Samsung Galaxy M33 5G smartphone review – Is 120 Hz enough in a mid-range phone?

Samsung’s M series is a bit more discreet this year. Thus, the Galaxy M33 5G comes with a simple, matte-reflective back in rather muted colors like brown, dark blue, and green. The mirror effect is actually quite pretty, but the back almost magically attracts fingerprints.

The stability of the plastic case can hardly be criticized: it is very sturdily built and is difficult to twist. The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 5. However, the weight of 198 grams is quite high.

In contrast to the predecessor Galaxy M32 there is now finally faster mass storage, and the amount of 128 GB is also good. Samsung wants considerably more money for it than last year with 349 Euros, but the price has already dropped considerably on the Internet, for example at amazon. de at the time of the test.

The microSD slot can also be used with two SIM cards inserted. It is actually on an average speed level, as our tests with the reference card Angelbird V60 show. However, the CPDT benchmark shows clearly fluctuating data rates during sequential reading.

Although there was a Galaxy M32 5G, it never reached us in Europe. We now also get the 5G version of the Galaxy M33. The smartphone will probably not be able to use the 4G and 5G networks everywhere in the world, but the frequency diversity should be sufficient for some destinations.

The Wi-Fi module supports WiFi 5 standard. However, it is a bit weak in the transmission direction in our test with the reference router Asus ROG AXE11000, whereas it can at least keep up with most competing smartphones in the reception direction. OneUI 4.

1 is Samsung’s own operating system based on Android 12. It is also preinstalled in the Galaxy M33 and includes quite a few third-party apps that fill the memory and should be uninstalled by the user if he does not like them. During our test, we received an update of the security patches to July 1, 2022, which is very up-to-date at the time of testing.

So far, the phone has received a security update every 2 months, which is supposed to remain the same for at least 4 years from launch according to the manufacturer. There are no reliable statements about the Android updates, but the phone should still get Android 13. The 120 Hz screen makes the operation very smooth, although permanent 120 Hz is not possible.

The screen switches to 60 fps in longer stills or when typing on the keyboard. This works well and reliably, as we find out with the refresh rate display. A fingerprint sensor is located on the right side of the standby button.

It unlocks the phone almost immediately when you press the button or just put your finger on it. Unlocking via facial recognition is also possible, but this is only done in 2D via a software solution and is therefore not quite as secure. You have to cope with fewer pixels in the cameras: the fact that there are only 50 megapixels in the main camera, compared to 64 megapixels in the Galaxy M32 , should be more tolerable than the drop in the wide-angle lens from 8 to 5 megapixels.

The sensor of the main camera comes from Samsung, it is the ISOCELL JN1 often used in inexpensive mid-range and entry-level phones. It is not exactly known for its sharpness of detail and dynamics, and the Galaxy M33 also has slight weaknesses in these areas. The surrounding image in particular looks very gloomy under cloudy skies and blurry when magnified.

In low light, details are no longer visible in dark areas. In the bright parts of the picture, the camera tries its best, but creates pixel artifacts when refocusing and is otherwise quite blurry. Videos can even be recorded in 4K with 30 fps with the main camera, but only FullHD recordings with 30 fps can be made with the wide-angle camera.

If you expect a hybrid zoom during recording, you will be disappointed. You can only switch between the lenses and the smartphone takes a short pause for that. The brightness adjustment usually works quite quickly, but the autofocus likes to pump when the scenery changes.

The wide-angle camera takes pictures with few details and also relatively low brightening on cloudy days. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera. It still takes decent pictures with passable details even in somewhat darker areas.

As already mentioned, the Galaxy M33 only offers an IPS screen with Full HD resolution, but at least 120 Hz refresh rates. Otherwise, an AMOLED screen is often installed in this price range. That is not a problem, since IPS screens can also deliver great picture quality, and the screen in the Galaxy M33 does not suffer from PWM flickering.

However, the black level, brightness, and color reproduction lag behind the competition. The grayscale shows a clear blue cast and the response times might be too slow for gamers. The Exynos 1280 is used as SoC in many mid-range phones from Samsung this year, for example in the Galaxy A33 or Galaxy A53 .

The Galaxy M33 also uses it and thus offers decent performance rates for its price range and a significant performance leap compared with the predecessor. The memory is also much faster than in the Galaxy M32 however, the slow memory controller of the SoC prevents even better rates. The OnePlus North CE 2 shows how it can be better.

The smartphone does not get noticeably warmer under low load, but the case temperature rises to almost 43 °C in some areas when you run complex apps for longer. That is just about OK, but already noticeable. We also get our results at room temperature, so a significantly higher waste heat could result outdoors in warm outdoor temperatures.

The mono speaker on the bottom edge can get quite loud but is somewhat treble-heavy. You can listen to music, but you should rather connect headphones or speakers via a 3. 5 mm jack or Bluetooth for a really pleasant sound.

Samsung has a hard time with the aptX Bluetooth codecs. The basic form is supported, but not the more modern and higher-quality codecs like aptX HD. Instead, there is Samsung’s own Scalable Codec and LDAC, but again, not the HD variant.

The phone charges with a maximum of 25 watts, but a charger is not included with the Galaxy M33 5G. The phone needs just under 2 hours at full charging power to fill up. With its 5,000 mAh battery, the Galaxy M33 is not badly positioned for its price range but still has to accept runtime losses: with 14:19 hours in our WLAN test, it lasts much less than the predecessor and cannot really stand out in the class comparison.

It should be enough for one to two days without a power outlet, but a bit more energy efficiency would have allowed for much more. Samsung’s Galaxy M33 5G leaps to a new mobile generation and offers significantly more power than its predecessor. The storage speed is finally convincing and the smartphone’s build quality is pleasing.

In addition, the phone is supplied with updates for a long time. The camera is rather average for the price range, and the display is relatively dim and has long response times. The battery runtimes are also not completely convincing when you compare the phone with similarly priced smartphones, and the phone heats up considerably under load.

The Galaxy M33 5G is a chic, inexpensive 5G phone whose already significantly dropped price makes it attractive. Samsung will have to improve the successor in some areas, such as battery life and screen. Users who prefer an AMOLED screen have a wide choice at the price point of the Galaxy M33 and do not have to do without 5G: the in-house Galaxy A33 5G or the OnePlus North CE 2 are available.

Even Samsung has lowered the price to 299 Euros. If you prefer to buy it from a trusted Internet retailer, you can get offers starting at 250 Euros at the time of testing. Also amazon.

de and our loaner notebooksbilliger. de have the phone in their assortment. .