Compare: OnePlus Nord (12GB RAM, 256GB) vs Samsung Galaxy M31s (8GB RAM)

Our Opinion

The OnePlus Nord (12GB RAM, 256GB) is a significantly better phone than the Samsung Galaxy M31s (8GB RAM), and is also significantly better value for money. What should you buy? Go for the OnePlus Nord (12GB RAM, 256GB)!

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	OnePlus Nord (12GB RAM, 256GB)	Samsung Galaxy M31s (8GB RAM)

Buy Now	Buy	Buy
Excellence Score	74.7	55.7
Value for Money Score	83.0	72.8
Price	₹ 29,999 onwards	₹ 20,499 onwards
Launch Date (India)	Aug, 2020	Aug, 2020
Expected Launch Date	N/A	N/A
Smartphone OS	Android 10Expected update to next Android version	Android 10Expected update to next Android version
Touchscreen	Yes (Capacitive)	Yes (Capacitive)
Screen Size	6.44 inches	6.5 inches
Screen Resolution	1080x2400 pixels (~ 409 pixels per inch)	1080x2400 pixels (~ 405 pixels per inch)
Tall Aspect Ratio / Minimal Bezels	Yes	Yes
Scratch Resistant Display	Yes, Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Yes, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Display Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Screen Refresh Rate	90 HzHigh	60 HzStandard
Display Features	Video enhancer, Reading mode, Night mode	N/A
Full Physical QWERTY Keypad
Processor	2.4 GHz	2.3 GHz
Processor Type	Octa Core	Octa Core
Processor Name	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765GRanked #16 in Mobile Processor Benchmarks	Samsung Exynos 9611Ranked #37 in Mobile Processor Benchmarks
GPU	Adreno 620	Mali-G72 MP3
RAM	12 GB	8 GB
3G	Yes	Yes
4G	Yes	Yes
5G	Yes
VoLTE	Yes	Yes
WiFi	Yes	Yes
VoWiFi/WiFi-Calling	Yes	Yes
GPS	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Connecting Port	USB-C	USB-C
Primary Camera	48MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP	64MP + 12MP + 5MP + 5MP
Camera Auto-Focus	Yes	Yes
Camera Flash	Yes	Yes
HD Video Recording	Yes (4K)	Yes (4K)
Other Camera Features	48MP: f/1.8 Aperture; 26mm Focal Length, 1/1.72" Sensor Size; 0.8um Pixel Size; PDAF; OIS, 8MP: f/2.3 Aperture; 119-degree Ultra-wide Sensor, 5MP: f/2.4 Aperture; Depth Sensor, 2MP: f/2.4 Aperture; Macro, HDR, Panorama, Video: [email protected]; [email protected]/60/240fps, EIS	64MP: f/1.8 Aperture; 26mm Focal Length; 1/1.72"; 0.8um Pixel Size; PDAF, 12MP: f/2.2 Aperture; 123-degree ultra-wide lens, 5MP: f/2.4 Aperture; Macro Camera, 5MP: f/2.4 Aperture; Depth Sensor
Secondary Camera	32MP + 8MP	32MP
Secondary Camera Features	32MP: f/2.5 Aperture; 1/2.8" Sensor Size; 0.8um Pixel Size, 8MP: f/2.5 Aperture; 105-degree Ultra-wide; 1/4.0" Sensor Size; 1.12um Pixel, HDR, Video: [email protected]/60fps; [email protected]/60fps	f/2.2 aperture, 26mm Focal Length, 1/2.8" Sensor Size, 0.8um Pixel Size, HDR
Internal Memory	256 GB	128 GB
Expandable Memory Slot		Yes, up to 512 GB
Contacts Storage	Unlimited	Unlimited
SMS Storage	Unlimited	Unlimited
Music Player	Yes	Yes
FM Radio		Yes (Wireless)
Dual SIM	GSM+GSM	GSM+GSM
Thickness	8.2 mmMedium	9.3 mmThick
Weight	184 gmMedium	203 gmHeavy
Width	73.3 mmOk for one-handed use	74.4 mmOk for one-handed use
Audio Output	USB-C	3.5mm jack
Water Resistant
Battery Capacity	4115 mAh	6000 mAh
Battery Standby	N/A	N/A
Battery Standby (3G)	N/A	N/A
Battery Talktime	N/A	N/A
Battery Talktime (3G)	N/A	N/A
Fast Charging Support	Yes, 30 Warp Charge	Yes, 25W Fast Charging
Included Fast Charger	Yes, 30.0W Fast Charger	Yes, 25.0W Fast Charger
Other Battery Parameters	N/A	N/A
Fingerprint sensor	Yes	Yes
Other Features	UFS 2.1 Storage; In-display Fingerprint Sensor; NFC; Noise Filtration	UFS 2.1 Storage; FM Recording; Noise Filtration
2-minute Review [Positives]	Elegant and attractive looks - the Nord has the same design language as OnePlus flagships, and the in-hand feel is excellent Front design is similar to some of the Oppo and Realme phones with its dual punch-hole selfie camera The flat panel makes it significantly easier to use the phone with single hand The in-display fingerprint sensor as well as the face unlock works very well, and all it needs is a quick tap to unlock the phone Bright, crisp 6.44-inch Super AMOLED display - the 90Hz display on the Nord is just as vibrant and fluid as the OnePlus 8 with punchy colours and excellent viewing angles The brightness levels are more than enough for any situation indoors while being enough for direct under-the-sun use The OxygenOS is delight to have at this price, it is one of the most thoughtful, simple and clean Android skins which arguably offers the best user experience at this price point Snappy and fluid performance from the new Snapdragon 765G - in regular use there's hardly any difference between the Nord and OnePlus 8, it feels as fast and responsive as it's more expensive sibling - heavy games like PUBG mobile and Asphalt 9 run at their highest setting without any issue or lag Good camera setup for the price - a 48MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide camera, 5MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro The primary camera is the same as the one on the OnePlus 8 and captures good detail and colours are really punchy and vibrant The ultra-wide camera captures does a good job with colours and HDR with expected weaker details than the primary camera The macro camera works decently well when there is a good amount of ambient light around the subject The portrait lens also does a decent job, creates good bokeh and brings out nice portrait shots Low-light photos turn out decent, given strong enough light sources around - for darker scenes, OnePlus offers a dedicated Night mode which can be quite effective in brightening up photos Very good dual selfie cameras, a 32MP primary and an 8MP ultra-wide - the primary camera captures very good details, skin tones look good, and HDR is handled well The ultra-wide front camera is a thoughtful addition which captures a lot wider scene for all your groupies Overall, OnePlus has accumulated a great set of cameras for the price, they need some more tuning which OnePlus is known to provide with future updates Very good battery life from the 4115 mAh battery - it can easily accommodate for a day and half worth of usage with light to moderate use at 90 Hz, switching to 60 Hz improves the battery even futher Very good fast charging with the provided 30W charger in the box - it is able to take the battery to around 93 per cent in an hour, which is fairly quick The OnePlus Nord ticks all the right boxes - you get a 90Hz AMOLED display, robust hardware, good set of cameras at the back and front, unmatched software experience, and 30W fast charging - OnePlus did a fantastic job distilling the essence of its flagships into the Nord, and the result is one of the best mid-range phones in 2020	Sleek, classy design - the Galaxy M31s seems identical to the Galaxy A51, with a glossy polycarbonate back design - giving it a premium look The front gets a new trendy look with a hole-punch display, a first for the M-series It has good ergonomics and feels comfortable to hold and operate The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is quick to unlock the device Vivid, crisp and punchy 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with excellent viewing angles, and brightness levels - easily one of the best displays in the price bracket It also comes with "Widevine L1" certification, which helps stream content in crisp HD resolution Blacks are deep on the AMOLED display, which looks good with Dark mode enabled Samsung's OneUI is today one of the more clean, refined Android UIs that's especially well optimized for large displays like this one One UI also brings in other useful stuff, like a System-wide Dark mode (which turns the background completely black and looks great on the M31s' AMOLED display), and Always On Display option Decent performance with the Exynos 9611 at the core (similar to Snapdragon 665) - the phone is good for basic operations Good quad rear camera setup - 64MP main sensor + 12MP wide-angle lens + 5MP depth sensor + a 5MP macro camera Shots taken with the primary camera during daylight are quite satisfactory, images are detailed, especially the 64MP shots, and they showcase the good dynamic range The ultra-wide sensor, like on any budget phone, is a good addition - it takes social media-worthy images in great lighting conditions (in low-light, the quality dips and pictures look grainy and noisy, wide-angle shots also have barrel distortion at the edges) Photos taken in low-light looks good - switching to Night mode helps reduce grain in the output and further improves image quality Live Focus shots are quite impeccable and the camera app does give you the option to set the level of blur before taking a shot - edge detection is very good and the Galaxy M31 does a good job of separating the subject from the background The macro camera takes decent shots outdoors (though, the quality dips when indoors and the output is restricted to 5MP in resolution) The single take is a nice addition from the more expensive S20 series, it lets you capture multiple formats at once The 32MP selfie camera is quite good and takes detailed selfies (though in low light, the quality goes down a notch and results are grainy) Overall, the cameras on the M31s are good for the price bracket, even though they are not the best (that title crowned to the POCO X2) Monster 6000mAh battery delivers an incredible 2-3 days of usage easily, making for one of the largest battery life smartphones currently available Supports 25W fast charging - the phone takes around 2 hours to charge the battery completely, which is decent Consider the Galaxy M31s for its vivid display, capable optics and stellar on-battery time
2-minute Review [Negatives]	The Nord has a plastic mid-frame which definitely affects its premium positioning	The Galaxy M31s feels hefty at 9.3mm thickness and 203g weight (though, it's worth it for the 6000 mAh battery it packs) However, it is an old chipset and heavy gaming and multi-tasking are taxing for the phone - the POCO X2 and the Realme 6 Pro are much better options that will handle gaming better than the Galaxy M31s Look elsewhere if performance and gaming capabilities are your primary deciding factors - the phones like Realme 6 Pro and Redmi X2 are better equipped to meet your requirements in the performance segment
Expert Reviews	The OnePlus Nord shines with its display, performance and gaming experiences in-depth Read Review » The same OnePlus experience, but at a lower price in-depth Read Review » The OnePlus Nord is a compact smartphone that offers the smoothest smartphone experience at this price in-depth Read Review » The Nord is an impressive smartphone, OnePlus has added all the right ingredients to jump-start its affordable phase of devices in-depth Read Review » It has a comfortable, high-end design, smooth performance, and long-lasting battery life you don't have to worry about in-depth Read Review » The Nord is a budget phone you can buy without worrying that it’ll need to be replaced next year. in-depth Read Review » One of the best mid-range phones in 2020 in-depth Read Review » The OnePlus Nord appears to be quite an impressive deal because of the sum of its premium design, and powerful internals in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » hands-on Read Review » hands-on Read Review »	The Galaxy M31s gets a fresh look, the new Infinity-O AMOLED display, and faster charging with a higher capacity bundled charger, just the processor remains the same old in-depth Read Review » Best M-series smartphone yet in-depth Read Review » The Galaxy M31s gives a premium impression, good enough to give tough competition to the OnePlus Nord in-depth Read Review » The Galaxy M31s gets you the right combination of battery-friendly performance with a dash of style and the convenience and comfort of an AMOLED display... just don’t game on it in-depth Read Review » The Samsung Galaxy M31s is a capable smartphone that would have been an all-round package if it had a better processor in-depth Read Review » Buy it for the display and battery life in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » in-depth Read Review » hands-on Read Review »
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Official Website	Official Website »	Official Website »
Unofficial specs?	N/A	N/A