Samsung’s Galaxy M21 is its latest affordable handset for the Indian market

Samsung has announced the Galaxy M21, a new handset for the Indian market, which will cost 12,999 rupees (around $175), GSMArena reports. It’s the successor to last year’s Galaxy M20, and it’s another attempt by Samsung to win back buyers from Chinese rivals whose phones have stolen market share from the world’s largest handset maker.

While the overall design remains similar to its predecessor, Samsung has made several improvements with the Galaxy M21. On its rear, there are now three cameras rather than two, thanks to the addition of a new 8-megapixel ultrawide camera alongside the 5-megapixel depth sensor. The resolution of the main sensor has also been bumped up from 13 to 48 megapixels, while the selfie camera now features a 20-megapixel sensor up from 8 megapixels last time around. There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Internally, the specs are also improved. The Galaxy M21 features a faster Exynos 9611 processor, a bigger 6,000mAh battery, and the RAM and internal storage of its base model have increased to 4GB and 64GB, respectively. (The Galaxy M20’s base model has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.)

Finally, the 1080p OLED notched display is now 6.4 inches, up from 6.3 inches last time around. The phone will be available in black and blue.

Doing well in the Indian market is important for Samsung, especially after CounterPoint recently reported that in 2019, India had surpassed the US to become the second largest smartphone market in the world. However, Samsung’s market share in the country declined between 2018 and 2019, while Chinese rivals like Vivo, Realme, and Oppo saw market share growth in double or even triple digits. In the fourth quarter of last year, CounterPoint reports that Vivo overtook Samsung to become the second biggest smartphone manufacturer in the country, behind only Xiaomi.

The Galaxy M21 is part of a range of handsets that Samsung produces for the country. Last month, it announced the Galaxy M31, which features a quad-camera array and a 64-megapixel main sensor. Prices start at 15,999 rupees ($215) for the Galaxy M31, which was released earlier this month. The Galaxy M21, meanwhile, will be available to purchase starting on March 23rd for the 4GB / 64GB version. Models with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will follow at a later date at a price that’s yet to be announced

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