If you're looking for a great Samsung phone that doesn't cost as much as a flagship device like a Galaxy S22+ (opens in new tab), the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy S21 FE are great choices. But is the Galaxy S21 FE really worth it over the Galaxy A53 5G? We compare these two budget-friendly phones (opens in new tab) to see which is better worth your hard-earned dollars.

Samsung Galaxy A53 vs. S21 FE: Design and display

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

Both the Galaxy A53 5G (opens in new tab) and Galaxy S21 FE (opens in new tab) are unmistakably modern Samsung devices on the outside. The large camera hump on the back is brought about gradually by curved sides, and the vertical orientation of the camera sensors is extremely similar between the two devices. However, the Galaxy S21 FE follows more closely to the style of the Galaxy S21 or S22, aligning it better with those premium phones.

Both phones sport a polycarbonate back with a powdery matte finish. Modern polycarbonate phones don't feel anything like the old shiny, greasy plastic that so many phone manufacturers — Samsung included — had used. The Galaxy S21 Fe's sides are a matte finish metal, while the Galaxy A53 5G sticks with a shiny trim, instead. Both Harish and myself tend to gravitate toward the matte edges as we both pointed out in our reviews of these phones.

Where we differ in our opinion is with the flat sides of the Galaxy A53 5G. Personally, I prefer the stockier, flatter sides of the Galaxy A53 5G, while the Galaxy S21 FE is a bit more rounded out.

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Samsung outfitted the Galaxy A53 5G with a slightly larger display — that's 6.5-inches versus the 6.4-inch display on the Galaxy S21 FE — but both phones sport a 120Hz refresh rate. They also both use Samsung's AMOLED display technology, so you can expect gorgeous colors, perfect black levels, and some of the best picture quality you'll find on any phone.

Samsung Galaxy A53 vs. S21 FE: Performance and battery life

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

This category is where the real differences lie. The Galaxy S21 FE delivers outstanding performance that's nearly double that of the Galaxy A53, and while the phone launched for twice the price, that is not true now. The S21 FE is just $150 more than the A53, and that makes it the best value that Samsung has to offer right now. 

The S21 FE features the exact same Snapdragon 888 chipset as the more expensive Galaxy S21, while the Galaxy A53 5G packs in Samsung's own Exynos 1280, a chip that was built for efficiency above all else.

That massive gulf in performance is going to make the biggest difference for power users and mobile gamers, who are going to be the most pleased with the faster phone — the Galaxy S21 FE. It also means that, thanks to the extra headroom, the Galaxy S21 FE is sure to achieve steady 120Hz at all times, while the lower-powered chipset in the Galaxy A53 5G goes down to 60Hz for games with intense graphics, and you'll see the occasional lag. 

But all that additional hardware might not be the thing for you, especially if you value battery life above all else. The Exynos 1280 inside the Galaxy A53 5G is a more energy-efficient chipset than the Snapdragon 888 because it doesn't run as fast. On top of that, the Galaxy A53 5G has a battery that's almost 10% larger than the Galaxy S21 FE.

At the end of a single day, you're absolutely going to need to charge the Galaxy S21 FE in order to use the phone again the next day. Power users might even need to top it up a bit before then on a particularly busy day. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A53 5G will have no problem getting through a full day no matter what you do, and many users will even find that they can get through a second day — or at least partly through that second day — before needing a top-up.

Samsung Galaxy A53 vs. S21 FE: Cameras and video

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Here's an area where the spec sheet doesn't give the full picture. On paper, the Galaxy A53 5G likely looks more impressive. It's 64MP main camera sensor is quite a bit higher resolution than the 12MP one found on the Galaxy S21 FE, and it's even got a fourth dedicated macro camera that might be attractive for certain kinds of close-up photos and videos.

However, in the case of cameras especially, numbers don't mean very much. While the Galaxy A53 5G takes some of the absolute best pictures in its price range, the Galaxy S21 FE handily beats its quality in every single situation. Part of this is due to the sensors themselves. While the Galaxy S21 FE's camera is lower resolution, it makes up for the difference by having physically larger pixels. This allows more light to enter the sensor — think big windows versus small windows in a house — resulting in less noisy, more detailed photos in every kind of light.

The Galaxy S21 FE also has a much more powerful processor — double the speed, roughly, of the Galaxy A53 5G — which is used for computational photography and smoothing out video during recording. When taking a photo, you will find that the Galaxy S21 FE can produce images with wider dynamic range and is more often able to capture moving objects with greater clarity.

The Galaxy S21 FE also has a 3X telephoto lens which helps keep things clear when zooming in. It's the same level of zoom detail you'll find on all Galaxy S models — the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra are the exceptions here — which helps add value to the phone any time you find yourself needing to digitally zoom into the frame.

Samsung Galaxy A53 vs. S21 FE: Which should you buy?

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

Both the Samsung Galaxy A53 and Galaxy S21 FE offer the "value phone" proposition, but only one actually comes across feeling like a truly stellar value. While we initially picked the Galaxy A53 because it was selling for half the price of the S21 FE, that situation has changed. 

The Galaxy A53 is retailing for $450, while the Galaxy S21 FE is discounted for $600. The $150 difference makes the S21 FE the much better choice of the two, and if you want a new Samsung phone right now, this is the one to buy. 

The Galaxy S21 FE is the better phone by nearly all measurements, and while the Galaxy A53 has better battery life, the S21 FE manages to last a full day without too much of an issue. The S21 FE takes gorgeous photos on par with the Galaxy S21 and S22, it is significantly faster in daily use, and the design feels more elegant.