The Galaxy M42 5G is the primary smartphone in Samsung’s M sequence to get 5G assist. It additionally occurs to be probably the most inexpensive smartphone in your complete Samsung steady to supply 5G connectivity. Samsung has picked the succesful Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor for the Galaxy M42 5G, however has additionally outfitted it with an HD+ show which stands proud like a sore thumb on this worth vary. So can the Galaxy M42 5G assist Samsung get forward of the competitors, or has the corporate reduce too many corners? Here’s my evaluate
Galaxy M42 5G worth in India
The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G begins at Rs. 21,999 for the bottom variant which has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The greater variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced at Rs. 23,999. It is out there in Prism Dot Gray and Prism Dot Black.
Galaxy M42 5G design
The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G is a massive smartphone and bears some resemblance to the Galaxy A42 5G. The Galaxy M42 5G has a massive 6.6-inch show with moderately slim bezels throughout. It has a dewdrop notch at the highest, which Samsung refers to as an Infinity-U show. The Galaxy M42 5G has a polycarbonate again panel which has a shiny end that Samsung calls “Glasstic”. The shiny end is a fingerprint magnet and smudges are simply seen.
The again panel of the Galaxy M42 5G is visually divided into 4 blocks, prime to backside. The prime quarter has a strong black shiny end whereas the color will get lighter with each block as you go down. The decrease three segments have a further positive dotted sample that disperses mild into completely different colors. Samsung has aptly named the colour Prism Dot Black, whereas the opposite, lighter color choice is named Prism Dot Gray.
The Galaxy M42 5G has a dotted sample on a lot of the again, which disperses mild
The Galaxy M42 5G is 8.6mm in thickness and weighs 193g which is manageable. It’s snug to carry and the buttons had been simple to achieve with the system in my hand. There’s an in-display fingerprint scanner which is handy and in addition simple to achieve when utilizing the system one-handed. The SIM tray is on the left of the plastic body, whereas the three.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and loudspeaker are at the underside. The prime solely has the secondary microphone.
You get a quad-camera setup on the Galaxy M42 5G in a single module within the prime left nook of the again. This square-shaped module would not protrude a lot which is a good factor. The Samsung Galaxy M42 5G has a 5,000mAh battery and helps 15W quick charging. Samsung additionally bundles a 15W charger within the field which is slower than what the competitors presents. Surprisingly, even the Galaxy M51 (Review) helps and comes with a sooner 25W charger, despite the fact that it is positioned barely beneath the Galaxy M42 5G.
Galaxy M42 5G specs
The very first thing that caught my consideration was the truth that the 6.6-inch AMOLED show sports activities solely an HD+ decision and has a 60Hz refresh charge. This low-resolution show may be very disappointing given the worth that Samsung is commanding for this smartphone. Samsung sells its Galaxy M21 (Review) for Rs 12,499 with a full-HD+ AMOLED show. On the plus aspect, you get an in-display fingerprint scanner, making this one of many first smartphones within the Galaxy M sequence with this function. However, a full-HD+ show and a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner would have been my desire right here.
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G runs OneUI 3 on prime of Android 11
Thankfully, the cost-cutting train doesn’t proceed into the efficiency division. The Galaxy M42 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G processor, which now we have additionally seen in direct opponents in India such because the Xiaomi Mi 10i (Review) and the Moto G 5G. Samsung presents the Galaxy M42 5G in two variants, with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The storage on each these variants is 128GB. You can increase storage by as much as 1TB, however for the reason that Galaxy M42 5G has a hybrid dual-SIM tray, enlargement comes at the price of a second SIM. Samsung may have provided an excellent greater variant with extra storage.
In phrases of software program, the Galaxy M42 5G runs OneUI 3.1 on prime of Android 11. This is not the OneUI Core model that another Galaxy M sequence smartphones are working. The telephone had the April Android safety patch at the time of evaluate, which is appropriate. OneUI feels very acquainted if you’re coming from a Samsung smartphone, and even for those who aren’t, it is vitally simple to get used to. I did discover some preinstalled bloatware on the system, which I wasn’t pleased with. I might advocate that you simply uninstall these apps instantly for those who do not intend to make use of them.
Galaxy M42 5G efficiency
Samsung has picked a succesful processor for the Galaxy M42 5G, and it positively delivers. I didn’t discover any delays or stutters, app loading occasions had been cheap, and with 6GB of RAM on my evaluate unit, multitasking wasn’t a difficulty. The AMOLED show is punchy however the low decision is the fly within the ointment. I discovered the show brightness to be sufficient for indoor use, however out of doors visibility may have been barely higher. The in-display fingerprint scanner was fast to unlock the telephone and by no means wanted a second try.
The Galaxy M42 5G managed to attain 357,881 factors in AnTuTu. It additionally scored 652 and 1,837 factors respectively in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core benchmarks. Since this telephone has an HD+ show, it will get an edge in graphics benchmarks, managing 56fps in GFXBench Manhattan 3.1.
The Galaxy M42 5G has a quad-camera module that does not jut out an excessive amount of
As for gaming, I performed Call of Duty Mobile which defaulted to the High current for each graphics in addition to body charge. It was playable at these default settings with none points. I did discover that the highest of the telephone acquired heat to the contact after taking part in for twenty minutes, however to not an alarming extent. Casual video games ran positive and the telephone didn’t present any indicators of heating.
The 5,000mAh battery within the Galaxy M42 5G allowed me to transcend a day fairly simply with no need a prime up. In our HD video loop take a look at, the telephone lasted for 22 hours and 55 minutes. This is a good time, however Samsung does decrease the brightness of the show as soon as the battery proportion drops beneath 15 %. Charging is comparatively gradual at 15W, and the telephone solely acquired to 26 % in half-hour and 51 % in an hour.
Galaxy M42 5G cameras
Samsung’s quad-camera setup is fairly customary. The Galaxy M42 has a 48-megapixel main digicam, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle digicam, a 5-megapixel depth sensor, and a 5-megapixel macro digicam. For selfies, it has a 20-megapixel shooter within the dewdrop notch at the entrance. Samsung’s digicam software program has remained unchanged and I didn’t have any points discovering the best mode for a shot. The AI on the digicam app is fast to recognise what it is pointed in the direction of and units the digicam up accordingly.
I took a few daylight photographs in overcast situations and the Galaxy M42 5G managed good outcomes. Colours appeared good, though barely boosted, and there was good element. The ultra-wide digicam has a decrease decision and particulars had been inferior in comparison with photographs taken with the first digicam. There was additionally distortion at the edges of every body.
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G daylight digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G ultra-wide angle digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Close-up photographs turned out effectively with good colors and particulars. The telephone additionally manages a blur for the background. Portraits had good edge detection and I may alter the extent of blur earlier than taking a shot. I may additionally edit portrait photographs within the Photo Gallery to use extra results. Macro photographs had been first rate, with good element.
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G close-up digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G Portrait digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
In low mild, panorama photographs had common particulars and weren’t as crisp, though noise was beneath management. With Night mode, the body is barely cropped however the output was brighter and had marginally higher element.
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G low-light digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G evening mode digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Selfies have beautification enabled by default, which smoothens pores and skin textures. Portrait selfies turned out effectively and the telephone may detect faces even with masks on. Low-light selfies additionally had first rate particulars.
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G selfie portrait digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Samsung Galaxy M42 5G low-light selfie portrait digicam pattern (faucet to see full dimension)
Video recording tops out at 4K 30fps for the first digicam. Stabilisation is enabled by default however I discovered it to be common, since minor shakes had been seen within the output. The Super Steady mode makes use of the ultra-wide-angle digicam and offers higher stabilisation. 4K footage wasn’t stabilised and low-light footage was strictly common.
Verdict
The Galaxy M42 5G is now probably the most inexpensive 5G smartphone that Samsung has on provide. It packs in a succesful processor and presents good efficiency. However, Samsung has reduce some corners with the show. An HD+ decision at the Rs. 21,999 worth level is very disappointing.
Given that 5G networks are nonetheless not out there in India, you may take into account the Galaxy F62 to be a worthy different. If you’re looking particularly for a 5G-ready smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 10i (Review)and the Realme X7 (Review) are higher options to the Galaxy M42 5G at this worth stage.
