Samsung Galaxy M31s with Infinity-O sAMOLED display & quad-cameras launched

Samsung Galaxy M31s Launched
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Samsung has unveiled the ‘s’ variant of the standard Galaxy M31 today in India. Featuring a new gradient design language and a promising new set of cameras, the Galaxy M31s is an interesting deviation from what we’ve been seeing in the company’s “M” series of smartphones. Let’s look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Samsung Galaxy M31s in Nepal.

Samsung Galaxy M31s Overview

Design and Display

The M31s is the first device in the Galaxy M-series to implement the Infinity-O display in a Super AMOLED panel. Earlier Galaxy M40 featured a punch hole on a PLS TFT panel. The rest of the M-lineup feature either an Infinity-U or an Infinity-V display.

The panel itself is 6.5-inches tall with an FHD+ resolution and the regular 60Hz refresh rate. Protecting the display is a rather dated Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It’s a shame considering how Xiaomi is offering much more secure Gorilla Glass 5 in its comparatively cheaper phones like the Redmi 8.

Samsung Galaxy M31s - InfinityO Display

On the back, the phone has a two-tone gradient design which is unique compared to other M-series phones. Even though it looks fancy and all, it’s not a 100% glass panel but rather is what the company calls “glasstic”. A clever combo of glass and plastic (though the same cannot be said for the name), it has been the go-to build material on Samsung’s most midrange and upper mid-range smartphones.

We get to see the rectangular camera bump that we have been seeing in Samsung releases this year. Interestingly, though M31s features an AMOLED panel, the fingerprint sensor isn’t underneath the display. Rather, you’re getting a side-mounted scanner; another first for the mid-range “M” series.

Performance and Memory

Well, the performance is where Samsung usually disappoints and this tradition has continued on with the Galaxy M31s. The phone ships with the same-old Exynos 9611 that we’ve seen on multiple Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy M30s, M31, A51, and even the Tab S6 Lite. So, we know the M31s won’t be knocking out competing devices like the POCO X2 or Realme 6 Pro. But honestly, it isn’t even trying to do that it seems. Like always, Samsung’s non-flagship devices are not for power users of any kind.

Admittedly, the company has worked on the memory front as this phone comes with an expandable base storage of 128GB (UFS 2.1) and no less, or no more. While Samsung definitely isn’t the first to do so, this move does fill me with hope regarding where the industry is headed. I mean, 32 and even 64GB of storage doesn’t cut it for 2020 considering how the smartphone camera technology has progressed, or how big the mainstream apps and games have gotten. The storage has been coupled with either 6 or 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM.

Camera

M31s flaunts a quad-camera setup on the back led by a 64MP Sony IMX682 primary sensor. The company is calling it an “Intelli-Cam” because of its embedded features. If you recall the Galaxy S20 series, it brought a cool new feature called “Single Take”. What this does is basically take a variety of stylistic photos and videos like grayscale, boomerang, hyper-lapse, etc. from a single shot. And yeah, Samsung has brought that into the M31s.

Samsung Galaxy M31s camera setup

The rest of the sensors include a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 123° FOV, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro camera. All these lenses have been arranged inside a familiar ‘L’-shaped rectangular array on the top left side of the rear panel alongside an LED flash. Coming to the front, you’re getting a 32MP selfie camera inside the aforementioned Infinity-O punch-hole cutout. It is a wide lens too, though the exact FOV hasn’t been specified. Video-wise, both rear and front lenses are maxed out to 4K resolution under 30fps.

Battery

The battery has been a crucial selling point in the recent “M” lineup of smartphones from Samsung, including some devices under the “A” series as well. Galaxy M31s would be no different either as it brings in the same monstrous 6,000mAh battery we first saw in the Galaxy M30s.

But what’s exciting is the fact that it now comes with a faster 25W charging support, while the charger is provided inside the box as well. According to the company, you can fill up the M31s from 0 to 100% in just 97 minutes. Furthermore, the phone also comes with a Type-C to Type-C cable inside the box which can be used for reverse charging.

Samsung Galaxy M31s Specifications:

  • Display: 6.5-inches “Infinity-O” Super AMOLED panel; 405PPI; 420 nits peak brightness; >91% screen-to-body ratio
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels); 20:9 aspect ratio
  • Chipset: Exynos 9611; 10nm Mobile Platform
  • CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
  • RAM: 6/8GB LPDDR4x
  • Storage: 128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable via a Micro SD card)
  • Software & UI: One UI 2.0 on top of Android 10
  • Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
    – 64MP, f/1.8 Sony IMX682 primary shooter
    – 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide lens; 123˚ FOV
    – 5MP, f/2.4 macro lens
    – 5MP, f/2.4 depth sensor
    – LED flash
  • Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.0 lens
  • Security: Fingerprint Scanner (Side-mounted)
  • Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS, USB Type-C
  • Battery: 6000mAh with 25W fast charging; reverse charging
  • Colors: Mirage Black, Mirage Blue

Samsung Galaxy M31s Price in Nepal and Availability

Samsung Galaxy M31s will be available starting August 6th via Amazon India.  Its price is ₹19,499 and ₹21,499 for the 6/128GB and 8/128GB variants respectively. We expect the Samsung Galaxy M31s to launch in Nepal later this year with a starting price tag of around NPR 33,000.

Samsung Galaxy M31s Model Expected Price in Nepal Expected Availability
6/128GB NPR 33,000 August – September
8/128GB NPR 36,000 August – September
  • Check out our review of Samsung Galaxy M31