OnePlus recently unveiled its Nord N300 5G budget smartphone. Priced at $228, it offers an excellent balance of specs and features. It's the first OnePlus smartphone in the US to use a MediaTek chipset (the Dimensity 810). Samsung Galaxy A53 is another device that is very popular in the budget segment, but it costs $120 more than the OnePlus Nord N300, priced at $350. So, is it worth spending an extra $120 on the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, or should you go for the OnePlus Nord N300? Let's find out.

Technical Specifications

Design

Starting off with the design, you'll notice that the OnePlus Nord N300 looks very similar to the last year's N20 5G. It features a flat-edge design, a matte back finish, and a protruding camera module. The back is made out of plastic, and the frame of the smartphone is also made out of plastic. There's one downgrade in the form of a teardrop notch that's replaced the hole punch. The smartphone will be available in a single color, i.e., Midnight Jade.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A53 looks like every other Galaxy A-series smartphone. The smartphone features a rectangular camera module in the top left corner with a continuous polycarbonate back sitting over it. Just like the OnePlus Nord N300, the Samsung Galaxy A53 also uses a plastic frame. Unlike the Nord N300, it is available in four colors, namely, Black, White, Blue, and Peach (shown above).

One advantage that the Galaxy A53 has over the Nord N300 is in the durability department. The Samsung phone is officially rated IP67 against dust and water and features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 display protection, while the OnePlus Nord N300 is not.

Display

Moving on to the front of the two smartphones, you'll notice that the two devices come with similar display sizes with a (slightly) big chin on the bottom. Taking a look at the specifications, the OnePlus Nord N300 features a 6.56-inch flat IPS LCD display. This display features only HD+ resolution (720 x 1612 pixels) and 90Hz refresh rate. And, as mentioned above, the Nord N300 features a teardrop notch, while the Galaxy A53 features a slightly more elegant hole punch cutout.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G features a similarly sized 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display up front. This display not only boasts a higher FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) but also supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung claims the display's brightness can even go up to 800 nits allowing you to see the screen even in direct sunlight. Historically, Samsung has had an advantage over OnePlus in the display department, and the Galaxy A53 is no exception, with the device delivering vibrant and punchy colors.

Processor, RAM, & Storage

The Nord N300 is the first OnePlus device to use a MediaTek chipset in the US. It is powered by the Dimensity 810 processor, which is based on the 6nm node process architecture. It is an octa-core chipset with two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2GHz. Furthermore, the smartphone features only 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is on the lower side in this day and age. Thankfully, the smartphone comes with a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A53 is powered by the company's custom Exynos 1280 processor. This chipset is based on the 5nm node process architecture. It is an octa-core chipset with two Cortex-A78 CPU cores clocked at 2.4GHz and six Cortex-A55 CPU cores clocked at 2GHz. The Galaxy A53 is available in a variety of storage and RAM configurations, with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.

While both the processors won't offer performance anywhere close to the $1000 Android flagship smartphones, they will "just enough" manage to ensure that the device can handle day-to-day activities and multitasking.

Camera Hardware

In terms of camera, the Samsung Galaxy A53 outperforms the OnePlus Nord N300. It features a quad-camera setup that includes a 64MP primary camera sensor (f/1.8), one 12MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2), a 5MP depth sensor (f/2.4), and a 5MP macro lens (f/2.4). It also comes with features such as Night mode, object eraser, Photo Remaster, and more that the flagship Samsung devices come with.

On the other hand, the OnePlus Nord N300 features only a dual-camera setup that includes a 48MP primary sensor (f/1.8) and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. Yes, there is no ultra-wide sensor on the OnePlus Nord N300. Like the Galaxy A53, the Nord N300 also features a few software tricks, such as AI scene enhancement, auto-HDR, and more.

As for the front camera, Samsung also leads the way with a 32 MP wide-angle selfie camera with HDR capabilities, as opposed to the 16 MP sensor on the OnePlus Nord N300.

While you won't be dissatisfied with the camera sensors of both smartphones — they should be more than satisfactory — if you're a photo buff and capture a lot of photos, the Galaxy A53's ultra-wide camera sensor could come in handy in a number of situations. Samsung's optimization and software techniques also give it an edge over the OnePlus Nord N300.

Battery & Charging

Both OnePlus Nord N300 and Samsung Galaxy A53 feature a 5,000 mAh battery cell. The OnePlus smartphone outperforms the Galaxy A53 in the charging department as it features 33W wired charging that is capable of charging the device to 60% in about half an hour. On the other hand, the Galaxy A53 supports only 25W fast charging. Neither of the two phones supports Qi Wireless Charging.

Which Smartphone Offers Better Value for Money?

And, finally, we come to the question: which smartphone offers better value for money? For an extra $120, the Samsung Galaxy A53 offers a better display, more cameras, better durability (IP67 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass 5), and more storage/RAM options, making it a better purchase compared to the OnePlus Nord N300.

However, if you're really tight on the budget and don't want to spend a lot on a smartphone, the OnePlus Nord N300 offers an excellent set of features and specs for its price. Lastly, it's also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy A53 works on all American carriers, while the Nord N300 works exclusively on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile networks.