Samsung Galaxy M11 Review: Let Down By Performance

Samsung has launched numerous M-series phones in Nepal lately. First, we saw the launch of Samsung M31 and then they launched Samsung M21. After these two, they launched a more affordable Samsung M11.

I used this device for a week and I don’t think it lives up to the standard of M-series smartphones. Especially, after the launch of M21 and M31, M11 feels underwhelming. Let’s see why.

Samsung Galaxy M11 Review

M-series Design Language

• 161.4 x 76.3 x 9 mm
• 197 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Samsung M11 has a plastic back and a plastic frame. It looks quite similar to the older M10 and M20. But, it doesn’t have a glossy on the back. This is good because it doesn’t retain as many fingerprints as the M21 and M31. On the front, it has a hole-punch display.

The plastic build makes it prone to smudges and scratches. The unit I was using got slightly scuffed but it was not noticeable due to its color. I recommend you use the case if you want to protect your phone from scuffs.

On the rear, there’s a triple-camera setup with a vertically stacked camera module alongside the oval-shaped fingerprint sensor. The sides curves into the frame and the edges are curved as well.

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On the front, the side bezels are slim but the chin still looks big. All of the buttons are on the right side whereas there’s a tray on the left side for dual sim and micro sd.

On the bottom, a USB Type-C port, a mic, and a speaker. Whereas there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top alongside a secondary microphone.

The plastic build doesn’t look premium but it feels quite durable and solid. Also, I like the matte finish on the back.

The phone is not that big and the edges are curved which makes it easy to hold and use with a single hand.

PLS TFT HD+ Display

• 6.4 inches PLS TFT
• 720 x 1560 Resolution
• 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio
• 268 ppi
• 60Hz panel

The Samsung Galaxy M11 has a 6.4 inch 720 x 1560 (HD+) TFT LCD display. We’ve come to expect AMOLED panel from Samsung but M11 is equipped with a TFT LCD display.

Since it’s an LCD panel, it doesn’t have the same color profile as the AMOLED. The blacks do not look pitch dark. The contrast and saturation are also not as good as what we see on an AMOLED display. But it’s a good LCD panel with good color reproduction.

The LCD HD display is only average for media consumption. It is fairly bright under sunlight. You won’t have trouble using it under sunlight.

Since it’s only an HD panel you won’t be able to enjoy contents in Full HD. You won’t notice much difference while browsing the phone but you will notice the difference between FHD and HD panel while watching videos.

Camera

• Rear Camera: 13 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.12µm, PDAF
  • 5 MP, f/2.2, 14mm (ultrawide)
  • 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps
• Front Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps

13 MP Main Sensor

We get a 13MP main sensor on the Samsung M11. It captures decent images in daylight situations. But, if you zoom in on the pictures, you will be able to notice slight noise. But, I’m just getting nitpicky, it has good enough details to use it in social media.

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About colors, the images from M11 is not as saturated as the images from M21 and M31. They do not boost the blues and greens but it still on a saturated side. HDR is available on the M11 but it doesn’t work always. Sometimes, the images tend to be overexposed and the background gets washed out.

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Overall, the main sensor is only decent. It won’t get you impressive photos but it’s quite alright for social media usage.

Low Light Performance

Images look dull and very noisy in the low light scenario. While this is common in phones at this range, I found M11 to be below par when it comes to low light performance.

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It doesn’t have Night Mode either and photos may turn out shaky even if it’s not pitch dark.

Ultrawide Angle Sensor

For the ultrawide angle camera, M11’s 5MP sensor cannot pull in good details. The photos will look good if shot under adequate sunlight else it won’t look as appealing. Moreover, you will be able to notice noise around the edges.

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Live Focus Mode

Now, talking about the portrait photos, it’s not good.

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The HDR doesn’t work so the images look washed out if there’s light on the background. It cannot handle the highlights properly. Also, the subjects tend to look soft in some situations. The edge detection and background blur are fine but it’s portrait mode images are not good.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy M21 Review: Value Packed Mid-Ranger

Front camera

Samsung M11 has an 8MP selfie camera. The pictures do not turn out impressive. It lacks detail and the face might look muddy sometimes. It gets worse indoors.

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The HDR also doesn’t work with the front camera as the highlights will easily get blown out in the background.

Video

Samsung M11 supports 1080p video recording. The videos are not sharp and look dull. It will turn out decent only if you capture video under sunlight. Also, there are no features like ultra-stable mode which is available on the M21.

Performance

• Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450
• Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53
• Adreno 506
• 32GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM, eMMC 5.1, microSD up to 512GB

Samsung Galaxy M11is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset along with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage.

Snapdragon is an entry-level chipset and it’s also an older chipset. It is made in a 14nm process and has Octa-core (8×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU along with Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. It doesn’t have any performance cores. All of its 8 cores are low powered A53 efficiency cores.

Samsung Galaxy M11 is generally smooth during basic usage.  Web browsing, app opening, and app switching feel fine but there will be some random stutter once in a while. Regarding gaming, you have to play games like PUBG and Asphalt 9 in low settings. And, the games don’t run smoothly even in low settings.

Samsung M11 is a disappointing phone in terms of performance. You should look at other phones if you want better performance for the price.

Security

In terms of unlocking options, you can use the fingerprint sensor or face unlock but I prefer the fingerprint sensor. It’s quick and reliable but it’s now as quick as the Chinese competitors.

If you prefer, you can use face unlock as well. But, it’s not as quick as the fingerprint sensor. Also, it’s not consistent during low light situations.

Battery and Charging

• Non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery, Fast charging 15W
• USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go

Without any doubt, Samsung M11’s 5000 mAh battery is its best feature. On heavy usage, I was getting around 5-6 hours of screen on time.

So, you can actually use Samsung M11 for almost 1 and a half days under average usage. It’s battery is impressive.

As for the charging, it comes with 15W fast charging which takes about 2 hours to charge it from 0 to 100.

Software

• Android 10, One UI 2.0

Samsung Galaxy M11 runs on One UI Core 2.0 on top of Android 10. I will say that One UI is one of the good UI out there. Personally, I like the Oxygen Os and I will say One UI is the 2nd best after it.

With One UI 2, we get a new gesture system similar to stock Android. The notification drop-down now shows silent notifications. The device care section has been redesigned totally as you can check battery usage for the last 7 days now.

And, there are changes to camera UI as well, it’s now much more simplified as all the other modes except Photo, Live focus, and Video are now hidden inside more section.

The software experience is really nice.

Should You Buy M11?

No! you should not.

Samsung M11’s best feature is its battery and the software experience. Its camera is decent and usable but lags behind other phones in this range. The HD+ display is not that big of a problem because a lot of other phones at this price tag also come with an HD+ display.

Its major problem is its performance. The Snapdragon 450 is not a good chipset for this price tag. It is nowhere near its competition like Realme C3 and Redmi 9.

FURTHER READING: Realme C3 Long-term Review: Best Budget Phone For Gaming

Overall, the Samsung M11 is a disappointing phone from Samsung. It is expensive given what if offers for the price. There are lots of alternatives out there and the best option is the Redmi 9.

I hope you like our review of Samsung Galaxy M11. If you have any questions regarding this device, then drop it in the comments below. I will try my best to answer each of them.

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