It wasn’t long ago that we saw an A53 5G on these pages. Samsung has taken to echoing the same naming across its A and M series so right on cue, we now have an M53 5G.
The M series is typically less expensive than the A equivalent; it’s for those looking for a decent Samsung phone without breaking the bank, though Samsung aims for everything that “Gen Z” .
The M53 5G has the same design style as many other Samsung phones. It’s flat with slightly curved corners, and quite thin and light. The back is a stylised polycarbonate that looks pretty good, especially in the olive green tone I have for review. It attractively bounces the light. The camera square is, as ever, prominent and there’s nothing else but the Samsung logo to disturb the back.
The fingerprint sensor is on the power button and works fine. The 3.5mm jack does not make a comeback on this device. It does, however, have a microSDXC card slot. The battery is 5,000mAh with 25W charging. There is no charger in the box, so add just over ₹1,500 to the price.
There’s a bright, richly coloured display. It’s the standard 6.7 inches but has all the brilliance of a Samsung display. It features the 120Hz refresh rate (no adaptive business). I couldn’t get rid of the Glance option on this phone, so I got different content whenever I woke the screen up; in the process, I was treated to a splendid feast of colour. The screen is also entirely sunlight friendly.
The M53 runs on the 6nm MediaTek MT6877 Dimensity 900, a platform used by several phones in this segment these days. It’s paired with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. This phone is reasonably fast and well suited to everyday tasks, and handles some gaming without heating. Performance is good for the specs. Android 12 and Samsung’s excellent OneUI 4.1 work in tandem to provide a smooth ride. There’s plenty of bloatware entirely unworthy of this brand.
The cameras include a 108MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro plus a 2MP depth. The front camera is, predictably, a 32MP shooter. The cameras are nice for a mid-range phone. The camera app has all the features you find on the more expensive phones, so you have plenty of stuff to play with and video to shoot.
The M53 5G is pitted against the OnePlus’ Nord CE 2. The two have almost the same specs, with just a few differences in the cameras and battery size since the screen size is smaller. There’s also a difference in charging tech.
The Nord CE2 starts at ₹21,999 at the moment while the M53 5G costs ₹23,999 and ₹25,999.