Samsung Galaxy M12

Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy M12, released on April 30, 2021, measures 164mm in height, 75.9mm in width, and 9.7mm in depth. It weighs a substantial 212 grams. The phone's construction feels robust, as expected in its price range. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button. The device is available in Black, Blue, and Green.

Screen Quality

The Galaxy M12 sports a 6.5-inch PLS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 274 ppi. The screen has a 90Hz refresh rate, contributing to smoother scrolling and animations. It also features a hole-punch notch for the front-facing camera and includes scratch-resistant glass. The display's aspect ratio is 20:9. The screen technology is a TFT LCD with IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology.

Camera Performance

The device features a quad-camera setup on the rear. The main camera is a 48MP Samsung S5KGM2 ISOCELL sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, 0.80µm pixel size, and 1/2" sensor size. It employs 1-4 (2x2) pixel binning. A 5MP wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture provides a 123º field of view. Also included are a 2MP macro lens (f/2.4) and a 2MP depth sensor (f/2.4). The front-facing selfie camera has an 8MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps. Additional features include LED flash, autofocus, touch focus, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), and panorama mode. The camera lacks optical image stabilization and slow-motion video recording capabilities.

Software Experience

The Galaxy M12 ships with Android 11. The device is equipped with the Samsung Exynos 850 (8 nm) chipset, featuring an octa-core CPU (4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G52 GPU. Performance is generally acceptable for everyday use, though it isn’t designed for demanding mobile gaming. The device has options for 3GB, 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and storage ranging from 32GB to 128GB.

Battery Performance

A 5000mAh Li-Polymer battery powers the Galaxy M12. The battery supports 15W fast charging. The non-removable battery provides ample power for a full day of typical use.

Value for Money

The Samsung Galaxy M12 is positioned as a medium-priced smartphone. Prices vary based on RAM and storage configurations. For example, the 4GB/32GB model has ranged from $156.11 to $192.50, while the 4GB/64GB version has been listed at $428.03. The device provides a competitive balance of features including a 90Hz display, a large battery, and a quad-camera system for its price point, but is let down by the lower screen resolution and somewhat slow processor. It has a variety of versions and storage options that will cater to different needs, with some variants being released in India and others globally.