The mid-range segment is heating up with an array of new launches from smartphone makers. This time around Samsung is yet again interested in taking a dip into the mid-range tier of smartphones with their F series of smartphones, scheduled to launch by the end of this month.
Samsung’s new range of F series smartphones will share the stable with its M series of smartphones, which are already doing pretty well in the market. As the report from 91mobiles suggests, Samsung wants to focus on the cameras in its F line up. Samsung’s F line up will initially be scheduled to be sold through online platforms and will be extended into offline stores later.
Also Read: OnePlus to Launch an Entry-Level Smartphone in the US
M series or F series. Which one to buy?
If the speculations are correct, then the F series line up will be centred around the camera, which might lead to cost-cutting measures in other areas. Most camera sensors have become highly capable and solely depend on software optimizations to produce high-quality images. It looks like Samsung’s coders might take some influence from its more premium offerings like the A, S and Note series smartphones.
The M series of smartphones have matured well and now consist of smartphones that are good all-rounders. The camera too on those devices have come a long way and prove to be decent in most conditions. So for its new F series, Samsung needs to really push the barrier with back end programming to up its ante.
What we know about the F41?
Looking at the leaks, by GSMArena, Samsung might choose to use its own Exynos 9611 octa-core processor instead of a Snapdragon SoC to keep prices in check. In terms of storage, Samsung would stick to UFS 2.1 storage with a capacity of 64GB/128GB coupled with 6GB of RAM. But an added bonus to low-ish storage is the availability of expandable storage, that is a trend in Samsung’s smartphones.
Speculations also suggest a 1080X2340 Full HD+ AMOLED display panel. It may also feature a Type-C charging port and a quad-camera setup.
Samsung’s M series and upcoming F series goes up against popular variants from a host of Chinese manufacturers like Realme, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.
But what can you buy now?
Samsung has just launched its M51 smartphone. It claims to be India’s first smartphone to have 7000mAh battery with an in-box 25W USB Type C Fast Charger that charges the phone from 0-100% in 115 mins. The huge battery should translate to stellar battery life and is also capable of reverse charging but do we all recall the Note 7?
A notable inclusion is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G SoC alongside an Adreno 618 GPU. Samsung also has 6 or 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM coupled with 128GB of UFS2.1 storage that’s upgradable to 512GB via a MicroSD card slot.
On the front, the M51 comes equipped with a 6.7-inch sAMOLED panel with hole punch cut out in the centre for the selfie camera. It has a tall 20:9 aspect ratio with 78960:1 contrast ratio.
Following the trend, the M51 has a quad-camera set up. A 64MP Sony IMX682 Sensor does duty under the main camera lens (f1.8). It is flanked by a 12MP 123-degree ultra-wide camera alongside a 5MP macro and 5MP depth sensor. The camera housing also features an LED flash. Upfront, inside the hole punch, sits a 32MP SONY IMX616 SENSOR.
The M51 also boasts of Widevine L1 certification for enhanced viewing experience. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor sits snug into the 9.5mm shell. The M51 comes out of the box with the OneUI running on top of Android 10.
The M51 will start at Rs. 24,999 for the 6GB/128GB variant and go up to Rs. 26,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant. It will be available in 2 colour options — Celestial Black and Electric Blue. The Samsung M51 sale goes live on 18th September 2020 at 12 noon.