Samsung Galaxy M32 review summary:
Expert rating: 3.25/5
Design
Display
Performance
Battery
Pros
- Good-looking design
- Excellent battery life
- Great FHD+, 90Hz AMOLED screen
- Capable front and primary rear cameras
Cons
- Not so fast storage
- No HD/HDR streaming on OTT
- Not so impressive charging speeds
Samsung Galaxy M32 is another M-series budget offering for the South Korean giant. The biggest draw here is a 90Hz AMOLED panel with full HD resolution that too for a starting price under Rs 15,000. The successor to Galaxy M31 (review) gets several other minor updates.
A vital question arises, though. Does the Galaxy M32 have enough to earn the title of the best value-for-money phone in its segment? Let’s find out that in our detailed review of the Galaxy M32.
Samsung Galaxy M32 unboxing
This latest M Series offering from Samsung comes in a biodegradable box. Samsung offers it in Light Blue and black colors, we received the latter one for this review on a returnable basis. Here’s everything that we found inside the box:
- Handset
- 15W wall charger
- USB-C cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Quick guide
Also Read:
Contents
Samung Galaxy M32 specs and price in India
Dimension & Weight: 159.3 x 74 x 9.3 mm; 196g
Screen: 6.4″ sAMOLED HD+ 90Hz refresh rate, 91.7%, 800 nits, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut
CPU: Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm)
GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
RAM: 4GB/6GB
Storage: 64GB/128GB eMMC
Rear cameras: 64MP, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth
Front camera: 20MP
Battery: 6000 mAh with 15W charging
OS: Android 11, One UI 3.1
5G: Yes
Connectivity: 4G, Dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS
Price: 4GB + 64GB – Rs. 14,999; 6GB+128GB: Rs. 16,999
Samsung Galaxy M32 Review: Design and build quality
Samsung has a set formula for its affordable and mid-tier offerings. It uses plastic as base material and gives works its expertise for a premium-looking gradient finish. Well, this also stands valid for the Galaxy M32. It’s a good-looking and ergonomic plastic phone with a glossy finish back. The unique vertical-line gradient shimmers in different hues viewed from different angles. There is a squarish camera module with led flash at the top-left corner while Samsung branding is inked at the bottom.
You will be happy to note the Galaxy M32 camera sits flush with the rest of the phone. There’s a capacitive fingerprint sensor sitting on the right side, embedded within the power button. It is fast, accurate, and aptly placed. The volume rocker sits just above the power key offers good tactile feedback.
The phone features a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a mono speaker grille at the bottom.
Interestingly, while the Galaxy M32 packs a 6000mAh battery inside it still feels compact and handy. It has a rounded-off frame and excellent weight management ensures that despite its 196g heft, it is comfortable to grip and manage. Good job Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy M32 review: Display
The Samsung Galaxy M32 display is one of the better ones if not the best in class. It boasts of a 6.4-inch, AMOLED FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits of peak brightness. That’s not all, it also has a Gorilla Glass 5 covering on top.
We have no complaints with screen quality as it is bright, crisp, and vibrant while delivering excellent viewing angles. There’s a 90Hz refresh rate support as well but its processor has a tough time meeting its demands as we noticed slight stuttering every now and then. You can’t watch HD or HDR content on the Galaxy M32’s impressive screen from OTT services like Netflix and Amazon Prime due to the lack of DRM Wiveline L1 certification. That’s indeed a bummer since Samsung doesn’t usually miss out on such certifications, even for their affordable phones. The HD streaming support can be added via software update so there’s still hope.
Samsung Galaxy M32 review: Software and Performance
The Samsung Galaxy M32 is driven by MediaTek’s Helio G80 chipset, paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. For this review, we had the 4GB RAM version which in performance terms is not comparable to the Chinese competition. The eMMC storage also pulls it down against competition.
The presence of excessive bloatware apps doesn’t help either. Thankfully you can declutter your phone by uninstalling the duplicate and bloatware app. If not you can certainly force stop them to prevent them from eating into system resources.
In terms of gaming performance, we tried several games including Battleground Mobile aka PUBG Mobile. Well, we were able to play PUBG mobile in modest smooth graphics settings.
Like most recently announced Samsung phones, the Galaxy M32 also comes running on One UI 3.1 based on Android 11. The interface is user-friendly and has several customization options with themes, always-on display, and a lot more. It also has Samsung’s Knox security onboard which ensures your critical data is safe.
Samsung Galaxy M32 camera review
Now, for photography enthusiasts, there is a quad-camera setup at the back including a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, Samsung has added a 20MP sensor for selfies portraits, videos, and face unlock.
Let’s discuss the rear cameras first. The 64MP primary rear camera takes detailed shots with a humble dynamic range in good light conditions. It delivers slightly boosted colors which make images look more lively. As the intensity of light goes down, the sensor struggles to lock the focus. The image captured in low light lacks details.
The ultra-wide sensor also managed to take some decent shots in broad daylight but results were not that impressive in low light. We also noticed some lens distortion and loss of details around corners. Images delivered by the macro sensor are nothing to brag about.
The 20MP selfie camera manages to deliver good selfie images. It also supports portrait mode which manages to muster a decent background blur effect in portrait shots.
Samsung Galaxy M32 review: Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy M32 includes a 6,000mAh battery which delivers excellent millage. We easily manage to get more than a day’s battery life on a single charge. While the battery life is impressive, charging is awfully slow. Samsung bundles a 15W wall charger within the box which takes more than two hours to fill the charge from 0 to 100 percent.
Review Verdict: Should you get the Samsung Galaxy M32?
Editor’s rating
The Galaxy M32 is currently the best Samsung phone available for less than Rs 15,000. The value for money Galaxy phone comes is Samsung’s only offering with a 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED display in its segment, and that’s a massive advantage. Other than that, it delivers modest performance, has impressive battery life, and captures good pictures from both front and back cameras.
Pros:
- Good-looking design
- Excellent battery life
- Great FHD+, 90Hz AMOLED screen
- Capable front and primary rear cameras
Cons:
- Not so fast storage
- No HD/HDR streaming on OTT
- Not so impressive charging speeds
