I think Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G is better value than the iPhone SE 2022

(Image credit: Samsung)

published 18 March 2022

Samsung's newly announced A Series phones don't just look like they'll be among the best Android phones of 2022. It looks like they'll be among the best phones full stop. The £329 / AU$599 Galaxy A33 5G and the £399 / AU$699 Galaxy A53 5G deliver lots of quality features for very affordable prices, and I'm really impressed by what Samsung is offering here.

Of the two, I think the A53 is the one to buy: its better screen may not be a must-have – the one in the A33 is pretty good too – but it's definitely a nice-to-have, and it has better cameras too.

What's so great about the new Galaxy A Series?

When you compare the new Galaxy phones to the equally new iPhone SE 2022 5G they look considerably more modern. That's because while the SE continues with the big bezel and Touch ID design going back to the iPhone 4, the A Series look very like the Samsung Galaxy S22, edge to edge screen, hole-punch selfie camera and all. And unlike the Samsungs, none of the iPhone SE colours are called Awesome.

The A33 and A53 are very similar phones, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage as standard, octa-core processors and fast charging. But where the screen on the A33 is a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED with a 90Hz refresh rate, the A53 gets a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED with 120Hz refresh.

The cameras differ too. Both phones get five cameras; the A33 has an 8MP ultra-wide, a 48MP main camera, a 2MP depth camera and a 5MP macro camera along with a 13MP selfie camera round the front. But the A53's ultra-wide is 12MP, its main is 64MP and its depth camera is 5MP, and the selfie shooter is 32MP.

I honestly think if I weren't already so invested in Apple's ecosystem, I'd pick the A53 over the iPhone SE 3: they feel like they're going after two different markets here, with Apple looking after people who liked the iPhone 4 and never wanted Apple to change it and Samsung going more for people who like the Galaxy S22 but can't or won't rustle up that much cash. These are very impressive phones, and when the inevitable Samsung phone deals and discounts kick in they're going to be even more affordable too.

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).