Galaxy A53 users looking for an upgrade might be thinking that the new Galaxy A55 is the only logical choice, but that's not entirely true. Although the Galaxy A55 is a better phone and a worthy sequel, A53 users shouldn't overlook the lower-cost Galaxy A35. Samsung announced the latter on the same day as the A55.
Technically speaking, the Galaxy A35 belongs to an inferior lineup to the Galaxy A53. However, two years of mobile evolution can make a real difference, and indeed, the Galaxy A35 is a better phone than the A53 in many ways. You might be surprised, so here are at least five reasons why the Galaxy A35 can be a worthy upgrade for your aging A53.
An improved and brighter AMOLED screen
Samsung's new Galaxy A35 features a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1000 nits of brightness, along with Vision Booster technology for better visibility and color accuracy in all lighting conditions.
Your Galaxy A53's screen is 0.1-inch smaller, tops out at 800 nits of brightness, and lacks Vision Booster. In essence, it has an inferior display to the A35, and Vision Booster should make the difference quite noticeable.
Galaxy A35 performs better
The new Galaxy A35 is equipped with the Exynos 1380 chip, whereas your Galaxy A53 features the Exynos 1280 SoC.
In other words, your Galaxy A53 has the same chip as the newer low-cost Galaxy A25, whereas the Galaxy A35 borrows its chip from the Galaxy A54. It goes to show that two years can really make a difference.
In addition, the Galaxy A35 starts at 6GB of RAM and has an 8GB option, so if you're stuck with a 4GB Galaxy A53, that's another reason why the A35 is better.
Improved connectivity
The Galaxy A35 is superior not only because it has a brighter screen and more raw performance but also because of quality-of-life improvements.
If you exchange your Galaxy A53 with the A35, you'll benefit from improved connectivity, including Wi-Fi 6 for faster network access and Bluetooth 5.3 with better audio.
Galaxy A35 has better build quality
Surprising as it may sound, the Galaxy A35 is built better than the Galaxy A53 and looks more modern, especially since it is the first phone in the A3x series to adopt an Infinity-O display.
Although the Galaxy A35 isn't vastly improved, it is better nonetheless. It has a plastic frame and IP67 rating, similar to the A53. But on top of that, it sports a glass back panel instead of a plastic one and has improved Gorilla Glass Victus+ display protection.
Galaxy A35 is newer, and that matters
Lastly, the Galaxy A35 is a better phone than your Galaxy A53 because it is newer. This means a few things.
First, it likely offers better battery life on a single charge, especially if you've been using the Galaxy A53 as your daily driver for the past two years.
Second, it ships with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 (without Galaxy AI) and will receive four more Android OS upgrades to version 18.
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And third, it will offer other minor improvements and quality of life features because it is a newer phone. For example, the Galaxy A35 boasts Super HDR Video, which allows you to record videos with more dynamic range and better colors.
Bonus point: Galaxy A35 is technically more affordable
As we mentioned before, the Galaxy A35 is technically part of an inferior lineup to the A53, but the generational gap is what makes the A35 a better phone. There's no doubt about it.
However, it also means that, even though the Galaxy A35 is superior in virtually every way, it's technically cheaper than the A53. Or, at least, it costs less than the A53 did at launch two years ago. The Galaxy A35 is on sale in Europe for €379. And if you want to upgrade your Galaxy A53 and find a good trade-in deal, that's a real bargain.
