Samsung Galaxy M33 5G review – Better than before midranger

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The Samsung Galaxy A and S series aren't the only Samsung phones available. There is also the Galaxy M series that is exclusively sold online. The Galaxy M series is meant to offer specs on par with the Samsung Galaxy A series at a more affordable price.

This year's Samsung Galaxy M33 5G has the same price as the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G. Both are RM1499 but have a big difference in specs, something not as apparent in the previous generation. Let's take a look at what it offers!

 

Design – A good-looking mobile phone for the masses

The Galaxy M33 5G is a mid-range phone targeted at users with simple needs. This can be seen from its design, which has an all-plastic frame and body. Even the colour is a simple plain brown. There's something special about the shimmery tones. But the cutout on the camera's bezel shows that the material is clearly plastic.

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Looks a lot like the Mystic Brown colour

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A 6.67-inch IPS that supports a 120Hz refresh rate

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The waterdrop notch for the selfie camera

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3.5mm headphone jack

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Power button with embedded fingerprint reader and volume buttons on the right side

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SIM card slot on the other side

This phone is more accessible because it has a cheaper IPS FHD+ screen (supports 120Hz high refresh rate) and just a single-channel speaker. It also has the fingerprint reader embedded in the power button, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. About the Infinity-V waterdrop screen, the bezels are barely there. However, the bottom bezel is more notable, and the waterdrop slightly eats into your screen when you go full-screen for some content.

If you open the box, you'll find no charger this time. Users who want it will have to use one they already own or buy it separately. Fortunately, the charging spec for the Galaxy M33 5G is just 25W. As such, it's easy to find affordable chargers that are compatible.

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There's only a cable in the box

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The tray shows that the M33 5G supports dual SIM cards and a microSD card

 

Tech specs and features – Similar to the Galaxy A33 5G but with fewer features

Here are the tech specs for the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G:

  • 6.67-inch FullHD+ (1080 × 2412) LCD screen, 120Hz refresh rate, 800nits
  • Exynos 1280 5G chipset
  • 8GB RAM + up to 8GB of Expansion RAM
  • 128GB internal storage
  • 50MP main camera + 8MP ultrawide camera + 2MP depth sensor + 2MP Macro camera
  • 8MP front camera
  • 6000mAh battery
  • 25W charging
  • One UI 4.1 operating system based on Android 12
  • IP67 water/dust resistance
  • Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
  • Mono speaker, 3.5mm audio jack
  • Green, Blue, Brown
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The Galaxy M33 5G specs are more or less the same as the Galaxy A33 5G. It's equipped with an Exynos 1280 processor, 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, and 8GB of RAM. Basically, it's in line with today's mid-range mobile phones. However, compared to the Galaxy A33 5G, this phone lacks IP67 water/dust resistance.

In terms of cameras, the Galaxy M33 5G has a 50MP main camera, 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro lens. This means you can take a variety of different pictures. However, the 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera has a lower pixel count than the Galaxy A33's 8MP camera. There is also no OIS or Optical Image Stabilization for the main camera.

As for the UI, the Galaxy M33 5G uses the Android 12-based OneUI 4.1, which supports RAM Plus virtual flash memory expansion. It also features dual SIM, microSD card support, and Samsung Pay. However, this phone doesn't have Bixby Routine. Also, it is expected to get 2 years of system updates and 4 years of mobile security updates.

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The camera can capture 4K 30fps video

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Secure Folder: Yes; Bixby Routine: No

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Edge Panel and RAM Plus features are also included

 

Performance – Good balance for a mid-range phone

The Galaxy M33 5G's performance is sufficient for our writer's daily life. As you can see from the benchmarks, the Galaxy M33 5G can squeeze out the performance of a mid-range smartphone. But if you wanted a more powerful one, this phone probably isn't what you're looking for.

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Geekbench and 3DMark scores for the Galaxy M33 5G

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Battery consumption decreased by 6% after 20 minutes of continuous use

With continuous use, the Galaxy M33 5G will be able to exert its strength even more. We conducted a stress test to see how the phone handled cooling and found that it only goes up to 35°C, lower than the temperatures some mid-range phones would reach. But the superior thermal performance comes at the expense of CPU/GPU performance, which is apparent when you play mobile games on it.

Although the Galaxy M33 5G supports 90Hz output, you can only enable this at low video quality settings. On the flip side, overall game performance is really smooth. Unfortunately, the speaker is not as good as expected. Due to its location, the Galaxy M33 5G's mono speaker is easily covered while gaming in landscape mode. The best option here is to just use headphones or earphones.

With that said, the Galaxy M33 5G's audio quality is still decent. The sound is loud and clear, and there are no crackles or pops. It's suitable for videos and music, plus the earpiece is also quite clear during calls. The wireless connection is also stable. But unfortunately, it does not support WiFi 6. It also has 5G, but we didn't try that due to lack of equipment.

In terms of camera performance, the phone did quite well. Although the ultra-wide-angle camera's pixel count is slightly lower, it does not affect the overall quality. But due to the lack of OIS, you'd have a slightly harder time taking pictures without a camera stick or tripod. You can take a look at some of our sample shots below:

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Ultra wide-angle

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Main camera

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2x zoom

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8x electronic zoom

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General close up

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Macro shots are pretty good

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Another macro shot

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Left: 2x zoom, Right: Macro

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Left: Auto mode, Right: Night mode

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The selfie camera also supports wide-angle shots

 

Conclusion – Good performance

The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G is pretty good in terms of performance. Overall, we were quite satisfied with it. There could also be some discounts available if you purchase it online, so you could buy the phone for as low as RM1199. At this price, it's not a bad deal at all. But at RM1499, there are other options available on the market.

For example, you could go for the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G. It costs the same at RM1499 but delivers better performance and a 108MP main camera. Another option is the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, which is also at the same price and has a slightly better performance than the Galaxy M33 5G but uses a Dimensity 900 chipset and a 64MP main camera. In the end, it's mostly a matter of preferences though, so it's up to you.

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Samsung Galaxy M33 Specs & Price >