fact we have to accept. We have a standard Samsung 25W adapter, which is what the M53 is rated for, so we tested the phone’s charging speed with that.

We  measured 1:33 hours for a full charge from the bed, and the battery indicator read 44 percent at the half-hour mark. The maximum charging power was a little over 20 watts. That’s what you can expect to get with almost any recent adapter that adheres to the USB Power Delivery standard. If you have one of Samsung’s older 15W adapters lying around, you’re looking at longer charge times, though we didn’t have one to test.

The M53 charges more or less as fast as the A53, and the A33 charges somewhat faster. The A52 5G from last year was much faster than this year’s model, when it used the same 25W adapter, but again it came with a slower 15W adapter – which is the “correct” comparison?

Review of Samsung Galaxy M53 phone speakers

As before, the Galaxy  M53 has a speaker. Similar to the M52, the latest model isn’t too loud either, just putting it in the middle tier when it comes to volume. The Galaxy A53 is louder and has a pair of speakers, so it’s a clear step up in this department.

However  , the sound quality is very decent, a notch better than the M52 and without noticeable flaws throughout the frequency range.

Samsung Galaxy M53 software review

The Galaxy  M53 runs the latest Android 12 with One UI 4.1 — a combination we’ve seen on the A53 and A33 and also updated on the flagship S22 series. It still lacks the occasional feature here and there compared to the S models, but nothing unexpected or too important for most users.

An  always-on display is available, and you can choose between several clock styles or choose a picture clock. Music information is also supported. This feature can be always off, always on, scheduled, only shown when new notifications are available, or you can choose to tap to show for 10 seconds.

The lock screen looks the same as before with two monochrome shortcuts – the dialer and the camera. A bunch of customization options are available.

The fingerprint sensor  on the right side of the frame will probably be the primary unlocking method for most people, but you can still use face unlock – instead of it or alongside it. It can be more convenient in certain situations, but it’s generally less secure because it only uses the selfie camera.

One UI 4.1  looks even cleaner than v.3.x, but the logic is the same – home screens with app shortcuts and widgets, app drawer, notification center with quick toggles and task switcher.

Among the One UI 4.1 features missing from the M53 are Samsung’s new smart widgets. Although we’ve only seen them on the top models – neither the A53 nor the A33 have them, so perhaps they’re limited to the more expensive Galaxy. They are really convenient because they allow data from multiple widgets to be attached to a single widget – although not in the M53.

One  of the new features of One UI 4 is color palettes. This is the Android 12 vanilla wallpaper colors implementation. There are usually four color palette suggestions in addition to the default One UI Blue/Black. Depending on your current wallpaper, these are automatically selected by the software. The color you choose becomes the main color in the newly created theme (think Windows “accent color”).

These accent colors are applied to the dialer, hotkeys, and other small UI bits. You can choose to apply them to app icons as well, though non-Samsung apps won’t match and you can get a inconsistent look.

One UI  has always offered great customization. You can use one of several wallpaper services to automatically change your lock screen or home screen. The powerful Theme engine is also here.

The  dialer allows you to choose between two layouts for the contact screen. You can also set a background image or video for that page, although it will be the same for all your contacts – you can’t have a different image for each person.

The navigation is highly customizable. You can navigate with gestures and change them to your liking or go back to the old buttons and even replace the home and back buttons with a truly retro navigation layout.

You  get a whole bunch of options to use your Galaxy with other devices to enable different uses. The wireless display is the clearest display. You can only do screen mirroring this way, as the Galaxy M53 lacks Samsung DeX. It’s still reserved for Samsung’s flagship devices and hasn’t made its way up the chain.

The Link to Windows feature gives you an interface with your phone through your PC so you can exchange pictures, manage notifications on your PC, or even make calls.

Another option in this regard, but with more limited potential, is to continue the programs on other devices. To do this, you need to sign in to your Samsung account on both devices, connect them to a Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth enabled, and use Samsung Internet Browser or Samsung Notes. You can then copy and paste text and images and open the same tabs in the browser.

Other  key pieces of Samsung’s proprietary software include Edge panels – panels that slide in from the side and provide tools and shortcuts to apps and contacts. The game launcher, the hub for your games, which also provides options to limit distractions while gaming, is here to stay.

Otherwise, the software package is similar to other Samsung phones, with a built-in gallery app and a dedicated file manager. Naturally, Samsung Internet Browser is also available.

On top  of all that, the Galaxy M53 comes loaded with a standard set of apps from Samsung, Microsoft and Google – some of which you can choose not to install in the first place. Of course, the list has expanded a little, but there is nothing here that we would consider in the traditional sense of the senses. Anything that got lost during setup that you personally don’t like or don’t appreciate having on your device can be easily uninstalled or, failing that, disabled.

Artificial benchmarks

The Galaxy M53 is powered by the Dimensity 900 – a 5G-capable chipset from Mediatek. Built on the 6nm process, the device has an octa-core CPU in a 2+6 configuration (2×2.4GHz Cortex-A78 and 6×2.0GHz Cortex-A55). That’s a drop compared to the 4 A78 in the Galaxy M52 5G’s Snapdragon 778, which was quickly shown on GeekBench. Similarly, the Mali-G68 MC4 GPU will be a step down from last year’s model’s Adreno 642L.

There are at least  three RAM and storage variants, starting with our review unit’s 6/128GB spec, going up to 8GB/128GB, and maxing out at 8GB/256GB. You may not receive all versions in all markets as usual.

In GeekBench’s single-core test, the Galaxy M53 outperforms the M52 5G and is roughly on par with the A53 and A52s. However, in the multi-core test, the M53 fell behind both of last year’s models, although it managed to edge ahead of the A53. 2022 is going to be a weird year for mid-range SoCs, no two ways about it.

The Galaxy M53  is also the highest-scoring mid-range Galaxy we’ve seen this year (the A73 should top it, but we weren’t graced with it) – the A53 and A33 don’t quite cut it. Then again, the A52s and M52 from 2021 are way up the chart.

The M53’s GPUs are roughly on par with the A53 and A33 – perhaps that’s some consolation, but we’re still bummed about the downgrade from the 52nd generation.

The stable CPU load showed strange behavior from the Galaxy M53 – other implementations of the Dimensity 900 have been much more stable. But on the plus side, the result of the 3DMark Wild Life test was excellent.

In  short, the Galaxy M53 performs well. Its GPU is about as powerful as other mid-range Galaxy phones, while the CPU numbers were a bit more inconsistent. Either way, the chipset is downgraded from last year’s model.

Samsung Galaxy M53 camera review

The Galaxy  M53 comes with a revamped camera system compared to the previous model. Basically, you get two real cameras – a main camera with a large sensor and a much wider camera, plus a couple of secondary cameras. In a way, this makes it closer to the M51’s 2+2 arrangement than the M52 5G’s 2+1, but what comes after the positive is rarely exciting to begin with.

The main camera  is built around the Samsung Isocell HM6 sensor. This 1/1.67-inch imager is one of the newest designs with the smallest pixels – 0.64 µm – but a full 108 million pixels. The non-pixelated color filter array means you can bin 9-to-1 and 12-megapixel images. By default, the lens has an aperture of f/1.8, and the EXIF ​​data reports a focal length of 23mm.

It’s super wide, predictably, even wider – 13mm files say. The resolution has been reduced and the number is now 8 megapixels, down from 12 megapixels on the M52 5G. The Sony IMX 355 sensor is a popular one – it’s used in the Galaxy A33 as well as the Realme 9 Pro+ and Reno7 5G to name a few. Like all of these, the M53’s ultra-wide camera lacks autofocus.

Which brings us to the pair of 2MP secondary cameras. One is labeled “macro” and the other is the depth sensor. As you can see, the macro isn’t the half-decent 5MP unit Samsung used on last year’s M52 5G and higher up the lineup, but it’s even simpler.

There’s no change up front – the M53 uses the same 32MP selfie camera (Sony IMX 616) found on the M52 5G and M51, as well as the A52s and A53 (and probably countless other models). It produces 12MP images by default – Samsung’s usual number manipulation for its 32MP selfie cameras.

The camera app  is the one you find on every Samsung phone these days. Swiping left and right switches between all available modes, and there’s an option to reset or remove some modes from the viewfinder. A vertical swipe in any direction switches between the front and rear cameras.

The settings icon is in the top-left corner of the screen, and you don’t get separate settings screens for photos and videos because there aren’t many options overall. Grid lines, location data, page optimizer, etc. – the usual stuff can be found there. Full resolution mode is enabled on the main camera from the aspect options, which is a bit unusual, but Samsung does it.

There’s also a Pro mode, which features granular exposure controls (ISO and shutter speed, plus exposure compensation) and manual focus with peaking, but no live histogram or option to work with the main camera.

The quality of photos taken on the day of the Samsung Galaxy M53 phone

Photos from  the Galaxy M53’s main camera (Scene Optimizer on, Auto HDR on) are very good. Software enhancements are not overdone and you get vibrant colors without oversaturation. We had no issues with white balance. Dynamic range is excellent, and we see both excellent global contrast and well-developed tonal extremes.

At the pixel level, everything is generally good and a lot of detail is captured. These details can look artificial and processed overall, but not overtly so – which is the consensus across the range, and it’s not like Samsung is known for its organic foliage. There is no voice to speak of.

You can  zoom up to 2x from the zoom selector, but the results are best viewed at the appropriate level for the screen. You get the same colors and dynamic range at 1x (it’s the same camera, after all), but a closer look reveals overall sharpness and smoothness. These are still perfectly fine to throw around on social media, just don’t pixelate them.

Full resolution photos  contain finer details, and if you want a more natural processing to your photos as well, that’s where you can start. You don’t get the benefits of HDR when shooting this way though, so you can expect to lose some detail at the bottom of your histogram (the snail shot is pretty obvious in this regard).

The ultra-wide camera  doesn’t quite match the original when it comes to dynamic range, but it’s still excellent for ultra-wide cameras, even more so than mid-range cameras. Colors are also lovely, if a little harsh compared to what the original camera displays. Pixel-level detail is decent, but ultimately not as good as its predecessor.

The quality of photos taken at night by the Samsung Galaxy M53 phone

The Galaxy  M53 does not perform well in low light, especially in normal photo mode. Even the main camera tends to be too dark for us, and it also has limited dynamic range, so not only are your shadows too deep, but your highlights are burnt too. Detail is good in the midtones, but there is a lot of noise in the shadows.

Night mode  helps a lot. The most noticeable improvement is in highlight presentation – light sources are well preserved and there is now detail around them. There’s a subtler boost in the shadows, too, though perhaps a little more wouldn’t hurt. However, clarity is slightly reduced, especially in the previously crunchy midtones.

The lack of  night mode at the 2x zoom level doesn’t help the case in the dark, and these don’t look great. What would normally be a saving grace – decent tonal performance, so photos can be acceptable at screen magnification – doesn’t happen here, and we’re not shooting at 2x at night on the Galaxy M53.

When  shooting in portrait mode, ultra-wide doesn’t inspire confidence in the dark. It can’t be bright enough, and it also lacks the dynamic range to render highlights as anything other than pure white. It also generally loses control over color and photos can look desaturated. Details are also soft and noisy.

The night mode  improves everything and makes the photos much more beautiful in terms of color. Highlights are reduced, shadows are enhanced and colors are brought to life. There’s not much to say about the details – there are some, but it’s best to avoid 1:1 reviews.

Once  you’re done with real-world examples, head over to our photo comparison tool to see how the Samsung Galaxy M53 stacks up against the competition.

  
Samsung Galaxy M53 against the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G and the Realme 9 Pro+ in our Photo compare tool

Close-up photos

We  ‘ve already revealed our feelings about the 2MP macro camera, but here are a few samples to show it in action. There simply isn’t a lot of detail at 2MP, and just because you can fill the frame with relatively small objects, that doesn’t mean you’ll get good photos.

Then again, if the 2MP screen is how you’re consuming the images, maybe this is an easier way to crop than the main camera shots. However, the main camera can focus up to about 8cm away from the subject, so you’re better off doing some extra cropping, or even just using it in your main field of view.

   
Macro mode samples

portrait mode

Portrait mode  does a good job of isolating the subject, although more complex scenes can confuse it. Then again, it’s more efficient to run a wood wall covering than usual. The default blur level (5/7) is perhaps a bit too strong and can reveal the artificial nature of the bokeh too easily, but you can tone it down when shooting or after the fact in the gallery.

   
Portrait mode samples

Selfie photos

The Galaxy M53’s selfies  come in at 12MP by default, and they’re not half bad. There’s some noise in darker areas, but detail is generally very good, although it could look sharper in higher-contrast scenes where HDR overtime works. Speaking of which, the dynamic range is nicely wide, and even backlit scenes expose subjects correctly and capture highlights well. Color rendition is somewhat limited in terms of saturation, but there’s no color cast and skin tones look good.

  
  
Selfie samples

Portrait mode  has the same capabilities as the main camera and is capable of separating you from the background. Sometimes there are small mix-ups with clothes, but we didn’t encounter any obvious mistakes.

At a nominal 32MP resolution, selfies in well-lit scenes can be more detailed, if grainier than ideal . Even slightly smaller scenes can push the ISO beyond the sensor’s comfort level, and the combined effects of noise reduction and aggressive sharpening make for more attractive photos (third example). We often see some sort of double image with these – the left ear and the jawline in the last two images. Overall, not bad, but why would you want a 32MP selfie?

  
  
Selfie samples, 32MP

Video recording

The Galaxy  M53 can record up to 4K30 video with its main camera (1080p at 60fps, if you’re into that) or 1080p at 30fps with the ultrawide camera. Technically you can record in 4K30 resolution with up to 10x zoom, but maybe it’s best to stay away from more than 2x. The selfie camera also supports the same modes as the main camera – so both 4K30 and 1080p60 are available.

In the settings, you get a key to enable h.265 encoding (Samsung chooses the name HEVC), otherwise the less efficient h.264 codec is used by default. Stabilization is only available at 1080p at 30fps, but not at 60fps or 4K.

The main camera’s 4K video recording (bitrate 48 Mbps) is very good. We especially like the vivid colors and wide dynamic range. Detail is also good, and even if it does show some very sharp texture, if you look closely at the frames, it looks nicely crisp while gaming.

Although  the 1080p30 resolution isn’t great – it’s hard to ignore the sharpening halos and over-processed look in these clips. 1080p60 resolution is the same at the pixel level, but with significantly less color saturation – still good, just not as sharp. We just stick to 4K30.

This is the same conclusion we draw from the 2x zoom samples. The 4K30 footage may not be the sharpest out there, but the quality is significantly higher than what you get in 1080p mode.

The ultrawide camera  doesn’t do 4K (although the M52 5G can), but its 1080p30 is decent for a mid-range ultrawide. We like the colors and dynamic range, it’s just that the details look a little too soft.

There’s no  stabilization at 4K, so if you want high resolution, which you probably do because 1080p isn’t great, you’ll need to provide the M53 with external support. If you shoot while walking, stabilization is fine at 1080p30, only camera shake can occasionally cause focus hunting. Ultrawide doesn’t suffer from that.

Here  ‘s a quick look at how the Samsung Galaxy M53 compares to the competition in our video comparison tool. Go there to see the full picture.

  
Samsung Galaxy M53 against the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G and the Realme 9 Pro+ in our Video compare tool

Review of competitors of Samsung Galaxy M53

The Galaxy M53  is priced around €350 or Rs 27,000 for the base 6GB/128GB variant. This might make it seem like a fairly reasonable price against any competition you can come up with or among the current members of Samsung’s lineup, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

See  last year’s Galaxy M52 5G is widely available and retails for a good €80-100 (INR 6K) less than the M53. You’re probably getting a phone whose only downside is probably a year shorter software update life, though that’s moot on many levels. Indeed, the M52 5G has no less than two obvious advantages – a charger in the box (a slow 15W charger, but a charger nonetheless) and, more importantly, a much more powerful chipset. The M52 5G’s camera system is also superior overall, with more than 64 108’s on the surface. We can’t see the M53 winning while the M52 remains stock.

In Europe, you can get the Galaxy A52s 5G for around €300, again cheaper than the M53 for a more well-rounded phone. The A52s is relatively more expensive in India, but we think its advantages over the M53 can easily justify the INR 2K premium. The A52s benefits include the same SD778 chip as the M52, IP67 standard for dust and water protection, a more capable camera system, stereo speakers and a 25W charger in the box. This one may also be subject to reduced inventory, but here and now, there is no shortage of units.

If you insist on more than the current offerings, the Realme 9 Pro+ is a decent alternative and is available globally for about the same money as the M53. The Galaxy has a few advantages in this race, especially in the display department – ​​it’s brighter and has a higher refresh rate (120Hz vs 90Hz), plus it doesn’t cap games at 60Hz like the Realme. The microSD slot is also in the M53’s favor. The Realme has stereo speakers and a slightly more powerful CPU, plus faster charging and slightly better battery life. It also has a superior main camera – especially for video (with stabilization in 4K) and low-light photography, although the Galaxy is a clear winner for selfies.

Rumors suggest that there will be a Xiaomi 12 Lite, which should cost around the same price as the M53, if there is an older version. At the same time, if you can find a Mi 11 Lite 5G (NE or otherwise), it could make more sense than the Galaxy M53. Cheaper in European and Indian retailers, the Xiaomi has a sleeker design and build (glass back, even slimmer profile, IP53 rating), stereo speakers and a more powerful chipset (SD778 again). The main and ultra-wide cameras are roughly comparable, although the Mi has EIS on 4K recording and a really useful macro camera. Galaxy has superior selfies.

   
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G • Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Realme 9 Pro+ • Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE

Summary

2022  is shaping up to be a sad year for the mid-range, with Samsung’s years looking unexciting alongside their 2021 counterparts. That was the case with the Galaxy A53, and we feel the same way about the M53.

Mind  you, despite the lack of an in-box charger and what is essentially a downgraded chipset, it’s not a bad phone on its own. It has a great screen, battery life, the latest software, and a decent camera system with some caveats about video or low light.

While phones should get better every year, that’s not the case with the Galaxy M53. If there were no alternatives, or the price was different, we would have gone with Samsung’s choices. But nearly two months after launch, the M53 is still expensive. With an apparent shortage of better models than last year (at lower prices, too), the Galaxy M53 is one we can’t recommend enough.

Why should we buy the Samsung Galaxy M53 phone?

• A bright AMOLED display  with a 120Hz refresh rate is also available for gaming.
• Excellent battery life.
• Latest launch of One UI 4.1 and Android 12.
• Very good photos in daylight, selfies too.

Why should we not buy the Samsung Galaxy M53?

• No  charger inside the box
• Relatively weak chipset
• The image quality in low light is not remarkable.
• No video stabilization in 4K.

Source: GSMARENA.COM