1. Specifications Comparison
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy M12 | Motorola Edge 40 Pro | Practical Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design | |||
| Launch Date | 2021-04-30 | 2023-04-04 | The Motorola Edge 40 Pro is significantly newer, benefiting from more recent technologies and software. |
| Dimensions | 164 x 75.9 x 9.7 mm | 161.2 x 74 x 8.6 mm | The Galaxy M12 is slightly larger and thicker, making the Edge 40 Pro more pocketable and comfortable for extended use. |
| Weight | 212g | 199g | The Edge 40 Pro is lighter, potentially more comfortable for prolonged handheld use. |
| Display | |||
| Size | 6.5" | 6.67" | Edge 40 Pro offers slightly more screen real estate for content consumption. |
| Resolution | 720x1600 | 1080x2400 | The Edge 40 Pro has a much sharper display with significantly more detail, better for reading and viewing images. |
| Pixel Density | 270 PPI | 394 PPI | The Edge 40 Pro's higher pixel density results in noticeably clearer text and images. |
| Technology | PLS LCD | OLED | The Edge 40 Pro's OLED offers superior color reproduction, deeper blacks and better viewing angles compared to the M12's PLS LCD. |
| Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 165Hz | The Edge 40 Pro provides substantially smoother scrolling and animations, making the phone feel more responsive. |
| Brightness | 0 nits | 1100 nits | The Edge 40 Pro screen is significantly brighter, making it much more visible in direct sunlight. |
| Performance | |||
| Chipset | Exynos 850 (8 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | The Edge 40 Pro has a much more powerful chipset, leading to significantly faster app loading, smoother multitasking, and better gaming performance. |
| AnTuTu Score | 117,341 | 1,532,500 | The Edge 40 Pro's AnTuTu score indicates superior performance across all demanding tasks. |
| GPU | Mali-G52 | Adreno 740 | The Edge 40 Pro's Adreno 740 offers significantly better graphics performance, essential for gaming and graphically intensive apps. |
| Camera | |||
| Main Camera Resolution | 48MP (f/2.0, 1/2") | 50MP (f/1.8, 1/1.55") | The Edge 40 Pro has a slightly higher resolution, a wider aperture, and a larger sensor, suggesting better low-light performance and overall image quality. |
| Selfie Camera Resolution | 8MP (f/2.2) | 60MP (f/2.2, 1/2.8") | The Edge 40 Pro has a vastly superior selfie camera with much higher resolution. |
| Telephoto Lens | None | 12MP (f/1.6, 1/2.93") | The Edge 40 Pro has a dedicated telephoto lens for optical zoom, which is missing on the M12. |
| Wide Angle Lens | 5MP (f/2.2) | 50MP (f/2.2, 1/2.76") | The Edge 40 Pro has a substantially higher resolution wide-angle lens for more detailed landscape shots. |
| Portrait Mode (depth) | 2MP (f/2.4) | None | The Galaxy M12 has a dedicated depth sensor for portrait mode; however, the Edge 40 Pro's overall camera system is superior. |
| Macro Lens | 2MP (f/2.4) | None | The Galaxy M12 has a dedicated macro lens; however, this is a lower priority feature in terms of overall picture quality compared to the Edge 40 Pro's other lenses. |
| Video Recording | 1080p@30fps | Up to 8K@30fps | The Edge 40 Pro supports much higher video resolutions and frame rates, making it suitable for professional-grade video capture. |
| Video Stabilization | No | Yes | The Edge 40 Pro provides video stabilization, leading to smoother video. |
| Slow Motion Video | 30fps | Up to 960fps | The Edge 40 Pro provides high-speed slow motion video capture, ideal for creative video recording. |
| DXOMark Score | Not Available | 130 (Mobile) | The Edge 40 Pro has a proven superior camera performance based on DXOMark benchmark. |
| Battery | |||
| Capacity | 5000mAh | 4600mAh | The Galaxy M12 has a slightly larger battery capacity, which could potentially translate to slightly longer battery life. |
| Charging | 15W Fast Charging | 125W Fast Charging | The Edge 40 Pro has incredibly faster charging, allowing it to recharge its battery from empty to full in minutes rather than hours. |
| Wireless Charging | No | 15W | The Edge 40 Pro supports wireless charging for added convenience. |
| Reverse Charging | No | 5W reverse wired and reverse wireless | The Edge 40 Pro can charge other devices. |
| Software | |||
| OS | Android 11 | Android 13 | The Edge 40 Pro comes with a newer OS out of the box and is expected to receive future updates, providing a more modern experience and improved security. |
| Connectivity | |||
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be | The Edge 40 Pro supports much newer Wi-Fi standards (including Wi-Fi 6 and 7), resulting in faster connection speeds, lower latency and better performance in congested areas. |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.3 | The Edge 40 Pro features a more recent Bluetooth version with improved power efficiency and better connectivity. |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, SUPL, Galileo, GPS (L1+L5), Galileo (E1+E5a) | The Edge 40 Pro supports more satellite systems for better positioning accuracy. |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby (Nano SIM + Nano SIM) | Dual SIM Dual Standby (Nano SIM + eSIM) | The Edge 40 Pro offers the convenience of an eSIM in addition to a physical SIM. |
| Storage | |||
| Internal Storage | 32/64/128 GB | 256/512 GB | The Edge 40 Pro offers significantly more built in storage, allowing users to store more files, apps and videos. |
| RAM | 3/4/6 GB | 12 GB | The Edge 40 Pro provides much more RAM, enabling smoother multitasking. |
| Expandable Storage | No | No | Neither phone supports expandable storage. |
| Audio | |||
| Audio Quality | Basic | Dolby Atmos, Stereo Speakers, 4 microphones | The Edge 40 Pro has superior audio with Dolby Atmos, stereo speakers and better microphone systems for clearer voice capture. |
| Security | |||
| Features | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor | Basic Fingerprint Sensor | The Galaxy M12 has side mounted fingerprint sensor, while the Edge 40 Pro has a basic implementation. |
| Build Quality | |||
| Screen Protection | Unknown | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | The Edge 40 Pro has superior screen protection against scratches and drops. |
| Sensors | |||
| Sensors | Fingerprint, Proximity, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Hall | Fingerprint, Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope | Both have the basic sensors. The M12 has a Hall sensor whereas the Edge 40 Pro has a compass. |
2. Key Differences Analysis
Motorola Edge 40 Pro Advantages:
- Significantly Superior Performance: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset provides a massive performance boost, making the phone much faster for all tasks, including gaming.
- Superior Display: The OLED display with higher resolution, refresh rate, and brightness offers a significantly better viewing experience, especially in bright sunlight.
- Vastly Improved Camera System: The Edge 40 Pro boasts a higher resolution main camera with a larger sensor, a dedicated telephoto lens, superior selfie camera, and much more capable video features, including up to 8k video recording.
- Significantly Faster Charging: The 125W fast charging is a game-changer, allowing rapid replenishment of the battery compared to the M12's 15W.
- More Modern Features: The Edge 40 Pro has wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and an eSIM.
- Better Build Quality: The Edge 40 Pro has Gorilla Glass Victus for better protection.
- Superior Audio: The Edge 40 Pro has better audio quality with stereo speakers.
- Newer OS and Connectivity: The Edge 40 Pro runs a newer version of Android and supports faster WiFi and Bluetooth.
- More RAM and Storage: The Edge 40 Pro comes with more RAM and built in storage.
Samsung Galaxy M12 Advantages:
- Potentially Longer Battery Life: The 5000 mAh battery may offer slightly longer battery life.
- Dedicated Depth Sensor and Macro Lens: The Galaxy M12 features a dedicated depth sensor and a macro lens, which are missing on the Motorola Edge 40 Pro.
- More advanced fingerprint sensor: The M12 features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, whereas the Edge 40 Pro has a basic fingerprint sensor.
Trade-offs:
- The Samsung Galaxy M12's advantages are mainly related to slightly larger battery capacity and a few dedicated camera lenses. The Motorola Edge 40 Pro sacrifices slightly on the battery capacity but compensates massively with vastly superior performance and features.
3. User Profiles & Recommendations
Motorola Edge 40 Pro Ideal User:
- Power Users: Those who need top-tier performance for gaming, demanding apps, and heavy multitasking.
- Media Enthusiasts: Users who want the best display quality for watching videos, browsing photos, and enjoying content.
- Photography Enthusiasts: Those who want a versatile and capable camera system with multiple lenses, high resolution video recording and features like OIS.
- Professionals: Users who need fast charging, a modern OS, and fast wireless connectivity for productivity and communication.
- Users who want a modern device: Users who want the latest features and the latest version of Android.
Specific Use Cases for Motorola Edge 40 Pro:
- High-end gaming with smooth graphics and no lag.
- Recording professional-quality 4K and 8K videos.
- Viewing HDR content with vibrant colors and high brightness, even outdoors.
- Quickly recharging the phone battery during a busy day.
- Professional photography with different zoom and wide angle lenses.
- Multitasking between several resource intensive applications.
Samsung Galaxy M12 Ideal User:
- Budget-Conscious Users: Those looking for an affordable phone for basic tasks like calling, texting, and social media.
- Users with Basic Needs: Users who do not require high performance, just a functional phone.
- Users that value a macro and depth lens: Users who want to take macro and depth photos.
- Users seeking slightly longer battery life: Users who value the slightly larger battery for longer usage between charges.
Specific Use Cases for Samsung Galaxy M12:
- Basic social media browsing and messaging.
- Simple web browsing and online shopping.
- Casual photography and capturing occasional memories.
- Long battery life between charges for basic daily tasks.
- Users who want a macro lens and a depth sensor.
Price-to-Value Ratio: The Motorola Edge 40 Pro offers a superior value if you prioritize performance and premium features. The Samsung Galaxy M12 is a budget option with a few advantages. The Edge 40 Pro is a significant investment, but its performance, display, camera, and charging speed justify the higher cost if you value these features.
4. Decision Framework
Key Questions to Ask Yourself:
- How important is performance for you? If you play a lot of mobile games or use resource-intensive apps, the Edge 40 Pro is the clear choice.
- What is your budget? If you are on a tight budget, the Galaxy M12 might be the more accessible option, but be prepared for significant performance limitations.
- What do you value the most in a phone? Is it the display quality, the camera, battery life, or fast charging? The Edge 40 Pro excels in display and camera, while the M12 prioritizes battery and lower price.
Scenario-Based Recommendations:
- Scenario 1: High-Performance User: If you're a gamer or a heavy multitasker, choose the Motorola Edge 40 Pro without hesitation. Its performance is unmatched.
- Scenario 2: Budget-Conscious User: If you prioritize affordability above all else, the Samsung Galaxy M12 is an option, but understand the significant performance compromises.
- Scenario 3: Camera Enthusiast: If you value camera capabilities, choose the Motorola Edge 40 Pro due to its versatile lenses and superior image quality, and 8K video recording.
- Scenario 4: Modern Features: If you want the latest features, such as fast charging, wireless charging, eSIM, 5G, and the latest WiFi standard, choose the Motorola Edge 40 Pro.
My Choice
If I were choosing between these two phones, I would unequivocally select the Motorola Edge 40 Pro. My primary reasoning is based on the massive performance difference, the superior display quality, and the vastly improved camera system. While the Samsung Galaxy M12 has a slightly larger battery capacity and a few extra camera lenses, these advantages do not outweigh the significant overall superiority of the Edge 40 Pro in nearly every other aspect.
As someone who values smooth performance, a great display for content consumption, and a capable camera system, the Edge 40 Pro is the clear choice. It is a much more modern device that will last longer before feeling outdated, and delivers a significantly better experience in almost every way, despite being a bit more expensive. The advantages of the Edge 40 Pro, such as its high refresh rate OLED screen, significantly better performing chipset, drastically faster charging speed, significantly improved camera quality, and 8K video recording, are compelling reasons that make it the obvious pick over the M12.
