Samsung’s Galaxy M series smartphones are known for delivering a strong mix of features at competitive price points. The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G, which was launched in 2022, is no exception. Targeting the budget to mid-range segment, the M33 5G aims to deliver the benefits of 5G connectivity, long-lasting battery life, and solid performance at a reasonable price. This in-depth review will analyze various aspects of the device in detail to help you understand what it brings to the table.
Design and Build Quality
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G boasts a sleek, modern design while maintaining its rugged feel. It’s available in three color variants: Green, Blue, and Brown. The color options cater to a wide range of tastes, and the matte finish on the back not only resists fingerprints but also prevents the device from slipping out of your hand. The matte texture on the rear makes the phone look premium, with a subtle shine when it catches the light.
The plastic back is durable enough to withstand everyday drops but may feel a little less premium compared to glass-backed phones. Nonetheless, the design is still sturdy and feels solid, which is an excellent choice for a phone in this price range. The back houses a quad-camera module, arranged vertically in the top-left corner, along with the LED flash below it. The front is dominated by a 6.6-inch Infinity-V display, which offers a good viewing experience without excessive bezels, making the phone quite immersive for content consumption.
In terms of weight, the Galaxy M33 5G is not particularly heavy, weighing in at 198g, making it relatively easy to hold and use one-handed, although it may feel a bit bulky for users accustomed to lightweight phones. Additionally, it comes with IP67 water and dust resistance, a notable feature for a budget-friendly phone.
Display: A Closer Look
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G features a 6.6-inch Full HD+ PLS TFT display with a resolution of 2408 x 1080 pixels. Though it’s not an AMOLED panel, the PLS TFT display delivers good color reproduction, decent brightness, and sharpness. The screen has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is rare in this price segment and makes navigation smoother, especially for scrolling through social media feeds or browsing the web.
The contrast and color accuracy are good for a mid-range device, but of course, an AMOLED screen would provide better depth of color and deeper blacks. Still, the M33 5G’s screen offers a crisp and vibrant viewing experience, especially for watching videos or playing games. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the display from scratches and minor drops.
The screen’s brightness is about 400 nits (typical), and it can reach around 600 nits at peak brightness, which makes it visible under bright sunlight. While it’s not the brightest on the market, it performs sufficiently well outdoors. The 120Hz refresh rate gives it an edge in terms of fluidity, offering a smoother experience compared to typical 60Hz displays.
Performance: Powered for Everyday Use
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G comes equipped with the Exynos 1280 chipset, built on the 5nm process for improved efficiency and performance. The Exynos 1280 is an octa-core processor with two powerful Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and six energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. This provides the necessary power for daily tasks, gaming, and multitasking.
In terms of GPU, the Exynos 1280 uses the Mali-G68 MP4, which handles graphic rendering fairly well. For casual gaming like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and Asphalt 9, the phone delivers decent frame rates at medium settings. More demanding games like Genshin Impact will likely require low settings for optimal performance.
The M33 5G offers two configurations: 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage. The RAM is expandable via Virtual RAM technology, which can allocate an additional 4GB of storage to act as RAM. This helps with multitasking, allowing you to have multiple apps open without significant lag.
Additionally, the M33 5G offers expandable storage via a microSD card slot that supports up to 1TB of additional storage. This is a great feature for users who have large collections of photos, videos, or apps.
The phone runs One UI 4.1 based on Android 12. Samsung’s One UI skin is one of the best Android skins in terms of user experience, providing a clean interface with added customization options. One UI includes features such as Samsung Knox for security, Edge Panels for quick app access, and Samsung Health for fitness tracking.
Camera Performance: A Versatile Setup
The camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G is versatile and designed to cater to a variety of shooting scenarios. The quad-camera setup includes:
- 50MP Primary Camera: This camera performs well in daylight, capturing detailed, sharp, and vibrant photos with a wide dynamic range. Colors appear accurate, and the 50MP resolution allows for large, high-quality prints or zoomed-in shots. It also supports Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) for fast focusing.
- 5MP Ultra-Wide Camera: With a 123-degree field of view, the ultra-wide camera allows you to capture wide landscape shots or group photos. While the quality is decent, it lacks the sharpness of the primary camera, and there is noticeable distortion at the edges of wide-angle shots.
- 2MP Macro Camera: For close-up shots, the macro camera performs reasonably well. However, the quality can sometimes feel underwhelming compared to dedicated macro cameras found in higher-end devices, particularly in low-light situations.
- 2MP Depth Sensor: The depth sensor helps to capture better portraits with a bokeh effect (blurry background). While it works well in good lighting, the effect can feel a little artificial at times, and the portrait shots are not as polished as those from flagship devices.
The 8MP front camera offers solid selfie performance, delivering bright, clear, and detailed images, even in slightly less-than-ideal lighting conditions. AI beautification features can be enabled for smoother skin tones, although they can occasionally make the results look unnatural.
The camera app itself is straightforward, with multiple shooting modes such as Night Mode, Super Steady Video, Pro Mode, Food Mode, and more, allowing users to adjust settings and create various types of content.
Battery Life: Lasting Power
Battery life is a standout feature of the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G. The device is equipped with a 5000mAh battery, which is large enough to get you through an entire day of moderate to heavy use. The efficient Exynos 1280 chipset, combined with One UI’s power management features, ensures that battery consumption is kept in check, even during long sessions of gaming or video streaming.
The device supports 25W fast charging, which can recharge the phone to about 50% in just 30 minutes. While the charging speed is not the fastest on the market, it’s competitive within the budget category.
Software and Features
Samsung continues to offer a great software experience with One UI 4.1, which brings enhanced usability and features tailored to large-screen devices. It also includes various features like Edge Lighting, Dark Mode, Always On Display, and Bixby, Samsung’s AI assistant.
With Samsung Knox, users can rest easy knowing their data is encrypted and secure. The Samsung Pay feature provides a convenient way to make contactless payments using your phone.
Conclusion
In summary, the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G stands out in the competitive mid-range smartphone market by offering a well-rounded package. The 5G connectivity ensures future-proofing, and the Exynos 1280 chipset offers solid day-to-day performance. The 120Hz display, 5000mAh battery, and quad-camera system make it a compelling option for users seeking value without breaking the bank.
While it may not have the best low-light camera performance or fastest charging speeds, the overall experience is solid, especially considering its price range. If you’re in the market for an affordable 5G phone with good battery life, performance, and camera capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G is a great choice.