What is the best Samsung for up to R$1,500?
Samsung announced a flurry of launches for the national market at the beginning of the year: three Galaxy S10 (S10e, S10 and S10+), six smartphones from the Galaxy A line (A10, A20, A30, A50, A70 and A80) and three from the new Galaxy M family (M10, M20 and M30). With so many models, it is inevitable that there will be similar devices or devices that compete in the same price range. This is the case of the Galaxy M30 and Galaxy A30. Which is the best?
The Galaxy A30 arrived in stores first, with a suggested price of R$1,599. But it is already possible to find it for less than R$1,500 in some promotions. This puts it in direct competition with the Galaxy M30, which was presented this week and hits stores on May 16 for R$1,499.
Although it has recently expanded to include entry-level smartphones, the Galaxy A family has a certain “prestige” with “almost premium” devices at more affordable prices. I joke that the best A models are the “Galaxy S for the masses”. The M family, on the other hand, is replacing the Galaxy On line, which had more popular devices and was sold only online.
Looking at it this way, it’s easy to say: “Oh, of course the Galaxy A is better!”. But that’s not quite the case…
Samsung Galaxy A30 / © NextPit
Different in what matters
If you buy smartphones based on their specifications, you'll have a hard time deciding. Both have the same processor, the same amount of RAM and internal memory, the same sized screens and the same front cameras. Even the finish is similar, with plastic cases in shades of blue, which break away from the monotony of black or white phones.
But there are some differences in points that are very important to me, and I believe to many of you too: the cameras and the battery. And in both cases, the advantage goes to the M30.
On paper, the A30's main camera looks better: it's 16 MP versus the M30's 13 MP. But believe me, the average user will never notice that 3 MP difference. Both have 5 MP secondary cameras with ultrawide lenses (great for landscapes and large group shots), but the M30 has the advantage of a third camera on the back, also 5 MP, for depth detection.
The rear of the M30, finished in plastic. Three cameras provide more versatility in photography / © NextPit by Stella Dauer
It is used for the “Bokeh” effect, that blurred background that gives a professional look to portraits, and it can also make a difference in the future in AR (augmented reality) applications. And considering that photography is one of the main uses of a smartphone today, the more resources available, the better.
Another important point is battery life. It is common to hear that “cell phones have evolved so much, only the battery hasn’t evolved”. And by “evolved”, people mean “last longer”. But they don’t realize that they demand much more from a modern smartphone than from their old Nokia phones from 15 years ago.
Today a cell phone is your telephone, newspaper, voice mail, MP3 player, camera and camcorder, messenger, concierge and portable video game console. In fact, it's a miracle that batteries last as long as they do.
From the front, the M30 and A30 look very similar / © NextPit by Stella Dauer
But until we discover new materials capable of storing more energy than current lithium-polymer batteries (and doing so safely), the solution is to use larger batteries. That's what Samsung did in the M30, with a 5,000 mAh battery.
That’s over 30% (33.33333… to be exact) more than the Galaxy A30’s 4,000mAh. Considering they both use the same processor, that means the Galaxy M30 will last longer under the same usage profile. Maybe a day and a half? Maybe two? We don’t know yet, but we’ll hopefully find out when we get a unit for review.
If I had R$1,500 to spare in my pocket, I would definitely go for the Galaxy M30. In practice, the camera may not be that much better, but more battery means better quality of life.
And you, what cell phone would you buy for up to R$1,500? Leave your opinion in the comments.