Samsung Galaxy M13 5G review

Samsung has an extensive range of smartphones, covering both entry-level and high-end spectrum. Samsung loyalists will surely find a smartphone in every budget, but the competition is quite intense in the budget segment, raising the question if Samsung's up for it. The newly-launched Galaxy M13 5G is positioned competitively in the budget segment, starting at Rs 13,999 for 4GB+64GB and Rs 15,999 for 6GB+128GB configuration. Interestingly, Samsung also offers consumers an option to choose a 4G model as well, which costs Rs 2,000 less, if you don't care about those 11 bands that come with it.

Samsung Galaxy M13 comes in three colours, Midnight Blue, Stardust Brown and Aqua Green. We've got the blue shade in the highest configuration for review. Here are the ten points you must know about the phone before buying it.

Samsung Galaxy M13 5G review

Samsung Galaxy M13 has a plastic construction with Gorilla Glass 3 protection for the display, which is an average setting but expected one given the price range. The design feels durable and sturdy. The positioning of the physical buttons is standard. It's got the USB Type-C port along with a 3.5mm jack and speaker at the bottom, volume controls on the right and the power button below it, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Nothing too fancy here, but the camera lens orientation inspired by the flagship S22 Ultra's floating design is hard to miss.

Samsung Galaxy M13 has a 6.5-inch HD+ PLS LCD display, which seems a bit sub-standard. Yet again, the device's cost factor comes into play here. The display is bright enough for your daily tasks, yet struggles under direct sunlight. It's not the best option out there if you are a multimedia buff as the colours may seem washed out.

If you don't mind the details, the big screen is good for watching content. For a better resolution, the option is to shell out extra cash. The bezels on the device are minimal except for the chin and the notch on top doesn't get in the way. To top it all off, there's a Gorilla Glass 3 protection and there's 90Hz refresh rate, which earns a few brownie points.

Samsung Galaxy M13 goes with a minimal camera setup and just has two sensors on the back - 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle and 2MP depth sensor. The primary sensor is all that matters in this setup as the 2MP just fills the spec-sheet at this point. The main sensor is capable of shooting crisp and sharp images with vibrant colours, which is a treat. But low-light photos delivered inconsistent results and the colours were way off. The dynamic range in low-light couldn't be matched to what was produced during the day. The camera setup is nothing something to gloat over, but it's not too bad given the price category. The front camera is a 5MP one, which is pretty basic and delivers just as that.

Check out some camera samples below:

Samsung Galaxy M13 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 700 octa-core chipset. The device is suited best for average day-to-day tasks, nothing too heavy like gaming. You can browse social media content, browse the web, watch videos and Reels, and go about other communication tasks without a hitch. We noticed a slight delay in the launching of the app, but there were no noticeable lags.

Samsung Galaxy M13 runs Android 12-based OneUI 4, which is a refined OS and minimal bloatware. The apps that come pre-loaded on the device can be uninstalled to free up some space on the phone, necessary if you're opting for 64GB variant. But everything else about the OS, from the dark mode to material themes and more, the OneUI 4 is one of the best Android skins out there.

Samsung Galaxy M13 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, which gives a full-days worth of use in a single charge. Clearly, the phone's battery is its biggest USP and turns out to be one of the biggest reasons to consider this phone. The handset consistently delivered full-day battery life, except for one time when the camera use and testing were intense. Even then, the phone had to be plugged in towards the end of the day.

Samsung Galaxy M13 surely has a big battery, but it can be a pain to charge it. Even at this price range, the smartphone gets 15W fast charging support, but that's not nearly enough. It can take up to 2 hours to fully charge the phone when the battery is drained out.

Should you buy it?

Samsung Galaxy M13 5G checks all the right boxes when it comes to being a worthy budget smartphone. The phone has a good and durable design, the primary camera sensor is quite capable, the display will get most of your tasks done with ease, the performance is suited for daily tasks, and the battery is most reliable. There is nothing extraordinary worth mentioning, but that's intended. It's got 5G and a whole 11-band set up, which makes it (kinda) future-proof. The areas where the Galaxy M13 would have been better are the display, low-light photography and slow charging speeds. The handset competes in the sub-15K range, which is highly competitive and dominated by Chinese rivals.