The Motorola Moto G53 has 5G connectivity as its claim to fame. Even so, as a follow-up to the 4G-only Moto G52 it is disappointing in some respects. Even the 5G-equipped Moto G51 has some better specs (Motorola's line-up can be quite confusing). Starting with the screen, gone is the 6.6” 90Hz AMOLED with FHD+ resolution of the G52, replaced by a 6.5” 120Hz LCD with only HD+ resolution. The G51 5G had a 6.8” 120Hz LCD with FHD+ resolution. The selfie camera has been demoted to an 8MP sensor (down from 16MP).
There are downgrades on the back as well.
The main camera still has a 50MP sensor with 0.64µm native pixels (1.3µm after
binning), but the ultra wide module is gone. Don’t worry, the 2MP macro camera
is still here. Then there is the battery. At 5,000mAh it is the same capacity
as the old phone, though the charging speed is now down to 18W (down from 30W)
and you only get a 10W charger included in the box. Some corners have been cut
to pay for the 5G modem.
Thankfully, the cutbacks didn’t affect the
microSD card slot or the 3.5mm headphone jack. The G53 has two versions, one
with 4GB of RAM and one with 8GB , both with 128GB storage. You also get a
choice between a Black and a White colorway.
The Motorola Moto G53 is now on pre-order
in China at a price of just CNY 900 (US$ 130/€ 120/₹ 11,000) for the 4/128GB model
and CNY 1,100 for the 8/128GB one. Again, this could be the cheapest 5G phone
from the company - that G51 we mentioned earlier is CNY 1,500. Still, the G5x
model number feels like it belongs on a mid-ranger and this is an entry level
phone, but that is just a nitpick.
