Samsung Galaxy M02s vs Redmi 9 vs Realme Narzo 20A: Which Rs 9,000 phone offers the best value?
Now that the budget Samsung Galaxy M02s has been launched in India, let’s take a look at how it fares against similarly-specced offerings in the price range. Today, we’ll be comparing it with the Redmi 9 and Realme Narzo 20A. We’ll be comparing the lowest-priced variant of each device, as these better represent just how much value for money you can get out of it. Given that all three phones are low-cost offerings, the competition is fairly cutthroat, with each device offering unique benefits that others overlook. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Samsung Galaxy M02s, Redmi 9, and Realme Narzo 20A prices in India, specifications, and features.
Samsung Galaxy M02s vs Redmi 9 vs Realme Narzo 20A prices in India
Realme Narzo 20A, priced at Rs 8,499 for the base variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, is the most affordable smartphone of the lot. The Redmi 9 gets you 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for just Rs 8,999. Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy M02s also costs Rs 8,999 for 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Therefore, the Redmi 9 seems to be the better option in this regard.
Samsung Galaxy M02s vs Redmi 9 vs Realme Narzo 20A design
All three smartphones follow the same cookie-cutter design that we’ve seen in low-cost smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy M02s, Redmi 9, and Realme Narzo 20A all come with plastic backs. However, only Realme Narzo 20A protects its display with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Furthermore, only the Redmi and Realme phones feature a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, while the Samsung Galaxy M02s does not offer any form of fingerprint-based biometric authentication. Hence, the Realme Narzo 20A is an objectively better device in this regard.
Samsung Galaxy M02s vs Redmi 9 vs Realme Narzo 20A specifications
Processor
Although the Redmi 9 uses a (relatively) new MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, it cannot stand against its better-specced rivals. However, it has a slight edge over the Samsung Galaxy M02s’ Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset when it comes to raw speed. The Redmi 9’s MediaTek Helio G35 has its ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz, whereas the Samsung Galaxy M02s’ Qualcomm Snapdragon 450’s Cortex-A53 cores operate at 1.8GHz. The Realme Narzo 20A features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, which comes with a mix of four Kryo 260 Gold (Cortex-A73 equivalent) and four Kryo 260 Silver (Cortex-A53 equivalent) cores. Furthermore, its Adreno 610 GPU is objectively better than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450’s Adreno 506 and the MediaTek Helio G35’s IMG PowerVR GE8320. Once again, the Realme Narzo 20A manages to trump its competition convincingly.
Display
Interestingly enough, all three devices come with identical display specifications i.e a 6.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. The Redmi 9 and Realme Narzo 20A come with an IPS (in-plane shifting) LCD panel, while the Samsung Galaxy M02s employs a slightly better PLS (plane to line switching) panel. PLS panels offer better viewing angles and higher brightness. That is the reason why the Samsung Galaxy M02s wins this round.
Cameras
Here, the Redmi 9 is dead in the water right from the get-go. The smartphone only offers a dual-camera setup (13MP primary + 2MP depth sensor), while the Realme Narzo 20A and Samsung Galaxy M02s feature a triple-camera layout. The Narzo’s camera array consists of a 12MP primary sensor assisted by a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The Samsung handset has a similar setup, with a 13MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. Prima facie, it might appear that the Samsung Galaxy M02s has the better camera layout. However, Narzo 20A is the only device of the lot that can record videos at 4K 30fps, with the Samsung device being restricted to 1080p 30fps. It is also worth noting that the Realme model comes with an 8MP selfie camera, whereas the Galaxy M02s and Redmi 9 come with 5MP units. That is enough to award this segment to the Realme Narzo 20A.
Battery and software
All three devices come with a 5,000mAh battery. The Realme Narzo 20A and Redmi 9 support fast charging at up to 10W, with the Samsung Galaxy M02s bumping that up to 15W. It is likely because the Samsung Galaxy M02s is the only device in this lot that comes with a USB Type-C port, with the other two using an older micro USB port. All three devices run heavily-customised versions of Android 10 out of the box. The feature set offered is more or less identical across the board. One could argue that the Samsung Galaxy M02s is slightly better off, as One UI doesn’t include ads within its user interface, quite unlike Realme UI and MIUI.
Conclusion
It is evident that the Realme Narzo 20A is an objectively better smartphone of the three when it comes to key aspects such as camera prowess, design, and specifications. You can find out more about the Realme Narzo 20A in our detailed review. The Samsung Galaxy M02s is still an excellent device overall, but the Realme 20A offers slightly better value for money. If you’re a Xiaomi enthusiast, you’re better off looking at other alternatives such as the Redmi 9 Power at this price point.
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