The Galaxy M31’s cameras are very, very good for the price. No matter the lighting conditions, the Galaxy M31 captures pictures that are filled to the brim with intricate details, with well-judged exposure and pleasingly-accurate colour rendition. There isn’t much visual noise either, even inside when the light isn’t quite so abundant. If you’re looking for an affordable smartphone, chances are you’ve been eyeing up the likes of the Moto G8 or the Moto G8 Pro, but the Samsung Galaxy has them both beat on two crucial factors: battery life and the display. Samsung could’ve gone for an in-display fingerprint sensor on this phone since most competitors in this price range sport one, however, the side-mounted physical fingerprint sensor is a better idea and we will talk about it later on in the review. There is support for Widevine L1, hence streaming high definition content over the internet is not an issue on this phone. Performance

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 Granted, it’s minuscule compared to the likes of Apple’s now seriously outdated shelf, but it’s still there.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 Galaxy M series has proved extremely popular around the world and its newest addition, Galaxy M31, is set to continue that success” said Conor Pierce, Corporate Vice-President of Samsung UK & Ireland. “The M31 brings innovation to where people want it most; a beautiful display, powerful camera and huge battery life; and all this at a very accessible price point.” Having gotten accustomed to using the Pixel 3a XL’s streamlined and near flawless version of Android 10. Samsung’s custom skin feels very clunky, even if it’s not the worst out there. The chipset does not appear capable of handling heavy-duty tasks and is not ideal for graphic-intensive games. My attempt to multi-task on the device while editing a small video clip appeared tough to handle for the phone, which went into a bit of a drag and performed inconsistently.Inside the Samsung Galaxy M31, you’ll find one of Samsung’s homebrew Exynos 9611 chipsets, a generous 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 1TB via microSD. We’ve already seen this processor make an appearance in the Galaxy A51, as well as the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and Android feels every bit as responsive in operation here, as it did on those devices. Galaxy M31 is just as capable when it comes to video, with 4K video recording, hyperlapse, slow-mo and super-steady modes. In addition, it has a dedicated Night Mode for stunning low light photography. The 32MP front camera also supports 4k video recording and slow-mo selfies. I kid of course, I don’t happen to share the same disdain for the inclusion of macro cameras on smartphones that other critics do, and it’s fun to snap an artsy shot of a bug or a flower every now and then, but let’s face it, the real meat and potatoes are the ultra-wide and main cameras.

Since this is how a regular user would use the phone, you can expect a similar experience. Apart from keeping itself charged for longer durations, the massive battery can power other gadgets on the go. The Type-C to USB Type-C cable that is shipped with the phone comes in handy for charging other gadgets in case required. something covered by our warranty (an "in warranty repair") or something not covered by our warranty The phone runs on One UI 2.1 on top of Android 10 OS and apart from the bloatware that comes preinstalled, the UI is smooth. Though it is a slightly stripped-down version of the One UI found on Samsung flagships and this misses quite a few features. That said, with the Exynos 9611 the UI performance is smooth and I did not experience any unwanted lag or stutters during the day to day usage as compared to some Samsung devices that I used last year. Battery For more information about the Galaxy M31, visit: https://news.samsung.com/uk/; www.samsungmobilepress.com, news.samsung.com/galaxy.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 – solid for the price, with a few niggling quirks Performance overall is not the highlight of the phone. Samsung has for some odd reason persisted with Exynos 9611 SoC. This is the same chipset that powered various other Samsung devices in the budget and mid-budget segment including the M31. We had expected some extra punch in the device given that it's an upgraded one. However, it must be said that the experience was way better compared to the Galaxy A50 that I tested last year even though both devices had similar chipsets and price. 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 – an absolute beast The noticeable yet random lag in the camera app was also a tad disturbing. There were quite a few instances when the camera captured the image a fraction of a second later, which is often what differentiates between a good shot and a great one. The perfect bird formation or your pet's expression could just pass by without getting framed.