After the Samsung Galaxy A53 was announced last week, we didn't need much time to come up with a likely competitor to Samsung's new mid-range phone; the Galaxy A53 debuted the day before the iPhone SE (2022) was released, so comparing the two devices comparison seems natural. Similarly, the A53 shares a $449 price tag with Google's Pixel 5a, which could also be a potential matchup.

But when Samsung created its wish list of features it wanted to include in the Galaxy A53, I think it had an entirely different phone in mind. And it is a phone that has yet to see the light of day.

Listing the Galaxy A53's features, we have to conclude that Samsung is very much aware of the Pixel 6a (Google's next budget phone.) Some of the A53's biggest highlights are what Google plans to announce as the successor to the current Pixel 5a Expected.

The Pixel 6a could arrive at any moment, with rumors suggesting it could debut during Google's annual developer conference I/O. In fact, last week, less than 24 hours before the Galaxy A53 was announced, Google announced that Google I/O would take place on May 11.

The centerpiece of the Pixel 6a will be Google's inclusion of the Google Tensor chipset in this budget smartphone, similar to that found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Tensor is focused on powering onboard machine learning and artificial intelligence, advanced AI-driven functionality in Google phones.

Given Google's focus on promoting AI capabilities in its phones, it seems no coincidence that Samsung has talked up the AI capabilities of its Exynos 1280 chipset in the Galaxy A53. According to Samsung, the 5nm Exynos 1280 offers a 31% improvement in AI performance over Samsung's previous generation chipset.

As for the AI experience, Samsung talked about the ability of the Galaxy A53's camera to automatically adjust the frame rate at which it shoots video based on lighting conditions. It also has an enhanced portrait mode that captures depth and subject outlines more accurately. The phone's Fun mode allows users to incorporate augmented reality (AR) filters into their photos.

Sounding like the most direct shot against Google and its Pixel phones, Samsung also talked up the Galaxy A53's Object Eraser, which can use AI to remove unwanted people and objects from a shot. This is similar to the Magic Eraser that Google included in the Pixel 6 and will likely include in the Pixel 6a.

It is probably no coincidence that all of these Galaxy A53 features that Samsung is touting are related to the phone's camera; the Pixel 5a ranks as the best camera phone, especially for such a modest price. The camera was one of the areas that needed improvement with last year's Galaxy A52, and it seems as if Samsung wants to close the gap between its mid-range model and Google's offering.

We also can't help but note the price of the Galaxy A53; given that the Pixel 5a is priced the same as the Galaxy A53 and the Pixel 6a is likely to be about the same, Samsung clearly wants to call comparisons to Google's phones.

These comparisons will have to wait a bit; the Galaxy A53 doesn't ship until April 1, but you can pre-order it now. And we won't be able to fully see how the Pixel 6a fares against the Galaxy A53 until a few more details about the Galaxy A53 are leaked prior to its debut later this spring.

Still, Samsung has thrown down the gauntlet with its latest mid-range smartphone after spending the last few years bolstering its Galaxy A lineup. For now, the focus will be on evaluating the Galaxy A53's capabilities, but a Pixel 6a-class challenge is just around the corner.