Samsung Galaxy M40 first impressions: Good looks, competitive specs sans 3.5mm headphone jack

Samsung Galaxy M40 launched in India at ₹19,990. The latest Galaxy M phone comes with triple rear cameras including 32-megapixel, 5-megapixel and 8-megapixel wide-angle lens.

Samsung Galaxy M40 launched in India (HT Photo)

No 3.5mm headphone jack? The first thing I noticed in Samsung's latest Galaxy M40. Even as Android players blindly followed Apple in removing the 3.5mm headphone jack, Samsung remained one of the top players not to give in. But things are changing. Samsung did kill 3.5mm in Galaxy A8s last year and then in Galaxy Fold. And now it has done with Galaxy M40.

To compensate for the absence of 3.5mm headphone, Samsung is bundling a USB Type-C headphone in the box. Well, that's some level of relief for those who don't own a Type-C earphone or a Bluetooth headphone or intend to buy one.

Is the absence of 3.5mm headphone jack a deal breaker? Not really. We've seen phones like OnePlus 7 sell like hotcakes despite not having the headphone jack. Xiaomi's Mi A2 is another such phone which is quite popular in the mid-range and budget segments. But then there are still a lot of users who prefer the traditional 3.5mm headphone audio experience.

How's Samsung Galaxy M40 otherwise, you may ask? It is the best looking Samsung Galaxy M phone so far. On the back, it has a familiar glossy finish with richer colours. The Midnight Blue colour model looks pretty sharp and premium. The rear panel houses the triple rear camera setup, vertically aligned on the top left corner. There's a pill-shaped fingerprint sensor followed by Samsung branding.

Premium design on Galaxy M40 (HT Photo)

Premium design on Galaxy M40 (HT Photo)

The front is quite different from any other Galaxy M phone so far. It features a punch-hole like camera display - similar to what you have seen in Galaxy S10 phones. The 6.3-inch Full HD+ Infinity O display is bright, vibrant and colourful. As seen in Galaxy S10 phones, the Infinity O display is much better than other cut out formats.

Samsung Galaxy M40 has Galaxy S10-like front (HT Photo)

Samsung Galaxy M40 has Galaxy S10-like front (HT Photo)

Overall, the phone looks great. It feels light and easy to grip.

Apart from the new and improved look, Galaxy M40 also bets big on performance and camera. It is also the first Galaxy M phone to run on Snapdragon 675 processor, which is said to be suited for power users, especially gamers. Galaxy M40 is powered by a 3,500mAh battery which is surprisingly smaller than the 5,000mAh battery on the Galaxy M20.

As far as the camera department goes, the phone sports a triple-camera setup of 32-megapixel, 5-megapixel and 8-megapixel wide-angle lens with 123-degrees field of view. The smartphone comes with standard features like slo-mo video recording, hyperlapse and AI portrait mode. It also comes with Widevine L1 support to bring HD videos from apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Takeaway,

Samsung Galaxy M40 is the most expensive Galaxy M phone so far. Except for 3.5mm headphone jack, you will get pretty much everything expected from a premium mid-range phone in Galaxy M40. Snapdragon 675 chipset and triple cameras make the phone more competitive against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro. Stay tuned for our detailed review of Samsung's new phone.

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