Introduction
Samsung introduced the Galaxy M01s just a few weeks after it took the veil off the Galaxy M01. As the ‘s' suffix entails, the Galaxy M01s is meant to be a slightly more powerful version of the standard Galaxy M01, and this is reflected by a handful of upgraded hardware components.
The Galaxy M01s has a different chipset, a larger display, and unlike the Galaxy M01, it has a fingerprint sensor. These upgrades and additions have resulted in a higher price tag, but the cost difference between the two remains fairly marginal. However, not everything about the Galaxy M01s represents an upgrade over the older model, and for unknown reasons, Samsung decided to make some downgrades in terms of software.
Design
Like the Galaxy M01 before it, the newer Galaxy M01s has a unibody design, with the back panel wrapping around the edges to meet the 2.5D glass covering the display. Since this is an entry-level device, the material is plastic. The dual camera and LED flash are vertically-aligned at the back. A fingerprint sensor is also present in the center.
The front is dominated by the device's Infinity-V display but as you'd expect on a device of this sort, the bezels are chunky. The volume keys are placed on the left side of the frame while the power key is on the right. The microUSB port, speaker and the 3.5mm headphone jack are at the bottom.
Specifications
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy M01s with a 2GHz MediaTek Helio P22 processor and paired it with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. The microSD card slot allows for external expansion up to 512GB.
There's a chunky 4,000mAh battery keeping the lights on. The handset is available in a dual-SIM configuration with one dedicated microSD slot.
Display
The Galaxy M01s has a 6.2-inch 1520×720 pixel resolution HD+ LCD display. It's an Infinity-V panel so there's a notch up top for the selfie camera. It's the kind of display that you'd expect from a device in this category.
Camera
The dual camera system at the back consists 13MP + 2MP sensors with an LED flash and support for auto focus. The wide and depth sensors have f/1.8 and f/2.4 aperture, respectively. There's also digital zoom up to 4x.
Selfie duties are handled by an 8-megapixel f/2.0 front camera that's positioned inside the Infinity-V notch.
Software and Features
The Galaxy M01s actually comes with outdated software. It has been launched with Android 9.0 Pie and One UI Core 1.1, even though the Galaxy M01 came with Android 10 and One UI Core 2.0. Samsung Health is present on the device. The “Core” iteration of Samsung's custom skin is a stripped-down version of One UI which offers fewer features so that the entry-level device doesn't feel bogged down.
Availability
The Galaxy M01s was announced on July 16, 2020 in India. Priced at Rs. 9,999 (~$130), the handset was immediately made available for purchase from Samsung India online in Gray and Light Blue colors.