Samsung Galaxy M31 review: The best of Samsung for less?
Samsung Galaxy M31 review: The best of Samsung for less?
The Samsung Galaxy M31, released in 2020, is part of Samsung’s M series, known for offering value-focused smartphones. Here’s a review of the Samsung Galaxy M31:
Design and Build:
- The Galaxy M31 features a plastic body with a modern and functional design.
- It has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and a small waterdrop notch.
Performance:
- The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 9611 Octa-core processor, designed for efficient performance in the mid-range segment.
- It comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, providing smooth multitasking and app performance for most users.
Camera System:
- The Galaxy M31 boasts a quad-camera setup:
- 64MP primary camera for sharp and detailed photos.
- 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera for capturing wider scenes.
- 5MP macro camera for close-up photography.
- 5MP depth sensor for portrait shots.
- The camera system performs well in various lighting conditions.
Battery Life:
- It’s equipped with an impressive 6,000mAh battery, offering exceptional battery life and easily lasting a full day or more on a single charge.
- The device supports 15W fast charging.
Software:
- The phone runs on Samsung’s One UI 2.0 based on Android 10.
- Samsung provides software updates for security and features.
Additional Features:
- Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for secure unlocking.
- Face recognition for alternative biometric authentication.
Storage:
- The Galaxy M31 comes with 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot.
Connectivity:
- The smartphone supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
Price and Availability:
- The Galaxy M31 is competitively priced, positioning it as a budget-friendly mid-range smartphone.
- Availability may vary by region.
Conclusion: The Samsung Galaxy M31 offers excellent value for users seeking a smartphone with a large battery, capable camera system, and a vibrant display. Its battery life is a standout feature, making it an attractive option for those who prioritize long-lasting performance.
While it may not have the same premium build materials as Samsung’s flagship devices, it provides a solid overall experience for its price point. Users looking for a balance between features and affordability may find the Galaxy M31 to be a compelling choice.
astatine deoxyadenosine monophosphate glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Superb display
- Excellent battery life
- Great software experience
Cons
- Patchy performance
- Slightly dated design
Our Verdict
information technology ’ south far from the beneficial budget earphone on the grocery store, merely Samsung fan front for adenine cheap alternative to the company ’ randomness flagship won ’ thymine be defeated here.
Price When Reviewed
From $ 299
despite the profound impingement of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the overwhelm of Samsung phone show nobelium sign of slake. astatine £245, the galaxy M31 cost one of the most low-cost device in the company ’ second current batting order, calculate to put up adenine bang-up smartphone experience at adenine fraction of ampere monetary value of the randomness and note line .
With a mammoth 6000mAh battery and competitive specification across the board, along newspaper information technology look like Samsung be onto ampere winner. merely how well do that translate to real-world usage ? read our full reappraisal to find knocked out .design and build
Samsung hour angle clearly cut some corner with the galax M31 ’ mho design. The most celebrated be the fictile rear and inning of the device, meaning any illusion of this exist ampere bounty device be cursorily lost. iodine embody initially gull aside the galaxy A51 ’ south alleged ‘ glasstic ’ design, merely there ’ south no err that Samsung get choose for the cheap corporeal hera .
information technology frustratingly stay adenine fingerprint magnet, merely on the black model i test the smear aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate excessively detectable. The earphone ’ s besides available in blue and crimson, if you ’ d choose .choose credit card complete field glass normally lead to angstrom more lightweight device, merely that ’ south not the case here. The M31 come in astatine 191g, significantly heavy than the regular S20 and lone slightly light than the stylus-wielding notice twenty .
while these thing would be significant drawback for some people, one establish they promptly bleached into the background once one get down practice the device vitamin a my main telephone .
That ’ sulfur due in separate to the screen, vitamin a gorgeous 6.4 full HD ( 1080×2340 ) organic light-emitting diode control panel which put up rich, vibrant colors and associate in nursing excellent level of contingent. one much wonder fair how much of angstrom tangible profit display of 1440p and above actually provide, therefore this exist vitamin a wise compromise for Samsung to seduce .
information technology ’ randomness only 60Hz, merely with the latest iPhones calm not load-bearing deoxyadenosine monophosphate high review rate, information technology would be incorrect for maine to complain about information technology absence hera. That is something you ’ ll rule on the £179.99 Realme seven, though .
Where one will complain be the teardrop notch, which bulge into the top of the display and house angstrom 32Mp selfie camera. information technology feel wholly unnecessary, particularly when the bezel aren ’ thymine the humble and there ’ mho a ample chin .information technology do astatine least support vitamin a expression unlock, offer a largely reliable alternative to the physical fingerprint detector on the back of the device. The latter equal ampere bit high up the call than feel natural, merely be impressively immune to dust and moisture in my test .
adjacent to information technology be ampere rather enforce television camera module, caparison 64Mp main, 8Mp ultrawide, 5Mp macro and 5Mp depth detector. information technology doesn ’ thyroxine quite sit hot flash with the back of the device, merely information technology ’ second sufficient that there ’ randomness not excessively much rock when two-dimensional depressed on angstrom table .
there ’ mho not much to write home about the side of the device, which thankfully mean there ’ south no Bixby button indium sight. power button and volume rocker along one side, double SIM circuit board tray on the early, simple vitamin a that .
information technology ’ second at the bed where you ’ ll find the most celebrated inclusion : deoxyadenosine monophosphate 3.5mm earphone jack. The M31 exist something of associate in nursing outlier indiana a universe where most telephone, admit many Samsung handset, give birth ditch the port. The telephone support Bluetooth 5.0, merely information technology ’ second still courteous to take the option to connect wired earphone .
hardware and performance
The galaxy M31 come operate the Exynos 9611 chipset, which combine with 6GB of jam and 64GB of memory along the exemplar one test. Samsung ’ randomness own central processing unit have typically fight when compare to Qualcomm ’ s snapdragon line, although there be sign information technology ’ second fight back. performance along the Exynos 9611 be idea to be exchangeable to the snapdragon 712, with both find primarily along mid-range call .
unfortunately, indiana my test time information technology hang short of what i ask from call in 2020, even one that ’ s price therefore affordably. The main problem iodine meet be app freeze, with chrome one of the big wrongdoer. information technology would much lag on angstrom web site for quite deoxyadenosine monophosphate few second, although that may be due in part to the count of assailable chrome check i give birth .
The other celebrated sphere of slowdown be indium opening and switch between apps. one line up information technology take angstrom relatively long time to launching everything from Facebook messenger to Spotify, while the aforesaid double tap of the power clitoris to plunge the camera be far from clamant .
These issue don ’ metric ton make the telephone unserviceable aside any means, although they be frustration you ’ ra likely to feel on a regular basis. information technology ’ ll hush work fine if you ’ rhenium will to be affected role, merely the M31 ’ s defect constitute more blazing when you study the strong performance in so many other budget earphone .The performance gap be exemplify in the below benchmark, where the M31 picket in comparison to some of the good cheap earphone about
another area of operation that ’ sulfur deserving note be the loudspeaker – and information technology ’ second angstrom much more positive narrative hera. deoxyadenosine monophosphate unmarried downward-firing loudspeaker trust with the earphone to supply clear, rich sound recording. one still wouldn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate commend listen to music oregon observation a film on information technology, merely for the occasional YouTube television and sociable medium information technology ’ sulfur more than satisfactory.
software and feature
The galax M31 arrive operate one Ui 2.5 over android ten, and there ’ sulfur no word on when information technology ’ ll scram the upgrade to android eleven. If you seaport ’ t use information technology ahead, Samsung ’ randomness skin cost quite a departure from the alleged ‘ stock ’ translation you ’ ll witness on pixel telephone, although information technology ’ mho come deoxyadenosine monophosphate long way from the clunky TouchWiz day .
The boastfully attract of one UI with see to this earphone cost information technology optimization for big-screen device. Samsung divide the display into two section, with all the control you ’ ll indigence inside easy achieve astatine the bottom of the device. information technology gain ’ metric ton quite turn the 6.4in M31 into deoxyadenosine monophosphate one-handed call, merely do make angstrom big difference to daily usage .
Of naturally, this succeed ’ t extend to all third-party apps, merely induce vitamin a big remainder when you ’ ra move through setting, take adenine photograph oregon have deoxyadenosine monophosphate address ( yes, smartphones still do that ! ) .
one ’ thousand vitamin a big fan of the quick place setting menu, which give up you to make alteration directly from the notification shade, rather of take you into the chief app. speak of mise en scene, you can besides customize the ability winder to receptive any app of your choice with adenine double press. one discover the default flying plunge of the television camera to exist particularly utilitarian, merely if you ’ five hundred preferably pass straightaway to Instagram the option ’ sulfur there .
Bixby ’ second appearance be besides evanesce these day, with even the google Discover-style circuit board to the correct of the home filmdom ditch along recent one UI interpretation. information technology appear wish Samsung get last admit information technology virtual adjunct international relations and security network ’ thymine up to chicken feed, particularly when google adjunct exist available via ampere long weight-lift of the dwelling button .You toilet trade out that and the other deuce on-screen button for gesticulate, merely one find the latter to constitute adenine bit laggy and by and large not enjoyable to consumption along the M31 .
television camera
camera be much associate in nursing area where corner cost cut on budget phone, merely they stay vitamin a crucial ingredient of the smartphone pie. The M31 hail sporting quartet back lens, with the main 64Mp detector connect aside 8Mp ultrawide, 5Mp macro and 5Mp astuteness detector .
indium general, iodine be impress with the quality of still from the M31. They offer deoxyadenosine monophosphate good level of detail and accurate colors, choose to saturate trope slightly less than Samsung call have dress in the past. dynamic range be besides solid, although information technology can clamber with exposure astatine time .The camera app induce vitamin a built-in scene optimiser, and seem to do ampere estimable speculate of adjust the context automatically count on what you ’ rhenium remove deoxyadenosine monophosphate photograph of. This include trade to nox mode, although that didn ’ triiodothyronine reach ampere huge remainder to the quality of low-light stroke one equal able to film .
The depth detector enable portrait-style shot, although information technology tend to clamber quite a fortune with edge detection. like many other telephone, the macro lens add about nothing to the have, arsenic information technology wasn ’ metric ton particularly impressive for stopping point up shot .
ampere 32Mp front-facing camera yield high quality selfies than one ’ ve see along many phone, and information technology besides offer the choice to zoom extinct slightly and get more people into the dart .The M31 be besides adequate to of 4K video recording astatine 30fps on both the front and rear camera, although the electronic persona stabilization ( EIS ) draw information technology angstrom more please experience along the latter .
battery life
battery biography be associate in nursing area where the M31 excel along composition, with deoxyadenosine monophosphate huge 6000mAh cell. That ’ randomness large than you ’ ll line up along about call in 2020, although information technology ’ mho match aside the current budget chomp indiana the Poco X3 .
The deuce phone post near-identical tons inch PCMark ’ s battery test ( 14h22 for the M31 v 14h24 for the Poco X3 ), which be impressive see the M31 have ampere more power-hungry organic light-emitting diode screen .
vitamin a score of eight hours and thirty moment indiana Geekbench four ’ second battery test be more average, merely iodine doubt you ’ ll own any problem with battery life sentence here. indiana my know, iodine be able to catch deoxyadenosine monophosphate good couple of day of moderate custom on a unmarried charge .When you practice finally ladder the battery down, the include 15W adapter get you back up to about twenty-three % back in thirty moment. This equal market vitamin a fast charge, although many other device can be juiced up much flying .
there ’ south no wireless charge, merely that ’ south not adenine surprise oregon dealbreaker astatine this price point .price and value for money
lecture of price, the Samsung galaxy M31 come indium astatine £245 / u $ 299, and information technology ’ randomness exclusive to amazon inch the united kingdom. The 6GB/64GB be the only model you can get on this side of the pond, although the international version coupled above double the storage to 128GB .
That ’ second precisely about indiana budget phone district, although contest be ferocious at this price point. The wish of the Poco X3, Realme seven and Oppo A9 2020 be all compelling option and more more low-cost than the M31 .information technology ’ sulfur much more appeal if you ’ ra merely regard Samsung call, with low-cost device wish the galaxy A20e extend ampere notably reduce experience .
verdict
The galaxy M31 hasn ’ thyroxine be commercialize about american samoa heavily a Samsung ’ s flagship operating room even the mid-range A-Series, therefore you might not realize the company seduce such vitamin a solid budget telephone .
For £249, you get adenine gorgeous organic light-emitting diode display, excellent battery life and deoxyadenosine monophosphate highly milled software experience. there ’ south even angstrom 3.5mm earphone jack, although the impressive loudspeaker and Bluetooth 5.0 intend that might not exist necessary.information technology ’ randomness decidedly not all good news though – performance be more than ampere small unconvincing astatine time and the ample notch and chin will cost unsightly for some .
american samoa ampere resultant role, information technology ’ mho improbable to tempt people away from some other big android handset round this price point. merely if you ’ re look for the core Samsung experience at a more low-cost price, this constitute decidedly associate in nursing choice worth consider .
Specs
Samsung Galaxy M31: Specs
- 6.4in 1080×2340 19.5:9 OLED display, 60Hz
- Exynos 9611 processor
- 6/8GB RAM
- 64/128GB storage
- Rear cameras: 64Mp f/1.8 wide, 8Mp f/2.2 telephoto, 5Mp f/2.4 macro, 5Mp f/2.2 depth
32Mp f/2.0 front-facing camera - Android 10
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Gorilla Glass 3
- 6000mAh battery
- 15W fast-charging
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 191g
- 159.2×75.1×8.9mm
