• 

  Samsung Galaxy A53

  Smooth 120Hz on a budget

  The Galaxy A53 continues the incredibly successful Samsung mid-range line with a follow-up that isn't all the better than the A52. This phone nails the display and software experience thanks to its long support life, but the Exynos chip and removal of the headphone jack may put off A52 owners.

  Pros

  • 120Hz display
  • Longer software support

  Cons

  • Lackluster performance
  • Disappointing cameras

  $450 at Samsung $450 at Best Buy $450 at Amazon

• 

  Google Pixel 6a

  Pixel perfect pictures

  $250 $450 Save $200

  The Pixel 6a is everything you could hope for in a budget device — outstanding performance, an excellent camera, and day-long battery life. After the disappointment of the 5a, seeing the 6a burst out of the gate with Tensor and a competitive price point worldwide was a relief.

  Pros

  • Tensor performance
  • Pixel picture processing

  Cons

  • Fewer software updates
  • 60Hz display

  $250 at Best Buy $300 at Amazon $300 at Google

Even though the Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy A54 5G have been released, the Pixel 6a and Galaxy A53 still provide impressive value, as the mid-rangers of last year become available at a budget price this year. These phones were among the best budget Android phones of 2022, but which one should you choose for 2023?

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is available now, unlocked directly from Samsung, as well as through Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and others for an RRP of $450. Google sells the Pixel 6a directly for $449, and Verizon carries a $499 version that supports mmWave. It's also available through Amazon, Google Fi, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Best Buy.

Now that we're in 2023, both phones see regular discounts. The Galaxy A53 can often be had for $200-300, while the Pixel 6a can often be had for the ridiculous price of $250 if you buy it unlocked and activate it through Best Buy. If you are looking at one of these devices in 2023, make sure you get a good deal.

While Samsung phones are available in a wide range of markets, the Pixel 6a is only available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. That's a marked improvement over the Pixel 5a, which was available exclusively in the US and Japan.

• 	Samsung Galaxy A53	Google Pixel 6a
  SoC	Exynos 1280	Google Tensor
  Display	6.5" 1080p OLED, 120Hz	6.1” 2400x1080 (20:9) 60Hz OLED
  RAM	6GB	6GB
  Storage	128GB, expandable by MicroSD (up to 1TB)	128GB
  Battery	5,000mAh	4,400mAh
  Ports	1x USB Type-C	1x USB Type-C
  Operating System	Android 13 with One UI 5.1	Android 13
  Front camera	32MP f/2.2	8MP f/2.0 IMX355 84°FOV
  Connectivity	5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC	5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
  Dimensions	159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1mm, 189g	152.2mm x 71.8mm x 8.9mm, 178g
  Colors	Awesome Black, Awesome Blue, Awesome White, Awesome Peach	Sage (green), Chalk (white), Charcoal (black)
  IP Rating	IP67	IP67

Android and security updates

Both phones have good update commitments from their manufacturers, and so far, both have been living up to the promises made. The Pixel 6a received Android 13 in August 2022 alongside the other Pixels, and the Galaxy A53 followed suit in November, with both phones slated for Android 14 upgrades later this year. In addition, both phones are guaranteed security patches for five years from their release date, but while the Pixel 6a will end its support life on Android 15, the A53 will see the fourth update to Android 16, just like the Samsung Galaxy S22 series.

Display

Samsung's mid-range phones all have great displays relative to their price, and the Samsung Galaxy A53 is no exception: it's got a vibrant 1080p OLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The Pixel 6a's screen is also a 1080p OLED display; however, it has a lower refresh rate: just 60Hz. It's capable of showing half as many still frames per second — 60 to the A53's 120 — which means motion won't look as smooth on the Pixel.

While we'd argue that you should get a comparable spec for the money, a lot of people don't care or notice the difference in the refresh rate. However, they will notice poor viewing angles and color uniformity on the 6a display. The Galaxy A53 has a better display, hands down.

Performance and connectivity

The Snapdragon 7xx series chips found in the A52 5G and A52s were great performers, and those phones feel as smooth today as they did when they launched last year. The A53, on the other hand, uses one of Samsung's Exynos chipsets, and the difference is noticeable. It's usable for a mid-range phone, but compared to the Pixel 6a and the phone that came before it, there are more stutters and hitches than there should be. Meanwhile, the 6a uses the same first-generation Tensor SoC as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but with slightly less RAM. Tensor might not offer class-leading performance compared to the flagships the 6 and 6 Pro compete with, but it blows everything out of the water at the $450 price point. Getting all of Google's AI smarts at full speed for this price is incredible.

Both phones come with 5G support, though neither competes among the best 5G phones. The Galaxy A53 works with sub-6 and ultra-fast mmWave, but the Pixel 6a isn't so cut and dry. The unlocked version that'll sell for $449 supports regular ol' sub-6 5G; only the Verizon-branded variant, which costs $50 extra, supports mmWave. That's kind of annoying, but mmWave is still limited in functionality and availability, so it's irrelevant to most people. Another thing to note is that while the Pixel 6a has Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth 5.2, the Galaxy A53 only has Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. Those might seem like minor differences, but Wi-Fi 6 is gaining more popularity now, and the 6a will age better as we upgrade our routers and eventually get new Bluetooth devices that can make full use of 5.2.

Cameras

Before the official unveiling, we optimistically hoped the Pixel 6a would see some major camera upgrades over the Pixel 5a. Turns out, it didn't. The 6a has the same 12-megapixel primary camera sensor. Google's been using that sensor for a long time, though, and it can produce some great photos — ones that can compete with recent flagships. The 6a's ultra-wide camera uses the same sensor as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, which is good but not great.

The Galaxy A53 has a higher-resolution main camera (50 whole megapixels!) and more cameras overall thanks to its spec sheet-padding macro and depth shooters, but the phone takes pretty average photos for a mid-range device. The Pixel 6a might not have the best camera hardware, but Google's software gives it the edge here — the 6a takes better photos and video. Google should get a pat on the back here. In this segment of the market, throwing on useless macro and depth cameras just to say you have more lenses is rife, as with the A53, but Google does the right thing and sticks to two lenses you'll actually want to use.

Battery life and charging

At 5,000 milliamp hours, the Samsung Galaxy A53 has a considerably larger battery than the Pixel 6a. Google's new phone only manages to pack in 4,410 hours. Also, the A53 has great battery life, easily lasting 48 hours on a charge with lighter use. The Pixel 6a is about the same. In our review, we saw about six hours of screen time across two days before the battery conked out. That's not as impressive as the Pixel 5a's marathon longevity, but neither phone should cause much battery anxiety.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 charges at up to 25 watts with compatible USB-C chargers, while the Pixel 6a can hit 18 watts. Neither supports wireless charging.

Which is right for you?

The Pixel 6a is the easiest phone to recommend. The performance from its first-gen Tensor chip punches well above its weight and leaves the mediocre Exynos-powered A53 at a major disadvantage. Likewise, the cameras are magnificent, even beating the Pixel 7 Pro in MKBHD's blind camera comparison. The Pixel 6a is precisely what we hoped it would be, and it still is an excellent option in 2023.

The Galaxy A53 isn't a total bust, though. While it struggles with heavy tasks, performance is okay for most things, and the 120Hz display is much nicer to use than the 60Hz panel found on the Pixel. The Pixel will always be our recommendation, but if you demand a smooth display and can get the A53 at a heavy discount, it might be worth your time.