A massive price cut places the Motorola Edge (2021) right in the same price bracket as the Galaxy A53 5G, but will this be enough to sway buyers?
The Galaxy A53 5G and Motorola Edge (2021) are priced at $450
The Galaxy A53 5G is one of the top mid-range smartphones available for purchase in the United States, although there are a few contenders in the same price range, such as the Pixel 5a 5G on the Android side and the iPhone SE 3 for those who want an iPhone. Another option to consider is the Motorola Edge (2021), which previously didn't fall under the same price class but is now worth looking at, thanks to a price cut.
The Motorola Edge family is extensive, with several models, some of which go by the same name in different markets but have different specifications. Yet, some models have different names in different markets but have the same specifications. An example is the Motorola Edge 30 Pro flagship sold in the United States as the Motorola Edge + (2022).
When Motorola announced the Edge (2021) in August 2021, it carried a price tag of $699. Less than a year later, Motorola slashed it down to $449, the same amount Samsung is asking for the Galaxy A53 5G. Both phones are distinct in terms of their appearance. The Motorola Edge (2021) has a protruding triple camera array on its plastic back. It doesn't hide a fingerprint scanner underneath despite carrying the familiar Motorola batwing logo on the back. Gorilla Glass protects the display in front, and the phone has an IP52 rating which means it will survive use under the rain but not complete water immersion. The Galaxy A53 5G, on the other hand, has a quad rear camera setup arranged on a rectangular island. It also has a plastic back but an IP67 rating (will survive in up to 1m in water for 30 minutes). Samsung U.S. sells the Galaxy A53 5G in Black even though it launched in four colors, while users can purchase the Motorola Edge (2021) in Nebula Blue.
The Motorola Edge (2021) has a 144Hz refresh rate
The display is the first striking difference between both phones. The Motorola Edge rocks a massive 6.8-inch FHD+ LCD panel with a centered punch hole for a 32MP selfie camera. In addition, it has a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. In contrast, the Galaxy A53 5G has a smaller 6.5-inch screen, but it is an AMOLED panel which means the colors should be better. It also has a 32MP camera in its notch, a 120Hz refresh rate, and support for HDR10. In addition, under the hood of the Galaxy A53 5G is the 5nm Exynos 1280 (along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage) which isn't as powerful as the 6nm Snapdragon 778G Motorola has put inside its phone. On top of that, the Edge has more RAM and storage — 8GB and 256GB, respectively — but misses out on a MicroSD card slot present on the Galaxy A53 5G.
For the rear cameras, the Motorola Edge has a 108MP primary sensor that lacks optical image stabilization (OIS), an 8MP 119° ultrawide angle camera that can also shoot macro photos, and a 2MP depth sensor. The Galaxy A53 5G has a lower resolution 64MP primary camera, but it has OIS. It also has a sharper 12MP ultrawide angle camera, a dedicated 5MP camera for shooting macro images, and a 5MP depth camera. The two phones have a fingerprint scanner, but it sits under the Galaxy A53 5G display, while the Motorola Edge has its own on the right-hand side, doubling as the power button. Neither phones have an audio jack, but the Galaxy A53 5G has stereo speakers, whereas the Motorola Edge 2021 has just one. There is also NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 (5.1 on the Samsung), dual-band Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6E on the Motorola Edge), and a single SIM slot for the U.S model.
It is not uncommon to find big batteries on mid-range phones, and the Galaxy A53 5G and Motorola Edge (2021) are no exceptions as both have a 5000mAh battery capacity. However, Samsung's phone supports 25W fast charging and doesn't come with a charger, while Motorola's device supports 30W fast charging and ships with a 30W power brick in the box. On the software side, Samsung gets the Edge, shipping its phone with Android 12 and promising 4 OS upgrades and five years of security updates. In contrast, the Motorola (Edge 2021) launched with Android 11 with a promise of two OS upgrades and three years of security updates. Motorola has released Android 12, so the Android 13 upgrade will be its last.
Folks who prefer a clean UI will find Motorola's My UX, which is close to stock Android, satisfies that need. Even more interesting is the 'Ready For' feature, which has several functions, one of which is a desktop interface when connected to an external display such as a monitor. In addition, Samsung is selling the Galaxy A53 5G with a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live earbuds worth over $100, alongside other freebies.
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