Skip to main content

Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G ditches the headphone jack for a sleeker design

Samsung has been doing an excellent job with its midrange A-series devices, which are gaining a reputation for offering great value for the money. Take the Galaxy A52 5G, for example, which earned a solid recommendation from Digital Trends earlier this year thanks to its well-rounded feature set and relatively affordable price tag. With 2022 just around the corner, Samsung seems to be readying a successor to the A52 5G — likely to be called the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Earlier today, Indian tech publication Digit, in collaboration with leaker Onleaks, posted CAD-based 3D renders of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G. As evident from the image below, the design language of the new phone remains largely unchanged except in one big area — the headphone jack is gone. Samsung has typically shied away from removing the 3.5mm port on its midrange and budget handsets, but that’s started changing. Recently, Samsung launched an M-series device — the Galaxy M52 5G — without a 3.5mm port. Add the A53 to the mix, and it’s likely this is going to become a trend.

Samsung-Galaxy-A53-5G-in-white-color.
The Samsung Galaxy A53 is nearly identical to the Galaxy A52 in terms of design. Onleaks

The phone retains the large 6.7 display with a center-mounted punch-hole camera. The positioning of the quad-camera lenses and the LED flash module also seems to be a straight lift from the Galaxy A52. Upon closer inspection, though, you will notice that the rear camera housing on the A53 isn’t as pronounced and that it seamlessly blends into the rear panel instead of abruptly jutting out. While not evident from the renders, the Galaxy A53 is also expected to be slightly thinner than its predecessor, possibly serving as a possible justification for removing the headphone jack. Onleaks claims that the updated model will measure 8.14mm at the edges compared to the 8.4mm thick Galaxy A52.

Recommended Videos

Other rumors around the A53 series include the likelihood of the device being launched in a single 5G variant across multiple geographies. This is in contrast to the A52 series that comes in different 4G and 5G variants depending on where you buy the phone from. While it’s too early to comment on a possible launch date for the Galaxy A53, we expect the device to be officially unveiled in the first quarter of 2022, possibly alongside the S21 FE.

Rahul Srinivas
Rahul is a smartphone buff turned tech journalist who has been tinkering with all things mobile since the early 2000s. He has…
Does the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 have a headphone jack?
Timer running on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has been revealed, and it's flippin' marvelous. So far, it's largely just Samsung that has defined the nascent flip smartphone market, and while flipping and folding phones haven't quite broken into the mainstream yet, the Z Flip 5 is sure to tempt more and more people into buying into the future of smartphone design. The biggest new addition to the Z Flip 5 is the much larger outer screen, which is a big upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4's much smaller display and worthy of rivaling the Motorola Razr Plus's impressively large outer display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is sure to be a technological marvel, packed with the latest and most powerful hardware Samsung can get its hands on. But what about a piece of very old tech? What about the humble 3.5mm headphone jack? Does Samsung's latest flip phone have room for a headphone jack, or does the Z Flip 5 follow the same trend of the last few years in omitting the venerable port?

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: two things I hate (and two I love)
Main display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Samsung is in its fifth generation of selling foldables. While the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is its biggest upgrade to the clamshell form factor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an experiential upgrade this year – which might cause some problems for Samsung.

The year is 2023, and more smartphone manufacturers are joining the foldable bandwagon. With the Google Pixel Fold and the upcoming OnePlus folding phone, Samsung finally has some competition in the U.S. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 doesn’t seem like a device that I would instantly buy over others.

Read more
Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 waterproof?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with its main display open.

Samsung has unveiled its newest foldable smartphones — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Both the new Fold and the Flip come with significant improvements, including a thinner profile, a new hinge mechanism that keeps the phones shut tight when folded, and a bespoke Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 "for Galaxy" chipset. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 clamshell also earns a new flex-worthy design upgrade over last year's Galaxy Z Flip 4 with its new and larger 3.4-inch outer display. It can now run numerous full-size apps and supports full keyboard input.

The improved hinge and the new display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 sure make the clamshell phone desirable. On top of that, Samsung's proactive approach with frequent software updates -- and the promise of four Android platform upgrades and five years of security updates -- make the Flip 5 highly desirable to those who wish for a compact and swanky phone. Starting at just a penny short of $1,000, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also one of the lightest purchases on the pocket for anyone who wants to try folding smartphones.

Read more