Review of the Samsung Galaxy M12 smartphone with the main characteristics

The announcement of the new, budget Samsung Galaxy M12 is scheduled for early 2022. And if in terms of design the novelty is unlikely to surprise, then the battery capacity of 7000 mAh clearly deserves attention. In fact, the M12 is the only A-class smartphone with such a powerful battery.

Main characteristics

The exact information is unknown. The data below may vary depending on the sales market.

Design

The smartphone looks very similar to the already released A42 5G. The same plastic case, flat screen and square module with 4 main camera sensors. The only difference is the design of the back cover, which combines matte and glossy plastic. In the photo that got into the network - the second design option, with vertical stripes.
By the way, it was possible not to bother with the drawing. The plastic case collects all fingerprints and needs a protective case anyway.

The second change is that the fingerprint identification sensor is combined with the power button. On the previous model, it was located under the display.

The front part with narrow frames and a teardrop-shaped cutout for the front camera. The solution, to be honest, is not new. On the other hand, the notch is practically invisible, does not irritate and does not interfere with viewing.
The USB Type-C port and 3.5mm jack remain.

Display

The novelty will receive a proprietary Samsung PLS TFT display, which is distinguished by a large viewing angle, high pixel density, and the most natural color reproduction. There should be no problems with viewing information on the screen even in bright light. By the way, such displays are characterized by low power consumption, do not glare and are comfortable for the eyes, due to the almost complete absence of flicker.

Of the minuses is the high price (compared to standard IPS matrices), which in the long run will clearly increase the cost of the smartphone itself.

As for the size, the 6.7-inch display occupies almost the entire front part (as a percentage of the body - almost 90%). The narrowed "chin" is also present, but not conspicuous. Estimated resolution characteristics - 720x1560 pixels.

The front panel is made of glass. Not Gorilla Glass, of course, but not plastic either. Although it is better to take a protective film right away.

Camera

The exact data is not disclosed. But according to insider information, it can be assumed that Samsung will not be able to offer anything special for the price of $150. The main module consists of 4 sensors of 13 and 8 megapixels plus a macro and a depth sensor of 2 megapixels each. The built-in autofocus function is not mentioned.

The video performance of 1080p at 30fps is also underwhelming. Yes, there is HDR support, but there is no question of any stabilization. So it will not work to shoot a video with a smooth picture without additional devices.
An 8-megapixel front camera with an f / 2.0 aperture is also not the best solution. The maximum that you can get is good detail.You can forget about professional editing in this case.

As for night shooting, the One UI interface, according to the manufacturer on the official website, automatically corrects the picture. But then it is tactfully noted that the result will directly depend on the characteristics of the camera of a particular gadget. So, in the case of the M 12, you can’t count on bright, clear photos in low light.

Autonomy and performance

This is where everything should be perfect. A capacious battery should easily withstand hours of gaming and watching several movies. For example, a 3400 mAh battery (according to the manufacturer) will last for 24 hours. So the new gadget with a 7000 mAh battery will easily last a couple of days without recharging, even with active use.

Again, according to insider information, the smartphone will receive a branded eight-core Exynos 9611 chipset with an integrated modem, the LTE Cat.12 3CA modem, announced last year. If this is true, then the M 12 will be inferior in performance to gadgets from Chinese brands.

According to the test results, the Snapdragon 730 confidently outperforms the Exynos 9611 in all respects, from CPU speed to energy efficiency. Another disadvantage of the Samsung chipset is that developers in most cases adapt games just for Snapdragon. Of the advantages of Exynos, one can only note the high frequency of the GPU.

Interface

Convenient, with many different "chips". Automatically adapts to displays of any size. In any screen orientation, the displayed applications remain in the usual format and size. With any allows you to work in multitasking mode.You can combine multiple applications and activate them at the same time, with a single click on the button on the sidebar. Some applications can even be viewed in split screen mode.
One UI offers great customization options. You can change themes, widgets, adjust the "transparency" of the display to better display the main picture, change the design and color of the clock. You can disable all sensors with one button on the quick access toolbar. In addition, improved:

• standard applications (various reminders, calculator, explorer);
• visualization of the battery charge;
• support for multiple devices (you can watch information from your smartphone on a large PC screen);
• gesture control mode (many users note that it is more familiar to use the buttons, but still).

By the way, managing your smartphone with gestures has become much more convenient. Now, in order to make a swipe, it is enough to swipe your hand from top to bottom or horizontally - from edge to edge of the screen, and not reach for the bottom of the display. And adjusting the sensitivity of gestures is useful if a protective film is pasted on the screen.
The smartphone automatically selects the power saving mode when the battery charge decreases, and when recharging, it also automatically changes the mode to the standard one.
Well, various nice little things, such as choosing a video that can be set as a subscriber ID, a shared photo album with open access for relatives and friends, animation.

Memory and additional features

The network leaked information that the gadget will be presented in several trim levels. With 4 GB and 3 GB RAM and 64 GB and 32 GB internal storage respectively. True, it is not known which smartphones will be sold in Russia.

As for additional features, there are few of them. Accelerometer, proximity sensor, standard smartphone GPS. As for the presence or absence of Near Field Communication (NFC), nothing is known yet.

Pros and cons

To summarize, we get an increased battery capacity in the old case (the combination of glossy and matte plastic does not count). Users in absentia criticized both the PLS IPS display and the lack of protective glass, and the mediocre camera. The only thing that did not cause complaints was the battery capacity.

In addition, there were many questions about the configuration. If Samsung follows the path of the apple brand, then for $150, buyers will receive only a smartphone and a USB cable without a charger.

In fact, it is too early to draw any conclusions. It will be possible to find out the exact characteristics only after the official presentation.

So far, the following pros and cons can be noted

• battery 7000 mAh;
• long battery life;
• powerful (if you do not take into account the results of synthetic tests) eight-core processor;
• weak camera (a lot of sensors, but the output will be mediocre);
• dedicated slot for a memory card;
• support for 2 SIM cards;
• user-friendly interface;
• large screen with excellent color reproduction.

• plastic case;
• repeating design;
• minimum additional features.

So, the budget novelty is likely to appeal to those who are looking for a smartphone that does not require constant recharging or fans of the brand. The release date, as well as the start date of sales are still unknown. It remains to wait for the presentation and announcement of the cost for the Russian market.