As a former Samsung J-series person, shifting up alphabetically to the M-series made me nostalgic. The funds smartphone phase is the toughest to crack, with a number of producers making an attempt to supply the absolute best characteristic set on the lowest potential value. The Samsung M17 is a powerful contender on this area, delivering precisely what customers sometimes search for: a budget-friendly gadget with a big show.
Samsung’s M17 has travelled round slightly, and here’s what I feel stands out from its rivals. Whereas the gadget does pack an honest quantity of firepower, it does have some options that may be known as into query. From the digital camera to its efficiency, here’s a rundown of how the gadget held up.
Design and show
The M17 is glossy and slender, with an enormous 16.91 cm show, and but it contains a teardrop digital camera bezel and a beefy bezel. This appears slightly too outdated for 2025. Edges on the smartphone appear to be smoother than Michael Jackson’s strikes. And this heap of steel has a matte end which seems very minimalist, giving it a really simplistic look.
The massive 16.91 cm show will get 1000nits of brightness, which is seen in broad daylight (Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Whereas the gadget has its idiosyncrasies, starting with the unsymmetrical USB-C port which may bug you slightly, the show will get you again. The show is an AMOLED display screen which may take the person unexpectedly, as a budget-segment telephone with such a crisp display screen is a steal. Because the telephone was offered with out a display screen guard, and Samsung claims it has Gorilla Glass, it certain appears to carry up fairly nicely towards sand, textured surfaces, and some questionable surfaces. And the smartphone being economically priced, the show appears to face out and is even comfortably seen underneath harsh daylight.
Battery
The query with any funds telephone is easy: does the battery final? On this case, sure. Samsung claims 18 hours of video playback. I binge-watched the entire season of The Sopranos and some YouTube movies, sure, which lasted about 15 hours of video playback and made me miss just a few chores; don’t inform my roommate about it.
Now, in relation to charging, the smartphone just isn’t supplied with a charging brick and prices at an honest pace.
Efficiency
Spectacular for a funds phase telephone is that it performs adequately underneath situations of gaming, or somewhat, binge-watching, because the gadget options the Exynos 1330 chipset. The gadget comes pre-installed with OneUI 7, which appeared very easy and with good animations. The Google AI-powered operate additionally appeared to operate with none hiccup.
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Here’s a nearer take a look at the uneven charging port on the Samsung M17(Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Properly, as an individual keen on video games, I attempted to play some video games which may stress the chipset, and it did have an effect on the efficiency of the sport, getting slightly uneven and even lagging slightly. Nonetheless, if that is the telephone I have to join with nostalgia, I ought to strive enjoying Hill Climb Racing, which, with none effort, was enjoying like a dream.
For Rs 16,499, I can’t count on audio system from Bang & Olufsen, however that they had solely offered a single speaker, which didn’t make it fairly loud or with sufficient bass to play rock. Samsung makes certain that it’s not simply some other gadget; the South Korean firm offers the gadget with 6 years of OS updates and safety updates.
Digicam
The M17 contains a 50 MP OIS important digital camera, a 5 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP macro. The first digital camera performs nicely for the worth, capturing color and depth successfully. Samsung claims improved stability, and my check footage—shot whereas working on a seaside—appeared easy and balanced.
The 50 MP digital camera that contains a OIS to assist person file sturdier movies (Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
The opposite digital camera lens may not be the interesting facet of the gadget, however Samsung has offered a pocket-friendly gadget with a reasonably good digital camera for the day. Whereas the evening mode for images just isn’t that nice, the gadget makes up for it in capturing the color through the day. I’m not precisely Ryan Reynolds, however the entrance didn’t fairly seize all the small print and appeared fairly grainy.
Listed here are some digital camera samples:
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Digicam Pattern 1(Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Digicam Pattern 2(Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Digicam Pattern 3(Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Digicam Pattern for Zoom reference (Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Digicam Pattern at 10x Zoom (Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Digicam Pattern for evening mode(Picture: The Indian Specific/ Ajay Hanje)
Verdict
I communicate nostalgically once I say that this South Korean smartphone can be a implausible first smartphone for youngsters or the aged, for the reason that comparatively huge show could assist them learn extra clearly and utilise the gadget extra successfully. This gadget may probably be helpful as a backup smartphone. It is likely one of the well-balanced telephones you should purchase for lower than Rs 20,000 due to its enticing design, nice software program, and respectable major digital camera.