Now that the Samsung Galaxy S22 family is in the rearview mirror, the company has turned its attention to its mid-range devices. That means there’s a sequel to the popular, and genuinely impressive, Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. Predictably, it’s called the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and it comes with a few tweaks to improve upon the Galaxy A52 from 2021. It’s also paired with a Samsung Galaxy A33 5G sibling, both of which I’ve also tried out during our hands-on session, but only the A53 will be available in the US.

The price of the Galaxy A53 5G is the exact same as the Google Pixel 5a in the US at $449.99. That Pixel handset is arguably Samsung's biggest competition in this space. The combination of these two devices at this price point may continue to make this one of the most interesting segments of the mobile market.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G feels premium for a smartphone of this caliber, and the design is similar to what we’ve seen before. The camera bump is smoothed out with a design reminiscent of the Oppo Find X5 series. That means the camera bump exists, but it is a gradual incline rather than a sharp division. The phone itself isn’t particularly large in the hand, despite sporting a 6.5-inch screen. However, this may not be the phone for you if you’re looking for a handset that makes it easy to reach all four corners in one hand.

There are four colors to pick from, and they all use Samsung’s “Awesome” naming structure. These are Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue and Awesome Peach. I spent most of my time with the Blue and Peach pastel shades, which are by far the most interesting here. Editor’s Note: we were unable to take photos of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G at the hands-on event, so we’ve included Samsung’s own product imagery.

The phone is IP67 water and dust resistant, plus there’s Gorilla Glass 5 protection. That combination should make for a durable design if you knock or bump the phone. It isn’t the most eye-catching handset in the world, but it’s not ugly either. It sports everything you’d expect from a phone at this price, and the design is good enough for most. You could argue that the lack of design changes from the Galaxy A52 5G make this a boring choice. I'd argue this is some of Samsung's best design ever in the mid-range space, but I'd implore you to consider the more colorful options.

That 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display has a Full HD+ resolution, which in our very limited testing time seemed to be both clear and bright. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, which was the same on the Galaxy A52. This should ensure apps look buttery smooth under your finger. There’s also an in-screen fingerprint scanner, but I’ve yet to be able to test that out.

Inside the phone, you’ll find the Exynos 1280 chipset. That’s a change for Samsung as it usually includes Qualcomm chipsets in its Galaxy A series devices. The company has moved to its own Exynos tech for this generation, and we’ll be able to tell you more about how powerful it is during our upcoming full review. You’ll get 6GB of RAM here, and Samsung has yet to confirm whether there are other more powerful options.

The 6GB of RAM phone comes with 128GB of storage, plus microSD support up to 1TB. As the name suggests, there’s 5G connectivity right out of the box on the Galaxy A53 5G. There’s also a 5,000mAh battery, which is 500mAh bigger than the one included on the Galaxy A52 5G so we’re hoping for a slightly longer battery life. This phone also supports up to 25W wired fast-charging, but you’ll have to buy your own charger as Samsung has dropped the accessories from the box.

The camera sounds remarkably similar to the Galaxy A52 5G with a 64MP f/1.8 main shooter, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 5MP f/2.4 depth camera and a 5MP macro f/2.4 making up the rear system. On the front, you’ll find a 32MP camera inside the punch-hole at the top of the screen.

The Galaxy A53 5G comes running Android 12 software in the form of One UI 4.1. This is the same software we’ve seen debut on the Galaxy S22 series and is gradually making its way to a variety of recent Samsung phones.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G doesn’t have many outstanding features to justify an upgrade from the Galaxy A52 5G, but I also wouldn’t expect many customers to make that journey. Instead, Samsung seems to have gently improved its already impressive mid-range smartphone. You’ll want to wait for our full review to get a final verdict, but I believe the Galaxy A53 5G may be a powerful and reliable alternative to the Pixel 5A.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

Alongside the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, the company also unveiled its next addition to its slightly cheaper series in the form of the Galaxy A33. It features largely similar specs, but the camera isn’t as powerful, it only features a 90Hz display, and it's slightly smaller than its sibling at 6.4-inches. The phone is landing in markets such as the UK where it’ll cost £329, compared to the Galaxy A53 5G’s £399, so it may be a worthwhile option for some outside of the US.