The Galaxy A53 5G and the Google Pixel 5a 5G are two of the best mid-range phones under $500. Both phones are similarly priced and offer a great value for money. The Galaxy A53 packs a powerful punch, featuring a 120Hz AMOLED display, a capable set of cameras, a fast chipset, and a large battery. The Pixel 5a 5G is not quite as feature-packed as the Galaxy A53, but it has a lot going for it in the photography department, and you are much more likely to spot one out on a great discount. But which one is worth your money? We find out in this head-to-head comparison.
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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Vs Google Pixel 5a 5G: Specifications
|
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G |
Google Pixel 5a 5G |
| Build |
- Plastic body
- Gorilla Glass 5 front panel
- IP67 water/dust resistance
|
- Metal unibody
- IP67 dust and water resistance
|
| Dimensions and Weight |
- 159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1mm
- 189 g
|
- 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8mm
- 183g
|
| Display |
- 6.5-inch Super AMOLED
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 1080 x 2400 pixels
|
- 6.34″ OLED
- 2400 x 1080 resolution
- HDR
- 60Hz refresh rate
- Hole-punch display
- Up to 700 nits
- Gorilla Glass 3
|
| SoC |
Samsung Exynos 1280 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G |
| RAM and Storage |
- 6GB/8GB RAM
- 128GB/256GB internal storage
- microSD card slot (up to 1TB)
|
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
|
| Battery and Charging |
- 5,000mAh battery
- 25W Super Fast Charging
- No charger in the box
- No wireless charging
|
- 4,680mAh
- 18W fast charging
- No wireless charging
|
| Security |
Optical in-display fingerprint sensor |
Optical in-display fingerprint sensor |
| Rear Camera(s) |
- 64MP ƒ/1.8 Main (with OIS)
- 12MP ƒ/2.2 Ultra-wide
- 5MP ƒ/2.4 Depth sensor
- 5MP ƒ/2.4 Macro
|
- 12.2MP Sony IMX363, f/1.7, 1.4µm pixel size, Dual Pixel AF
- 16MP ultra-wide, Sony IMX481, f/2.2, 1.0µm pixel size, 107° FoV
|
| Front Camera(s) |
|
- 8MP, f/2.0, 1.12µm pixel size
|
| Ports |
- USB Type-C
- No headphone jack
|
- USB-C
- 3.5mm headphone jack
|
| Connectivity |
- 5G
- LTE
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5GHz)
- Bluetooth 5.1
|
- Sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G
- Single nanoSIM card slot + integrated eSIM for 5G + 4G or 4G + 4G DSDS (dual SIM, dual standby)
- Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
- Bluetooth 5.0
- NFC
|
| Software |
- One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
- 4 years of Android OS updates
- 5 years of security updates
|
- Android 11
- 3 years of Android OS upgrades
- 3 years of monthly Android security patch updates
|
| Price |
$349 |
$449 |
Design & Display
Both the Galaxy A53 and the Pixel 5a 5G feature a plastic exterior with a soft-touch coating, but visually, they’re very different-looking phones. The Galaxy A53 is bold and beautiful, and it comes in a wide variety of colors to choose from. The overall aesthetic of the Galaxy A53 is similar to last year’s Galaxy A52. It has a flat chassis and a large camera module that slightly protrudes from the body. Despite the plastic back and sides, the Galaxy A53 feels good in the hand.
The design of the Pixel 5a 5G is a clear example of function over aesthetics. The Pixel 5a 5G looks rather boring in comparison to the Galaxy A53. But it’s a well-made phone, featuring a metal and plastic unibody (metal covered in a plastic exterior) feels solid in hand. The Pixel 5a 5G only comes in a single colorway: Mostly Black.
In terms of protection and durability, both phones have an IP67 rating for water and dust protection. The Galaxy A53 has an under-display fingerprint scanner, while the Pixel 5a uses the good, old rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. One major distinction between the two phones is that the Pixel 5a 5G has a 3.5mm jack while the Galaxy A53 does not.
The Galaxy A53 5G 6.5-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, offering punchy colors and a smooth scrolling experience. The Google Pixel 5a 5G has a slightly smaller 6.43-inch OLED display with full HD resolution. It also doesn’t support a high refresh rate, nor does it get as bright as the Galaxy A53. Simply put, the Galaxy A53 has a far better panel than the Pixel 5a.
Cameras
The Galaxy A53 packs a quad-camera setup, featuring a 64MP main shooter with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and two 5MP macro and depth lenses. The Pixel 5a features a dual-camera setup on the back, headlined by a 12MP main camera with OIS and 16MP ultra-wide shooter. On paper, the Galaxy A53 has a more robust camera system, but more megapixels and more camera sensors don’t necessarily translate to great camera performance. Modern smartphone photography leans heavily on software image processing and machine learning/AI magic, and this is where the Pixel 5a has the edge over the Galaxy A53.
Both phones produce sharp images with a high dynamic range in broad daylight. However, the Galaxy A53 tends to oversaturate colors a bit while also flattening shadows for a brighter and more vibrant look. The Pixel 5a’s shots look more natural and have more shadow detail and contrast.
Both phones offer a dedicated night mode for nighttime photography and optical image stabilization on the main camera. The Pixel 5a 5G has the edge over the Galaxy A53 when it comes to video recording as it supports 4K shooting at 60fps. The Galaxy A53 maxes out at 4K 30fps. However, when it comes to portrait and super close-up shots, the Galaxy A53 fares better as it has dedicated depth and macro shooters.
Overall, the Pixel 5a 5G is a safer bet if you want a camera that can consistently take realistic photos across all lighting conditions. If you want a more versatile camera system, the Galaxy A53 is a better choice.
Check out the image samples from both phones’ primary, ultra-wide, and selfie cameras.
Pixel 5a: Camera samples
Galaxy A53: Camera samples
Performance
The Galaxy A53 is powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1280 SoC, featuring two Arm Cortex-A78 performance cores clocked at 2.4GHz, and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 2.0GHz speed. Meanwhile, the Pixel 5a 5G packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset, which has one Cortex-A76 core at 2.4GHz, one Cortex-A76 core at 2.2GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.8GHz.
The Galaxy A53 has the Pixel 5a beat when it comes to raw performance. It has more powerful CPU cores and a faster GPU. In real-world performance, too, the Galaxy A53 should feel more responsive and fluid than the Pixel 5a as it has a higher refresh rate display (120Hz Vs 60Hz). With that said, don’t expect to play high-end games like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty at its highest graphics on any of these phones.
The Galaxy A53 starts with 4GB of RAM and goes up to 8GB RAM. The Pixel 5a 5G only comes with 6GB of RAM. The same goes for the storage options: the Pixel 5a 5G only comes in a 128GB variant, while the A53 gives you 128GB and 256GB options. The A53 also has a MicroSD card slot, so should you run out of storage down the line, you can always pop in a memory card to expand the storage.
Software & Battery life
The Galaxy A53 runs Android 12 with One UI 4.1 out of the box. The Pixel 5a ships with a stock version of Android 11 but is upgradable to Android 12. In terms of software support, it’s a bit tricky to pick a clear winner. If you want to get your hands on new Android versions as soon as possible, the Pixel 5a is your best bet. In fact, it’s one of the only few phones that can run Android 13 Beta. But in terms of long-term software support, the Galaxy A53 blows the Pixel 5a 5G out of the water by promising four years of OS updates and five years of security patches. The Pixel 5a is promised to get three years of OS updates, and since it shipped with Android 11, Android 14 will likely be its last major update. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A53 should get updates till Android 16.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Google Pixel 5a: Which one should you buy?
The Galaxy A53 has a larger 5,000mAh battery than the Pixel 5a’s 4,680mAh cell. While that’s not a huge gap, it’s something to keep in mind if the battery life is your top priority. In terms of charging speed, the A53 supports 25W fast wired charging, while the Pixel 5a tops out at 18W. However, note that the Pixel 5a 5G comes with the charger inside the box, while you’ll have to buy one separately for the Galaxy A53.
The Galaxy A53 offers a 120Hz AMOLED display, Exynos 1280 SoC, and a capable set of cameras.
The Galaxy A53 and the Google Pixel 5 are both capable mid-rangers, offering great hardware at a reasonable price. While both phones launched at similar prices, the Galaxy A53 has come down to $349, making it a better proposition than the Pixel 5a.
The Pixel 5a 5G packs powerful cameras and Snapdragon 765G chipset.
The Galaxy A53 beats the Pixel 5a 5G in most departments. It has a much better display, a faster chipset, a larger battery life, and longer software support. Granted, the Pixel 5a 5G has a superior camera system than the A53, but it also costs $100 more. And with the Pixel 6a shortly hitting the shelves with even better cameras and a much faster chipset for the same price, the Pixel 5a 5G doesn’t look like the best phone to buy right now.
The post Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Google Pixel 5a 5G: Which one is better? appeared first on XDA.
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