After years of being left out and upstaged by a lot of Chinese brands, Samsung is bouncing back and starting to come up with value-oriented smartphones. Especially in the midrange and entry-level segment.
One of those devices is the Samsung Galaxy A50. Unlike the Galaxy A devices before it, this one offers really compelling value for the price — from the design department, performance, and camera.
In our full review of the Galaxy A50, we hailed it as one of the best — if not the best — Samsung midrange smartphone today.
However, just the other day, the Samsung Galaxy M40 came into the picture. And since it’s part of the company’s value-oriented line-up, we really expect to get a great value for the price with this one.
With that, here in our Samsung Galaxy M40 vs Galaxy A50 specs comparison, we shall see if the Galaxy A50 has been dethroned by the Galaxy M40 as the leading midrange device that Samsung offers.
| Samsung Galaxy M40 | Samsung Galaxy A50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9.0 Pie Samsung One UI | Android 9.0 Pie Samsung One UI |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid | Dual SIM Dual Standby |
| Display | 6.3-inch FHD+ Infinity-O IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~409ppi 91.8% screen-to-body ratio Corning Gorilla Glass | 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 octa-core | 2.3GHz Exynos 9610 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| GPU | Adreno 612 | Mali-G72 MP3 |
| Storage | 128GB expandable via microSD up to 512GB | 128GB expandable via microSD up to 512GB |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel Punch-hole | 25-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 32-megapixel (f/1.7) + 8-megapixel (ultra wide) + 5-megapixel (depth sensor) PDAF LED flash AI scene optimizer | 25-megapixel (f/1.7) + 8-megapixel (ultra wide) + 5-megapixel (depth sensor) PDAF LED flash AI scene optimizer |
| Audio | No headphone jack Dolby Atmos Screen sound technology | Headphone jack Dolby Atmos |
| Security | Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock | In-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo USB Type-C |
| Dimensions | 155.3 x 73.9 x 7.9mm | 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 168g | 166g |
| Colors | Midnight Blue Seawater Blue | Gradient Black Blue White Coral |
| Battery | 3,500mAh 15W charger | 4,000mAh 15W charger |
| Price | INR19,990 (~Php15,000) | Php17,990 |
As what you just saw on the table above, it’s a very close fight between the Samsung Galaxy M40 and the Galaxy A50. So to determine which between the two is right for you, let’s check out their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Let’s start with the processor. The Exynos 9610 chipset on the Galaxy A50 has faster CPU speeds and a smaller semiconductor size (10m vs 11m). This means that you can get faster multitasking performance and battery efficiency on this one.
But if gaming is top priority, then the Galaxy M40 might serve you better. This one comes with an Adreno 612 GPU, which can handle games better than the Mali-G72 MP3 on the Galaxy A50.
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The Galaxy A50 will also outperform the latter in battery performance. Besides having the aforementioned power-efficient processor, it also comes with an AMOLED screen, and a bigger 4,000mAh battery (versus the 3,500mAh on the Galaxy M40).
Speaking of which, the AMOLED panel is obviously better than the IPS display on the Galaxy M40. It gives better colors and contrast that’s good for media consumption. But, there’s no denying that the Infinity-O punch-hole design on the Galaxy M40 looks cooler.
The OLED screen also allowed Samsung to use an in-display fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy A50. However, in our review of that device, I think it’s better if Samsung just settled for the traditional, faster and more accurate rear-mounted sensor. Just like what the Galaxy M40 has.
Probably the most solid win of the Samsung Galaxy M40 is the cameras. It has a 32-megapixel primary camera. While the Galaxy A50 has a 25-megapixel sensor. Although the two of them do come with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter and a 5-megapixel depth-sensor.
The screen sound technology on the Galaxy M40 is also a brag-able feature to have. This allowed it to have slimmer bezels. Making the Galaxy M40 win the design category. On the downside, it does lack a headphone jack, which the Galaxy A50 still has.
As for the price, we expect the Samsung Galaxy M40 and Galaxy A50 to be priced similar. The former is available in India for INR19,990 (~Php15,000). And we expect it to be close to the Galaxy A50’s price, which is at Php17,990, when it makes its way here in the Philippines.