Galaxy A53 5G Review with One UI 5.0 Update (Android 13): Improved Performance, Over 10 Hours of Battery Life!

At the end of November, Samsung officially rolled out the One UI 5.0 update for the Galaxy A series. Of course, I've updated my Galaxy A53 to the latest version, and after a few days of experience, I can address some common questions about the device's performance and battery life. Let's dive into the review of the Galaxy A53 5G with the One UI 5.0 update in the article below!

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What's New with Galaxy A53 One UI 5.0 Update? Any Bugs?

On the evening of October 31, Samsung released the One UI 5.0 update (based on Android 13) for the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra in the Vietnamese market. After a month, One UI 5.0 is also updated on the Galaxy A series. If you want to explore many interesting changes in the latest One UI, you can check out the What's New in One UI 5.0 article for reference!

• Visually Appealing and Smoother Design

Similar to the Galaxy S Series, the Galaxy A53 features new iconic designs and illustrations. In my review, these icons have become more visually appealing, soft, and user-friendly. As for the touch response, it's smooth, and I no longer feel any stutter or lag.

• Home Screen Widgets

Many of you might find scattered and cluttered widget icons annoying. Fortunately, with One UI 5.0, you can now group widgets together for easy handling, making the home screen look much neater.

I'll highlight some prominent features that most of you will notice on One UI 5.0. Throughout my usage, I haven't encountered overheating or any issues, so my initial assessment is that One UI 5.0 is smooth and improved!

Is the performance of Galaxy A53 improved with One UI 5.0 update?

• Performance Score of Galaxy A53 with One UI 5.0 Update

During the initial usage of Galaxy A53 with the One UI 5.0 update, my experience has been quite satisfying. The device doesn't exhibit any lag or heating issues in the past few days. To provide a more accurate assessment, I'll use specialized benchmarking software like PCMark, GeekBench 5, and 3DMark Wild Life to evaluate the performance of Galaxy A53 after the One UI 5.0 update. Before sharing the results, let's quickly overview the conditions for scoring:

• The device's battery must be between 90 - 100% (battery below 90% will affect the device's performance).
• Avoid charging the battery during the benchmarking process.
• Conduct 3 tests and calculate the average result after 3 consecutive tests.

Starting with the single/multi-core and GPU Compute tests in Geekbench 5, the scores achieved by Galaxy A53 are impressive, competing well with other devices in the same range. Of course, for a more accurate assessment, we still need to compare it with the pre-One UI 5.0 performance. When I benchmarked both versions, the difference was noticeable but not significant. Specifically, in the GPU Compute test, One UI 4.1 scored 2,412, while One UI 5.0 increased to 2,611. This indicates Samsung's excellent optimization with One UI 5.0.

- GeekBench 5 (GPU Compute):

• One UI 4.1: 2,412 points.
• One UI 5.0: 2,611 points.

- GeekBench 5 (Single-Core/Multi-Core)

• One UI 4.1: 743 points / 1,860 points.
• One UI 5.0: 703 points / 1,913 points.

Next is the PCMark test to assess the processing capability of the Exynos 1280 chip on the Galaxy A53 with the One UI 5.0 update. This time, the Galaxy A53 scored 12,311, compared to 11,705 points before the update. It demonstrates that the image processing capability of the Galaxy A53 on One UI 5.0 has been optimized remarkably, resulting in an impressive score.

Moving on to the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test (evaluating moderate graphics processing), the Galaxy A53 with the One UI 5.0 update achieved a total score of 637 with an average FPS of 3.80. Comparing this version to One UI 4.1 (1632 total points with an average FPS of 637) shows a minimal difference in handling light graphics. With such a light test, the Exynos 1280 seems to handle it comfortably, as the device's temperature remains stable (31 degrees Celsius), and the battery retains 92% capacity.

An essential highlight in this performance rating is the graphics-intensive test called 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. For those who may have forgotten, this test repeats 20 times to assess the device's performance over an extended period (such as gaming, video editing, etc.) to determine stability. The result, shown below, pay attention to the Stability metric!

Looking at the result table above, we easily observe that the Galaxy A53 with the One UI 5.0 update exhibits exceptional stability, bordering on perfection with a score of 99.5%. However, One UI 4.1 also performed admirably, maintaining stability at 99.5%. I evaluate this result as truly excellent, whether in the present or the past. This is evident in the minimal difference between the highest loop score and the lowest loop score (643 - 640 = 3 points), which was also 3 points in the previous version. The most surprising aspect is the increase in the Galaxy A53's temperature during the test, rising by a substantial 7 degrees Celsius (30 degrees Celsius - 37 degrees Celsius), while the device remained relatively cool in the 4.1 version. It suggests that the device still needs a bit more time to optimize further.

Based on the results, I can say that the Galaxy A53 with the One UI 5.0 update has been well optimized, and the experience is smoother. The graphics processing capability has improved slightly, but in my opinion, the difference compared to the predecessor version is not significant.

• Gaming experience on Galaxy A53 after One UI 5.0 update

Like many other young gamers, I also have a strong passion for gaming, whether it's on mobile, PC, or console. So, no matter which device I use, I download a lot of games. For the Galaxy A53, I downloaded four titles: Play Together, PUBG Mobile, Call Of Duty Mobile, and Arena of Valor. While still on the predecessor version, One UI 4.1, the Galaxy A53 already provided a great gaming experience with suitable graphics settings. After updating to One UI 5.0, this hasn't changed much, but the feeling is smoother, more stable, and cooler.

For the most accurate perspective, I ran a Perfdog test on the One UI 5.0 updated Galaxy A53 and captured all the results here. In a quick summary, with three games—Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, and Call Of Duty Mobile—I'm quite pleased. The average FPS consistently hovers around 55-60 FPS, even in intense combat scenarios where the device performs exceptionally well. However, due to the unstable network conditions, FPS drops are quite noticeable, affecting the overall gaming experience. I've recorded a video for everyone to check out as well!

Play Together, the final game, exhibits occasional FPS drops and increases on the One UI 5.0 updated Galaxy A53. Despite no noticeable heat, there are intermittent frame skips, but with reduced frequency, providing a satisfactory gaming experience.

Recently, with a busy schedule, my gaming sessions on the One UI 5.0 updated Galaxy A53 have decreased. Nevertheless, each gaming session remains satisfying. For basic tasks like watching YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, browsing, or streaming on Netflix, the device exhibits smooth processing.

Does the Galaxy A53 One UI 5.0 update drain the battery?

A crucial concern after updating to a new version is whether the phone experiences increased battery consumption. To address this, I conducted a battery test on the Galaxy A53 updated to One UI 5 to evaluate its battery life. The test followed specific conditions from The Gioi Di Dong, including:

• Experience 4 rotating tasks: Play Liên Quân (configured as in the gaming experience section), watch YouTube, scroll through Facebook, and use Google Chrome.
• Each task runs for 1 hour.
• Brightness: 100%, Refresh rate: 120 Hz.
• External speaker on with 50% volume.
• WiFi on with social media notifications.
• No power-saving mode, adaptive brightness, GPS, or Bluetooth.
• Test from 100% to 0%.
• Battery status: 100%.

The results obtained are as follows:

As you can see in the results, despite the demanding conditions, the Galaxy A53 with One UI 5.0 update offers an impressive battery life, lasting for just over 10 hours (10 hours 10 minutes), slightly surpassing One UI 4.1 (9 hours 56 minutes). This extended usage time brings great satisfaction, highlighting the device's emphasis on battery performance.

Therefore, if you are considering purchasing the Galaxy A53 now or contemplating whether to upgrade to One UI 5.0, I believe the device will provide a satisfying companion throughout your busy day.

Summary

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the One UI 5.0 update on the Galaxy A53. Everything, from the usage experience to the device's performance, feels smooth and cool.

So, what do you think about One UI 5.0? Leave your comments below for me and everyone to know! Thank you for your interest and following my article.

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