78 T3 Tomorrow ’s Technology Today MARCH 2019 WWW.T3INDIA.COMTe s te d
amsung has finally decided to play the long game in
the budget segment with the introduction of the
competitive M series consisting of M10, M20 and
M30. On hand with us is the M20 in Ocean Blue
colour for review.
The polycarbonate panel on the back may not feel as premium as
glass or metal but the finishing and overall look were good
enough for it to not have been a problem. It weighs on the heavier
sideofthespectrumsowewerehappytoseecurvededges
which made it easier to grip and hold. The reason for this is the
massive 5000mAh battery that just didn’t know when to give
up. We welcomed the inclusion of USB Type-C port and a 15W
fastchargerthattoppedupfasterthanitscompetitorswith
similarcapacitygoingfromaspanof0to100inaround2hours
and 15 minutes. In our testing, it easily lasted 2 days under
normal usage and one whole day when constantly taxed with
videos and games. Do note that highly intensive 3D apps like
PUBGandAsphaltrequiredthegraphicsettingstobeturned
down for an acceptable framerate. This could be attributed to the
debuting Exynos 7904 chipset having a distribution of 2x A-73
and 6x A-53 cores with the latter being more energy efficient
rather than performance oriented. However, regular day-to-day
use did not show any signs of lagging and everything went
smoothly.SamsunghasoptedforExperienceUI9.5basedon
Android 8.1 which is better than before but still has much
bloatware and unnecessary add-ons that must be culled. It
shares some of the visual design of the new OneUI but in our
opinion would have been best to ship with it than just emulate
the look. The Infinity-V display with slim bezels uses PLS TFT
that looks very impressive with rich and vibrant colours. Though
the lack of deeper blacks and Always-on Display made us miss
AMOLED panels popularised by the company. Resting in the V
shaped notch is an 8MP (f/2.0) snapper that was barely adequate
for selfies. The dual rear camera setup combines a 13MP primary
lens (f/1.9) and 5MP ultra-wide sensor with 120 FoV that is a
different combination from the norm. The daylight pictures were
fine but the quality took a nosedive as it started getting darker
and few were overexposed in bright artificial lighting. Suffice to
say the optics won’t be winning any awards and remain a weak
point. Not exactly a home run but this first shot proves Samsung
is on the correct path and could become a serious threat to sub
20k mainstays if it improves upon certain shortcomings.
This might just be the watershed moment for
affordable offerings from the Korean giant
Samsung Galaxy
M20
NEARLY THERE
S
PRICE`10,990 (3GB RAM/32GB),`12,990 (4GB RAM+64GB)
URLsamsung.com/in/ DIMENSIONS156.4x74.5x8.8mm
WEIGHT186gDISPLAY6.3-inch PLS TFT (1080 x 2340p)
PROCESSORExynos 7904RAM3/4GBSTORAGE32/64GB
(Expandable upto 512 via dedicated microSD)OSAndroid 8.1
OreowithSamsungExperience9.5CAMERA13MP+5MP (rear),
8MP (front)BATTERY5000mAhFAST CHARGEYe sVERDICT
WE’RE IMPRESSED Battery life, fast charge, display, bezels
WE’D IMPROVE Weight, gaming, weak camera
THE LAST WORD The M20 is miles above the J series but
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