Samsung Galaxy A31 vs Samsung Galaxy M21

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A31 Manufactured in April, 2020, with display 6.4 with chipsetMediatek Helio P65, vs Samsung Galaxy M21, Manufactured in March, 2020 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A31
  • Higher pixel density: 411ppi
  • Lighter design: 185g vs 188g
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy M21
  • Higher battery capacity: 6000mAh vs 5000mAh

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A31 and Samsung Galaxy M21
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Super AMOLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.4 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 411 ppi 403 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 600 nits 630 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 84.9 % 84.2 %
Features Always-On Display Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A31
629 nits
Samsung Galaxy M21
608 nits
sRGB gamut96.8 %141.3 %
PWM (Flicker)238 Hz215 Hz
Response time8 ms9 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 159.3 mm (6.27 in) 159 mm (6.26 in)
Width 73.1 mm (2.88 in) 75.1 mm (2.96 in)
Thickness 8.6 mm (0.34 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 185 g (6.53 oz) 188 g (6.63 oz)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Plastic
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Red
- Black
- Blue
- Green
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A31
84.9 %
Samsung Galaxy M21
84.2 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A31 and Samsung Galaxy M21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Mediatek Helio P65 Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611
Max Frequency 2000 MHz 2300 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 6/1.7 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2 (Cortex-A75)
- 4/1.7 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A73)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 12 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Yes Yes
Graphics Mali-G52 MP2 Mali-G72 MP3
GPU Cores 48 54
GPU Frequency 820 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS 78.7 GFLOPS 113.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A31
509
Samsung Galaxy M21
514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A31
1553
Samsung Galaxy M21
1558
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)509514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)15531558
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A31
197929
Samsung Galaxy M21
266455
CPU7432776468
GPU2421845756
Memory4549170269
UX5389373962
NanoReview Score197929266455
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A31
572
Samsung Galaxy M21
816
Max Surface Temp.45.2 °C44.1 °C
Stability97 %73 %
Graphics Test3 fps4 fps
Graphics Score572816
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy A31
5615
Samsung Galaxy M21
n/a
Writing score5825n/a
Web score4447n/a
Video editing4920n/a
Data manipulation4420n/a
NanoReview Score5615n/a

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB - 4 GB
- 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1866 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1UFS 2.1
Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

Software

OS Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12) Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 12.0)
OS Size 27 GB 14.5 GB
UI Skin One UI 4.1 One Ui 4.1

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 6000 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (50% in 60 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (25% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:25 h 2:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A31
25:27
Samsung Galaxy M21
24:03
Web Browsing10:26 h10:07 h
Video Playback14:36 h13:59 h
Games05:44 h05:35 h
Standby Mode126 h115 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 8000x6000 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion No 240 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Macro: 5 MP
Depth: 5 MP
Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Depth: 5 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix48 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/2.0
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KGM2Samsung S5KGM2
Sensor size1/2.01/2.0
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix8 MP8 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm12 mm
Sensor size1/4.01/4.0
Pixel size1.12 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 20 MP 20 MP
Photo resolution 5963x3354 pixels 5184x3888 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
Focal length n/a 26 mm
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsB1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41)LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41)
LTE category1212
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Mono Mono
3.5 mm Jack Yes Yes
FM Radio Yes Yes
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A31
78.5 dB
Samsung Galaxy M21
83.8 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Mid-range
Announced March, 2020 yr March, 2020 yr
Release Date April, 2020 yr March, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 210 210
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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