Samsung M32 Review: Perfect Successor of the Samsung M31?

Samsung launched the Galaxy M32 earlier this month and it is the upgrade to the Samsung M31.

Samsung M31 was a very popular mid-range device from Samsung and they are looking to repeat the same success with the M32.

Is it a good successor of the Samsung M31? I’ll tell you all about it in this review article of the Samsung M32.

Samsung M32 Review

Familiar Design

• 160 x 74 x 9 mm
• 196 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Samsung M32 has a similar design as the A22 but it still uses a polycarbonate body.

Talking about the rear panel, it is easily scratchable and is one of the major weaknesses of this smartphone. But, I do like the stripes on its rear.

The buttons do not have a premium feel and the side-mounted fingerprint sensor performs quite well. On the bottom, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type C port, and a speaker. The speaker is nothing to boast about. It is not that loud and the sound quality is bang average.

ALSO READ: Samsung A52 Review: A Fantastic Mid-Range Smartphone

Upfront, it still uses a notch similar to the M31. It would have been nice to see a hole-punch design instead.

The overall design is quite nice but it is not the best-looking phone in the market.

Impressive Super AMOLED Display

• 6.4-inches Super AMOLED
• 1080 x 2400 pixels
• 90Hz
• 800 nits brightness

Samsung has gone for the 6.4 inches FHD+ Super AMOLED panel on the M32 with a 90Hz refresh rate.

The screen quality is pretty good with vibrant color and good brightness. Actually, it is one of the only phones to provide a high refresh rate FHD AMOLED panel at this price.

The high refresh rate smoothness is not as good as high end phones but its not bad.

The HRR (high refresh rate) implementation is decent at best. The panel stays at 90Hz all the time when set to high refresh rate mode, even while watching videos. It drops down to 60Hz in the camera app and while playing games.

The high refresh rate of the M32 doesn’t feel as smooth as some of the expensive phones but it’s decent. Most of the apps are optimized except the Google News app.

Samsung’s New Favourite Chipset

• Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm)
• Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
• Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
• 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM

Powering the Samsung Galaxy M32 is the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. We can see the same chipset on the Samsung A22 and Samsung A32.

It hasn’t had a single hiccup while using multiple apps or switching between them. The phone feels smooth and slick but it doesn’t have the best gaming performance.

It can definitely play games but you will be limited to medium to low graphic and low frame rate options. I tested COD mobile on medium graphics and it did perform quite well. However, you should opt for some other phones if you want a better gaming performance.

Avearge Cameras

• Rear Camera: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF
  • 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
  • 2 MP, f/2.2, (macro)
  • 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps
• Front Camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide)
  • Video: 1080p@30fps

Samsung has employed a quad-camera setup on the rear. It gets a 64MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor.

Samsung M31 had a 5MP depth and 5MP macro sensor. So, M32 actually gets a downgrade in terms of the depth sensor and macro sensor.

Similarly, it has a 20MP sensor on the front for selfies.

64MP MAIN SENSOR

Images have good details, the colors look saturated as ever but the dynamic range is only average. Additionally, the images have really good contrast and the focus is also on point.

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ULTRAWIDE, MACRO, SELFIE

Likewise, the 8MP ultrawide angle camera has decent performance. The detail on the ultrawide image is not impressive but the color and contrast are quite good.

Also, you can notice noise even in daylight situations.

I’m not impressed with its macro sensor though. The downgraded 2MP macro sensor does not provide good enough detail.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy M12 Review: 90Hz High Refresh Rate on a Budget!

On to the front camera, M32 can capture really good selfies with good details and good exposure. The HDR also works in tandem to keep the highlights under control.

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PORTRAIT

Even though it only has a 2MP depth sensor, M32 manages to capture impressive portraits. The depth effect seems natural and the edge detection is good most of the time.

It also manages to keep the subject in focus all the time.

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LOW LIGHT IMAGES

Low light images take a massive hit in terms of detail but it is quite natural for a phone at this price tag.

The noise is on the lower side but the detail is not impressive. Well, the Night Mode helps in lifting the shadows and provides more detail. But, the exposure balance leaves something to be desired, and it does not do a good job of preserving the color accuracy.

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VIDEO

Likewise, M32 can only capture up to 1080 30fps. Unlike its predecessor Samsung M31, it cannot capture 4K videos.

Thus, this is one of the downgrades that you get on the M32. About the actual video quality, the 1080p videos are not as sharp as I would have liked. The color and contrast are nice though. Also, the video looks smooth and well stabilized.

Monstrous Battery with Fast Charging

• Non-removable Li-Po 6000mAh battery
• Fast charging 15W
• Reverse charging

Just like the Samsung Galaxy M31, it has a massive 6000mAh battery along with 25W fast charging support. Though it has a 25W Fast Charging support, it only comes with a 15W charger in the box.

So far, the battery has been good. I was easily able to use it for 1 and a half days under moderate usage. I mostly need to charge it in 2 days

Software

• Android 11
• One UI 3.1

M32 runs on One UI 3.1 on top of Android 11.

My review unit is running on May 2021 update and it has not received further updates. Well, the experience is very similar to that of the A32.

ALSO READ: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal: Features and Specs

It also gets swipe right to Google news which is standard on all of the latest Samsung phones. However, Samsung has excluded some of the camera features like Fun Mode and Single Take Mode.

Final Thoughts

So, Samsung Galaxy M32 is a balanced phone which does not have impressive gaming performance for the price.

If you are looking for a phone with an HRR FHD AMOLED panel and a big battery then M32 is a perfect choice. It is literally a binge monster that has a very good display for content viewing.

The camera does an okay job and its performance is not bad either. But, you should look for other options if you are a heavy gamer. Phones like Redmi Note 10S and Poco X3 provide much better performance for similar price tags.

Would you buy the Samsung M32? Let us know in the comments!

Also, watch our impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A22 in Nepali.