Samsung Galaxy M35 Review: Economical and Efficient

Anupam Das
August 21, 2024

1. Samsung Galaxy M35: First Impression

In the smartphone market, the premium smartphones that come with the latest technologies, amazing features, incredible cameras, and superlative CPUs represent around half of the revenues. However, a big chunk of the market share in the smartphone domain is captured by low-cost smartphones that provide value for money. Samsung manufactures some of the top economical smartphones and its latest offering is Samsung Galaxy M35 which is the successor of the Galaxy M34.

Samsung Galaxy M35 is a heavy-build phone with a typical rectangular shape with rounded corners. It feels heavy and thick in hand. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+. The back cameras are lined up in a column on the right of the backside of the phone. The selfie camera is a punch-hole camera that sits in the middle of the display.

One of the drawbacks of the Samsung Galaxy M35 is that it does not mention any IP ratings and the sim slot does not have a gasket. Hence it is better to keep it safe from water or dusty environment. The power button and the fingerprint scanner with volume control are clipped at the right side of the phone while the dual sim slot is placed on the left side. At the bottom, the primary microphone, a USB-C 2.0 port, and a loudspeaker are arranged in a row. A secondary microphone is pinned at the top of the phone.

2. Samsung Galaxy M35: Measurements, Weight, and Set Up

As mentioned before, the Samsung Galaxy M35 is rectangular. It has a length of 16.23 cm or 6.38 inches, a width of 7.86 cm or 3.09 inches, and a thickness of 0.91 cm or 0.35 inches. Even though the Samsung Galaxy M35 has a plastic frame, this Samsung smartphone is quite bulky and weighs around 222 grams. The user can feel the thickness and the weight while holding or carrying the phone. While, it is not too uncomfortable to hold or carry, the ones who are used to slim and light smartphones, may feel a tad unease.

The Samsung Galaxy M35 has a plastic frame with a glass front. The backside has a plastic cover with patterned parallel lines running through the width of the phone. The bazel is quite pronounced and takes up a lot of space. As the frame is made of plastic, the users need to be mindful of not dropping the phone from high elevation. The smudges and dents can be visible after medium usage. However, the display is quite safe with the protection of Gorilla Glass Victus+ and spots and marks are rarely visible. Still, users need to use this phone with a lot of care.

3. Samsung Galaxy M35: CPU, GPU, and OS

Samsung Galaxy M35 runs on Samsung’s own System-on-Chip (SoC) – Exynos 1380. It has an octa-core CPU that consists of 4 Cortex A78 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2.4 GHz and 4 Cortex A55 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2 GHz. This CPU has 5-nanometer transistors. It is granted that other premium Samsung smartphones have 4-nanometer chips and the latest Apple iPhones have even introduced 3-nanometer chips. Still, this chip with a 5-nanometer is compact and condensed which accommodates more space and executes tasks at a faster rate. The condensed chip also reduces heat generation and lengthens battery life.

The Exynos 1380 SoC comes with an integrated Mali G68 MP5 GPU. It supports APIs such as OpenCL, OpenGL, Vulkan, etc. The GPU works in 0.95 GHz frequency and has 5 sets of data processing units or ‘Pipeline’. The GPU can perform 1.23 Tera-FLOPS at half precision or FP16 and 0.60 Tera-FLOPS at single precision or FP32. Along with the GPU, the Exynos 1380 SoC also contains an AI neural processing unit. It works in tandem with the apps and features provided by Android and Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy M35 is equipped with Android 14 and Samsung’s user interface – One UI 6.1. For this smartphone, Samsung provides 4 major OS updates and 5 years of security updates. The user interface is streamlined and rationalized. It provides good integration with the Android 14 and works in sync with the other AI features. Accessing and closing apps is easy and can be done without any extra steps. However, some bloatware does exist in the app collection.

The performance of the Samsung Galaxy M35 is satisfactory and it compliments the smartphone’s value aspects. Normal official tasks or study work can be done without any issues. Connectivity and internet browsing is a breeze on this phone. Scrolling is smooth and it does not lag often. Watching HD movies or accessing social media can be done without any hiccups. However, watching ultra-hd movies may be not so smooth.

Games with less graphics intensity can be played smoothly. However, the smartphone and the CPU start to falter for heavy-duty gaming and long hours of performance. The games start to lag and the display refreshes at a slower rate. The smartphone also shows heating issues if used for long hours of intense gaming. This value-for-money smartphone is definitely not built for high-intensity gaming.

4. Samsung Galaxy M35: Display

Samsung Galaxy M35 has a 6.6-inch display with a punch-hole selfie camera at the center of the screen. It is an improvement from the Galaxy M34 which has a waterdrop notch selfie camera. Although it has uniform thick bezels around the display, the bezels look less stocky compared to the predecessor Galaxy M34’s. The total screen area has also increased compared to the Galaxy M34. While the Samsung Galaxy M34 has a total screen area of 103.7 cm² or 16.07 inch², the Samsung Galaxy M35 has a bigger screen area – 106.9 cm² or 16.56 inch². The Samsung Galaxy M35 also has a bigger screen-to-body ratio of 83.8% compared to 83.1% of the Galaxy M34.

Samsung Galaxy M35 display is an AMOLED screen that is equipped with ‘Thin Film Transistor (TFT)’ and light-emitting organic compounds, making the screen compact and convenient for the smartphone. TFT and organic compounds also generate less heat by adjusting the screen brightness according to the multimedia. They also help conserve the battery life. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+. It has a maximum resolution of 2340 X 1080 pixels with a density of 390 pixels per inch.

The display is equipped with HDR and has a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. Browsing the internet or social media is a breeze with this adjustable refresh rate. There are no issues of lagging or freezing with scrolling. The transition is smooth and the touch response between apps or the home screen is quick. The HDR videos play with amazing details and clarity as the refresh rate adjusts according to the content. The display has the highest nits of 1000 which is quite bright and is good even in an outdoor environment. However, the display may not work well in the direct Sunlight. Also in low brightness, there are some issues of slight quivering in the display.

5. Samsung Galay M35: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy M35 - Cameras — Image Credit: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy M35 has an amazing array of cameras among all the budget smartphones. It has three back cameras that are arranged in a column on the left side of the back of the phone. The 2nd camera from the top of the column is the main camera. It is a 50 MP wide camera with f/1.8 aperture and a 1/1.96 inch image sensor. The camera is also equipped with ‘Phase Detection Auto Focus’ and ‘Optical Image Stabilization’ technologies.

The images taken by this camera are incredible with amazing details and vibrant colors. Wide-shot images are detailed and have a large field of view and a large depth of field. Portrait images are crips with shallow field of view. The main camera works amazingly in low-light environments too. Due to its relatively large aperture, more light enters the camera and hence, it can take amazing images even in a drab and dull environment.

At the top of the column, there is an 8 MP, ultra-wide camera with a view of 123^o. It has a f/2.2 aperture and an image sensor of 1/4.0 inches. Though this camera is not as grand as the main one, it still delivers decent results. The ultra-wide feature allows for a wider field of view with larger depth. The ultra-wide images capture a lot of details and the colors feel striking and vivid. Although this camera is also good at taking images in a low-light environment, however, the quality may not be as good as the main camera’s. The relatively smaller aperture of this camera allows a low amount of light.

The camera at the bottom of the column is a 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture. This camera is designed to take pictures of very close-by objects. This camera is very good for taking photographic images with extreme close-up shots. The rear cameras can record high-quality videos. They can capture videos at 4K, 1080P, and 720P qualities at 30/60/240/480 frame-per-second speeds. 240/480 frame-per-second is very good for making slow-motion videos. The PDAF and OIS technologies allow users to capture stable and steady videos even in a dynamic and chaotic environment.

Samsung Galaxy M35 comes with a good-quality selfie camera. It is a 13 MP wide camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 1/3.06 inch image sensor. The selfie camera captures highly detailed portrait images with good brightness and vibrant colors. Even though the aperture size is relatively small, the selfie camera can take good images in a dull and low-light environment. The selfie camera can also capture videos at 4K and 1080P qualities with 30 frames-per-second speed.

6. Samsung Galaxy M35: Battery and Charging

Samsung Galaxy M35 has a big battery – 6000 mAh. It is one of the main reasons why the phone weighs so much and has a considerable thickness. The size of the battery is more than many of the premium Samsung smartphones and other premium competitors.

Samsung Galaxy has an amazing battery life for a budget phone. It can last up to 72 hours with light to normal usage. For heavy usages, such as continuous music or videos, the battery life can survive for 18-20 hours. Although it is not built for high-intensity gaming, it still can last 6-8 hours for high-octane gaming.

Unfortunately, the smartphone does not have any wireless charging feature. It also does not provide a charger. The users have to buy it from outside. The phone has a USB-C 2.0 port for charging purposes. It can be charged at 25 W capacity. The battery can be fully charged from 0% to 100% in around 90-100 minutes.

7. Samsung Galaxy M35: Variants, Connectivity, and Prices

Samsung Galaxy M35 has three color variants – gray, light blue, and dark blue. It has two random memory storage options – 6 GB and 8 GB. For storage, it has either 128 GB or 256 GB. In Samsung India, the 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage will cost ₹19,999, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage will cost ₹21,499, and 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage will cost ₹24,499. In Amazon USA, the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage may cost $299. In Amazon UK, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage will cost £389.

Samsung Galaxy M35 is equipped with 5G connectivity. However, it can also operate in 2G, 3G, and 4G connections. It also has both ‘High-Speed Packet Access’ and LTE (Long Term Evolution) technologies. Both technologies enable it to tap into 3G and 4G connectivity where 5G is not available. The smartphone has the latest Bluetooth 5.3 version. It has a Wi-Fi 6 version that allows it to tap into 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of frequencies. Apart from wireless connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy M35 also has a USB-C 2.0 wired connection that can be used for charging and data transfer.

8. Samsung Galaxy M35: Main Specifications, Pros & Cons, and Score

Specifications

Chip: Samsung’s Exynos 1380
GPU: Mali G68 MP5
Operating System: Android 14
Storage: 128 GB/256 GB
RAM Memory: 6 GB/8 GB
Battery Life: Up to 72 hours (Normal Usage). 18-20 Hours (Continuous Video Playback). 6-8 (Intense Gaming).
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, 5G
Bluetooth Version: 5.3

Pros & Cons

Pros

One of the best budget smartphones available in the market Good value for money with decent features
Good collection of cameras for low-budget smartphones
Exynos 1380 provides decent performance

Cons

No IP ratings. May be vulnerable to dust and water
Heavy and thick design
Not suitable for high-octane gaming or high-intensity tasks
The display may dim while exposed to direct Sunlight

Score

Functions	Score
Performance	7/10
Power	7/10
Display	6/10
Storage	5.5/10
Battery	8/10
Connectivity	7/10
Value for Money	9/10
Overall Score	49.5/70

(1 = Lowest. 5 = Highest). (0.5 increments)

Verdict

Samsung Galaxy M35 is one of the best budget smartphones available. It provides some decent features and is easy on the budget. It comes with amazing cameras, a big battery, a decent display, and a good set of chipsets. It delivers good performances without major lags or freezing issues. It takes good-quality images and videos, even in low-light surroundings. It provides good value for money, offsetting some of the negatives that come with a budget phone. Samsung Galaxy M35 is definitely not for those who want style, smug, novelty, looks, and premium features. This smartphone is also not for those who play octane games, do high-definition video and image editing, carry out intensive workloads, or complicated AI tasks.

Instead, it is for the students, collegegoers, and new job entrants who do basic college or school assignments, study projects, or simple office tasks. It is also for those who want a low-budget decent phone on which they can browse the internet, check social media, take family and private images and videos, and watch movies. For these groups of customers, we are definitely giving a thumbs up to the Samsung Galaxy M35.

*The information in this article may not be 100% accurate and it may change or vary.

**Do not make your decision based solely on the information provided in this article. Do your own research.

***Prices are subject to change.

Samsung Galaxy M35 Review: Economical and Efficient

Table of Contents