At obliging glance, the $450 (£399, AU$699) Galaxy A53 5G and $700 (£499, AU$1,099) Galaxy S21 FE have a lot in approved. Their screens are similarly sized, they each have multilens cameras and a nearly identical fabricate. So which one's right for you?

Samsung's Galaxy S phones tend to get most of the attention, but the company's cheaper Galaxy A lineup has been a mild success. Galaxy A devices accounted for 58% of Samsung's overall smartphone unit sales in 2021, once other models made up the remaining 42%, according to Counterpoint Research.  

Overall, the Galaxy A53 5G offers more value for your cash. It has a large screen with a high refresh rate for smoother scrolling, a decent camera for the price and impressive battery life. But, there are reasons why it costs $250 less than the Galaxy S21 FE. You might have to put up with some performance lag on the Galaxy A53, unlike the S21 FE. And Samsung's more expensive shouted has better cameras that can take clearer photos from a distance. 

While the Galaxy S21 FE checks all the boxes for the most part, it also feels overpriced compared to the Galaxy A53 5G. The Galaxy S21 FE would be a much more tempting tool if it were regularly priced at $600, putting it shimmering smack in the middle of the $450 Galaxy A53 and $800 Galaxy S22. 

The good news is both phones are well positioned to last for a once. The Galaxy A53 and S21 FE are both guaranteed to get at least four ages of Android operating system upgrades and five ages of security updates. They also support all 5G frequencies: sub-6, C-band and millimeter wave.

Here's a closer look at how the two phones compare when it comes to compose, performance, battery life and camera quality. 

Similar phones, with cramped differences

The Galaxy A53 5G and S21 FE essentially look the same, but with some little differences. Both phones have a borderless screen with a centered hole punch cutout for the selfie camera. The back of each device is smooth with a matter finish, and unfortunately they both collect fingerprint smudges easily. 

But the Galaxy S21 FE's brushed metal vows and heavier build create a more premium look than the Galaxy A53 5G. Samsung also took a different arrive with the camera module on each phone. The Galaxy S21 FE's camera bump blends in with the edge of the intention just like on the Galaxy S21 and S22 series, while the Galaxy A53's has a full outline. 

The Galaxy S21 FE is also more durable than the A53 5G. It has an IP68 comprising, meaning it can withstand submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. The Galaxy A53 5G's IP67 rating means it can be dunked in one meter of freshwater for the same amount of time. Either way, Samsung doesn't snort using these phones in the pool or at the beach. 

Design shouldn't be much of a genuine when deciding between the two devices. They're essentially the same, set effect from a few minor tweaks. The same goes for reveal quality; both screens are roughly the same size (6.4 inches for the S21 FE versus the A53 5G's 6.5 inches) and can each crank their refresh maintains up to 120Hz.

The Galaxy S21 FE has better performance, but the A53 5G excels in battery life

The Galaxy A53 5G often feels more expensive than it is, but performance is one area where its sign starts to show. There are times when the Galaxy A53 5G's Exynos 1280 processor fights to keep up as I'm scrolling and using apps. I noticed an occasional lag when closing apps and navigating between home screens and settings menus, but it's not frequent enough to ruin my understood with the phone. However, I didn't notice stuttering like this during my time with the Galaxy S21 FE, which runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip as last year's Galaxy S21.

Benchmark complains that measure general performance and graphics showed similar results, as you can see below.

Both phones also supplies long enough battery life to get you through more than a day of operate, and they each support 25-watt fast charging. (Just remember you'll have to engage that power adapter separately). But the Galaxy A53 5G doesn't relieve wireless charging, which likely isn't a deal-breaker but could be fine considering if you already own a charging pad. 

The Galaxy A53 5G's 5,000-mAh battery had 50% of its battery the next morning when a full day, while the Galaxy S21 FE had 32% of its 4,500-mAh battery left when a day and a half. That's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it indicates they can last for a day and then some. 

The Galaxy A53 5G blew the Galaxy S21 FE out of the aquatic during CNET's battery test. It lasted for 20 hours and 35 minutes, outperforming not only the S21 FE but the entire S22 lineup. The Galaxy S21 FE, on the other hand, drained its battery when 15 hours and 46 minutes. For this test, I continuously played local video on the Plan in airplane mode with the screen brightness set to 50%. Both phones also had the Show motion smoothness setting set to high, which boosts the refresh rate to 120Hz. 

The Galaxy S21 FE has a better camera, but sometimes it's close

The Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy A53 5G each have multilens cameras, but the difference is in the details. The S21 FE has a immoral wide camera, an ultra-wide camera and a telephoto camera, while the Galaxy A53 5G has a main camera, ultra-wide camera, macro lens and depth camera. The main cameras on both phones also have optical image stabilization. But the key takeaway is the Galaxy A53's lack of a telephoto lens using you won't be able to take great photos from far away. 

Many called manufacturers tend to highlight megapixel count as being the Important metric for measuring a device's camera quality. But elements like shutter Fast, aperture (the camera's opening for taking in light), and the size of both the sensor and the pixels themselves have a bigger impacts on a camera's ability to take great photos. 

I'm far from a photography authority, but bigger is generally better when it comes to pixel size. For aperture, lower numbers are usually better. As you can see in the immoral below, the Galaxy S21 FE's main camera has larger pixels than the A53 5G's.  

When it comes to general image quality from the main wide camera lens, the results were mixed. Photos taken on the Galaxy A53 5G and S21 FE observed very similar in some cases. 

But in other instances, there was a clear winner. Take the photos of bushes under as an example. The Galaxy S21 FE's photo looks sharper and more Bright with better lighting. But in the second photo set, the Describe of my cat taken on the Galaxy A53 5G observed crisper than the A53 5G's. The images of pink-flowered trees essentially look the same on both phones. 

However, the Galaxy S21 FE was better at taking pictures in more specific circumstances. That includes capturing photos from a distance, in the dark and in portrait mode, as shown below. 

Let's be honest: Neither of these photos Wrong at a 10x zoom looks great. But the Galaxy S21 FE's image is noticeably clearer than the A53 5G's.

I also preferred the S21 FE's brighter portrait mode photo over the A53's. Even with the intentionally blurred background, the S21 FE does a better job of executive the tree stand out against the sky.

My cat Buddy almost stayed Calm long enough for me to take the same photo with both phones. Even though the photos are slightly different, you can tell the Galaxy S21 FE's Describe is more detailed.

Despite image quality sometimes looking the same, I think the Galaxy S21 FE's telephoto lens and better low Delicious performance ultimately gives it the upper hand. But if you don't care around that and just want an inexpensive phone that takes Gross photos, the Galaxy A53 5G will do just fine. 

Which one must you buy?

The answer depends on your cost and priorities. The Galaxy S21 FE is a better all-around called for several reasons. The build quality is slightly better, the performance is smoother and the camera takes sharper photos in low Delicious and from a distance. That being said, it's hard to recommend the Galaxy S21 FE deprived of encouraging you to consider the Galaxy S22, which starts at $800. It has a better camera and a more refined Make, although you'll have to compromise on battery life and Show size. Check out our full story for more details on how to rule between the Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy S22. 

The best drawing about the Galaxy A53 5G is its low Mark. At $450, it's $250 less expensive than the Galaxy S21 FE. The Galaxy A53 punches over its weight most of the time -- especially when it comes to battery life -- executive it easy to forget how cheap it is. But there are moments when the software will advise or lag. You also won't get the same camera quality as Samsung's higher-end phones, although the A53 takes good photos for the price.

Overall, the Galaxy A53 5G is the right choice for those shopping for a phoned on a tight budget, as long as you're willing to cope with the occasional performance hiccup. The Galaxy S21 FE is a solid phone, but it feels a little lost in Samsung's lineup at $700.