It has been a head-turner of a year for Samsung as it delivered as much with its ‘A’ and ‘M’ series as it did with flagship smartphones in the ‘S’ series. What we have seen so far — and the year in tech is slowly winding up — as winning ingredients are bigger battery, bigger camera and bigger screen, which are the three priorities this year. If that’s not enough, the South Korean electronics giant recently delivered the Galaxy S20 FE, which is a “fan edition” but as it usually turns out with all brands, others end up buying it more than fans. All this makes the sole candidate of the ‘F’ series interesting. What is it? Where does it fit in? What does it offer?
More about numbers
So, what does it offer? Some consider design, specs and pricing in the same breath while buying a phone and some tend to go by pricing while specs become secondary and then design. That’s the Galaxy F41. There are two variants of the phone — one comes with 128GB storage and the other, 64GB while RAM is 6GB in both variants. At the time of publication, the 64GB variant had been priced at Rs 15,499 on Flipkart. But making it special is the Flipkart Smart Upgrade Plan.
It’s a unique plan in which the customer has to pay 70 per cent of the price during purchase and after one year, the remaining 30 per cent… or buy any phone on Flipkart and give back the Galaxy F41. That’s a great marketing move. On top of that, imagine some of the offers your credit card may have.
If you haven’t noticed it yet, there is Flipkart written all over the phone. Yes, hence the ‘F’ tag.
Camera and battery over design
Let’s go beyond marketing strategy. Don’t expect 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate but what you get is a 6.4-inch super AMOLED display which compensates for the former. The display is crisp with no compromises on the viewing angle or the colour spectrum or sharpness.
Most of the compromises on the phone are on the design side but having said that, there is a Samsung-y feel all over the device and for the asking price, there is not much to complain. For a phone that features a 6,000mAh battery, the 191g heft is worth it. The rear panel is plastic that definitely requires a cover.
Powered by a 6,000mAh battery, the phone runs and runs for two days at least.
Even in the camera department, the typical features we have seen in mid-segment ‘A’ and ‘M’ series phones are there. Seeing no presence of a macro lens makes me happy. Instead, there is a no-nonsense 64MP main camera, which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP depth sensor. The camera’s output is decent, with enough contrast in pictures as well as depth and brightness. The ultra-wide lens doesn’t offer too much of distortion around the edges and even bokeh shots are more than fine. Also present is a night mode, which is just about enough to capture frames in uneven lighting. The noise level in night photos is acceptable.
Besides the price, it’s the battery which is also a winning feature. Powered by a 6,000mAh battery, the phone runs and runs for two days at least. The Galaxy M51, which is one of the best mid-range phones of the year, comes with a 7,000mAh battery. Considering the price, the battery on the F41 is a big winner. The problem is the 15W charger included in the box. It just takes too long to juice up to 100 per cent.
Keeping the big battery company is an Exynos 9611 battery, which we have seen on a few Samsung phones. Don’t go by social media. The processor is more than capable for everyday use and you won’t feel let down. In case of gaming — and that too graphic-intensive titles — is on your mind then look for a different device. Each time something goes wrong, a small section of bloggers pin all the blame on Exynos!
Should you buy it?
If the plan is to buy a phone that you would like to use for a year or so and then trade it in for a different Samsung number, yes sure. Also, if you have good battery life on the priority list, this is the device to choose. Ultimately, price and battery are the winning features of the Samsung Galaxy F41.
At a glance
Device: Samsung Galaxy F41
Weight: 191g
Display: 6.4-inch super AMOLED, 2,340 x 1,080 (FHD+)
Camera: Rear — 64MP+8MP+5MP; front — 32MP
Memory: 6GB+64/128GB (microSD up to 512GB)
Battery: 6,000mAh
Price: Upwards of Rs 15,499 on Flipkart (but far lower if you avail of Flipkart Smart Upgrade Plan)