While the highs in Samsung‘s latest and greatest flagships still have a lingering effect, the Korean brand hasn’t forgotten about their more affordable offerings. Samsung is best known for its innovative, high-end devices but the Korean giant is no stranger to the affordable smartphone segment either. While the waiting for their budget-friendly A03s and mid-range A52s 5G is over, Samsung is once again betting on the success of its M-Series line-up that’s geared also towards budget buyers. The M-Series has gone toe-to-toe competition with other popular Chinese OEMs and at times, has even won the competition. Samsung is back with another M-Series smartphone in the form of the smart, stylish and ultra-fast Galaxy M32 which hopes to wow the audience with its compelling specs and aggressive pricing.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy M32 features an all-plastic back cover, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the device looks bad or feels cheap. On the contrary, the M32 is among the better-looking devices in the segment and the smartphone’s good looks can be accredited to the unique vertical line pattern with a highly-reflective finish. The glossy finish employs shimmering lines that run across the length of the smartphone and exhibit different hues whenever light hits them at an angle. Moving to the front, there’s a larger border around the screen than you’d find on pricier devices and the front camera sits in the centrally located notch. The overall form factor is compact and the phone has a good in-hand feel. If you’re on the lookout for a phone with a comfortable in-hand grip, you will truly appreciate the device’s bezel edges and its smooth, rounded-off frame. We also like how the device has no protruding elements that everything blends seamlessly into the frame or its shell.
Display
The phone boasts a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a Full-HD Resolution which means that YouTube videos and images, in general, should be pretty sharp. It is an in-house panel from Samsung’s display division, which is a global leader in mobile AMOLED screens. It displays vivid colors thanks to the contrast ratios the panel provides that make watching YouTube videos or the shows that we binge-watch even more enjoyable. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 that prevents scratches and breakage as well. There’s not much to say about the image quality from the display. It’s as good as ever.
Camera
One of the highlights of this device is its shooters and it does have a relatively versatile set. The Samsung Galaxy M32 has a quad setup on the rear with a 64MP main sensor that works alongside an 8MP wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, videos, and face-unlock mechanism, the device gets a 20MP front camera. The M32 also comes with a slew of camera modes like Hyperlapse, Slow motion, Food Mode, Pro mode, and AR zone that let users express themselves like never before. The camera on the Galaxy M32 is similar to what you get in other Samsung budget smartphones. It, however, omits Samsung’s exclusive feature which is the Single Take. It is a feature that Samsung trickled down to its budget and mid-range smartphones from premium flagships. The lack of it in the Galaxy M32 does not fall short in the overall camera performance but takes away the familiar Samsung experience.
Audio
In terms of sound, we would have loved to see stereo speakers on the Galaxy M32 but no worries, the single mono speaker on the device is loud on its own and does the job well, but a stereo setup surely would have been a great addition. We wouldn’t recommend pushing it beyond 80-percent to get the best out of it but there’s always the headphone jack which you can plug to a 3.5mm audio out port if you need to listen to things more intently.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy M32 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 system-on-chip, paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The phone is on Android 11 operating system-based OneUI 3.1. The phone’s performance is good for everyday use while its gaming performance is modest and graphics-intensive gaming titles are best played in low and medium graphics settings. As for the user interface, the phone is loaded with bloatware, including some that cannot be uninstalled from the phone for optimum performance. The Galaxy M32 is powered by a 6,000 mAh battery, which easily lasts over a day and a half on a single charge. While the phone’s high-capacity battery ensures you don’t run out of juice often, and when it does run out, the phone comes with a 15W fast wired charger, which takes about three hours to replenish the battery fully. The phone has two SIM slots with support for 4G VoLTE. For storage expansion, the Galaxy M32 is equipped with a dedicated microSD card slot as well.
Verdict
Everything about the Galaxy M32 screams Samsung with all the trappings that would make it a good option. It has a fairly capable processor and Samsung’s signature AMOLED panels that are always a treat. This device scores are high in various aspects such as design, a fantastic display, a decent set of cameras, and great battery life, all of which provide a great user experience. If those features are on your non-negotiable list for your next buy, then yes, the Samsung Galaxy M32 should be on your radar. And the best part is, they don’t cost a bomb.
