Samsung Galaxy M31s vs Galaxy A51
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.46-inch Samsung Galaxy M31s (with Exynos 7 Octa 9611) that was released on July 30, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A51, which is powered by Exynos 9 Octa 9611 and came out 8 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy M31s
- Comes with 2000 mAh larger battery capacity: 6000 vs 4000 mAh
- Faster storage type - UFS 2.1 versus UFS 2.0
- Reverse charging feature
- The phone is 8-months newer
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A51
- Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
- More recent OS version: Android 13 versus 12
- Weighs 23 grams less
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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
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Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.46 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 405 ppi | 405 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 600 nits | 400 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | No |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 84.6% | 87.4% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 98.2% | 98.8% |
| PWM | 125 Hz | 242 Hz |
| Response time | 9 ms | 25 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 159.4 mm (6.28 inches) | 158.5 mm (6.24 inches) |
| Width | 75.3 mm (2.96 inches) | 73.6 mm (2.9 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) | 7.9 mm (0.31 inches) |
| Weight | 195 g (6.88 oz) | 172 g (6.07 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Blue | White, Black |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in home button | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611 | Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9611 |
| Max clock | 2300 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A73 |
- 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A73 |
| Lithography process | 10 nanometers | 10 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G72 MP3 | Mali-G72 MP3 |
| GPU clock | 850 MHz | 850 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~259 GFLOPS | ~259 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 60510 | 63753 |
| GPU | 54702 | 43839 |
| Memory | 54373 | 43507 |
| UX | 60070 | 62692 |
| Total score | 230288 | 214104 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 42.4 °C | 42.2 °C |
| Stability | 97% | 95% |
| Graphics test | 4 FPS | 4 FPS |
| Graphics score | 776 | 812 |
Memory
| RAM size | 6 GB | 4, 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 64, 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.1 | UFS 2.0 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | Up to 512 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | One UI 4.1 | One UI 5.0 |
| OS size | 21.6 GB | 23 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 6000 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Charge power | 25 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
| Fast charging | Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (45% in 43 min) | Yes (40% in 35 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:38 hr | 1:50 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 09:34 hr |
| Watching video | - | 11:29 hr |
| Gaming | - | 05:12 hr |
| Standby | - | 83 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 64 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 9248 x 6936 | 8000 x 6000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (720p) | 960 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | 120° |
| Lenses | 4 (64 MP + 12 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP) | 4 (48 MP + 12 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Sony IMX682 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 48 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Sony IMX582 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 12 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4.0" (CMOS) |
- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron |
| Macro lens | - 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 40 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron |
| Depth lens | - 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 25 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Megapixels | 32 megapixels | 32 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 6528 x 4896 | 6560 x 4928 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Pixel size | 0.8 microns | 0.8 microns |
| Sensor type | CMOS | ISOCELL CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.8" | 1/2.8" |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - 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 |
| NFC* | No | 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* | 12 | 12 |
| 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 | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | July 2020 | December 2019 |
| Release date | August 2020 | December 2019 |
| SAR (head) | - | 0.596 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | - | 1.45 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display, performance, and battery life are more important to you, then choose the Samsung Galaxy M31s. But if the software and camera are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy A51.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 1158