With up to two days worth of battery and a gorgeous AMOLED screen to boot, the Samsung Galaxy M31 SM-M315F/DSN 128GB 6GB RAM Dual SIM (factory unlocked) 6.4 is arguably the perfect phone for content junkies on a budget. Throw in the 3.5mm headphone jack and a MicroSD slot for expandable memory and you’re on to a winner. It sports a 64MP quad-camera setup, capturing stunning pictures as well as 4K video recording, slow-mo and super-steady modes.
Pros & Cons – Samsung Galaxy M31 SM-M315F/DSN 128GB 6GB RAM
Pros
* camera: video and image quality and available modes are too good at this price. It’s good to have a 64MP camera. It works well in night light also.
* Battery life is good.
* No heating issues found while using and charging, unlike redmi mobiles.
* No need of unnecessary mandatory apps installation like in redmi.
* I feel like this mobiles GUI is amazing and better than Redmi mobiles GUI (maybe because I got bored using redmi mobiles??).
* Dolby sound system is too good. You can feel the difference if you compare audio quality with other mobile phones audio.
* Smart switch app from Samsung helps to copy all the data from your previous mobile to this one. It’s a good feature.
* This mobile operates so smoothly.
*Amoled display is amazing.
Cons
* Face unlock system sometimes fails in darkness. Samsung should have worked on this feature pre-release. But it works fine in daylight.
Overall a good experience and recommended product.
Just a suggestion, if you are buying this mobile please spend 500 more bucks and buy Spigen back cover, mobile looks elegant with it. You will love your mobile more
Specifications – Samsung Galaxy M31 SM-M315F/DSN 128GB 6GB RAM Dual SIM (factory unlocked) 6.4
Color
Colors | Ocean Blue, Space Black, Red |
Models | SM-M315F, SM-M315F/DS, SM-M315F/DSN |
SAR | 0.52 W/kg (head) 0.69 W/kg (body) |
SAR EU | 0.48 W/kg (head) 1.13 W/kg (body) |
Dimension & weight
Dimensions | 159.2 x 75.1 x 8.9 mm (6.27 x 2.96 x 0.35 in) |
Weight | 191 g (6.74 oz) |
Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, plastic frame |
SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Display
Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
Size | 6.4 inches, 100.5 cm2 (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
OS
OS | Android 10, One UI 2.1 |
Chipset | Exynos 9611 (10nm) |
CPU | Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) |
GPU | Mali-G72 MP3 |
Memory & Storage
Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
Internal | 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM |
UFS 2.1 |
Main Camera
Triple | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro) 5 MP, f/2.2, (depth) |
Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
Selfie camera
Single | 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm |
Features | HDR |
Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps |
Communications
WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
NFC | Yes (market/region dependent): SM-M315F/DSN |
Radio | FM radio, RDS, recording |
USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
Audio
Loudspeaker | Yes |
3.5mm jack | Yes |
Feature
Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Battery
Type | Li-Po 6000 mAh, non-removable |
Charging | Fast charging 15W |
Samsung Galaxy M31 SM-M315F/DSN 128GB 6GB RAM review
Build
As soon as you flip the phone over however, things begin to feel a little different. For starters, the M31’s plastic backing is an absolute fingerprint magnet, and the smooth casing itself doesn’t grip with your hands all too well. Unless you’re absolutely sure in your infallible ability to never drop the phone, we’d recommend picking up a case to be on the safe side.
Design – Samsung Galaxy M31
At 159.2 x 75.1 x 8.9mm and 191g, the Galaxy M31 is a hefty phone by modern standards. Having been recently accustomed to the lightweight nature of the Pixel 3a XL, the M31 felt like a mammoth by comparison. But with that extra weight comes a feeling of heft, letting you know that this is still a solid product, even if it is at the affordable end of the spectrum.about:blank✕Skip in 5
Within that space, the phone packs a 6.4-inch screen, topped by a tear-drop notch and a minimal chin bezel at the bottom. At just £245, I’m amazed at just how uncompromising the front-facing elements of the phone are. There’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack (albeit at the bottom).
While there’s a slight camera bump here, the camera’s four-sensor array is barely noticeable, regardless of whether or not the phone’s in your pocket or lying down, with the screen facing upwards on a desk.
Samsung Galaxy M31 screen
A 6.4-inch screen utilises a juicy AMOLED panel with a 2340 x 1080 resolution, ensuring that whatever’s on the screen, be it the homepage background or your second run-through of The Last Dance on Netflix (respect), it always pops.
Of course, even with that high-end FHD+ resolution, there’s no getting around the fact that if you want to dive into the full-screen experience, you’re going to have to deal with the notch cutting into the action. Granted, it’s minuscule compared to the likes of Apple’s now seriously outdated shelf, but it’s still there.
The only other minor issue is that, unlike the new Moto G 5G Plus, it has a basic 60Hz screen. But given how few phones this price have made the jump to 90Hz at the moment, it’s a forgivable omission.
Performance and software
Luckily for the M31 however, everything runs fairly well despite its affordable price. This is down to the Samsung Exynos 9611 SoC processor and a solid 6GB RAM under the hood. Don’t expect mind-blowing speed with the M31, but this set-up leads to a fairly decent performance where it counts.
For instance, there’s very little bloatware with the exception of Samsung’s own variety of apps which tend to have their uses, although why I’d ever need to use the Galaxy Store when Google’s App Store is right there, is beyond me.
A consistently irritating issue that kept popping up however was an unexplainable incompatibility with certain wearables devices. While this seems to have levelled out after a few software updates, the phone would initially drop its connection with my Whoop 3.0 Band and TicWatch C2 Plus smartwatch on a regular basis. If you’re not a smartwatch fan then you’ll probably never come across this issue, but for a fitness fanatic like myself who loves to track health stats, it became a royal pain.
For instance, the dedicated fingerprint sensor is speedy and reliable (arguably moreso than some of the in-screen fingerprint sensors I’ve come across on more expensive handsets). The same goes for face unlock, with a great little animation occurring just below the front-facing camera to let you know it’s doing its thing.
If you enjoy a spot of mobile gaming on your lunch break, then the M31 should have you covered with most titles – just don’t expect to run Fortnite on it anytime soon. As the launcher incessantly pointed out, the Galaxy M31 is not one of the phones currently optimised to play Fornite, and diving into the game revealed a choppy, barely playable mess. Surprisingly however, the M31 had no trouble running online matches in Call of Duty: Mobile, and smaller titles like Alto’s Odyssey performed well.
Battery life – good for gaming
Packing a whopping 6000mAh battery, the Galaxy M31 has managed to reach roughly the end of two days on a single charge, despite being connected to Wi-Fi for the majority of that time, with Bluetooth on and multiple wearables and a pair of wireless earbuds connected for good measure. That’s on top of the heavy use activities I mentioned previously. Simply put, you’d have to be a serious procrastinator to even think about draining the battery completely in a single day.
Blame it on the fact that my ageing laptop has a bit of a dodgy Wi-Fi connection, but under these new working from home circumstances, I’ve settled on using my phone as the main device of choice for conducting zoom calls, listening to music, tracking my indoor workout and enjoying some YouTube fluff at lunch time. Sufficed to say, I’ve been putting the battery on the Galaxy M31 through its paces, but it’s been fighting back in an impressive way.
The only letdown is the supposed inclusion of 15w fast charging, which I beg to differ. When hooked up to a power outlet, it took just over two hours to reach full charge from 8%. If charging your phone overnight is part of your routine then you’ll never have an issue here, but needing a quick top up before you leave your home is just out of the question.
The Galaxy M31 proves that having a multi-day battery life doesn’t cost the Earth, and if you were planning on using the M31 as your main media device of choice, this unbelievable battery life paired with the phone’s AMOLED screen makes for a match-made in heaven. You could binge content for hours on this thing.
Camera – Samsung Galaxy M31
On paper, the promise of a Samsung smartphone with four rear-end cameras for under £250 sounds too good to be true, and sadly, it is. On the back you’ve got a 64-megapixel f/1.8 main sensor, an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor, a 5-megapixel f/2.2 depth sensor and everyone’s favourite, 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera.
It’s only when you start to zoom in on the portrait that you notice the camera’s inability to pick up finer details, an issue that becomes far more apparent when you swap over to the M31’s ultra-wide angle lens.
Zooming into the corners of any wide-angle shots taken with the M31 reveals a distinct lack of detail. I can understand the appeal of wanting a wide-angle sensor, but if it’s only going to do a sub-par job, then I would much rather see those resources invested into bumping up the main sensor. By comparison, the Pixel 3a only has one rear-facing sensor, but benefits from being one of the best smartphones for photography.
Video is also a bit of a mixed bag. Amazingly, the Galaxy M31 can shoot in 4K, but the 4K mode is incompatible with the camera’s in-built stabilisation, so you really need a gimbal to get the most out of it. While video stabilisation is available when shooting in HD, the process seemed to bring the fps rate down to a screeching halt, so it’s best avoided here.
Customer review : Samsung Galaxy M31 SM-M315F/DSN 128GB 6GB RAM Dual SIM (factory unlocked) 6.4
Superb Budget Phone by Samsung
Purchased this phone on the 1st day of launch i.e. 5th March 2020; 12:00 PM. After using more than a week, reviewing the phone on 14th March 2020; 5:15 PM. I hope you will find it helpful.
*Camera:
Rear Camera has few mode/frames. Out of which it’s fixed 3:4 (64 mp) has great picture quality. Other modes/frame like 3:4, 9:16, 1:1, full can capture good quality pics as long as you do not zoom it. Video quality is also good but could be better.
Front camera 32 mp is also fine. You will get delicately balanced picture quality.
* 6.4 inches phone feels bit large and heavy while handling and keeping in pockets.
* Battery (6000mAH): It stood on its ground. Surely have high battery backup. Did few experiments and here’s the result:
–> Around 50 hrs on standby mode with normal use for calling and checking messages (Wifi was active during those hours and background apps were running)
–> 11-12 hrs of continuous usage for gaming
–> 18-20 hrs of continuous video playing over wifi (not sure for mobile network)
Disclaimer: These hours may vary as per individual use and environment. I’m sharing the details as per my own usage.
* Exynos 9611 Octa core processor: Samsung is surely working hard with providing improved versions of its processor. The processor speed with the combination of Android v10 is great. I didn’t find any heating issue even while playing high end graphic games. The RAM wasn’t even getting used completely. However, if we compare this processor with Snapdragon, I can say that this processor is equivalent to Snapdragon 700 series.
* Face unlock and fingerprint sensor: Company claims that the phone has fast face unlock and fingerprint sensor. However, I didn’t find that true. For face unlock, the phone takes 2-3 sec time to detect the face.
* Phone comes with Dual SIM (nano+nano) facility but with dual standby. Both SIMs aren’t active simultaneously.
* Both Charging slot and 3.5mm jack for earphones are placed at same end (bottom side), which I personally didn’t like (That is one of the reason I rate it 4 star).
* There are other internal features as well which one person might like and another might not. Example: Wifi Calling support, Blue light filter, smart view, ultra data saving mode, Dulby Atmos, Dark Mode etc…
–> Dulby Atmos function work while you plug in the ear-phones (I personally didn’t find it that good. Sound quality seems similar)
–> Personally love the Dark Mode.
Overall, the Smartphone is great. If you want to purchase a smartphone within this range, you may go ahead with this one.