Before I begin, I should point out that this review is only going to focus on what’s new and different on the Galaxy M31s. The series recently got a major revision for 2020, and one of those phones – the Samsung Galaxy M31 – has made the journey to the UK market. Samsung Galaxy M31 review: Design. The selfie camera is neatly placed in a semi-circular drop-notch at the top of the screen, and the display itself is protected from drops and scrapes to some degree with a layer of Gorilla Glass. As you might have guessed, yet another positive of note is the price. The South Korean tech giant has announced plans to bring the phone to the UK. Samsung Galaxy M31 review: Price and competition As you might have guessed, yet another positive of note is the price. When hooked up to a power outlet, it took just over two hours to reach full charge from 8%. The Galaxy M31’s design hasn’t changed much from the Galaxy M30s. The display offers wide viewing angles and the larger screen makes watching movies and playing games a delight. Surprisingly however, the M31 had no trouble running online matches in Call of Duty: Mobile, and smaller titles like Alto’s Odyssey performed well. By comparison, the Pixel 3a only has one rear-facing sensor, but benefits from being one of the best smartphones for photography. Samsung Galaxy M31 review: Display The Samsung Galaxy M31 features a 6.4-inch full HD+ AMOLED display with 2340x1080 pixel resolution. Having been at the forefront of the year’s biggest tech sales, Tom can spot a bargain from a mile away. Product Review: With more budget smartphones appearing on the market, Samsung is getting in on the action with the Galaxy M31, costing less than £250. Blame it on the fact that my ageing laptop has a bit of a dodgy Wi-Fi connection, but under these new working from home circumstances, I’ve settled on using my phone as the main device of choice for conducting zoom calls, listening to music, tracking my indoor workout and enjoying some YouTube fluff at lunch time. Some phones have managed to buck the trend, but for the most part, there haven’t been any major advances in the stamina department since the launch of the Lenovo P2 way back in 2016. Samsung Galaxy M31 Specifications: 6.4-inch Infinity U FHD+ Super AMOLED display| Exynos 9611 processor| 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage| microSD support|Quad cameras (64MP main+5MP macro+5mp depth+8MP ultra-wide)6000mAh battery, 15W fast charging support|Android 10, One UI 2.0. I can understand the appeal of wanting a wide-angle sensor, but if it’s only going to do a sub-par job, then I would much rather see those resources invested into bumping up the main sensor. Well, it has a 6.4in Super AMOLED display, is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 9611 processor with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage and it runs Android 10. The Galaxy M31 is more or less a Galaxy M30s with a macro camera, a higher-resolution main camera, more RAM on the base variant, and newer software out of the box. It also didn’t help that this was mysteriously pulled from shop shelves barely a few months after release. Samsung’s A-series of smartphones is a staple sight in most UK stores, and for good reason. The series recently got a major revision for 2020, and one of those phones – the Samsung Galaxy M31 – has made the journey to the UK market. At just £245, I’m amazed at just how uncompromising the front-facing elements of the phone are. Inside the Samsung Galaxy M31, you’ll find one of Samsung’s homebrew Exynos 9611 chipsets, a generous 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 1TB via microSD. But given how few phones this price have made the jump to 90Hz at the moment, it’s a forgivable omission. Let’s dive right into this Galaxy M31s review to find the answer. Hugely popular in India, Galaxy M smartphones try to pack premium specs into an affordable format – at least, that’s what it is on paper. Running the Geekbench 4 CPU test, it’s clear that the Galaxy M31 is a bit behind the pace, however; even the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9, which costs less than £200, is faster than it. The only other minor issue is that, unlike the new Moto G 5G Plus, it has a basic 60Hz screen. The Galaxy M31’s “live-focus” portrait mode is as great as ever, too, allowing you to adjust the level of background blur before or after you capture the image. They’re already miles better than we ever dreamed possible, with high-powered internals, big high-resolution screens and high-end cameras, but there’s one area that hasn’t improved quite as much in recent years, and that’s battery life. Even the Lenovo P2, which has been sitting at the top of our battery life hierarchy since its release, “only” had a 5,100mAh battery. Granted, it’s minuscule compared to the likes of Apple’s now seriously outdated shelf, but it’s still there. For example, the portrait shot below of my wonderfully obliging fiancée below has a natural-looking bokeh effect, and colours appear bright without looking saturated. Product Review: With more budget smartphones appearing on the market, Samsung is getting in on the action with the Galaxy M31, costing less than £250. For instance, there’s very little bloatware with the exception of Samsung’s own variety of apps which tend to have their uses, although why I’d ever need to use the Galaxy Store when Google’s App Store is right there, is beyond me. The Galaxy M31 has a quadruple-camera array: the 64MP (f/1.8) snapper is chaperoned by an 8MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide lens, 5MP (f/2.4) macro unit and, finally, a 5MP (f/2.2) depth sensor for more effective-looking blurred background portraits. Video recording is equally impressive. I kid of course, I don’t happen to share the same disdain for the inclusion of macro cameras on smartphones that other critics do, and it’s fun to snap an artsy shot of a bug or a flower every now and then, but let’s face it, the real meat and potatoes are the ultra-wide and main cameras.