Samsung Galaxy M12 vs Galaxy A23
Here we compared two budget smartphones: the 6.5-inch Samsung Galaxy M12 (with Exynos 850) that was released on November 24, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A23, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 and came out 16 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A23
- 81% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (268K versus 147K)
- 48% higher pixel density (400 vs 270 PPI)
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 5 wireless networks
- Optical image stabilization
- Delivers 9% higher peak brightness (469 against 431 nits)
- Slow-motion recording at 120FPS
- The phone is 1-year and 4-months newer
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Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | PLS TFT | PLS TFT |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.6 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels | 1080 x 2408 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 270 ppi | 400 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Max rated brightness | 450 nits | 460 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 81.9% | 83% |
| RGB color space | 93.3% | - |
| Response time | 39 ms | - |
| Contrast | 926:1 | - |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 164 mm (6.46 inches) | 164.5 mm (6.48 inches) |
| Width | 75.9 mm (2.99 inches) | 76.9 mm (3.03 inches) |
| Thickness | 9.7 mm (0.38 inches) | 8.4 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 214 g (7.55 oz) | 195 g (6.88 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Green | White, Black, Blue, Yellow |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in home button | Yes, in home button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 850 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 |
| Max. clock | 2000 MHz | 2400 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (8) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 8 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 | - 4 cores at 1.9 GHz: Kryo 265 Silver (Cortex-A53) - 4 cores at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 265 Gold (Cortex-A73) |
| Lithography process | 8 nanometers | 6 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G52 MP1 | Adreno 610 |
| GPU clock | 680 MHz | 1114 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~126 GFLOPS | - |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 44756 | 81885 |
| GPU | 24822 | 48510 |
| Memory | 36022 | 64789 |
| UX | 42192 | 71783 |
| Total score | 147966 | 268528 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Stability | 98% | 98% |
| Graphics test | 2 FPS | 2 FPS |
| Graphics score | 428 | 439 |
| PCMark 3.0 score | 5953 | 7180 |
Memory
| RAM size | 3, 4 GB | 4, 6, 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | - |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 32, 64, 128 GB | 32, 64, 128 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max. size | Up to 1024 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) | Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | One UI Core 5.0 | One UI 5.0 |
| OS size | 14 GB | 24 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charge power | 15 W | 25 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | - |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (40% in 60 min) | Yes (32% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:30 hr | 1:43 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 13:42 hr |
| Watching video | - | 12:41 hr |
| Gaming | - | 06:33 hr |
| Standby | - | 127 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8000 x 6000 | 8700 x 5800 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | No | 120 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | - |
| Lenses | 4 (48 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) | 4 (50 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 48 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5" (CMOS) |
| Macro lens | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Depth lens | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.2 |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 7 | - |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max. loudness
Other
| Category | Budget | Budget |
| Announced | November 2020 | March 2022 |
| Release date | April 2021 | March 2022 |
| SAR (head) | 0.54 W/kg | - |
| SAR (body) | 1.39 W/kg | - |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
- Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Samsung Galaxy A23 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 38