We have already seen affordable 5G smartphones from Xiaomi, Moto, and Realme over the past few months. And today, Samsung has also joined the fray with the unveiling of the Galaxy M42 5G in India. It is a rebranded version of the Galaxy A42 5G, which was launched in global markets earlier last year.
Galaxy M42 5G: Specifications
Starting off with the design, the Galaxy M42 5G features a layered gradient pattern on the glasstic back panel. The iridescence increases as we travel towards the bottom. You have a square quad-camera module on the rear as well. It includes a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 5MP depth sensor.
Turning our attention to the front, you have a 6.6-inch HD+ AMOLED display with a 1600 x 720-pixel resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. This is really disappointing in the sub-Rs. 25,000 price bracket, which includes phones with 90Hz or 120Hz Full-HD+ AMOLED panels. This is one of the primary reasons I would not recommend the Galaxy M42 5G to anyone.
The centered punch-hole cutout on the front houses a 20MP (f/2.2) selfie camera. It also includes an under-display optical fingerprint sensor.
Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 750G chipset – the same as the Mi 10i. You will also find 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card) onboard. The Galaxy M42 5G also equips a massive 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging support. It runs Android 11-based OneUI 3.1 out-of-the-box.
There’s a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 5.0 in terms of connectivity options.
Price and Availability
The Galaxy M42 5G will retail at Rs. 19,999 for the single 8GB+128GB variant. It is inclusive of Rs. 2,000 cashback on HDFC Bank credit card and EMI transactions. So, it means the actual price tag of the device is Rs. 21,999 in India. will go on sale starting from 1st May on Amazon India, Samsung’s web store, and offline retailers.
The smartphone will be available to buy in two color variants, namely Prism Dot Black, Prism Dot Gray. If you are looking to buy an affordable 5G phone in India, we suggest you skip the Galaxy M42 5G. You should go for the Mi 10i or Realme X7 5G instead in the Rs. 25,000 price bracket.
