Samsung’s iPhone SE 3 rival hasn’t been announced yet but it’s already available

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
A Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (Image credit: TechRadar)

Samsung has a launch planned on March 17 for a new range of Galaxy A phones, but one of the device that we’ll likely see there has already gone on sale and it looks like it could be a real alternative to the iPhone SE 3.

Despite not having been announced yet, the Samsung Galaxy A53 is available to buy now in Kenya, Vietnam and Serbia. That limited availability means you probably won’t yet find it in your local phone emporium, but this does mean that we know exactly what specs the handset offers.

Those include a 6.52-inch screen, the as-yet-unannounced Exynos 1200 chipset, a 4,500mAh battery, a 64MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide one, a 5MP macro one, and a 5MP depth sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is also listed as having a 32MP front-facing camera, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 5G support. You can also get a look at the phone in the unboxing video below.

On paper those sound like a solid mid-range assortment of specs, and indeed this is likely to be a fairly cheap phone, with its price in Kenya being KSH 45,500 (around $400 / £300 / AU$550). Price conversions won’t be accurate, but it might land for something in that ballpark.

That would mean it massively undercuts the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S22 as you’d expect, yet the Galaxy A53 still packs a quad-lens camera, a decent amount of RAM, and 5G, so this could end up being a good alternative for buyers on a budget.


Analysis: Samsung’s iPhone SE 3 alternative

The Samsung Galaxy A53 could also work as an alternative to the iPhone SE 3 for buyers who’d prefer an Android phone.

Based on the prices above, it’s likely to cost a similar amount if not slightly less, as the iPhone SE 3 starts at $429 / £419 / AU$719.

Apple’s phone has a faster chipset, but it only has one rear camera, a likely smaller battery, less RAM, a more dated design, and half as much storage in its starting size. It also has a smaller screen (which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you want).

Indeed, the screen size difference means the Samsung Galaxy A53 won’t appeal to fans of compact phones in the way the iPhone SE 3 will, but both handsets have solid specs, 5G, and a mid-range price, so on that front they could be real competitors.

Via GSMArena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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