Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro (5G): Which One Should You Buy?

Introduction

By default, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 series, and the Samsung Galaxy A series will be the most popular mid-range phones to be sold this year, and today, we’ll be comparing Samsung’s new Galaxy A53 5G to the earlier announced Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G, as these three phones are gunning for the same customers, and are sitting pretty much on the same price range, $300 – 450.

So, let’s see which one amongst these phones gives you the best value for your money, whether it’s the Samsung, or the Redmi(s).

And for the rest part of this comparison, we’ll be considering the Redmi Note 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G as one phone, since they’re pretty much the same in and out, with their processors being the only thing that makes them different.

So, having said that, now let’s get into the comparison, proper.

See more

• The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs the Galaxy A52 5G in-depth comparison: Should you upgrade?
• The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs the iPhone SE (2022):Which one is worth your $400?

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro (5G) Spec Comparison

Design & build

In terms of design, the Redmi and Galaxy phones feature designs that anyone will easily fall in love with, as they’re both rocking modern design languages with minimal bezels on the front and single centered hole-punch camera displays.

But while the Galaxy A53 5G comes in more vibrant and eye-catchy colors, Black, White, Blue, and Peach, the Redmi Note 11 Pros takes a more muted approach with their traditional-looking everyday colors; Black, Blue, and White.

Personally, I prefer the looks of the Galaxy A53 5G as it tends to follow the footsteps of the more expensive flagship Galaxy S22 series, while the Redmi Note 11 Pros especially when looking at the camera arrangement on the back, easily gives off that impression that they’re mid-range devices, even at first glance, with all the camera sensors jam-packed and pushed to one corner, even the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, though it seems like it has a total of four camera sensors, but it’s actually three, with one extra hole being there for fancy purposes, and has the word “AI” on it, similar to what you’d get from other cheap mid-range phones from the likes of Infinix, and Realme.

In contrast, the Samsung looks more refined, neatly done, and follows a minimalist approach, which I like.

But one area where the Redmi trumps the Samsung is in terms of the build quality, as it’s made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the back, while the Samsung settles for a plastic build.

But for what the Galaxy phone lacks in terms of a glass build quality, it made up for it with a higher IP rating.

So, while the three phones are certified for water and dust resistance, the Samsung Galaxy actually has a higher IP67 rating, whereas the Xiaomi Redmis can only boast of IP53, meaning that the Galaxy A53 5G can be fully submerged in water for up to 30 min, while the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Pro 5G are only meant to withstand water splashes.

And lastly, in terms of comfort, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, though it’s not a small phone by any means, still, it’s actually more comfortable to hold and use than the Redmi Note 11 Pros whether with both hands or with one hand, as it measures in smaller dimensions than the Redmi(s)

So, if I should choose a winner here, then that will be the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, as even with its plastic build, it still manages to look more pleasant to the eyes, thanks to its vibrant and eye-catchy colors, its minimalist approach that tends to mimic the Galaxy S22 flagships in a good way, and it even boasts of better water and dust resistance and comes in an overall smaller footprint (size).

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Display

In terms of display, the three phones go neck and neck with one another as they all feature very similar displays, with only their sizes being the differentiating factor between them.

So, for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro and 11 Pro 5G, you get a 6.67-inches 1080p AMOLED display ticking the clock at a 120Hz screen refresh rate, while as for the Samsung, you get everything you got on the Redmi, albeit in a smaller footprint, coming in at just 6.5-inches, which I like, cause I’m not a fan of big-screen phones, but the Redmi Note 11 Pros screen look good though.

They all have their single front-facing cameras right there on the top of their displays, neatly tucked inside a hole-punch cutout, and just for nitpicking purposes, the Samsung Galaxy phone actually has lesser bezels on the front than the Xiaomi(s) does, once again, giving off that more refined look on the Samsung than the Xiaomi.

Winner: Tie

Guides

• All Samsung phones you can find & buy today with high refresh rate displays, 90 & 120Hz.
• All Xiaomi phones you can find & buy today with high refresh rate displays, 90, 120, & 144Hz.

Processor & performance

Now, coming to the performance aspect, while the Xiaomi phones rock either MediaTek or Snapdragon chipsets depending on whether you’re buying the regular Redmi Note 11 Pro or the 11 Pro 5G model, the Samsung phone makes use of an in-house built Exynos 5nm chipset.

So, with the regular Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro, you get a MediaTek Helio G96 chipset, a 12nm processor, while the 5G model gives you Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 6nm processor, and the Samsung makes use of the Exynos 1280 5nm chipset, making it the first mid-range Android phone to flaunt a 5nm processor.

Now in terms of actual performance, the Snapdragon 695 chipset on the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is actually a much better chipset than the MediaTek Helio G96 found inside the regular Pro model, and the Exynos 1280 inside the Galaxy A53 5G is actually better than the two as not only is it built on a smaller and more efficient 5nm node, but it actually features faster CPU cores and a much faster GPU.

In fact, the regular Redmi Note 11 Pro has been heavily criticized for the Helio G96 processor it uses, as it has shown to be inferior to the Snapdragon 732G chipset used on the last year’s model, the Redmi Note 10 Pro.

So, the thing is, all of these phones will give you buttery and smooth performance in day-to-day usage, aided by their fast 120Hz refresh rate displays, but when push comes to shove, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G should be able to hold on lit longer.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Cameras

For cameras, all of these phones feature quad-camera setups on their rear, with single-hole-punch cameras on their fronts.

So, while the Xiaomi(s) flaunt a high-resolution 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro camera, and a second 2MP depth sensor, the Samsung uses a lower resolution but high-end 64MP main camera that is equipped with OIS, a higher resolution 12MP ultra-wide camera, 5MP macro camera, and a second 5MP depth sensor.

While on the fronts, the two Xiaomi phones use a 16MP sensor, and the Galaxy A53 5G uses a 32MP sensor.

Now, like I always used to say, megapixels counts do not always tell the whole story of what a good phone camera should be, as, in previous comparisons, even the last year’s Galaxy A52 cameras have been shown to be superior, and take better pictures than this year’s Redmi Note 11 Pro phones, and since the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G makes use of exactly the same sensors as the Galaxy A52, albeit with better image processing, I think it should do even better than the A52.

And for comparison’s sake, here is a side-by-side comparison of the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G vs the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro.

Now coming to the video recording aspect of these phones’ cameras, the Galaxy A53 5G has the upper hand here as it can record 4K resolution videos at a maximum framerate of 30fps using both the front and rear cameras, while the Redmi Note 11 Pro phones are actually a downgrade from the Redmi Note 10 models because while those could also do 4K@30fps, the Redmi Note 11 Pros can only manage up to 1080p@30fps.

And this is due to the limitation of the MediaTek Helio G96 and Snapdragon 695 processors used on them.

So, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G clearly wins this round because of its OIS-equipped high-end 64MP main camera sensor, higher resolution ultrawide, macro, depth, and front-facing cameras, and its ability to record 4K resolution videos.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Software

Now, coming to the software, even if these phones are operating on the same Android platform, they’re still worlds apart in terms of the actual software and user experience that you’ll get on them.

So, while Samsung has equipped its phone with the latest version of Android, Android 12, and also the latest version of its proprietary One UI software, the One UI 4.1 out of the box, the Redmi(s) are actually lagging behind as they come with Android 11 out of the box, but they’re still treated with the latest version of Xiaomi MIUI software, the MIUI 13, out of the box too.

Unarguably, One UI is currently the most refined third-party skin on the Android operating system to date, and it is very significant on the Galaxy A53 5G.

Furthermore, Samsung has committed up to 4 years of major Android version updates for its new Galaxy A phones, and a total of 5 years of security updates, which means the Galaxy A53 5G will keep getting timely software updates and support from Samsung, all the way up to 2026 and 2027, bringing them on par with its flagship Galaxy S22 series, but same cannot be said for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro & Pro 5G.

So, if you want a phone that is both future-proof, and comes running the latest Android version out of the box without you having to wait for a software update that might never arrive, then the Galaxy A53 5G clearly wins this round.

In fact, speaking about midrange phones in general, the Samsung Galaxy A phones actually have the highest software support and longevity, sitting highly above every other Android mid-range manufacturer, and even most flagships.

For instance, all the Galaxy A52 phones from last year are already running the latest Android 12 version, all with One 4.0 on them, but the same cannot be said for most flagships from other brands as most of them are still on the now outdated Android 11 version.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Other features

Now, there are some features on these phones which you might or might not notice at first glance, but they’re there.

For instance, both phones have a pair of stereo speaker setups, the main speaker is located at the bottom, while the earpiece pulls double duty as the second speaker.

Another one is, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro still retains the trusty old 3.5 mm headphones jack, the same can’t be said for the Galaxy A53 5G as Samsung has stripped this phone of it.

So, while they all boast of stereo speaker setups, the Redmi(s) still manages to win this round as they feature the good old 3.5 mm headphones jack that a lot of people will appreciate.

Winner: Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro/11 Pro 5G.

Battery & Charging

All three phones here feature exactly the same battery capacity, maxing out at 5000 mAh, but the Redmi(s) have an edge as they’re equipped with 67W super-fast charging which Xiaomi claims can replenish 50% of your lost battery in just 30 min of charging, and a full charge should take you just 42 min.

And coming to the Samsung, well, Samsung has never been known to be in the race of fastest charging smartphones, as they tend to play things safer, and as such, the Galaxy A53 5G only boasts of 25W fast charging.

But it doesn’t end there.

Now, while you get the accompanying 67W fast chargers in the box of the Redmi Note 11 Pros, the same can’t be said for the Samsung, as you don’t get a charging brick in the box, so, it’s either you have one lying somewhere and doing nothing in the house, or you go buy one.

So, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pros actually beats Samsung to the game this time as they not only support faster charging, but they also come with the appropriate charger in the box.

Winner: Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro/11 Pro 5G.

Pricing & conclusion

Now, Xiaomi has long been seen as a company that tries to give its users the most features at lesser prices, and as such, the regular Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro starts at just $300, which gives you 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage, while the 6/128GB and 8/128GB goes for $330 and $350 respectively.

Now, coming to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, it starts at $330 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage variant and goes all the way up to $350 and $380 for the 6/128GB and 8/128GB RAM and storage variants, respectively.

And finally, coming to the Samsung, you’ll need to pay a whopping sum of $450, which gives you 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, which is more expensive than what the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note Pro 5G are asking for, for the same RAM and storage configurations.

So, as you can see, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro phones are way less expensive than the Galaxy, but personally, I don’t mind paying a few extra hundred dollars to get a better-looking smartphone with a better chipset, better camera with superior video recording capabilities, the latest software out of the box, and longer support.

So, in conclusion, I’ll say that the Redmi(s) are cheaper in comparison to the Galaxy A53 5G, but the Galaxy actually gives you more for what you’re paying for, which means that you get more value for your money.

So;

Which should you buy?

Well, I still think even if the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has shown to trump the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro & 11 Pro 5G in many aspects, it all still boils down to personal preference.

A lot of people will actually go for the Redmi(s) because of their lower prices, but for someone who wants a mid-range phone that doesn’t feel like a mid-range phone both in terms of the looks, performance, camera, and software, then the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is definitely the right one to choose.

And that brings us to the end of today’s in-depth comparison between the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro, 11 Pro 5G, and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G phones.

If you have any questions, kindly leave them in the comments section below, and if you enjoyed reading this article, then kindly give it a thumbs up by sharing it, and as always, I’ll see y’all tomorrow, #peace out.

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