Samsung Galaxy M31s review: Is this the best non-Chinese smartphone in India under Rs 20,000?

Samsung Galaxy M31s review: There has been a growing sentiment for non-Chinese smartphones in the Indian market over the last few months. And, while you have decent options in the premium segment like Apple iPhones and Samsung’s very own Galaxy S and Galaxy Note line-ups, it is the budget segment where the customers are often left searching. The options are few and mostly underwhelming. 

Samsung’s Galaxy M line-up, though, stands out because of the great value it offers. In fact, it has helped the company grow in India and cover the lost ground in the last 18 months. The latest addition of the series is the Samsung Galaxy Note M31s which was launched in the country in the last week of July. 

The smartphone comes with a 6000 mAh battery (still available on select smartphones in India), a quad camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary lens and an Infinity-O (punch-hole) AMOLED screen. Priced at Rs 19,499, the smartphone also fits most pockets. I have had it for about three weeks now, but there were other ‘noteworthy’ smartphones that needed more attention.

But, finally it’s time to find out if the Samsung Galaxy M31s is worth your money or not! Since the smartphone borrows most features from its predecessor Galaxy 31, I have adopted a slightly different approach in this review and divided it into Pros and Cons. So, here is our review of the Samsung Galaxy M31s. 

Samsung Galaxy M31s review: Pros

Let me just keep one thing aside, the Samsung Galaxy M31s offers a great value for your money. It sticks to basics and has improved on areas that are probably useful for smartphone users, instead of playing around the gimmicks. 

With the Galaxy M31s, Samsung has bet big on display and battery. On this smartphone, you get a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Display which is apt for consuming media or playing games. The display quality is top glass. It is bright, crisp and has punchy. Switching between the apps was smooth and so was to complete day-to-day operations. 

There are other perks like an always-on display mode, which shows relevant information and notification icons on locked screen and support for Widevine L1 for high-definition content streaming on over-the-top platforms.

Samsung has used a minimalistic design on the Galaxy M31s. It sports a glasstic back, which is glossy but a lot better than what I have seen on most budget smartphones recently. The camera module is placed on the top-left corner and is very subtle when compared to what we have seen on other Samsung smartphones of 2020. 

The power button is on the right side of the metallic frame and also works as the fingerprint scanner. Just above it, you get the volume controls. On the front, you get very minimum bezels around the screen and a hole-punch display on top. 

There is not much in the camera setup from the Galaxy M31. That, probably, is a good thing. The camera performance on the earlier launched smartphone was quite satisfactory. The Galaxy M31s comes with the same 64-megapixel primary camera assisted by a 5MP depth sensor and a 5MP macro sensor.

The ultra-wide angle has got an update though. Now, you get a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor of an f/2.2 aperture instead of the 8-megapixel sensor used the Galaxy M31. 

And, the camera continues to impress even on this one. The primary lens takes satisfactory shots across light conditions, while the ultra-wide angle comes handy in several situations, with minimum loss in details. The rear cameras support the scene optimiser mode, which automatically detects scenes and adjusts settings best suited for the frame.

The Night Mode is quite impressive as well and lights up the subject even in lowlight conditions. 

On the front, the phone has a 32MP selfie camera of an f/2.2 aperture. It does a decent job in most light conditions and has a lens that supports wide field of view for group selfies. 

The strongest point of the Galaxy M31s is its massive 6000 mAh battery which can easily last for about 36 hours on medium usage and almost two days, if optimised properly. What’s more important though is that Samsung is now shipping a 25W fast charger inside the retail box which charges the phone in about two hours. To give you context, the company packs the same charger in its more premium smartphones, including the recently launched Note line up. 

Samsung Galaxy M31s review: Cons

As good a smartphone Galaxy M31s is, it is very similar to the Galaxy M31 but with minor upgrades. You get the same battery capacity, same processor, same primary camera and the same selfie shooter for a couple of extra grands. The only major upgrades are a slightly bigger display and a better ultra-wide angle lens. So, you can actually save money by opting for the Galaxy M31 and get a similar experience.

One issue with the back panel is that it is a smudge magnet, and quite reflective because of the glossy finish. Sadly, Samsung has stopped shipping protective case with the phone, so you will have to spend a few extra bucks to ensure that there is no damage. 

What’s missing on the display is support for higher refresh rates – a feature Samsung is yet to bring to its budget smartphones. The Galaxy M31s features a 60Hz display. But, there are other smartphones in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment that run 90Hz and 120hz screens. So, if gaming is your priority then you can look at those. 

Lastly, this is a tall and heavy phone which makes one hand usage quite tough. To add to that, the volume buttons are place slightly on the upper side of the frame which makes you reach them.

Samsung Galaxy M31s review: Extras

Samsung has once again used the Exynos 9611 chipset on a smartphone which has forced me to create this sub-category. I am not sure if it’s a pro or a con but it is certainly frustrating. 

On one hand, this is a tried and tested processor, which has delivered a decent performance on previous Samsung smartphones. The problem is it’s been used so many times that it feels outdated. You literally have Samsung phones selling from Rs 13,000 to Rs 30,000 with the same chipset. 

Anyway, this is coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. While all of this is good for daily tasks, there are better options for gaming. 

Samsung Galaxy M31s review: Final Verdict 

As always, Samsung gets most things right with the Galaxy M31s. The smartphone has a great display, very good camera performance and one of the longest lasting battery lives in the segment. Is this the best non-Chinese smartphone in India under Rs 20,000? By far.

But, is it the best smartphone under Rs 20,000 in India? Probably not. The distance Samsung has to cover can only be done by using a better processor than the Exynos 9611 which somehow manages to hide itself in most Samsung smartphones.