Samsung Galaxy M21 Smartphone Review

Samsung is currently one of the most productive smartphone manufacturers. Recently,The brand launched the Galaxy M21, one more midrange smartphone from Samsung & it is basically a variation of M-series.Starting at a very affordable price,the Galaxy M21 comes with an AMOLED screen, 6,000mAh battery,a decent amount of RAM and plenty of storage, and of course the Samsung brand. The Samsung Galaxy M21 review details the experience of the phone and compares it to the other alternative phones from Realme and Xiaomi. I hope this helps you decide if the Galaxy M21 is worth buying.

Samsung Galaxy M21 Unboxing

Box contents remain the same as of other M-series phones. Samsung doesn’t provide headphones, protective case or any plastic screen protector.The Galaxy M21 box includes.

*15W Adaptive fast-charging adaptor

*USB cable (Type-C)

*SIM ejector tool and documentation. 

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy M21 is the successor to the Galaxy M20 and it sits just below the Galaxy M31. Samsung has picked some design cues from the Galaxy M30s or let’s say, it looks a lot like the recently launched Galaxy M31. Just like most M-series smartphones, the Galaxy M21 too is made out of plastic and that’s what helps the company to keep the pricing in check. But that also makes the smartphone a little more durable compared to the glass sandwich design. The smartphone can take a few occasional drops, at least our model did survive a minor drop without any scratch or noticeable damage. 

The Galaxy M21 features a glossy back and we were glad that it does not attract fingerprints that easily. Also, you’ll have to buy a case separately, as the company does not offer one inside the box. The curved corners at the back make it comfortable to hold and also makes it less slippery. The back also gets the physical fingerprint scanner and is positioned a little too high for our liking and often had to adjust the smartphone to reach it.

The front of the smartphone is covered with a 6.4-inch display which also has a waterdrop notch housing the selfie camera. There are bezels across the sides and the top is slim with a chunky chin, which is acceptable for a smartphone in this price segment.

Buttons placement on this smartphone is good and are easily reachable. They also offer good feedback when pressed. No complaints here.

The bottom of the phone houses the speaker grille, USB Type-C port for charging, primary microphone and the good old headphone jack. The smartphone also supports 15 watt fast charging and Samsung is kind enough to offer the 15 watts charger inside the box. 

Talking about the display, the smartphone comes with a 6.4-inch FHD Super AMOLED display which is not that common in smartphones of this price range, but Samsung has been offering an AMOLED display in its M-series phones from quiet sometimes. Being an AMOLED display, it is sharp, offers deep blacks and vivid colours. The panel is bright enough and offers good viewing angles. Although it's a little too reflective, the brightness level makes up for it even under the bright sunlight. It also comes with adaptive brightness which is fast and responsive. 

Camera Performance

Samsung Galaxy M21 has three cameras on the rear. The primary camera is a 48MP sensor and it’s accompanied by an 8MP wide-angle shooter and a 5MP depth sensor. In proper daylight,the Galaxy M21 takes detailed & measurable photos. The camera quality is almost the same as the Galaxy M31. Portrait photography is also better than expected. The wide-angle camera allows you to capture large landscapes with the right lighting. The quality is very average and no one uses it often.

In lowlight,The quality deteriorates. The Galaxy M21 has a night mode, but it's difficult to focus in night mode. The 20MP selfie camera works well, but the Galaxy M31 performs better in low light. 4K video recording is supported, but 1080p and Super stability will give you better results.

Audio Performance

The audio output via the bottom-firing speaker is reasonably loud and the quality is above average.

Battery Performance 

We almost lost the charger of the smartphone because it took us almost three days to drain it to zero from a full charge from light use. We increased the usage and it still managed to last for 2 days before we had to rush for the charger. The massive 6000mAh battery pack does exactly what it is meant to do. Also, charging this size battery using the 15-watt charger took us around 2 hours, which is decent. 

Pros & Cons Of M21

Highlights(Pros)

*Relatively lighter than other ace rivals

*AMOLED display and HD streaming support

*Massive battery

*Dedicated card slot

*Fast biometric unlock

Demerits(Cons)

*Mediocre gaming

*Charging isn’t fast enough. 

Samsung Galaxy M21: Verdict

Coming back to the questions we asked above, does it have what matters most to the users. Well, the answer is a straightforward yes. Battery life is great, performance is satisfactory and gets the job done, the display is really good for the price. It even comes with the latest Android operating system which offers meaningful features.

However, there’s a ‘but’ and that is the camera. The Galaxy M21 comes with a fair camera setup both at rear and front and it offers good image quality as well in both daylight and lowlight conditions. Also, the lack of Night mode might be a concern for some. Although, these are not a dealbreaker and can be improved with software updates.

Those who are looking for a go-to smartphone for day-to-day usages that doesn’t die on them when needed and also offers a decent package of performance, camera and features, should definitely give it a look.