With the Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20, Samsung is hoping to get back into the running in the budget smartphone market. The Galaxy M10 is the cheaper device of the two, but it gets two of the highlight features of the M series lineup: An Infinity-V display with a waterdrop notch and a dual rear camera with an ultra-wide sensor. I've already talked about the Galaxy M20 and our initial impressions of the phone, and today, we take a look at its lower-priced cousin.
Samsung Galaxy M10 hands-on
The Galaxy M10 may be cheaper than the Galaxy M20, but its design and construction are pretty much the same as far as look and feel are concerned, with the key difference being the lack of a fingerprint sensor and the presence of a speaker grill at the back of the M10. The notched display is nearly the same size as the M20's as well (the M10 is 6.2 inches, the M20 6.3 inches). But the M10 is noticeably lighter, as it gets a 3,400 mAh battery instead of the M20's 5,000 mAh battery. It's made entirely of plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap to the touch when you first pick it up.
The best thing about the M10 is that its dual rear camera setup is identical to the M20's, so you get a regular 13MP snapper and a secondary 5MP lens that can take 120-degree ultra-wide shots. I can't comment on the imaging performance just yet, but as I said in our M20 hands-on, just the presence of an ultra-wide camera makes the Galaxy M10 unique among everything that's on the market.
And while the M10 gets lower basic specs in other departments, it's hard to notice them at first glance. The display has HD+ resolution instead of Full HD+, but you won't find the screen to be too pixelated – it's the larger fonts that give away the lower pixel density. Even an ambient light sensor is part of the package. Performance seems fine as well. The M10 gets Samsung's old Exynos 7870 SoC, which has never been a great performer, but that's where the lower screen resolution should help in the long run.
Is there anything else that's exciting on the Galaxy M10? Well, just the price tag. The M10 is priced at ₹8,990 (roughly $130) for the variant with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Its specs match those of the Galaxy J6, which came out in May last year for ₹13,990 (roughly $190), while offering a bigger display and an ultra-wide camera. Sure, the M10 is only going to be available online, but that doesn't make it any less impressive that Samsung is offering the M10 for such an attractive price.
As always, whether the Galaxy M10 is a device worth purchasing is something you'll find out in our full review. With the Galaxy M20's base variant priced just ₹2,000 higher than the 3GB+32GB M10, I can see the M10 being bought by those who have a very limited budget on their hands. But, again, look out for our full review for a proper verdict on the device.
