Samasung Galaxy M13 Mobile Phone Review

While still using the same SoC, the screen resolution of the Samsung Galaxy M13 has finally caught up with similarly priced phones. Continue reading to find out if its cameras shoot better photographs than its predecessor's and how this low-cost smartphone performs in our review.

Case and characteristics - Virtual Sensors

Although the M13's predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy M12, was a respectable low-cost smartphone, it offered insufficient performance and had a low-resolution screen. Its primary camera also produced videos that disappointed us. Some of these criticisms have been addressed with the inclusion of a Full HD screen and a substantially revised camera configuration in the Samsung Galaxy M13.

The Galaxy M13 retains several design cues from its predecessor. For example, the back features a faint wavy pattern but no vertical lines. Samsung is giving the phone in three colours this time around: "Deep Green," "Light Blue," and "Orange Copper."

The plastic shell is standard for phones in this price range but is well-made and has nice transitions between materials. The screen is barely perceptible to pressure.

The phone, like its predecessor, supports NFC, which is not always a given for every low-budget device. For example, NFC is essential if you wish to utilize Google Pay or other contactless applications.

The Galaxy M13's simulated light and proximity sensor is a standout feature. Instead than requiring a separate sensor to control screen brightness or turn off the display during a call, the phone recognises the same scenarios using the front camera and a software solution. The results may be better when it comes to identifying lighting conditions because the sensor reacts slowly or not at all to very intense ambient light. During a call, though, the proximity detecting works very consistently.

The microSD reader works even with two SIM cards in the handset and is fast enough for the price range.

Connectivity, Software, and Usability - Wi-Fi 5 at long last

In comparison to the Galaxy M12, the new phone includes Wi-Fi 5, which has been long overdue in this price range. We were able to attain constant rates of around 325 Mbits/s using the reference router Asus ROG AXE11000.

The phone supports up to LTE but only a few frequencies in terms of mobile network coverage. This implies you need to know whether you'll be able to access mobile Internet when traveling. We randomly tested the smartphone's reception quality and discovered that it needs more expensive phones. The signal strength of the Galaxy M13 was occasionally just about half that of other phones in the same place.

On the Galaxy M13, Samsung has updated Android 12 with their own One UI overlay, including design improvements that enable for one-handed phone use. Samsung uses its own apps in many areas, but has stopped preinstalling Google apps with similar functionality on top of its apps (with the exception of the news app and gallery). Although the phone comes with a few advertising apps preinstalled, there are only a few.This function works flawlessly, but it could be more secure because it is solely software-based.

Samsung has eliminated the depth camera for portrait photography, which was of questionable utility. The Galaxy M13 now has a 50MP primary camera, a 5MP wide-angle camera, and a 2MP macro camera.

Cameras - Muddy Wide-Angle Image

The primary camera has a Samsung Isocell JN1 . It has small pixels, but it combines four of them to form a larger pixel, allowing it to shoot 12.5MP photos with good light sensitivity. The quality and detail of the images are adequate at best. The white flowers of the shrub are significantly overexposed. In the low-light and high-contrast environments, larger regions appear grainy, and the candle flame is overexposed. Although there are no details visible in very dark regions, the camera can reproduce details pretty well.

The phone can record 1080p videos at 30 frames per second. However, only digital zoom is available when recording movies. Poor autofocus continues to plague the phone's video recording abilities, which are generally decent for phones in this price range.

The 5MP wide-angle lens produces sharp images with minimal distortion around the corners. The left edge of the image has a noticeable soft band, and the trees on the right are also highly fuzzy. Under normal lighting circumstances, the front-facing 8MP camera captures good photographs. It fails to replicate details in darker areas, however.

Display - Now in Full HD but with dull colors

There is now an affordable phone with a Full HD screen in the Galaxy M series. Samsung was in danger of being overtaken by competitors in this industry. However, manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Motorola are already using OLED displays in phones in this price range, while Samsung continues to employ PLS screens.

As a result, the Galaxy M13's display is slightly duller and has less contrast than some of its competitors. Our trials with a spectrophotometer and the CalMAN programme revealed that colour reproduction is likewise significantly less accurate. When displaying shades of grey, the screen has a pronounced blue hue.

We think the Samsung Exynos 850 in the Galaxy M12 was adequate for the pricing. One year later, however, the same SoC in the Galaxy M13 is clearly out of sync with the Snapdragon 680 in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11.

With performance differentials reaching 40, 50, or even 70% in testing, it is clear how far the phone trails in terms of performance. When you restart the phone, this is clear; for example, it takes a long time for the phone to become usable again. In addition, we do not advocate running particularly demanding programmes on the Galaxy M13 in daily use. Otherwise, the phone will begin to stutter visibly. This is due in part to the extremely sluggish eMMC storage.

Under load, the smartphone only gets somewhat warm in select areas and thus stays usable. The speaker has a weak sound and cannot handle more intense passages of a music recording. While the speaker does not buzz at full power, it is also not particularly loud when set all the way up.

It is more enjoyable to listen to music on the phone using headphones or external speakers. They can be connected through 3.5 mm audio jack or Bluetooth. The phone supports a wide range of Bluetooth codecs, including aptX. However, none of them support HD audio. Thus, the sound quality is only decent.

Verdict - Noticeably Improved, but Lacking in Certain Areas

The Samsung Galaxy M13 is slightly cheaper than its predecessor while still offering a few updates: the high-resolution screen, for example, is a welcome change, even if it is still a very dull-looking PLS display.

The camera's autofocus still struggles with movies, and we don't recommend scrutinizing photographs taken with the wide-angle lens too closely. Having said that, the image quality of the main camera is very acceptable for a phone in this price range. Samsung urgently needs to improve the performance of the next affordable Galaxy M phone because the Galaxy M13 has slipped substantially behind similarly priced devices from other manufacturers in this area.

The Samsung Galaxy M13 has a sturdy build, NFC capability, and speedy Wi-Fi. However, in terms of performance and screen, there are still superior options available.