With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy M31s, the affordable smartphone segment has gained an attractive new player. The new Samsung smartphone, with its high-performance processor, sAMOLED display, high-resolution front camera, and massive battery, is impressive in every department but it’s the camera that really takes the cake. Featuring the impressive Sony IMX682 primary sensor with 64MP resolution, the Samsung Galaxy M31s has a quad camera setup that’s more than the sum of its parts. The Intelli-cam software features of the smartphone, such as Single Take, 64MP Nudge, Custom Filter, Smart Angle Selfie, etc., make this smartphone’s camera superior to anything else in the segment.

In fact, to prove just that, we have pitted Samsung Galaxy M31s against Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Realme 6 Pro, both of which offer similar features at identical prices. In this blind camera test, we’ll be giving you the chance the judge exactly which device excels at capturing better photos in different scenarios. So scroll away and vote for what you think are the best shots.

Shot 1 – 64MP Intelli-Cam

In the first shot, we’ll be testing the main 64MP cameras on the three devices. Samsung Galaxy M31s has a 64MP primary sensor, the same as Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Realme 6 Pro. The scene we have chosen for this shot is a landscape that involves several colours from natural objects to help you analyse the contrast ratios and dynamic ranges on all 3 photos. You can also check how sharp and clear distant objects are especially in the 64MP mode.

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Shot 2 – Ultra wide camera

The Samsung Galaxy M31s comes with a 12MP ultra-wide-angle cameras, but the Realme 6 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max ships with only an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. In this next scenario, we pick the India Gate, a popular monument, with a wide variety of objects around it. You can judge the shots by how wide the field-of-view they offer is and by how well the distortion at the edges is compensated. And of course, the final result rests with which photograph looks truly better overall.

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Shot 3 – Depth lens

The depth sensing lens is meant to produce portrait effects by blurring the background. Again, the Redmi handset falls short in resolution here with its 2MP sensor. The other two devices come with 5MP depth sensors. While most depth sensors easily create blurred backgrounds, the tricky part is separating the background from the foreground, which leads to blurred edges if not done right. So along with the depth effect, take a good look at the edges before you vote. We took the same subject and camera angle to help you really differentiate between the 3 sensors at work here.

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Shot 4 – Macro lens

Macro shots allow you to get incredibly close to your subjects to capture the tiny details on their surfaces. This is why we’ve chosen to click pictures of this fruit that allows us to judge whether the clarity and focus remain desirable even when you go up and close with the object. The Samsung Galaxy M31s and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max grab 5MP macro cameras, while the Realme 6 Pro opts for a 2MP snapper. The things to look at while judging macro shots are levels of sharpness, the details on the surfaces, and the focus level. The natural depth of field created by the lens also contributes to making the image pop.

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Shot 5 – 4K video recording

You can capture 4K videos on all three phones at 30fps. The scene we’ve chosen is from a lake alongside a road. It has a lot of moving objects and can help ascertain the stability of the camera sensor in question. Details and sharpness are very important factors to be considered while voting, while the colours and contrast levels are also things you should take note of. The background portions in this scene will give you a good idea of which phone offers the best depth of field in its 4K videos.

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Shot 6 – Night Mode

All three phones have dedicated Night Mode toggles that allow you to take clearer shots in low light conditions, using the rear camera. For the purpose of testing this feature, we took a landscape night shot with minimal light sources to help you get a better idea of what you can expect from the 3 camera sensors when you use them in similar conditions. Factors including sharpness, detail, and colour accuracy should be kept in mind while voting in this category.

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Shot 7 – Front camera

Let us now put the front cameras of these three phones to the test. The Samsung phone has gone for a 32MP selfie camera and the same goes for the Redmi device. The Realme 6 Pro, on the other hand, has adopted a 16MP + 8MP setup for delivering wide selfies. We’re just going to test the main selfie cameras here. The judging criteria are pretty simple. Look for which among the three shots has managed to better capture detail and sharpness on the subject’s face. Accuracy in the skin tones is also a priority here.

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Single Take

Now here’s an exciting feature that’s exclusive only to the Samsung Galaxy M31s. It makes use of the 64MP Intelli-Cam of the handset to capture a single moment in 10 unique ways. Photos as well as short videos are included in the Single Take cluster. You can then choose to keep the ones you want and discard the remaining. The ten shots offered by Single Take include 3 best photographs, 2 photos with custom filters and 2 Smart Crop shots that are enhanced by AI. On the video front, you get a Boomerang, a Hyperlapse, and the original video of that moment. Single Take is a truly unique and praiseworthy feature, which really gives the Galaxy M31s quite an edge over its competitors. Here’s a look at what the output looks like from Single Take on Galaxy M31s.

Single Take Shot 1 (Best Moments)

Single Take Shot 2 (Cropped)

Single Take Shot 3 (Portrait/Depth)

Single Take Shot 3 (Black and White)

Original video

Boomerang video

Hyperlapse video

Now that you’re done casting your votes for this blind camera comparison between the Samsung Galaxy M31s, the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and the Realme 6 Pro, do remember to come back in a few days to see who the winner is and hopefully decide which one among them will be your next smartphone.