Samsung Galaxy M11 Review - Very affordable Samsung smartphone with terrible cameras
After the Galaxy models A20s and A21s, Samsung introduces another entry-level phone to Germany with the Galaxy M11. The Galaxy model, which comes with a relatively strong 5,000 mAh battery and a modern design, is priced at an RRP of 165 Euros (~$203) in this country.
In return, buyers of the Samsung smartphone get a 6.4-inch LC display with a resolution of 720 x 1,560 pixels. Inside, the Korean manufacturer relies on a Qualcomm SoC, the Snapdragon 450, 3 GB of RAM and a 32 GB internal eMMC storage. A fingerprint sensor and a triple camera setup are installed on the back.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74.4 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2020 | Samsung Galaxy M11 SD 450, Adreno 506 | 197 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.40" | 1560x720 | |
| 75.4 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2020 | Samsung Galaxy A20s SD 450, Adreno 506 | 183 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1560x720 | |
| 79.9 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2020 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Helio G85, Mali-G52 MP2 | 199 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.53" | 2340x1080 | |
| 78.2 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Realme 6i Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2 | 199 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 74.5 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2020 | Nokia 2.4 Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320 | 195 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 74.5 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2020 | Honor 9A Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320 | 185 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.30" | 1600x720 |
Case - Samsung smartphone with punch hole
The Samsung phone's casing weighs 197 grams (~7 oz) and is relatively thick at 9 millimeters (~0.35 inches). It is well-made, but it feels a bit bulky in the hands due to the rather flat back. The front is made of scratch-resistant display glass, which blends smoothly into the plastic frame. The recessed hole and the resulting reduced display edges give the Galaxy M11 a very modern design, which results in a size ratio of about 84 percent between the display and the device's front.
In contrast to the front, the back of the Galaxy phone is made of plastic, which is slightly matte. Besides the black variant, there is only one color option available in Germany. The triple camera on the back is flush with the casing, and there is no specified protection against water penetration.
The physical plastic keys can be haptically distinguished well from each other. The controls are solidly manufactured, hardly have any play and have a well-defined pressure point.
Equipment - Galaxy M11 with 3.5 mm jack
The features of the Galaxy M11 include Miracast, which enables wireless transmission of display content to external monitors, a 3.5 mm jack and USB OTG, so that external storage devices are recognized. The USB port has the Type-C design, which hides a USB 2.0 port.
The 32 GB eMMC storage is a bit tight, but it can be expanded by up to 512 GB via microSD card without losing the dual-SIM functionality of Samsung's smartphone. After deducting the operating system and the preinstalled apps, 23 GB are available ex-factory.
The Galaxy M11 also has Bluetooth 4.2 and an NFC chip, so Google Pay can be used with the entry-level phone. A Play Protect certification for the payment service is available.
Software - Samsung phone with One UI Core
The user interface of the Galaxy M11 is based on Android 10 with the security updates from September 2020. An upgrade to Android 11 is reportedly planned for the end of Q2-2021. However, users of Samsung's phone will probably not be able to look forward to the latest Android versions for many years, because the update promise, and thus three major operating system updates, will not apply to a cheap M model.
Samsung combines the Android system with its in-house user interface One UI (Core) in version 2.0, which also includes the smart assistant Bixby. Samsung DeX is not supported by Galaxy M11.
Communication and GPS - Galaxy M11 with NFC
The Galaxy smartphone connects to the mobile Internet via the LTE standard with both card slots. Samsung's entry-level model does not have access to the fast 5G network.
The number of supported frequency bands is low. The Galaxy M11 can only access 11 LTE bands, but no relevant frequency bands are missing for Germany. The Samsung phone also supports band 20 and band 28 for local use in the frequency range between 703 and 733 megahertz.
The WLAN module only supports the IEEE 802.11 standards according to b/g/n and therefore only operates in the 2.4 frequency range, which results in very low transmission rates in our WLAN test, especially when transmitting. The measured rates with the reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12 could also be more consistent.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 | |
| Honor 9A | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Nokia 2.4 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 | |
| Honor 9A | |
| Nokia 2.4 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Realme 6i | |
The Galaxy M11 uses the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou satellite networks for positioning. To assess the positioning accuracy of our review sample in practice, we recorded a route with the Garmin Edge 520 for comparison purposes. The detailed GPS recording shows a very appealing route accuracy for this price range, so only minor deviations between the smartphone GPS module and the navigation device occur at the end of the 4-kilometer (2.5 mi) test route. The provided positioning level is completely sufficient for everyday navigation tasks.
Phone features and voice quality - Samsung smartphone with WiFi calling
The inexpensive Samsung phone offers space for two nano-SIM cards. A VoLTE function as well as Wi-Fi calling are also supported, which should be praised in view of the price range.
Video calls via the built-in front-facing camera via Skype worked smoothly in the test, and voices were reproduced intelligibly via the speaker. The voice quality of the Galaxy M11 via earpiece is also acceptable. The call transmission works very well.
Cameras - Galaxy M11 with Triple Cam
The selfie camera, which is hidden in the punch hole on the front of the Galaxy M11, offers an aperture of f/2.0 and resolves with 8 MP. The front-facing camera is neither convincing in good nor in low-light conditions. Selfie pictures are very blurred and out of focus. The skin tones are also not right and look much too reddish.
The rear-facing main camera of the Samsung phone has a 13 MP sensor and a fast open aperture of f/1.8. The captured subjects are relatively dark even in daylight and the level of detail is very limited due to lack of sharpness. This could be better even in this price range - the same applies to the wide-angle lens.
Wide-angle shots look blurry even in optimal lighting conditions, bright areas are overexposed and colorsare washed out. In addition, there are visible artifacts and image errors in the pictures. Very little is right in terms of quality.
The front-facing camera records videos in FHD resolution at up to 30 frames per second. The rear-facing main camera also manages to capture Full HD 1080p video. Switching between the lenses is not possible during recording.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraLow LightWide angle
We also examine the Samsung smartphone's color reproduction under controlled lighting conditions. Compared with the actual reference tones, the colors of the Galaxy M11 are visibly brighter and the pictures of the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport (without post-processing, e.g. a manual white balance) show a high color deviation with the 13 MP main camera. However, the white and black tones are captured quite reasonably.
In order to assess the sharpness of the photos, we shoot our test chart under defined artificial light. As in the test shots, the image sharpness is on a low level, but the peripheral areas only fall off marginally.
Accessories and warranty - Samsung phone without cover
Besides a modular power supply with a rated power of 15 watts, a USB charging cable and headphones are included in the box. The Korean manufacturer does not include a silicone case for its M11 model.
Samsung grants a warranty period of 24 months for its smartphone.
Input devices and operation - Galaxy M11 with fingerprint sensor
The inputs on the 6.4-inch LC display are implemented accurately and quickly up to the touchscreen's corners. The low-priced Samsung phone does not offer a refresh rate beyond 60 Hz.
An active fingerprint sensor is found on the casing's back. The biometric recognition of the finger is quite reliable, but the speed of the sensor could be improved. It sometimes takes seconds until the screen is woken up from standby.
Another unlock option is 2D face recognition via the front-facing camera. The recognition rates are convincing, but the unlocking method is quite insecure.
Display - Samsung smartphone with IPS panel
The 6.4-inch 60 Hz LC display, like many competitors in this price segment, only has a resolution of 1,560 x 720 pixels and thus has a low pixel density of well below 300 PPI.
The maximum brightness with a pure white screen background is a satisfactory 430 cd/m² for an entry-level phone, but that is not very much in absolute terms. And even the competition inthis price range, such asthe Redmi Note 9, sometimes shines 30 percent brighter than the Galaxy M11.
In addition, we checked the screen's brightness with an evenly distributed ratio of dark to bright areas (APL50) in the test. We determined a maximum brightness of 453 cd/m² here.
The illumination of the PLS panel is even, and the often occurring shadowing of LC displays with punch-hole design in the area of the front camera is very slightly visible in Samsung's phone.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 430 cd/m²
Contrast: 827:1 (Black: 0.52 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.55 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 5.4 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
93.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.103
| Samsung Galaxy M11 PLS TFT LCD, 1560x720, 6.4" | Samsung Galaxy A20s IPS, 1560x720, 6.5" | Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 IPS LCD, 2340x1080, 6.5" | Realme 6i IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Nokia 2.4 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Honor 9A IPS, 1600x720, 6.3" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 3% | 82% | 16% | 20% | 20% | |
| Brightness middle | 430 | 384 -11% | 553 29% | 518 20% | 445 3% | 537 25% |
| Brightness | 406 | 367 -10% | 527 30% | 484 19% | 405 0% | 515 27% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 87 -4% | 89 -2% | 89 -2% | 85 -7% | 93 2% |
| Black Level * | 0.52 | 0.42 19% | 0.12 77% | 0.26 50% | 0.26 50% | 0.36 31% |
| Contrast | 827 | 914 11% | 4608 457% | 1992 141% | 1712 107% | 1492 80% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.55 | 4.43 3% | 3.8 16% | 5.8 -27% | 4.73 -4% | 4.56 -0% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.93 | 7.34 7% | 8.7 -10% | 11 -39% | 8.83 -11% | 8.14 -3% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.4 | 4.9 9% | 2.2 59% | 7.3 -35% | 4.2 22% | 5.4 -0% |
| Gamma | 2.103 105% | 2.308 95% | 2.3 96% | 2.23 99% | 2.292 96% | 2.393 92% |
| CCT | 7793 83% | 7671 85% | 6727 97% | 8037 81% | 7378 88% | 7665 85% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8627 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Compared to the IPS competition, the LC display of the Galaxy M11 has a clear contrast disadvantage. The black value to maximum brightness ratio of Samsung's phone is clearly below 1:1000 and compared to a Redmi Note 9 on a low level, even for an entry-level phone.
The analysis of the photospectrometer and the CalMAN software results in relatively low average delta E deviations from the sRGB color space of 4.6 (colors) and 5.4 (grayscale) for an inexpensive smartphone. However, the color temperature of almost 7,800 K is much colder than the ideal value of 6,500 K.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 49 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 24 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 83 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). | ||
Outdoors, the liquid crystal display of the Galaxy M11 performs solidly. Contents are reasonably legible in winter sunlight. In summer, the low brightness and poor black level due to display reflections should lead to reading problems outdoors.
The viewing angles are on a good level. Even at very flat viewing angles, the display content is displayed relatively true to color. Color changes do not occur.
Performance - Samsung phone with Snapdragon SoC
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 used in the Galaxy M11 is a SoC manufactured in a 14 nm process. The chipset offers eight ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores that clock with up to 1.8 GHz. An Adreno 506 is integrated as the graphics unit.
In the benchmarks, the Qualcomm CPU of the Galaxy M11 lands on the last place in our comparison field. Samsung's Galaxy A20s, which is also based on the Snapdragon 450, is often slightly ahead of the Galaxy M11. Especially the multi-core score of Geekbench 5.3 is very low for the M-series model. A similar picture is also seen in the graphics tests of the GFXBench benchmark. However, the differences between the Mediatek competition, consisting of the Helio G85 and Helio G80, are even more serious here.
The system performance is on a satisfactory level for an entry-level phone. In everyday use, the Galaxy M11 shows pronounced lags in some places. The RAM management is also not always noticed positively in the test and apps are quickly released from the 3 GB working memory. As in the A20s model, the outdated processor does not exude convincing performance reserves. Performance drops have to be tolerated from time to time and the loading times of applications are also relatively long thanks to the eMMC storage - especially in games.
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Nokia 2.4 | |
| Honor 9A | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4836 - 6062, n=14) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Nokia 2.4 | |
| Honor 9A | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (4171 - 4759, n=14) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (20 - 34, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (23 - 166, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (21 - 23, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 791, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (8.7 - 18, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15 - 166, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (9.2 - 9.4, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (12 - 502, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (5.7 - 13, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.9 - 166, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (6 - 6.9, n=13) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.3 - 365, n=168, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Realme 6i | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (89022 - 97624, n=3) | |
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s (Chrome86) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (14.6 - 16.5, n=4) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s (Chrome86) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (22 - 22.7, n=13) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=149, last 2 years) | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (12.4 - 14.6, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (28 - 34, n=8) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s (Chrome86) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=205, last 2 years) | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s (Chrome86) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (3470 - 4115, n=14) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20s (Chrome86) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (11012 - 11863, n=14) | |
| Realme 6i (Chrome 81) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Chrome 85) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=165, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
| Samsung Galaxy M11 | Samsung Galaxy A20s | Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 | Realme 6i | Nokia 2.4 | Honor 9A | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -11% | 47% | 52% | -14% | -2% | -23% | 737% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 297.6 | 298.2 0% | 306.6 3% | 309.5 4% | 245.7 -17% | 277.4 -7% | 242 ? -19% | 1937 ? 551% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 81.4 | 90.6 11% | 248.1 205% | 256.4 215% | 119.5 47% | 160.7 97% | 100.5 ? 23% | 1550 ? 1804% |
| Random Read 4KB | 73.9 | 75.9 3% | 65.1 -12% | 73.5 -1% | 46 -38% | 54.8 -26% | 43.1 ? -42% | 281 ? 280% |
| Random Write 4KB | 78.1 | 12.95 -83% | 146.9 88% | 150.9 93% | 22.5 -71% | 19.7 -75% | 22.3 ? -71% | 321 ? 311% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 82.4 ? | 82.6 ? 0% | 84.4 ? 2% | 84.6 ? 3% | 82.6 ? 0% | 82.9 ? 1% | 71.8 ? -13% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 64.5 ? | 65.1 ? 1% | 63.5 ? -2% | 64.5 ? 0% | 63 ? -2% | 62.5 ? -3% | 52.9 ? -18% |
Games - Galaxy M11 without gaming ambitions
The Adreno 506 GPU integrated in Qualcomm's SoC reaches its limits in complex 3D games from the Android Play Store. Current games like Asphalt 9 and PUBG Mobile are rendered with up to 30 fps in low graphics, but the frame rate drops have to be accepted again and again.
If the graphic details are increased, only an average of 25 fps is possible with the Galaxy M11 in the first-person shooter. The racing game from GameLoft is no longer really playable with high graphics at 21 fps - we determine the frame rate with the app Gamebench. The sensors and the touchscreen do not give reason for criticism during our gaming tests.
PUBG mobile
Asphalt 9 Legends
Emissions - Samsung phone without throttling
Temperature
The casing of the Galaxy smartphone heats up quite heterogeneously under permanent load, but the maximum temperature of about 41 degrees (~106 degrees Fahrenheit) is within an acceptable range.
We also analyze the temperature behavior of the Qualcomm SoC under continuous load with the battery test of the app GFXBench. The respective scenarios are run thirty times in succession and various parameters are logged.
The Galaxy M11 only throttles marginally in the demanding Manhattan test (OpenGL ES 3.1). Thus, performance drops in everyday use, such as gaming, are very unlikely.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.1 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.6 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.5 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Samsung's phone only has one speaker on the bottom, but it is sufficiently loud with a maximum of 81 dB(A). The sound quality is okay for an entry-level smartphone, but the Galaxy M11 is not particularly good for playing short videos.
As expected, there is no bass in the sound image. The speaker reproduction tends to be characterized by medium sound sequences, but they are not reproduced linearly. Furthermore, dips in the super high tones are visible in the pink noise diagram.
Samsung did not do without an audio jack in the M11 model. As soon as headphones are connected via the 3.5 mm jack, Samsung's phone offers a loud and bass-rich sound. Those who use wireless headphones can enjoy aptX and AAC as well as LDAC support besides SBC - aptX HD is missing.
Samsung Galaxy M11 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 35.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 68% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 81% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (92.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.2% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 8% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 85% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 28% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life - Galaxy M11 charges quickly?
Energy consumption
The power supply of the Galaxy M11 is ensured by a 5,000 mAh strong battery, which is charged via the included Quick Charge 15-watt power cable. Thus, the Samsung smartphone is fully recharged within 135 minutes.
The power consumption is good "thanks" to the panel's low resolution, but the system does not seem to have been programmed optimally under load. Here, the Galaxy M11 reveals a relatively high power consumption.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.15 Watt |
| Idle |  1 / 1.3 / 1.6 Watt |
| Load |
7.1 / 8.8 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Samsung Galaxy M11 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A20s 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 5020 mAh | Realme 6i 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -10% | -1% | 23% | -5% | -2% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1 | 0.9 10% | 0.74 26% | 0.37 63% | 0.794 ? 21% | 0.879 ? 12% |
| Idle Average * | 1.3 | 1.8 -38% | 2.17 -67% | 1.62 -25% | 2.27 ? -75% | 1.456 ? -12% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.6 | 2.7 -69% | 2.2 -38% | 1.69 -6% | 2.48 ? -55% | 1.601 ? -0% |
| Load Average * | 7.1 | 5.2 27% | 4.17 41% | 3.61 49% | 3.95 ? 44% | 6.71 ? 5% |
| Load Maximum * | 8.8 | 7.1 19% | 6.11 31% | 5.9 33% | 5.38 ? 39% | 10.1 ? -15% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
The Galaxy M11 delivers very good runtimes in our Wi-Fi test, but the 14.5 hours of the Samsung phone are put in perspective in view of the stamina of a realme 6i with the same battery capacity. The high power consumption under load probably has an impact here. However, heavy users should easily get through the day with one battery charge in intensive use since over 6 hours are achieved even under permanent load.
| Samsung Galaxy M11 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A20s 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 5020 mAh | Realme 6i 5000 mAh | Nokia 2.4 4500 mAh | Honor 9A 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -9% | 1% | 50% | -6% | 7% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2024 | 2145 6% | 2294 13% | |||
| H.264 | 1046 | 954 -9% | 1116 7% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 880 | 812 -8% | 867 -1% | 1318 50% | 826 -6% | 945 7% |
| Load | 369 | 278 -25% | 314 -15% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict on the Galaxy M11 - One entry-level smartphone among many
Samsung's Galaxy M11 offers a solid overall package paired with a glaring camera weakness. Samsung's smartphone has an appealing build quality and very good tracking capabilities. Although a 5000 mAh strong battery lasts much longer in the competition, the battery runtimes are very appealing - there should still be potential in the form of updates. Furthermore, the Galaxy M11 offers nice features, such as NFC or a triple card slot.
Nevertheless, Samsung misses out on setting itself apart in the highly competitive entry-level category with the Galaxy M11. Those interested in a low-priced Samsung smartphone are spoiled for choice. Thus, the Galaxy A20s and A21s as well as the Galaxy A20e are now available in Germany in the Galaxy-A label of the Korean manufacturer alone. The M11 model now joins them.
Samsung should slowly start equipping its low-priced smartphone segment with AMOLED displays as well.
Unfortunately, Samsung relies on an LC display instead of an in-house AMOLED panel in its M series in the entry-level price range, just like in the Galaxy A smartphones. And Samsung could have collected good arguments for buying the M11 over the IPS competition in this segment, especially since the LC screen of the Galaxy phone has a rather low resolution and is only average in quality.
However, the biggest weakness comes from the installed camera lenses. Samsung could have done without the wide-angle camera in particular - it does not really add any value due to the very modest quality. The selfie lens is also only sufficient for Skype and the like.
Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy M11 is currently available in the version with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory for 140 Euros (~$172), among others at Amazon or Notebooksbilliger.
Samsung Galaxy M11
- 12/20/2020 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
Price comparison
