The Samsung Galaxy M series has always sat as an affordable midrange introduction to the Galaxy series. That remains the same with the new Samsung Galaxy M33 5G. It still packs quite a rap sheet including an Exynos 1280 chipset with 6GB RAM, a triple rear camera setup leading with a 50MP f/1.8 main lens, and a 6.6-inch 2408 x 1080 120Hz display.
| Chipset | Exynos 1280 |
| Screen | 6.6-inch TFT, 2408 x 1080, 120Hz |
| RAM | 8GB |
| OS | Android 12, OneUI 4.1 |
| Rear Camera | 50MP f/1.8 Main, 8MP f/2.2 Ultrawide, 2MP f/2.4 Macro |
| Front Camera | 8MP f/2.2 |
| Video | Up to 4K30fps, |
| Storage | 128GB, MicroSD |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 5G |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, 3.5mm Audio Jack |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 25W Fast Charging |
| Others | Side-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner |
| Dimensions | 165.4 x 76.9 x 8.4mm |
| Weight | 198g |
| Colors | Blue, Green, Brown |
The Galaxy M33 5G sports a plastic build with a matte finish. It doesn’t really have any distinguishing designs aside from the Samsung branding embossed near the bottom. Though the design seems unspectacular, the frame feels solid enough in the hand.
All the buttons are clustered at the right-hand side with the power button having an integrated fingerprint scanner. At the other side is a triple-cut SIM tray that can house two SIM cards and a standalone MicroSD card.
At the bottom is a 3.5mm audio jack for wired headphones or headsets, a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfers, and a bottom-firing speaker.
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G sports a 6.6-inch 2408 x 1080 120Hz display. The panel itself is only TFT instead of the usual AMOLED screens we see in midrange smartphones. Despite missing an AMOLED screen, color coverage is fantastic at 99.6% sRGB and 97.60% DCI-P3.
Contrast ratio is pretty good at around 1568:1 while brightness is excellent with a peak of 513.66 cd/m2 at maximum brightness. The 120Hz refresh rate makes everything smooth especially animations for apps that support it.
The smartphone relies on a single bottom-firing speaker for audio. Volume can get loud at maximum levels but audio quality is mixed. Highs are okay and vocals come through clear. There’s minimal soundstage so there’s no separation of instruments and bass lacks punch.
The device ships with Android 12 with Samsung’s OneUI 4.1 on top. Their new version of the OneUI has larger and smoother UI, which makes it easier and more intuitive to use. It also adds Smart Widgets, improved RAM Plus options, and smoother integration to the Samsung ecosystem like Samsung Pay. There’s minimal bloat on the device so there’s plenty storage for your preferred apps.
The smartphone packs a total of four cameras at the rear – a 50MP f/1.8 main lens, a 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and two 2MP f/2.4 lenses for depth and macro. Selfies are taken with an 8MP f/2.2 lens at the front.
Its camera app packs all the standard options like Photo, Portrait, Pro, Night, Panorama, Macro, Super Slow Motion, Slow Motion, and Hyperlapse, among others. Samsung has additional modes like Single Take and Fun (Snapchat-style filters). Video Mode is limited to 4K60fps/1080p60fps for the main camera and 1080p30fps for the ultrawide lens.
The 50MP f/1.8 main lens natively takes 12.5MP photos. Colors look natural without any obvious tampering of software to boost colors or saturation. The camera does tend to prefer higher ISO when left to its own devices, which leads to some noise even on average lighting conditions.
Its 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera might lack the pixel count of other ultrawide lenses in the market but it still takes pretty okay shots at the right conditions. There’s minimal noise in daylight shots but colors look slightly drab. This could have been solved with some light boosting by the software. Shooting in the evening and lowlight situations will introduce a lot of noise even when using night mode.
The Galaxy M33 5G runs on Samsung’s own Exynos 1280 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Performance is average with the device running smooth most of the time unless there are background updates being run.
Synthetic benchmarks are average with the smartphone nearly achieving 400k in AnTuTu and more than 10,000 in PCMark Work 3.0. GeekBench places the device to 710 in single-core performance and 1,808 in multi-core.
Gaming performance of the Exynos 1280 is sub-par for its price point. It can barely run Genshin Impact at its lowest settings resting at an average of 16fps while mainstream titles will average at around 30fps. Most games will still be playable but performance isn’t optimal and they won’t be able to take advantage of the 120Hz screen.
The Galaxy M33 5G packs a rather large 6,000mAh battery. It should be able to last for more than a day and a half with a full charge under average use. PCMark Work 3.0 battery loop test places device usage at just below 13 hours with medium brightness and volume. It supports 25W Fast Charging that should fill up the device from 0% within an hour and a half.
Introduced at PhP 19,490 in the Philippines, the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G has some ups and downs. Its large 6,000mAh battery will definitely last anyone throughout the day even with heavy use. The screen might not be AMOLED but its fast and produce good colors. The main and ultrawide cameras can take good photos in the right conditions.
The performance of its Exynos 1280 – especially in gaming – is rather anticlimactic. It has a hard time pushing games to 60fps leaving its 120Hz screen unutilized. Its design is also a bit boring but can be alleviated by a case, which most people will put on smartphones anyways.
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G offers a fairly average smartphone experience as a whole. Those who are looking for a big upgrade from the M series might be disappointed. Meanwhile, users who don’t play games on smartphones might still get solid usage from the device.
The Samsung Galaxy M33 5G is now available in the Philippines for PhP 19,490. It can be had through Lazada, Samsung.com, and Samsung concept stores and authorized retailers nationwide.
