Samsung Galaxy M02 First Impressions and Camera Samples

Today, we have the Samsung Galaxy M02 that arrived in the Philippines back in June. It is an entry-level device priced at PHP 4,490.

Samsung Galaxy M02 first impressions and camera samples

This is a good starter device for young students and people looking to ease in their entry into the smartphone world. As a recap, it has a 6.5-inch HD+ screen, a MediaTek quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, and a huge 5,000 mAh battery.

Here are our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy M02 and some camera samples to boot!

Build Quality/Design

Samsung Galaxy M02 has a textured plastic back

The Samsung Galaxy M02 has a polycarbonate unibody design featuring a textured backplate and a 2.5D glass upfront. As expected on budget phones, there is no mention of any kind of glass protection and water resistance.

But despite being an affordable device, we think this build is designed last. The paint may chip in the long run, but I personally believe that is built with a bit of ruggedness in mind.

The 6.5-inch HD+ LCD screen

Design-wise, you will find ridges along with the matte-like finish give the device a nice grip while holding and an elliptical camera bump housing the dual-camera setup. It also has a dewdrop notch that houses the selfie sensor while at the back.

The Galaxy M02 features a 6.5-inch 2.5D curved LCD screen with 1600 x 7200 HD+ resolution at 270 ppi pixel density.  It has thin side bezels while the top and chin bezels are thicker, The screen gets fairly bright with good color accuracy and contrast.

Samsung Galaxy M02 has no ports up top

Bottom side

The top of the device is smooth with no ports or holes. The bottom has the 3.5mm audio jack, microphone, micro USB charging port, and speaker grill.

Left side

Right side

On the left side, the only thing you will find is the SIM card tray while the right side houses the power button and volume rocker.

Samsung Galaxy M02's dual-camera setup

The Samsung Galaxy M02 features a dual-camera setup with 13MP + 2MP macro sensors with LED flash. For selfies, it has a 5MP sensor.

It measures 164 x 75.9 x 9.1 mm and weighs 206 grams which feel nice to hold.

First Camera Samples

Normal shot, gloomy day

Normal wide shot, daylight

2x zoom shot, daylight

Normal wide shot, night time

Daylight selfie

Night selfie

The Samsung Galaxy M02 can take decent photos with good details and colors when there's good lighting. The selfies are decent for the price. However, there are things left to try before we can give our final verdict.

So far, for under PHP 5K, these are decent shots.

Samsung Galaxy M02 Specs

Display: 6.5-inch 2.5D curved LCD screen w/ HD+ 1600 x 720 resolution at 270 ppi

CPU: 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6739WW quad-core processor

GPU: PowerVR GE8100

RAM: 2GB

ROM: 32GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 1TB

Back Camera: 13MP + 2MP macro + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 5MP

Battery: 5,000mAh

OS: Android 10 w/ One UI 2.0

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, proximity

Others: Colors: Black, Grey, Blue

Dimensions: 164 x 75.9 x 9.1 mm

Weight: 206 g

Price: PHP 4,490

As of the moment

For first impressions, this is definitely a budget device. You can tell from the plastic build and performance out of the box. But, that does not necessarily mean it performed below expectations.

If you are looking for a decent backup device under PHP 5K, or the first smartphone for someone new to tech, this could be a good pick.

To recap, it has a 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6739WW quad-core processor, PowerVR GE8100 GPU, 2GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. It also has Android 10 with One UI 2.0, WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, and dual SIM.

Stay tuned for our full review that will come out soon.

What do you guys think?