Samsung Galaxy A31 Hands-On Review: Massive Upgrades Over Galaxy A30

Karamchand Rameshwar - Apr 29, 2020

Samsung Galaxy A31 is a massive upgrade over the Galaxy A30 in many aspects such as cameras, chipset, battery, and more. Check out our Galaxy A31 review to find out more.

Samsung announced the Galaxy A31 as an upgraded version of the Galaxy A30. The Samsung Galaxy A31 price is listed on the Korean online store Coupang as KRW 374,000, which is equivalent to around Rs. 23,200. We have just got the chance to spend some time with the phone. Here is our initial thought about Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A31 1

Overall, it looks somewhat similar to its more-premium siblings Galaxy A51 & Galaxy A71

The version that I hold in my hand is in Black color and it looks very glossy with diamond-shaped effects like on the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71. But the back is quite prone to sweat and fingerprints.

Samsung Galaxy A31 2 — The back design of the Galaxy A31 looks very familiar.

Another similarity is the presence of the quad-camera cluster arranged in an L-shape and comes with an LED flash, all in a fairly large rectangular cluster.

Samsung Galaxy A31 3 — Still a quad-camera setup placed inside an L-shaped housing

Under the light, this back has a glossy in multiple colors. Just like the Galaxy A51 & A71, this phone’s back is also made of polycarbonate. The back of the Galaxy A31 is also curved on the sides for a more comfortable grip. The device has a moderate weight and a relatively compact body.

The frame of the Galaxy A31 is also glossy black. Let's see what are in the sides of the device.

Samsung Galaxy A31 4 — On the rear, it looks quite minimalist. There are only a camera setup at the top left and a Samsung logo at the bottom half.

Samsung Galaxy A31 5 — The bottom of the device has a USB-C port, external speakers, microphone, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy A31 6 — The right side is where the power button and volume rocker are placed

Samsung Galaxy A31 7 — There is only a SIM tray on the left side.

Samsung Galaxy A31 8 — The top of the phone has one more microphone

Samsung Galaxy A31 9 — Galaxy A31 has an Infinity-U display on the front.

Samsung Galaxy A31 10 — The bottom chin is relatively thick

Unlike the A51 & A71, the Galaxy A31 only has a U-shaped notch on the front with thicker bezels on the side, especially the one at the bottom.

Decent internals: Four rear cameras and massive battery

Samsung Galaxy A31 11 — The Galaxy A31 has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel of Full HD + resolution, which is pretty much the same as that of the Galaxy A30.

Providing power to the phone is the Helio P65 processor which is paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The highlight of Galaxy A31 is its multi-function camera system including 48 MP main camera, 8 MP wide-angle camera, 8MP portrait camera, and 5 MP macro camera. The camera interface of Galaxy A31 is the same as other Samsung devices running Android 10-based OneUI 2.0 interface.

Samsung Galaxy A31 12 — The front notch of the device houses a 20 MP F / 2.0 selfie camera that supports wide-angle shooting. It is slightly upgraded from the 16MP unit on the Galaxy A30.

Samsung Galaxy A31 13 — Camera interface of the Galaxy A31.

One more thing, Samsung Galaxy A31 is also powered by a high-capacity battery of 5,000 mAh, giving you comfortable usage time. It also supports 15W fast charging technology, which helps cut down the charging time.

Verdict

The Galaxy A31 is a massive upgrade over the Galaxy A30. The product features a cluster of quad cameras with lots of features, massive battery, decent internals, and relatively-attractive design. However, if Samsung keeps the same price of around Rs. 23,200 to the Indian market, we don't think it is a good choice considering massive options in the price range such as Redmi Note 9 Pro, Note 9 Pro Max, Realme 6 Pro, and more.

Samsung Galaxy A31 price: KRW 374,000 ~ Rs. 23,200

Samsung Galaxy A31 price in India: Unavailable

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