Samsung announces Galaxy M21, an affordable phone with a monster battery aimed at the Indian market

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy M31 last month. While the M31 is designed to be an inexpensive handset, those that are on a tighter budget may be interested in the Galaxy M21, announced today.

The Galaxy M21 is essentially a toned-down Galaxy M31, though the cheaper phone mirrors many of the specs of its more expensive brother. Like the Galaxy M31, the Galaxy M21 has a 6.4-inch FHD+ (1920x2340) sAMOLED display, Samsung’s Exynos 9611 SoC, either 4 or 6 GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128 GB of expandable storage. Both phones run on Android 10 with Samsung’s One UI 2.0, and both phones pack a USB-C port that can charge the phone at up to 15 Watts. Both the Galaxy M21 and Galaxy M31 are powered by massive 6000 mAh batteries.

The Galaxy M21 cuts back when it comes to cameras. Compared to the Galaxy M31’s setup (64 MP main, 8 MP ultrawide, 5 MP macro, and 5 MP depth sensor), the Galaxy M21 sheds the macro shooter. Additionally, the main shooter of the Galaxy M21 is only 48 MP. The 8 MP ultrawide camera and 5 MP depth sensor are retained from the Galaxy M31.

Around front, the Galaxy M21 has a 20 MP selfie camera, a slight downgrade from the Galaxy M31’s 32 MP front-facing camera.

Cutting back on cameras also cuts the price. The phone will start at IN ₹12,999 (~US $173.32 at press time) for the 4 GB RAM / 64 GB storage model. That’s a fair bit cheaper than the Galaxy M31, which retails at ₹16,499 (~$219.99). No word yet on pricing for the 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage model. The Galaxy M21 will be available in India via Amazon starting March 23.

Buy Galaxy M20 now on Amazon