The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G is yet another strong contender in the mid-range smartphone market from Samsung. With its blend of modern design, solid build quality, powerful internals, and the promise of 5G connectivity, the Galaxy M53 5G stands out among the competition, providing excellent value for money. As the competition in the mid-range segment intensifies, Samsung has focused on providing balanced specifications, great camera performance, and smooth software experiences to cater to a broad range of users.
This comprehensive review will take you through the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G’s design, display, performance, camera, battery life, and other essential features. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of whether the Galaxy M53 5G is the right smartphone for your needs.
Design and Build Quality
Samsung has paid special attention to the design of the Galaxy M53 5G, ensuring it has a sleek, modern look that competes well with other devices in this segment.
- Dimensions: 164.7 x 77.0 x 7.4 mm
- Weight: 176g
- Materials: Plastic back, plastic frame, Gorilla Glass front
- Colors: Deep Blue, Misty White, Charcoal Black
The Galaxy M53 5G sports a plastic frame and back, but it doesn’t feel cheap. The lightweight build is comfortable to hold, and its slim profile makes it pocketable without being cumbersome. The back panel has a matte finish that helps reduce fingerprints and smudges.
While it lacks a metallic or glass build like some premium smartphones, the plastic body is well-built, and the rounded corners enhance grip and comfort. The quad-camera module at the rear protrudes slightly, but it’s not as pronounced as on some other devices.
Samsung has opted for a minimalistic design with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button for easy access. The Galaxy M53 5G also has IP67 water and dust resistance, which is a valuable addition for those concerned about accidental spills or exposure to the elements.
Display
One of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G is its gorgeous display.
- Display Size: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+)
- Aspect Ratio: 20:9
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Brightness: Up to 800 nits
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display is sharp and vibrant, offering rich colors, deep blacks, and great viewing angles. With a Full HD+ resolution, content looks crisp, whether you’re watching videos, playing games, or browsing the web. The 120Hz refresh rate provides a smooth experience when scrolling and navigating through apps, offering a noticeable improvement over standard 60Hz displays.
Brightness levels are sufficient for outdoor use, and the display maintains excellent visibility even in bright sunlight. Additionally, Samsung’s AMOLED technology ensures great contrast, making it ideal for watching high-definition content and enjoying multimedia.
The bezels around the display are quite thin, providing an immersive viewing experience. The punch-hole cutout for the front camera is relatively small, ensuring it doesn’t intrude much on the screen.
Performance
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G packs enough power to handle most tasks effortlessly.
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 900 (6 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G68 MC4
- RAM: 6GB / 8GB
- Internal Storage: 128GB / 256GB (expandable via microSD up to 1TB)
The Galaxy M53 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, which is built on a 6nm process. This chipset is efficient and capable of handling most tasks, including gaming, multitasking, and media consumption, with ease. The octa-core CPU, combined with the Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, ensures that you can run demanding apps and games smoothly.
In day-to-day performance, the device handles multitasking well, switching between apps is smooth, and there are no significant lags or stutters. The 6GB or 8GB of RAM ensures that even heavy multitasking scenarios are handled without slowing down.
When it comes to gaming, the Galaxy M53 5G can handle popular titles like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Asphalt 9 at medium to high settings with decent frame rates. The Mali-G68 GPU is not top-tier, but it performs admirably in this price segment.
Software and Features
The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G runs on One UI 4.1, based on Android 13, with a promise of at least three major OS updates and four years of security patches.
- Operating System: Android 13 (with One UI 4.1)
- Bloatware: Minimal (most can be uninstalled)
- Customization: Plenty of themes, icon packs, and widgets
- Privacy Features: Knox Security, Secure Folder, and more
Samsung’s One UI is one of the most feature-rich and polished Android skins available. It offers a smooth, customizable experience with useful features such as Dark Mode, Always-On Display, and an intuitive notification management system.
The phone comes with a few pre-installed apps, but most can be uninstalled if not needed. Samsung’s own set of apps, such as Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and Samsung Members, are included, but they don’t feel intrusive.
One UI 4.1 provides a great level of customization, allowing users to tweak various aspects of the interface to suit their preferences. It also includes robust privacy and security features such as Samsung Knox, which ensures that your data is safe from potential threats.
Camera Performance
The Galaxy M53 5G comes equipped with a quad-camera setup, headlined by a 108MP sensor.
- Primary Camera: 108MP (f/1.8, PDAF)
- Ultra-Wide Camera: 8MP (f/2.2, 123˚)
- Macro Camera: 2MP (f/2.4)
- Depth Sensor: 2MP (f/2.4)
- Selfie Camera: 32MP (f/2.2)
Primary Camera Performance
The 108MP primary camera is the star of the show, offering excellent detail and clarity, especially in well-lit conditions. Samsung’s pixel-binning technology combines nine pixels into one to deliver brighter and clearer 12MP shots. Images captured with the primary sensor have rich colors, good dynamic range, and minimal noise, making it an ideal camera for casual photography enthusiasts.
In low-light conditions, the camera performs decently, although there is some noise and loss of detail. Night Mode helps in such situations, enhancing the overall quality of photos taken in darker environments.
Ultra-Wide Camera
The 8MP ultra-wide lens offers a 123-degree field of view, allowing you to capture wide landscapes or large group shots. However, the quality dips slightly compared to the primary sensor, particularly in low-light situations, where distortion and noise can creep in.
Macro and Depth Sensors
The 2MP macro camera is underwhelming, producing average results. While it’s a nice feature to have, the quality of close-up shots is not as sharp as we’d like. The depth sensor works well in portrait mode, offering decent edge detection and creating a nice blur effect in the background.
Selfie Camera
The 32MP front-facing camera is more than capable of taking sharp and detailed selfies. It performs well in both daylight and artificial lighting, and the portrait mode adds a pleasant bokeh effect for selfies.
Battery Life
One of the biggest strengths of the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G is its battery life.
- Battery Capacity: 5000mAh
- Charging: 25W fast charging
- Battery Life: 1.5 to 2 days on moderate use
The 5000mAh battery ensures that you can comfortably get through a full day of heavy usage, and for light to moderate users, the phone can last up to two days on a single charge. The combination of a power-efficient chipset and software optimizations from Samsung’s One UI further enhances battery life.
While it doesn’t support ultra-fast charging, the 25W fast charging is still capable of charging the phone from 0% to 50% in around 30 minutes, which is respectable for its class.
5G Connectivity and Network Performance
As the name suggests, the Samsung Galaxy M53 5G supports 5G connectivity, making it future-proof as networks expand across the globe. This is one of the key selling points for users looking to take advantage of faster mobile data speeds.
- 5G Bands Supported: Multiple global bands
- Dual SIM: Yes (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.2
- GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Network reception is excellent, and call quality is clear, even in areas with weaker network coverage. The Galaxy M53 5G’s support for multiple 5G bands ensures that you will be able to access fast data speeds as 5G networks become more widely available. This makes it a solid option for future-proofing your smartphone in regions where 5G is still rolling out.
Wi-Fi performance is also strong, with support for Wi-Fi 6, which is a great addition for faster, more reliable internet speeds, especially in environments with multiple devices connected to the same network.
Bluetooth 5.2 ensures faster pairing and stable connections to Bluetooth devices, such as wireless headphones and smartwatches. GPS and navigation features are reliable, thanks to support for multiple satellite systems (A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO), offering quick and accurate location tracking.
Audio and Multimedia Experience
The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G has a decent audio setup for its price, though it doesn’t have stereo speakers, which some users might miss in this price range.
- Speakers: Single bottom-firing speaker
- Audio Jack: No 3.5mm headphone jack
- Dolby Atmos: Supported (for headphones)
- Multimedia Features: HDR10 playback support
The single bottom-firing speaker produces clear audio with good mids and highs, but it lacks depth in the bass. It’s serviceable for casual media consumption or gaming, but if you’re looking for a more immersive sound experience, you may want to use external speakers or headphones.
Although the Galaxy M53 5G does not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, Samsung compensates with good Bluetooth audio support, including codecs like AAC and aptX for high-quality wireless audio. Additionally, Dolby Atmos is supported when using wired or Bluetooth headphones, enhancing the soundstage and providing a more immersive listening experience for movies and games.
For those who enjoy streaming video, the large Super AMOLED Plus display with HDR10 support ensures a great viewing experience. Whether you’re watching high-definition YouTube videos or streaming content from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the colors are vibrant, and contrast levels are excellent.
Security Features
Samsung has integrated a range of security features into the Galaxy M53 5G, ensuring your data and privacy are protected.
- Fingerprint Sensor: Side-mounted
- Face Unlock: Software-based face recognition
- Samsung Knox: Built-in security platform
- Secure Folder: Yes
The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and responsive, offering a secure and convenient way to unlock the phone. Additionally, the phone offers a face unlock feature, although it’s software-based and not as secure as hardware-based solutions. It works well in most lighting conditions but may struggle in low-light environments.
Samsung Knox is a major advantage for users who prioritize security. It provides multi-layered protection, securing your data from malware and threats. The Secure Folder feature allows you to keep sensitive apps and files in a separate, encrypted space, further enhancing the security of your data.
Storage and Expandability
One of the benefits of the Galaxy M53 5G is its expandable storage option, which is becoming increasingly rare in modern smartphones.
- Internal Storage: 128GB / 256GB
- Expandable Storage: microSD, up to 1TB (shared SIM slot)
The base model comes with 128GB of internal storage, which should be more than sufficient for most users, but if you find yourself needing more space for apps, games, or multimedia files, the Galaxy M53 5G supports expandable storage via a microSD card. You can add up to 1TB of additional storage, making it a great option for users who store large amounts of data on their devices.
The use of a hybrid SIM slot means that if you choose to use dual SIM cards, you won’t be able to use the microSD card, but for users who only need a single SIM, this won’t be an issue.
Price and Competition
The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G is positioned as a mid-range smartphone, offering strong competition to other devices in this segment.
- Price Range: $350 – $400
- Competitors: OnePlus Nord 2T, Realme GT Master Edition, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE, Motorola Edge 20 Fusion
In this price range, the Galaxy M53 5G offers a balanced mix of performance, camera quality, and 5G connectivity, making it a compelling choice for users looking for a well-rounded device. However, it’s up against stiff competition, with devices like the OnePlus Nord 2T and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE offering similarly competitive specs and features.
OnePlus Nord 2T, for instance, comes with a more powerful Dimensity 1300 chipset, offering better gaming and performance capabilities, while the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE stands out for its lightweight design and AMOLED display. Realme GT Master Edition provides slightly better fast charging and a similar camera setup.
What sets the Galaxy M53 5G apart is Samsung’s reputation for delivering consistent software updates and security patches, as well as the reliability of One UI, which many users prefer over the more aggressive customizations found on phones from Xiaomi or Realme.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Superb Display: The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen with 120Hz refresh rate is bright, vibrant, and excellent for multimedia consumption.
- 5G Ready: Future-proof with multiple 5G bands, ensuring high-speed connectivity as networks evolve.
- 108MP Main Camera: High-resolution primary sensor offers excellent detail in daylight conditions.
- Expandable Storage: microSD support up to 1TB provides flexibility for users needing more storage.
- Long Battery Life: The 5000mAh battery ensures the phone can easily last a full day of heavy usage, with fast charging as a bonus.
- Samsung Knox: Comprehensive security features, including Knox and Secure Folder, for enhanced data protection.
Cons:
- Plastic Build: Although lightweight, the plastic frame and back don’t feel as premium as metal or glass.
- Average Macro Camera: The 2MP macro sensor doesn’t deliver standout performance.
- No Stereo Speakers: Competitors in this price range offer stereo speakers, which provide a better audio experience.
- No 3.5mm Jack: The absence of a headphone jack may be a deal-breaker for some users who still prefer wired audio.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy M53 5G is a well-rounded mid-range smartphone that offers a good balance of performance, display quality, camera versatility, and 5G connectivity. It’s an excellent choice for users who value a great display and solid camera performance while also appreciating Samsung’s reliable software experience.
Its biggest strengths lie in its 120Hz Super AMOLED Plus display, excellent battery life, and the 108MP main camera that can capture impressive photos in good lighting. While it faces strong competition from brands like OnePlus and Xiaomi, the Galaxy M53 5G holds its own thanks to Samsung’s software ecosystem, long-term updates, and the promise of 5G.
However, if you’re someone who prioritizes build quality, fast charging, or stereo speakers, you might want to consider alternatives. Still, for its price, the Galaxy M53 5G is a fantastic option for users who want a future-proof smartphone with solid all-around performance.