Samsung Galaxy M51 review: Who needs a power bank anymore!

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: One product leading to other. That’s the theory most industries are based on. The tech industry is no different. My workstation is a proof. A decade ago, all you needed was a desktop and a phone that could make calls. Add a printer and they would call you an elite. As I write this review, there is a laptop (which I am using for typing), two smartphones (one mine and the Galaxy M51), a tablet (mostly for video calls), a pair of TWS (for calls), a pair of over-the-year headphones (for gaming), a wired earphone (for when everything else fails) and, a power bank (which I am still using despite working out of home) on my table.  

I am not sure how to get rid of others but if you have been using power bank too, then Samsung’s Galaxy M series has a solution, with batteries that last more than you expect them to. The South Korean giant had already launched smartphones with 6000 mAh batteries in the country – most of which were received very well by the consumers. As things turn out, even that wasn’t enough.  

So, now we have the Samsung Galaxy M51 (being criticised by a few for the ‘mean’ price tag) that packs a 7000 mAh battery for Rs 24,999 (base model). This is around Rs 5500 more than the Samsung Galaxy M31s which offers an impressive 6000 mAh battery itself. I have been using the Galaxy M51 for close to a week now and here is our review of this mid-ranger.  

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: It’s big, it’s tall, it’s heavy!  

By the first look, there is not much to differentiate the Samsung Galaxy M51 from the Galaxy M31s – launched only in the last week of July. Both the smartphones have almost similar body and finish at the rear panel. The slight difference between the two smartphones is terms of the size. No points for guessing that the M51 flaunts a bulkier body.  

At the back, Samsung uses the same “Glasstic” panel which it has on most mid-range smartphones. It's glossy and striking to look at but also picks up fingerprints very easily. As we have pointed out in some of the recent reviews, you don’t get a case with Samsung smartphones anymore, so you will have to buy one separately.  

The placing and design of the camera module is also identical to the M31s while the power button continues to double up as the fingerprint reader. The rear panel shines and reflects like anything. In fact, taking pictures of this phone was a real pain. 

The SIM tray is on the left and has two Nano-SIM slots along with a dedicated microSD card slot. 

Samsung has gone with a big 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED display against the 6.5-inch screen it had used on the M31. The taller size makes the phone tough for single-hand use and I had to reach for the buttons.   

The bezels have been kept significantly thin, giving you an almost edge-to-edge experience. The colours are punchy but the peak brightness could have been better. Yet, you will enjoy the experience of streaming and gaming on the taller screen. The brightness only becomes a challenge when you are outdoors.  

Samsung has opted for Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the display which should prevent scratches. You also get a decent quality pre-applied screen guard.  

On top of the display, you get a hole punch selfie shooter which is surprisingly bigger than the selfie camera of the Galaxy M31s. It’s difficult to find the rationale behind this with both the phones using the same 32-megapixel lens. What it does though is distract you every now and then while consuming media.  

Lastly, the phone is thick and heavy. It weighs around 213 grams, which is 10 grams more than the Galaxy M31s.  

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: The familiar camera! 

One area where Samsung hasn’t made any changes over the Galaxy M31s is the camera. The Galaxy M51 features the same quad-camera setup in the upper left corner of the rear. 

It comprises of a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, a 5-megapixel depth sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro camera. The 12MP Ultra-Wide lens on Galaxy M51 has a 123-degree field of view. 

Galaxy M51 offers 4K recording and supports hyper lapse, slow-mo and super-steady modes. 

The camera performance was quite good on the M31s and the same goes for the Galaxy M51, even though both the smartphones use different processors. The pictures from the main lens are sharp, detailed and without much noise. 

But, there is a significant difference in image processing. In most cases, the pictures clicked on the Galaxy M31s were more saturated while those on the M51 were true in nature. However, the auto-focus was better on the former.  

The Galaxy M51 also gets the 'Single Take' feature for which I am yet to get a proper use-case. It allows you to tap the record button and capture different types of media at the same time. The feature comes up with 10 different outputs -- seven photos and three videos – most of which you end up deleting later.  

On the front, the Galaxy M51 gets a 32MP front camera which also supports 4K video recording and slow-mo selfies. 

Selfies on the M51 are largely sharp with great details.  

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: Keeps running!  

The area where the Galaxy M51 differentiates itself from anything in the Indian market right now is its massive battery. At this point, the Galaxy M51 is the only smartphone in the country to offer a 7000 mAh battery which refuses to die. 

Most of the Samsung smartphones with 6000 mAh battery were lasting for over 30 hours easily and the M51 takes the game to a whole new level. On medium usage, you can expect it to last for over two days, helping you get rid of the power bank from your desk.  

The Galaxy M51 ships with in-box Type C 25W superfast charger that recharges it in about two hours. The smartphone also has reverse charging and comes with a Type C to Type C cable. 

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: A welcome change! 

I will give an extra point to Samsung for taking the feedback and replacing the below-par Exynos chipset with Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor. Even though it is not the most powerful SoCs out there, you should take it any day for Exynos chip used on the Galaxy M31s. The chipset comes with octa-core CPU running at 2.2 GHz and Adreno 618 GPU. It is designed to deliver an improved gaming performance on mid-range devices.  

In the past few months, we have seen that Samsung itself wasn’t too confident about the Exynos processors, often skipping the mention from its product pages. But, this could well be a new beginning.  

Samsung offers the Galaxy M51 in two variants - one with 6GB of RAM and the other with 8GB of RAM, priced at Rs 24,999 and Rs 26,999 respectively. You get the same 128GB internal storage on both the variants, which is expandable by up to 512GB using a microSD card.  

As far as the software goes, you get the Android 10 with Samsung's custom OneUI Core 2.1 on top. If you have used a Samsung smartphone in the recent past, navigating through the M51 will be easy. OneUI remains to be one of the better operating systems in India.  

Yet, you get some pre-installed apps such as Amazon Shopping, MX TakaTak, Chingari, Moj, Snapchat, Candy Crush Saga, and Daily Hunt. 

Samsung Galaxy M51 review: Should You Buy? 

The Samsung Galaxy M51 is more of an all-rounder offering something in every department but truly exceling when it comes to battery. You get a large display, decent cameras, acceptable processor and a never-dying battery.  

The only thing to consider is the price tag of Rs 24,999. That’s because you can get almost everything mentioned above for less in the Galaxy M31s. But, it’s worth spending something extra for that Snapdragon chipset and increased battery life.