Update: AT&T and Cricket Wireless revealed the phone's pricing and availability details.
What you need to know
- Samsung has announced the Galaxy A53 5G, its latest mid-range phone.
- The device offers a longer Android OS and security support period than its predecessor.
- It will be available starting March 31 for a base price of $450 via Samsung, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.
Samsung today announced new members of its Galaxy A-series phones: the Galaxy A53 5G and the Galaxy A13 LTE. Of course, the former is the main star of the show, offering quite a few upgrades over its predecessor at a lower launch price than the Galaxy A52 5G.
The Galaxy A53 will be available to purchase for $450 in the U.S. starting March 31 via Samsung's online storefront as well as T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. It'll also be up for grabs through various retailers from April 1.
For that price, you'll get a super smooth display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a longer-lasting battery, a quad-camera system on the back, and more. The phone sports a 6.5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display with up to 800 nits of brightness, allowing you to see the screen clearly even in direct sunlight.
Samsung also packed a 5nm-based octa-core chipset (dual 2.4GHz plus hexa 2GHz), though it didn't specify the exact processor powering the device. Under the hood, it includes 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage that's expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card slot.
The phone also boasts a 64MP main camera sensor on the back, aided by a 12MP ultra-wide sensor and two 5MP depth/macro sensors. On the front, it has a 32MP selfie camera.
What this all means is that Samsung's latest challenger to the best budget Android phones generally has the same set of specs as last year's model.
However, it has a bigger 5,000mAh battery that Samsung claims can keep the phone running for up to 2 days. That said, your mileage may vary. It also supports 25W fast charging capabilities.
The Galaxy A53 runs One UI 4.1 (Android 12) out of the box, including Samsung Knox. That said, unlike its predecessor, the new device will get 4 years of Android OS upgrades, just like many of Samsung's recent flagship phones, including the Galaxy S22 series.
Samsung also promised 5 years of software security updates for its latest mid-ranger.
But those aren't the only flagship-level perks Samsung revealed for the handset: it also baked some of the camera features from its Galaxy S lineup into the Galaxy A53. Among these are the Photo Remaster and Object Eraser tools. The latter is similar to the Google Pixel 6's Magic Eraser in that it removes photobombers in the background.
Other features include an IP67 rating to withstand the elements and Samsung Knox. Preorders start today, and doing so can get you a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for free.
Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy A13 LTE debuted alongside the A53, though details are limited at the moment. It will be available on April 8.
Update March 17, 2022 9:17pm
The Galaxy A53 5G will be available for purchase via AT&T and Cricket Wireless' physical and online stores from April 1. Fortunately for Cricket customers, the phone costs only $410.
