Samsung Galaxy M10

Samsung launched the Galaxy M10 in February 2019 in India with an affordable price tag of Rs. 7,990. Despite being a super affordable phone, the Galaxy M10 packs in a range of exciting features that can be found in premium and high-end smartphones.

The first mention, of course, has to be about its 6.22-inch Infinity-V display (720 x 1520 pixels) with an aspect ratio is 19:9. The multi-touch capacitive display is practically bezel-less with a tiny water drop notch on top and a small chin at the bottom.

The phone uses an octa-core Exynos 7870 processor and also gets a Mali-T830 GPU to enhance the graphical performance. It runs on Android v8.1 (Oreo) operating system with the Experience UI 9.5 skin on top, and has a 3,400mAh battery. As for the cameras, there is a dual-camera setup on the rear (13MP + 5MP shooters), and a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The Galaxy M10 has two storage variants – 2GB RAM/16GB internal storage and 3GB RAM/32GB  internal storage. You can expand it up to 512GB using a microSD card.

Samsung Galaxy M10 Price in India

Samsung Galaxy M10 is the first-ever smartphone launched in India by the South Korean giant to feature a notched display at a budget price. The Samsung Galaxy M10 was featured in two variants in the Indian market the 2GB RAM + 16GB internal storage model and the  3GB RAM + 32GB internal storage. Unfortunately, both kinds of the Samsung Galaxy M10 are currently out of stock on both Amazon and Flipkart and are unlikely to be restocked because the model is fairly old and has been discontinued by Samsung.

At first glance, the Galaxy M10 looks a lot like the Galaxy M20. after all, both the phones feature a plastic unibody design, both have dual-cam setup on the rear, and both are practically bezel-less. In fact, apart from the matter of the Fingerprint Sensor (the M20 comes with a Fingerprint Sensor, whereas the M10 does not), it is quite difficult to differentiate between the two phones.

The Galaxy M10 features a glossy polycarbonate back with curved edges. Being glossy, it is no surprise that the back panel is a fingerprint and grease magnet. On the top left corner, there lies the dual-camera module and an LED flash aligned vertically. The front part sports a 6.22-inch Infinity-V display with Full HD.

The tiny notch on top houses the 5MP front cam. The combination of the water drop notch and slim bezels isn’t a common feature in phones belonging to the sub-10K segment.

On the right side of the frame lie the volume rockers and the power button and on the left, you can see the SIM tray along with a dedicated microSD card slot. The bottom part of the phone holds a 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB port, a loudspeaker grill, and the primary microphone. The phone is just 7.7mm in thickness and weighs around 163 grams.

The Galaxy M10 features a 6.22-inch FHD TFT screen with a pixel density of 270 PPI. It has an 82.1% screen-to-body ratio. Although the TFT display does not compare to the company’s AMOLED display, it is not disappointing at all. The screen offers good viewing angles, with the colors popping beautifully. Even the sunlight legibility is decent. Another great thing about the phone is that it comes with a Widevine L1 certification which means that you can stream videos/content in full HD in apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

In the Galaxy M10, you get the option to hide the notch, which gives you a FullView experience. Also, there’s a Blue light filter that limits the amount of blue light emitted by the screen, thereby minimizing eye strain.

Considering the price tag, we’d say that the Galaxy M10 is a winner when it comes to the display.

Samsung Galaxy M10 uses an octa-core Exynos 7870 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz to power its core. This is coupled with either 2GB or 3GB RAM. Plus, to handle the graphical side of things, the phone has a Mali-T830 GPU which, although it is not as good as Adreno 509 or Adreno 512, can perform pretty decently.

When it comes to day-to-day tasks, the phone delivers excellent performance. There is no sign of lag or stutter when performing routine tasks like calling, texting, video streaming, using social media apps, and the like. Also, navigating between apps and multitasking is seamless and smooth.

Surprisingly enough, the Galaxy M10 can handle heavy games like PUBG and Asphalt quite well. Although there is a slightly noticeable lag while opening these gaming apps, the overall experience isn’t disappointing.

As for the software, the phone features the latest Samsung Experience (version 9.5 UX) based on Android 8.1 (Oreo). The new UX seems to be more refined and smooth compared to Samsung’s TouchWiz UX. A notable addition to the latest software is the Lock Screen Stories that displays stories, articles, videos, etc., according to your preference.

Another good thing is that the new UX is very customizable, so you can tweak it as per your needs.

On the rear, the phone has a vertically-aligned dual camera module – a 13MP primary camera (f/1.9 aperture) and a 5MP ultra-wide angle secondary camera (f/2.2 aperture). The 5MP selfie camera (f/2.0 aperture) lies on the front notch.

Images captured through the rear cam in the daylight look impressive, especially the HDR shots. The ultra-wide shots aren’t bad either – the images display vivid and accurate colours, and there’s a minimal whitish effect. The camera app comes with a lot of options like Live Focus, HDR imaging, ISO control, Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus, Continues Shooting, and Exposure compensation.

The Live Focus works decently to blur the background while highlighting the face. Also, the Smart Beauty feature enhances your facial features but retains a natural appearance.

It is in low-light settings where the camera disappoints. The captured photos have a significant amount of noise in them, and hence, they look grainy.

Coming to the 5MP selfie cam, while it does a good job in bright light settings, it struggles to perform in dimly-lit conditions.

The Galaxy M10 is powered by a 3400 mAh battery. On a single charge, the battery can pull through an entire day effortlessly for normal-to-medium usage (involving light gaming, calling, messaging, etc). The processor does a fantastic job of balancing performance and battery life.

However, if you use the phone for prolonged hours for gaming or browsing or video streaming, the battery will drop faster than usual. Sadly, the phone does not support fast-charging – you just get a standard 5W charger in the box.

Rounding up, the Galaxy M10 has plenty to offer for those looking for a good daily driver. The Infinity-V display is the biggest selling point of the phone. So, you know it delivers excellent video streaming and gaming experience.

As far as performance goes, it is indeed one of the best sub-10K phones in the market. Even with its limitations, the Galaxy M10 is a great budget phone offering excellent value for money.