Motorola Moto G53 review

Clean Android 13

Being a Motorola phone, the Moto G53 runs a very clean, nearly AOSP-looking version of Android 13 with just a few Moto mods on top. We still believe that this clean appearance is a selling factor generally applicable to all Moto devices.

The Quick Settings and notification shade are pretty distinct in recent AOSP versions with big and bubbly buttons, of which you only get four on the first pull, up to 8 on the second, and the full-screen notification shade.

On to widgets, which saw an overhaul with Android 12. The widget picker offers responsive previews for differently-sized widgets. The new API supports dynamic coloring by tying into the Material You theming engine, allowing the widgets to adapt to the wallpaper.

Quick settings • Notification shade • Widgets

The Material You auto-theming feature is here, too, though it's masked behind a slightly customized Moto-specific theming engine. You can still get wallpaper-based accent colors, which will apply to Google apps and the settings menu. Motorola also has a separate Interactive wallpapers app from which you can download a number of dynamic wallpapers.

Theming and interactive wallpapers

As is usually the case, Motorola has added a handful of useful extras. They are all placed in a Moto settings app that lists them in categories. The Moto app itself has a new look.

Moto app

The first category is personalization - that's where the OS-native auto-theming found a foster home. There is also a wide selection of Moto wallpapers in addition to Google's own, plus the option to leverage AI to create your own from the photos in your gallery.

Then come the gestures. By now, you must have seen Moto's karate chop motion that turns on and off the flashlight and the twisting motion that launches the camera app. Both work even when the device is locked.

The lift-to-unlock gesture works well with the face unlock, as it unlocks the device as soon as you pick it up and look at the screen. A swipe-to-split function is available, too - it triggers split-screen multitasking. You can also double-tap the back of the phone to do a custom action.

Gestures

The display-related features are Peek Display and Attentive Display. The former works as a second-best alternative to the Always-on display feature, which is actually missing, but with some added functionality to make up for it.

The screen lights up when it detects motion that's close to the phone or when you pick it up. Once you've received some kind of notification, you can tap on it, see the message, and even interact with it from the lock screen.

Attentive Display disables the screen timeout as long as there's a face looking at the screen.

Display

Then there's the Play section. Here, you'll find the Gametime utility, which offers the usual functionality of tools like call and notification blocking and screen recording. Additionally, there are optional shortcuts for media playback when the screen is locked using the volume keys and a Dolby Atmos sound enhancement utility.

Play

With recent versions, Google has been investing heavily in the privacy and security aspects of Android. This includes things like the Privacy dashboard, which offers a unified view of what permission is being used by what app and when.

There are also the camera and microphone indicators in the top right corner of the screen for an immediate clue that you're being watched/listened to, but also the quick toggles to limit access to those altogether. There is also the option to determine whether an app gets your precise coordinates or an approximate location.

Security and privacy

Secure folder is pretty self-explanatory. It is a vault to keep your sensitive apps and files. There are a few interesting network protection options on board, like the ability to block certain apps from accessing the network while you are connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot.

Other interesting security features include the ability to lock your network and security settings for as long as your screen is locked. Also, the ability to scramble your pin input interface for higher security. You can access all of these security and privacy settings through a separate Moto Secure app shortcut as well.

A relatively new feature is the Overcharge protection toggle in the Battery menu. It will cut off charging once it detects that the phone hasn't been unplugged for three days straight and keep the battery charged at a much healthier 80%.

Battery features

Predictably, the Moto G53 is missing the "Ready For" feature Motorola is offering on some of its higher-end models.

Performance and benchmarks

The Moto G53 5G runs on the Snapdragon 480+ chipset. The 480+ is an upgraded variant of the Snapdragon 480 that came out in 2021 as the first chip in the Snapdragon 4xx series to support 5G connectivity. The Snapdragon 480+ is made on an 8nm LPP process and has two Kryo 460 Gold (Cortex-A76) CPU cores clocked at up to 2.2 GHz, plus another six Kryo 460 Silver (Cortex-A55) ones working at up to 1.8 GHz. There is also an Adreno 619 GPU on board and an X51 internal 5G/LTE modem. The Snapdragon 480+ is paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Our review unit has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

In a sense, the Snapdragon 480+ is a bit of a downgrade compared to the Snapdragon 680 inside the Moto G52. Presumably, Motorola had to make that sacrifice in order to deliver 5G connectivity at this price point.

Let's start with some CPU testing and GeekBench. The Snapdragon 480+ has pretty lackluster multi-core CPU performance. Inside the Moto G53, in particular, it seems to even be underperforming a bit compared to similarly-equipped devices like the Moto G51 5G and Moto G62. Not by a lot, mind you.

The Moto G53 fairs a lot better in single-core tests, which is arguably the more important bit when it comes to day-to-day average use.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  2936
• Realme 10 Pro+
  2371
• Poco X5
  2088
• Realme 10 Pro
  2021
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  1964
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1940
• Galaxy A33 5G
  1900
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  1896
• Motorola Edge
  1862
• Motorola Moto G72
  1842
• Poco M4 Pro
  1836
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  1797
• Realme 10
  1762
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1729
• Galaxy A14 5G
  1727
• Moto G62
  1697
• Moto G51 5G
  1696
• Redmi Note 11
  1662
• Galaxy A23
  1632
• Motorola Moto G53
  1594
• Galaxy A13
  588

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Realme 10 Pro+
  842
• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  795
• Galaxy A33 5G
  742
• Realme 10 Pro
  698
• Poco X5
  693
• Galaxy A23 5G
  676
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  670
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  597
• Motorola Edge
  586
• Realme 10
  567
• Motorola Moto G53
  557
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  550
• Motorola Moto G72
  546
• Moto G62
  543
• Moto G51 5G
  543
• Galaxy A14 5G
  530
• Poco M4 Pro
  523
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  511
• Galaxy A23
  380
• Redmi Note 11
  376
• Galaxy A13
  153

AnTuTu is a much more compound benchmark that incorporates CPU, GPU and memory tests, among other things. It is actually pretty favorable towards the Moto G53 5G.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  534143
• Realme 10 Pro+
  522376
• Realme 10 Pro
  401860
• Poco X5
  400895
• Galaxy A33 5G
  394918
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  386311
• Realme 10
  385829
• Motorola Moto G72
  383317
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  380818
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  353663
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  319093
• Galaxy A23 5G
  318821
• Poco M4 Pro
  318444
• Motorola Moto G53
  314195
• Galaxy A14 5G
  307886
• Moto G62
  303072
• Moto G51 5G
  302859
• Galaxy A23
  273554
• Redmi Note 11
  244526
• Galaxy A13
  136286

The Adreno 619 GPU inside the Moto G53 is pretty weak as well. However, there is one saving grace, of sorts, in the HD+ native resolution of the phone's display. This allows for relatively higher on-screen test results. Still, nothing amazing, though. We can at least see that the Moto G53 performs on par with the Moto G51 5G and G62 in off-screen tests, which means that Motorola is making the most out of the Snapdragon 480+ chipset.

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  23
• Motorola Moto G53
  20
• Realme 10 Pro+
  16
• Galaxy A33 5G
  15
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  12
• Motorola Edge
  12
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Realme 10 Pro
  11
• Realme 10
  10
• Moto G62
  9.7
• Moto G51 5G
  9.7
• Motorola Moto G72
  9.3
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  8.9
• Galaxy A14 5G
  8.3
• Poco M4 Pro
  8.3
• Galaxy A23
  4.7
• Redmi Note 11
  4.6
• Galaxy A13
  3.3

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  15
• Realme 10 Pro+
  11
• Galaxy A33 5G
  10
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  7.8
• Realme 10 Pro
  7.8
• Galaxy A23 5G
  7.6
• Moto G62
  6.5
• Realme 10
  6.5
• Motorola Moto G53
  6.4
• Moto G51 5G
  6.4
• Motorola Moto G72
  6
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  5.9
• Galaxy A14 5G
  5.5
• Poco M4 Pro
  5.5
• Galaxy A23
  3.2
• Redmi Note 11
  3.1
• Galaxy A13
  2.2

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  23
• Motorola Moto G53
  20
• Galaxy A33 5G
  15
• Realme 10 Pro+
  15
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  12
• Motorola Edge
  12
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Realme 10 Pro
  12
• Moto G62
  10
• Moto G51 5G
  10
• Realme 10
  9.3
• Motorola Moto G72
  8.7
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  8.2
• Galaxy A14 5G
  7.9
• Poco M4 Pro
  7.7
• Redmi Note 11
  4.8
• Galaxy A23
  4.6
• Galaxy A13
  3.4

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  17
• Galaxy A33 5G
  10
• Realme 10 Pro+
  10
• Realme 10 Pro
  8.3
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  8.2
• Galaxy A23 5G
  8
• Motorola Moto G53
  6.7
• Moto G62
  6.7
• Moto G51 5G
  6.7
• Realme 10
  6.1
• Motorola Moto G72
  5.5
• Galaxy A14 5G
  5.3
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  5.3
• Poco M4 Pro
  5.1
• Galaxy A23
  3.2
• Redmi Note 11
  3.1
• Galaxy A13
  2.3

As we go lower in GPU testing intensity, the Adreno 619 finally starts posting some more reasonable benchmark scores. At least on-screen, that is, in 720p resolution.

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  33
• Motorola Moto G53
  29
• Realme 10 Pro+
  21
• Galaxy A33 5G
  20
• Motorola Edge
  18
• Realme 10
  17
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  16
• Galaxy A23 5G
  16
• Realme 10 Pro
  16
• Moto G51 5G
  15
• Moto G62
  14
• Motorola Moto G72
  13
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  13
• Galaxy A14 5G
  12
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  12
• Poco M4 Pro
  12
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  12
• Redmi Note 11
  6.8
• Galaxy A23
  6.7
• Galaxy A13
  5.2

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  39
• Realme 10 Pro+
  27
• Galaxy A33 5G
  23
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  20
• Motorola Edge
  19
• Galaxy A23 5G
  19
• Realme 10 Pro
  19
• Motorola Moto G53
  16
• Moto G62
  16
• Moto G51 5G
  16
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  16
• Motorola Moto G72
  15
• Galaxy A14 5G
  15
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  15
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  14
• Realme 10
  14
• Poco M4 Pro
  14
• Galaxy A23
  8.3
• Redmi Note 11
  8
• Galaxy A13
  6.2

The Moto G53 even manages to break through the 60fps barrier in the lower-intensity Manhattan OpenGL ES 3.0 tests.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  59
• Motorola Moto G53
  55
• Realme 10 Pro+
  38
• Galaxy A33 5G
  35
• Motorola Edge
  32
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  29
• Galaxy A23 5G
  29
• Realme 10 Pro
  29
• Realme 10
  28
• Moto G62
  26
• Moto G51 5G
  26
• Motorola Moto G72
  24
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  23
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  22
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  22
• Galaxy A14 5G
  21
• Poco M4 Pro
  21
• Redmi Note 11
  12
• Galaxy A23
  12
• Galaxy A13
  8.3

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  64
• Realme 10 Pro+
  45
• Galaxy A33 5G
  38
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  35
• Realme 10 Pro
  35
• Motorola Edge
  34
• Galaxy A23 5G
  33
• Motorola Moto G53
  29
• Moto G51 5G
  29
• Moto G62
  28
• Motorola Moto G72
  26
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  26
• Galaxy A14 5G
  25
• Realme 10
  25
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  25
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  24
• Poco M4 Pro
  24
• Redmi Note 11
  15
• Galaxy A23
  15
• Galaxy A13
  9.4

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  80
• Motorola Moto G53
  67
• Galaxy A33 5G
  56
• Realme 10 Pro+
  56
• Motorola Edge
  48
• Realme 10
  44
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  43
• Realme 10 Pro
  41
• Galaxy A23 5G
  39
• Motorola Moto G72
  37
• Moto G62
  37
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  37
• Moto G51 5G
  36
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  35
• Galaxy A14 5G
  34
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  34
• Poco M4 Pro
  33
• Redmi Note 11
  18
• Galaxy A23
  18
• Galaxy A13
  14

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  90
• Realme 10 Pro+
  68
• Galaxy A33 5G
  60
• Motorola Edge
  50
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  47
• Realme 10 Pro
  47
• Galaxy A23 5G
  44
• Motorola Moto G53
  41
• Motorola Moto G72
  41
• Moto G62
  41
• Moto G51 5G
  41
• Galaxy A14 5G
  40
• Realme 10
  40
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  40
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  40
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  37
• Poco M4 Pro
  37
• Redmi Note 11
  21
• Galaxy A23
  20
• Galaxy A13
  16

In practice, the G53 does fair reasonably well with gaming. Casual titles run just fine, but more intensive ones do experience stutters and slowdowns. As long as you have your expectations set accordingly, you can definitely have some quality gaming time on the G53, especially with all of the extra gaming features Motorola has put in place.

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  2969
• Galaxy A33 5G
  2260
• Realme 10 Pro+
  2252
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  1321
• Realme 10
  1320
• Motorola Moto G72
  1255
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  1232
• Realme 10 Pro
  1218
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo
  1201
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1200
• Galaxy A14 5G
  1197
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1101
• Poco M4 Pro
  1099
• Motorola Moto G53
  981
• Moto G62
  971
• Moto G51 5G
  970
• Galaxy A13
  510
• Redmi Note 11
  439
• Galaxy A23
  429

3DMark Wild Life Extreme (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi 13 Lite
  828
• Realme 10 Pro+
  622
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  369
• Realme 10
  366
• Motorola Moto G72
  347
• Galaxy A14 5G
  331
• Motorola Moto G53
  291

The Snapdragon 480+ might not be a chart-topper, but it is a pretty efficient chip. It doesn't run particularly hot, either. The Moto G53 never got above lukewarm under prolonged loads, and the chipset faired excellently with thermal throttling. It is done in a very controlled and gradual, not to mention minimal manner.

Thermal-throttling

All things considered, the Moto G53 offers decent performance for day-to-day use but is largely unimpressive in this regard. We feel like Motorola sacrificed too much in the way of performance just to fit 5G into a budget price category. Some competitors from Xiaomi, POCO, Realme and Samsung manage to offer more raw power and 5G connectivity for a similar price, challenging the G53 in terms of value.