Samsung Galaxy M35 5G Review 2025: Full Specs, Camera Quality, Gaming Performance, Battery Life, Heating Test, Pros & Cons & Price in India

Let’s cut straight to the chase. In the Indian smartphone market, we value two things above everything else: “Kitna deti hai?” (Battery life) and “Display kaisa hai?” (Screen quality). For years, the Samsung M-series has been the undisputed king of battery life.

Now, in late 2025, the Samsung Galaxy M35 5G is sitting on shelves with a price tag that looks very tempting—often dropping below ₹16,000 during sales like the Great Indian Festival or Big Billion Days. But the real truth is, the competition has caught up. We have sleeker phones from Motorola and faster phones from Realme.

I have been using the Galaxy M35 as my secondary (and sometimes primary) device for the last 3 months. I’ve watched entire seasons of Mirzapur on it, played BGMI until my fingers hurt, and navigated through Bangalore traffic without a charger.

Is it a “Value for Money” champion, or is it just a heavy plastic brick you should skip? Let’s find out.

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Quick Specs: What You Get for ₹16,000

Before we start complaining about the weight, let’s look at the raw numbers. On paper, this phone is a beast for the price.

Feature	Specification
Display	6.6-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz Refresh Rate, 1000 nits Peak Brightness
Processor	Exynos 1380 (5nm)
RAM/Storage	6GB/8GB RAM | 128GB/256GB Storage (UFS 2.2)
Main Camera	50MP (OIS) + 8MP Ultrawide + 2MP Macro
Front Camera	13MP Selfie Shooter
Battery	6,000 mAh (The Beast)
Charging	25W Wired (Charger NOT in the box)
Weight	222 grams (It is heavy!)
OS	One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 (Upgradable)

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Design & Build: It’s a Tank (Literally)

I’ll be honest with you—the moment you pick up the Galaxy M35, you feel it. It weighs 222 grams. In a world where phones like the Moto G85 weigh barely 175g, the M35 feels like a brick in your pocket.

• The Build: It is purely plastic. Samsung calls it “Glasstic,” but let’s not kid ourselves. The back panel has a checkered pattern that looks decent but attracts fingerprints like a magnet.
• In-Hand Feel: It is thick (9.1mm). If you have small hands, using this with one hand is a gym workout. You will feel the fatigue after holding it up for a 30-minute call.
• No Charger: Reminder, the box is thin because there is no charger inside. You only get a USB-C to C cable. This is a hidden cost you need to calculate.

The Pros? It feels sturdy. If you drop this, you are more worried about the floor than the phone.

Samsung Galaxy M35 showing its thickness and the volume buttons. 

Display & Visuals: The Best in Class?

This is where Samsung shuts the haters up. Even in the budget segment, nobody does displays like Samsung.

• Panel Quality: You get a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The blacks are deep, and the colors pop. Watching 4K HDR content on YouTube is a delight.
• Brightness: It hits 1000 nits. I tested this under the harsh 2 PM sun in Delhi, and I could read my WhatsApp messages clearly without squinting.
• Bezels: The bezels are a bit thick, especially the bottom “chin.” It doesn’t look as modern as some competitors, but once the video starts, you forget about it.
• Protection: It comes with Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is a massive win at this price point. It resists scratches from keys and coins very well.

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Performance & Gaming: The Exynos Reality

The Galaxy M35 runs on the Exynos 1380. Now, I know the reputation Exynos has—heating and throttling. But has it improved?

• Daily Usage: For Instagram, WhatsApp, browsing, and multitasking, it is buttery smooth. The 120Hz feels consistent. One UI is heavy, but the processor handles it well.
• Gaming Test (BGMI/CoD):
  • Settings: Smooth + Extreme (60fps) is available.
  • Experience: It runs fine for the first 30 minutes.
  • Heating: After about 40 minutes of gaming, the area near the camera gets warm (around 41°C). It doesn’t get “hot,” but you will notice the frame rates dropping slightly during intense squad fights.
• The Verdict: If you are a hardcore gamer, look elsewhere (like the Realme P series). If you are a casual gamer, this is perfectly fine.

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Camera: OIS is the Saviour

Samsung has stuck to a tried-and-tested formula: a 50MP main sensor with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization).

• Daylight: Photos are crisp, saturated, and “social media ready.” You don’t need to edit them. The sky looks bluer than reality, but that’s the classic Samsung look Indian users love.
• Low Light/Night: This is where OIS helps. The shutter stays open longer without blurring the shot. Night mode brings out decent details, though you will see some noise in the corners.
• Video: It supports 4K at 30fps. The stabilization is decent for walking shots, but don’t expect iPhone-level smoothness.
• Selfies: The 13MP shooter is strictly “okay.” It tends to smooth out skin tones a bit too much, making you look like you are wearing makeup even when filters are off.

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Battery & Endurance: The Selling Point

This is why you are reading this review. The 6,000 mAh battery.

• Real World Test: I unplugged at 8 AM. I used 5G all day, streamed 2 hours of Netflix, listened to Spotify for 3 hours, and used GPS for 45 minutes.
• Result: By 11 PM at night, I still had 35% battery left. This is a legitimate 1.5 to 2-day phone for light users.
• Charging Pain: The downside of a big battery is filling it up. With a 25W charger (which you buy separately), it takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to go from 0% to 100%. In 2025, that feels incredibly slow.

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The Competition: Galaxy M35 vs Rivals

Let’s see how the M35 stands against the current market favorites in the ₹15,000 – ₹18,000 range.

Feature	Samsung Galaxy M35	Moto G85 5G	Realme P1 5G
Price	~₹16,999	~₹17,999	~₹15,999
Screen	Flat AMOLED (120Hz)	Curved pOLED (120Hz)	Flat AMOLED (120Hz)
Battery	6000 mAh	5000 mAh	5000 mAh
Charging	25W (Slow)	33W	45W (Fastest)
Processor	Exynos 1380	Snapdragon 6s Gen 3	Dimensity 7050
Weight	222g (Heavy)	173g (Featherweight)	188g
Best For	Battery & Media	Design & Clean UI	Gaming & Speed

The Comparison Verdict:

1. Moto G85: Choose this if you want a phone that looks premium, has a curved screen, and feels light in the hand.
2. Realme P1: Choose this if you want faster charging and slightly better gaming performance.
3. Galaxy M35: Choose this if you want the longest battery life and the security of Samsung’s brand (plus 4 years of OS updates).

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Final Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M35 5G is not a perfect phone. It is heavy, charges slowly, and still has that annoying waterdrop notch design from 2020.

However, for the average Indian user who commutes long hours and hates carrying a power bank, this phone is a blessing. It is reliable, the display is gorgeous for movies, and it will last you for years with Samsung’s software support.

Read More : Vivo S50 Pro 2025

Buy it if:

• You have “Range Anxiety”: You want a phone that guarantees 1.5 days of battery.
• You consume media: The Super AMOLED screen is the best in this segment.
• You want longevity: Samsung promises 4 generations of OS updates, which is rare at this price.

Skip it if:

• You have small hands: The 222g weight and thickness are uncomfortable.
• You are an impatient charger: Waiting nearly 2 hours for a full charge is frustrating.
• You are a pro gamer: The Exynos chip throttles under heavy load.

Rating: 4/5 Stars (Points deducted for weight and slow charging).

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