Samsung’s budget-friendly $449 Galaxy A53 5G is official

Samsung announced the Galaxy A53 5G at its Galaxy A Event on Thursday. As its name indicates, the A53 5G is part of Samsung's A-series line that combines different price points with varying capabilities.

At $449, the A53 5G packs in features that would typically be reserved for more expensive phones at a fraction of the cost.

Its spec sheet reads like a high-end phone, at least. More specifically, the A53 5G has a 6.5-inch FHD AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There are four rear-facing cameras, including a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 64-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel depth camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera.

On the front is a 32-megapixel camera for taking selfies and video calling.

Inside the A53 5G is 6GB of memory, 128GB of storage, with microSD card support for up to 1TB of additional storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. Samsung's Exynos 1280 octa-core processor powers the Android 12 device that comes with Samsung's One UI 4.1 interface.

There's a 5,000mAh battery that Samsung claims will last two days, along with 5G, LTE, WiFi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 5.1. The A53 5G has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for added protection and is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance.

Earlier this year, Samsung announced its commitment to four years of OS and security updates for select Galaxy devices. The A53 5G is among the list of eligible phones, giving users access to the latest software and security features.

Samsung is taking preorders for the A53 5G right now, with the phone officially launching on March 31. T-Mobile and Verizon will carry the phone starting March 31, while AT&T and Samsung will have it a whole day later, on April 1.

If you

preorder the A53 5G from Samsung

before the end of the month you'll also get a free pair of Samsung's Buds Live wireless earbuds.

Another small announcement Samsung made during the event is that Galaxy A13 LTE will launch soon for $189. It's the LTE-only version of The A13 5G and will be carried by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. You can purchase it starting April 8.