The Samsung Galaxy M40 is now available for buying in India, here are 5 things you must know about it 

One look at the Galaxy M40, and you can tell, Samsung finally got the memo. The Galaxy M40 is part of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to re-capture its lost market share to Xiaomi. The Galaxy M40 is part of Samsung’s new strategy to offer compelling features at affordable prices. But more importantly, with the Galaxy M40, Samsung is bringing much-needed variety to both its Galaxy M lineup, as well as to the budget smartphone segment in general – and that is good news for buyers. 

The Galaxy M40 is now available for buying in India – a 6GB RAM and 128GB configuration will cost you Rs 19,990. While the Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M20 are the ones to look at, if you’re on a tighter budget – there are also phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro and Realme 3 Pro to look at, at around similar prices. If, however you have a budget of around Rs 20,000, here’s why you should consider the Galaxy M40: 

-Fresh design – cute and comfy 

Samsung is using its 3D ‘glasstic’ design in the Galaxy M40 - which essentially means that the phone is made of plastic with glossy finish. This may sound unconvincing at first (the Redmi Note 7 Pro has a glass body, which is much more premium) but Samsung’s design looks really, really nice without being too overbearing – the Galaxy M40 is both cute and comfy, it’s a pleasure to work around with, even with one hand. If you’re looking for a big-screen experience on a pint-sized form factor, the Galaxy M40 is the phone to go for.    

Samsung is also using different colour schemes which make the Galaxy M40 stand out a little (from others as well as Samsung’s own Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M20 phones) – the phone is available in Midnight Blue and Seawater Blue gradient colours. 

-Edge-to-edge screen – and a Galaxy S10 surprise 

The USP feature of the Galaxy M40 is its punch-hole display. The Galaxy M40 is, in fact, the cheapest phone that you can get with a punch-hole display – a design choice that allows Samsung to offer nearly 91 per cent of screen-to-body ratio in a slim and light chassis. Well until the Galaxy M40 happened, the punch-hole display was limited to Samsung’s top-tier Galaxy S10 phones in India – Samsung calls the setup as Infinity-O. The Galaxy M40 changes that. 

Samsung is touting the Galaxy M40 as an entertainment powerhouse on the back of its 6.3-inch 1080p+ TFT LCD display that’s nearly edge to edge – the panel is also Widevine L1-certified which means it can stream HD content from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. 

Samsung has also omitted the physical earpiece grille in the Galaxy M40 – the phone instead uses on screen sound technology for voice calls and while I am not sure how it holds up with time, my review unit has left me satisfied with what’s in store so far. 

-A powerful phone with a slick UI 

The Galaxy A70 has been one of my favorite mid-range phones of the year – the Galaxy M40 has the same hardware. But while the Galaxy A70 costs Rs 28,990, the Galaxy M40 costs just Rs 19,990. The Galaxy M40 is a steal, is what it is.  

More precisely, the Galaxy M40 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage which is also expandable via a hybrid micro-SD card slot.  

But the biggest reason why the Galaxy M40 feels like a fast phone (in 9 out of 10 cases) is because Samsung has been able to well optimize the software inside it. Samsung’s One UI based on Android Pie is the best piece of software that you can get on a phone south of Rs 20,000 – Xiaomi's MIUI and Realme’s ColorOS don’t even stand a chance. 

-Versatile cameras 

The Galaxy M40 comes with three rear cameras consisting of one 32MP sensor (Samsung GD1 sensor for effective 8MP photos) with f/1.7 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a 5MP sensor for depth sensing aka portrait photography. Let me tell you at the onset, the Galaxy M40 isn’t a better a camera phone than the Redmi Note 7 Pro, but it can get close. What really makes the Galaxy M40 stand out though (and something that you should keep in mind when you’re out buying a new phone in this segment) is its wide-angle camera – not only does it offer more versatility, it also shoots some detailed landscape shots. 

On the front, the Galaxy M40 comes with a 16MP camera with f/2.0 aperture.   

-Sizeable battery and fast charging 

The Galaxy M40’s 3,500mAh battery may not give the same level of confidence as the Redmi Note 7 Pro (on paper), but Samsung’s optimizations ensure it’s an all-day phone. Plus, the Galaxy M40 supports 15W fast charging through USB Type-C, which is always nice to have.    

Also Read:  In Pics: Here’s A Closer Look At Samsung’s New Galaxy M40 With Punch-hole Display And Triple Rear Cameras