52-11 is taller gearing than 53-12.

I have a 52x36 on my bike and if you're not tackling mountains, it's a nice compromise. Low enough for sustained climbing and high enough for sustained fun on the downhill.

The main drawback of a mid-compact and a broad cassette in the back and a 52 up front is that you may end up in the 17-19 tooth range and it's a bigger jump between gears up there. If you had a 50 you'd be a little further towards the small end. Of course, if you're doing 24-26 mph on the flats then never mind, it won't be an issue.