After the release of the premium Galaxy Note20 series in August, Samsung, in a bid to give more options to the Indian customers, has been on a phone launching spree in mid-range and budget segment with Galaxy M and A-series models. Recently, it unveiled a Galaxy F41, a first-ever F series model and is being initially made available in India.
On paper, the Galaxy F41 has a really good specs-to-price ratio, offering triple-camera module, a massive battery with a decent set of processor, RAM and storage configuration and yet, costs Rs 16,999 for the base model.
I spent a good amount of time with the Galaxy F41 and here're my thoughts on Samsung's latest phone.
Design, build quality and display:
The Galaxy F41 flaunts flat display with Infinity-U design language. It has a small camera on the top in the middle and the rest is a fully functional display with uniform around the edges.
I had no issue watching videos on the beautiful and bright 6.4-inch full HD+ super AMOLED screen. I had a delightful time viewing and playing games on high-resolution videos with natural black colours. With massive battery, you can go on for hours binge-watching multimedia content on OTT platforms or attend online classes.
On the back, the device has a gorgeous dual-tone shell. Our Fusion Blue review unit looks stunning with the raven and dark deep sea blue colourway. It offers a smooth and premium hand-feel experience.
Also, the fingerprint sensor is really fast to respond to the touch of the finger and it was able to accurately register my index finger impression and unlock the screen every single time. Two thumbs up from me for the job well done by Samsung here.
Performance:
It houses 6GB RAM and 64GB storage (expandable up to 512GB via microSD) Samsung's proprietary Exynos 9611 octa-core processor, which can clock peak speed up to 2.3Ghz. The Galaxy F41 was able to work smoothly during all the day-to-day activities without any issues and also while playing games like Asphalt 9: Legends, it performed well to my expectations from a mid-range phone.
It runs Android 10-based One UI 2.0 and the user-interface looks clean. Even a first-time Samsung phone user get a hang of navigating through the phone for settings and features in a day or two.
The most notable aspect of the Galaxy F41 is the battery. It houses a massive 6,000mAh cell. During the testing period, it was able to last two days under normal usage. If you are an extreme power user and likes play games or watch multimedia content for hours on a stretch, it can still be able to deliver a full day (active hours of 16-17 out of 24 hours).
Also, Samsung is offering 15W with the Galaxy F41 retail box. With this, the phone can fully power up from zero to 100% in under two and a half hours. That's good enough for a phone with a 6,000mAh battery.
Camera:
As said before, the Galaxy F41 comes with quite set to photography hardware. It boasts triple camera module-- main 64MP (with f/1.8) + 8.0MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor with 123-degree field of view and a 5MP (f/2.2) live focus sensor on the back. It is also capable of recording 4K(3840 x 2160)at 30 frames per second, HD slow-motion clips at 240 fps and up to 8X digital zoom.
In terms of real-world performance, I was quite surprised with the details captured in the frame at close range by the Galaxy F41. Also, I noted that the subject and scene have a warmer colour compared to what we see through our eyes. However, I don't like to complain as the resultant pictures are just too good and worthy to be shared on social media platforms.
The portrait mode pictures are decent for its class. The wide-angle shots capture more details of the landscape. As far as the night mode is concerned, the Galaxy F41 does fares well in terms of holding on to the darkness and also managing to absorb minute light photons reveal finer details of scenes. However, the photo is bit grainy when we see it on larger computer screen, but it is on par with rival brands under Rs 20,000.
It also boasts ‘Single Take’ feature that allows the user to take 10 different pictures – 7 photos and 3 videos – at a single click.
On the front, it features an impressive 32MP (f/2.0) front snapper. It takes really good selfies in the natural sunlight and in low-light, it is just good. Users also should try out the
Samsung's camera filters that come handy to adjust the skin tones and other facial attributes in a few steps.
Final thoughts:
The Galaxy F41 really shines with the good AMOLED display, feature-rich camera hardware and long battery life. It is my top pick for those looking of decent mid-range phone for online classes with less worry of straining eyes during a long session.
Samsung Galaxy F41 comes in two configurations-- 6GB RAM + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 15,999 and Rs 16,999, respectively. It is also available in three colours-- fusion black, fusion blue and fusion green.
Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.