Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones have gained a lot of popularity over the years in the budget space. The Galaxy A53 5G is one of our top picks in the mid-tier price range, especially in the United States where it doesn't have too many competitors. OnePlus has a couple of capable mid-tier smartphones in the US that can compete with the Galaxy A53 5G. In this article, we're going to take a look at how Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G stacks up against the OnePlus Nord N200, a low-cost phone that has a lot going for it at a relatively cheaper price.

Navigate this article:

• Specifications
• Design and display
• Internal hardware
• Cameras
• Which one should you buy?

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs OnePlus Nord N200: Specifications

Here's a quick look at the specifications table to see how these phones stack up against each on paper:

Looking at the specifications table, it's safe to say that both the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and the OnePlus Nord N200 are well-equipped for their respective tags. The Galaxy A53 5G seems to have more powerful internals but that's not necessarily a surprise considering it's also a lot more expensive than the Nord N200.

Design and display

Samsung's new batch of Galaxy A series smartphones look significantly better than a lot of other budget phones on the market. The Galaxy A53 5G looks similar to its predecessor, meaning the company is using a tried and tested design that it has refined over time. This phone sports a flat screen on the front and a plastic panel at the back that's available in a bunch of different fun colorways. The camera module eases and melts into the rest of the phone’s back -- a look that's very similar to the OPPO Find X5 Pro.

Despite the polycarbonate construction and a relatively big 6.5-inch display on the front, the Galaxy A53 5G feels good in the hand. Many Android devices in the budget space tend to feel unwieldy and don't have the best in-hand feel but the Galaxy A53 5G is an exception.

The OnePlus Nord N200 has a simple design and is rather boring to behold. It's essentially a rebranded variant of the OPPO A93 5G, meaning it's also not new or unique. The front glass panel curves ever so slightly around the edges to meet the plastic mid-frame. The back is also made out of plastic and it has rounded edges and a smooth finish. The OnePlus Nord N200 doesn't look bad but there's also nothing unique that makes us want to pick it up over the Galaxy A53 5G. We're a bit disappointed that the OnePlus' signature ringer switch is also MIA on the Nord but it makes up for it by adding a headphone jack.

As for durability, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G comes with an IP67 rating and uses a Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the front to protect the display. The OnePlus Nord N200 doesn't have an IP rating and uses Gorilla Glass 3 panel. Both smartphones have the same weight but the Nord N200 is a hair thicker than the Galaxy A53. It's also a few millimeters taller, so keep that in mind while making a purchase decision.

Moving on to the display, the Galaxy A53 5G sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel whereas the OnePlus Nord N200 comes with a 6.49-inch LCD. We're looking at the same 1080 x 2400 resolution for both displays but the Galaxy A53 5G comes out as the superior choice on paper with support for up to 120Hz refresh rate. The Nord N200 tops out at a 90Hz refresh rate, so it isn't too far behind. Both phones have a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera on the display -- the Galaxy A53 5G has one at the center while the OnePlus Nord N200 carries it towards the left side of the display.

It's worth noting that only the Galaxy A53 has an in-display fingerprint scanner as the Nord N200 comes with a side-mounted scanner for authentication. Overall, both the Galaxy A53 as well as the OnePlus Nord N200 have pretty good displays. The Nord N200 only has an LCD but that doesn't make it less exciting because you'll probably not notice a major difference unless you check out both phones side-by-side. The Galaxy A53 5G, however, is the better-looking phone out of the two but it's hard to argue against the Nord N200 given its affordable price tag.

Internal hardware

The Galaxy A53 5G is powered by Samsung's in-house Exynos 1280 chipset along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the US. The international variants of the Galaxy A53 can be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB but they all share the same chip on the specs sheet. OnePlus gave the Nord N200 a Snapdragon 480 chip which has a relatively low-powered processor with support for 5G. The Nord also has only 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, so keep that in mind. Thankfully the 64GB of storage is offset by the option to add a microSD card up to 1TB, just like the Galaxy A53.

The Exynos 1280 SoC is arguably the better chip here, so don't be surprised to see the Galaxy A53 5G dominating the Nord N200 in benchmarking apps. The benchmark tests, however, are not indicative of real-world performance and we think both phones will perform well when it comes to day-to-day workloads. The Snapdragon 480 SoC is powerful enough for social media, web browsing, and even some multitasking and gaming. Both OnePlus Nord N200 and the Galaxy A53 are 5G-capable, but only the latter has support for the mmWave bands for faster speeds in certain areas.

Both phones also have a 5,000 mAh battery that'll take you through multiple days of light use. The battery life will largely depend on your day-to-day usage, but we think the Nord N200 may have a slight edge over the Galaxy A53 mainly because of the low-powered chip and the 90Hz display. The Nord N200 also offers slightly slower charging speeds coming in at 18W as opposed to the 25W charging on the Galaxy A53, but it comes with a charger that'll hit those speeds, unlike the Samsung phone that doesn't come with any charger at all.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G has a quad-camera setup that includes a 64MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and a pair of 5MP sensors for macro and depth in the main system. The Nord N200, on the other hand, sports a triple camera setup with a 13MP main camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth lens. Right off the bat, it's safe to say that the Galaxy A53 has a more versatile camera setup. The Nord N200 lacks an ultra-wide lens, which we think is a little bit of a bummer.

As we mentioned in our hands-on piece, the Galaxy A53 5G is capable of capturing some good photos during the day. Both the main and the ultra-wide camera take great shots provided there's enough light in the scene. A Galaxy A53 main camera shot can look almost as good as a shot captured using the Galaxy S22 Ultra main camera to an untrained eye. The night shots, however, don't look nearly as sharp and there's also less natural bokeh due to the smaller sensor. We'll leave some camera samples captured using the Galaxy A53 5G below, so be sure to check them out yourself.

We haven't had a chance to test the OnePlus Nord N200's cameras, so we'll refrain from speculating over the camera quality. As far as the selfies are concerned, you get a 32MP shooter on the front with the Galaxy A53 5G while the Nord N200 sports a 16MP sensor. The Samsung phone is also superior when it comes to video recording as it can capture 4K videos at 30fps whereas the Nord N200 tops out at 1080p at 30fps.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G camera samples:

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs OnePlus Nord N200: Which one should you buy?

Considering there's a significant difference in the price of these phones -- the Galaxy A53 costs $250 more than the OnePlus Nord N200 -- you probably already know which one to buy if you're strapped for cash. The OnePlus Nord N200 may not please the spec-chasers but economic shoppers will find plenty of value for $199. It comes with a good 6.49-inch LCD and a massive 5,000 mAh battery, and it also brings support for 5G at such an affordable price. The cameras probably aren't the best in the business and you're also not getting a top-tier chipset, but those shouldn't come as a surprise for a phone that costs as much as it does.

If you can't stomach those c0ns and you're open to spending $250 more on this purchase then the Galaxy A53 5G is a no-brainer. Not only do you get superior hardware thanks to a more powerful chipset and an advanced camera system, but you also get better software support with the Galaxy A53 5G. We're looking at only one major Android platform update for the Nord N200 versus four years of major OS upgrades for the Galaxy A53 5G. You're also bound to get more security patches for the Galaxy A53. But if you're not ready for as large of an upfront investment for the Galaxy A53 5G and you plan on upgrading your phone again in a year or two, then feel free to buy the OnePlus Nord N200. It'll open the cheapest door to 5G while delivering on the basics.

So which budget 5G smartphone are you planning to buy? Let us know by dropping a line in the comments below. Also, be sure to stop by our best Galaxy A53 5G deals and the best OnePlus Nord N200 deals page before buying your phone of choice to see if you can get a discount. You can use the extra cash to grab a protective case of a screen protector for your phone.