Galaxy A53 5G Renders Point To A Worrying Absence

For the past year or two, Samsung's Galaxy A series has been making big waves, especially in the US, where more expensive flagship phones often get the lion's share of the market and the attention. The Galaxy A51 5G, in particular, surprisingly became one of the brand's best-selling models in the US, thanks to its affordable 5G proposition. Samsung has been trying to continue milking the Galaxy A series, but the upcoming Galaxy A53 5G could be taking a different turn, and not for the better.

When it tried to (and failed) condense its smartphone models into a smaller number of families, the Galaxy A line was designed to mix the best of both premium and mid-range worlds, the latter represented by the Galaxy M series. It would sport some of the trending designs seen on the Galaxy S flagships but pack just enough hardware that won't burn holes in buyers' pockets. For the most part, that worked, but Samsung might not be closing the gap with the high-end too soon.

Admittedly, the Galaxy A53 hasn't gone around the rumor mill that much, so details about its specs are still quite thin. There is an expectation of a 64MP camera and a 120Hz screen, but that's pretty much it. Now we are seeing renders from @OnLeaks and Digit.in that point to one crucial detail, or rather the absence of it.

In terms of design, the Galaxy A53 5G looks incredibly like the Galaxy A52 this year with a few subtle differences. For example, the backplate, which is presumably still plastic, is flat, but the edges still curve to create the same appearance. The biggest difference, however, is that the Galaxy A53 doesn't seem to have a headphone jack, at least not in these renders.

Samsung has all but pushed the 3.5mm headphone jack out of its smartphones, and the trend in the market already points in that becoming a standard on all tiers soon. It's still disappointing when that happens to devices that are meant to appeal to a certain market segment, especially a segment that hasn't yet fully embraced Bluetooth headphones and earbuds. Granted, Bluetooth accessories have become more ubiquitous and more affordable these days, but there are still people who won't go out of their way to buy a pair, especially if their phones come with earphones in the box.

That does raise the question of whether the Galaxy A53 5G will even come with earphones, something that Samsung has also thrown out of its premium flagships. This, of course, would incur additional expenses for those buying the phone, which further alienates the Galaxy A series' intended audience. Then again, the smartphone never really stood still to wait for consumers to eventually catch up.

The renders also don't hold any information regarding the presence or absence of a microSD card slot, another "holdout" from the smartphones of yesteryears. The Galaxy A53 could very well mark the end of an era for the Galaxy A line, taking it closer to what has become standard on high-end premium Samsung phones for a few years now.