Samsung just announced its flagship Galaxy S10 smartphones and, unlike previous years, there are three models to choose from. There’s the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+, which have better displays, cameras and processors that last year’s Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ (as well as a few other new features). Then there’s the Galaxy S10e, a smaller and more affordable smartphone with mostly similar specs as the other S10 smartphones; at $749, think of it as the direct answer to the iPhone XR. Samsung also announced a fourth model, the Galaxy S10 5G, that’s designed to take advantage of 5G connectivity, but, as there aren’t really any consumer-ready 5G networks yet, it feels more like a proof of concept smartphone than anything else. Samsung hasn’t announced how much the Galaxy S10 5G will cost, either.
Want to know more? We got a hands-on with all the Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones — here are the most important new features you need to know about.
What You Need to Know
Kill the Notch, Get More Screen
The starkest difference from previous Galaxy smartphones is the S10’s “hole punch” design around the front-facing camera system. The new “Infinity O” display is still every bit as curved and edge-to-edge as the display on the Galaxy S9, but there’s a new cutout for the camera, which the screen wraps seamlessly around. All the sensors are embedded underneath the display. There’s no notch, either, enabling the Galaxy S10s to have more usable screen area. The S10 Plus has a 93.1-percent screen ratio — Samsung’s biggest ever.
Hands-on reaction: In the few minutes I had holding the phones, the new front-facing camera felt smooth, very smooth. There’s no notch or camera bump. And the screen above the cameras was still usable, although it was a little weird swiping down over the camera. There might be an issue of dirtying up the camera.
Which smartphones have this: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e
An Ultrasonic Fingerprint Reader
Samsung removed the fingerprint scanner on the back. All the newest Galaxy smartphones have a fingerprint reader that’s embedded directly in the screen. The Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, specifically, have an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is supposed to be really secure. The way it works is that it uses ultrasonic technology to create a three-dimensional scan of the contours of your thumb, and this is designed with machine learning to guard against anti-spoofing.
For those not familiar with in-display fingerprint readers, there are two key technologies that do it: optical and ultrasonic. The difference is that an optical fingerprint reader takes an image of your thumb when you first set it up, and then it compares every time you put your finger down to that first reference image. The downside to optical is that it’s easier to trick the sensor because it’s not rendering a real-time picture of your finger. An ultrasonic, on the other hand, is like sonar, sending waves up to your finger and mapping out the actual fingerprint and then bringing it back down to the device. It’s way more accurate, even in poorly lit situations or when your hands are sweaty.
Hands-on reaction: Not having a fingerprint scanner is going to take a little time getting used to — like two minutes. For me, it was very intuitive and the fact that you don’t need to look at your phone to open it, that’s nice.
Which smartphones have this: Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+
All the new Galaxy S10 smartphones have “wireless power share” or the ability to wirelessly charge other Qi-compatible devices. When you turn the feature on it effectively turns the Galaxy S10 into a wireless charging pad. The coil is on the back of the phone, so in order to charge other smartphones (above), you need to place the back-to-back with the Galaxy S10.
An Ultra-Wide Lens to Capture Everything
For the first time, Samsung’s entire Galaxy S line is getting an ultra-wide camera. It has a 120-degree field of view, which is very similar to what the human eye sees: if you can see it, the ultra-wide lens can capture it. The Galaxy S10 and S10+ each have three lenses: traditional, ultra-wide and telephoto. The S10 and the S10+ have the 2x optical zoom. You can pinch to zoom and you can even use as a slider, too. The Galaxy S10e only has two rear-facing lenses, an ultra-wide and traditional. No telephoto. Another neat thing is that when using the camera app, there are icons at the bottom of the app that tells you which lens you’re using. Pretty neat.
Hands-on reaction: The ultra-wide lens is fine feature, if not completely novel. It feels like a more natural, less gimmicky version of the ‘Group Selfies’ feature found on the Pixel 3.
Which smartphones have this: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e
Share Your Power with Dying Friends
All the new Galaxy S10 smartphones have the ability wirelessly charge your other Qi-compatible devices. Samsung calls this feature “wireless power share.” In order to use it, you have to first turn it on via an icon in the notification tray. This way, not just anybody can bump into your phone and steal your power. This effectively turns your Galaxy S10 smartphone into a Qi-wireless charging pad; to charge, just place the device that you want to charge on the back of the Galaxy S10. If you have an iPhone, simply hold both phones back-to-back. It’s worth noting that you’ll have to remember to turn the wireless power share feature off when it’s not being used, or else your smartphone will drain more rapidly.
Hands-on reaction: It works really well. How many times have you been with somebody who claimes “my phone is dying”? Now you’ll now be able to share your power with them, wire-free.
Which smartphones have this: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e
What’s the Catch with the Cheap Phone?
So if you get the cheaper Galaxy S10e, what are the compromises? It’s really about size and screen. It’s smaller than the S10. And the screen has a flat edge. The camera system isn’t quite as sophisticated, either, as the Galaxy S10e doesn’t have a telephoto camera. Finally, there’s security. The fingerprint scanner on the S10e is optical not ultrasonic. But aside from that, it still has the Qualcomm 855 processor, same modem, same battery performance, and same features, like wireless power share, as the other S10e.
Hands-on reaction: If you’re somebody who likes smaller smartphones, this is the model for you. Most people won’t miss the features that it lacks. And for the price, it’s a good deal.
Other Details
Just to bring it all together, here are some final details you need to know about Samsung’s latest smartphones.
• 4K Video: All three Galaxy S10 devices have a 10-megapixel ultra HD front-facing camera that’s capable of recording 4K video. The S10+ has an added depth camera that’s designed to capture additional information and perform unique effects.
• Headphone Jack: Yes, all the new Galaxy S10 smartphones have a headphone jack. This will likely be one of the last flagship smartphones to have one.
• HDR: The entire Galaxy S10 line is made up of the first HDR+ certified devices, so compatible games, shows and movies will supposedly look even better. Additionally, Samsung claims that these devices are meant to be better for you. They reduce blue light exposure by over 42 percent, according to Samsung, so there’s less strain on the user’s eyes, and it’s done so without compromising image quality.
• Storage: All three major Galaxy S10 smartphones start with base storage of 128GB. The Galaxy S10+ is available in 512GB and 1TB configurations, too. All Galaxy S10 smartphones have microSD slots, so you can add another 512GB to any of them — that’s a massive amount of storage that can fit in your pocket.
• Colors: The entire line of Galaxy S10 smartphones is available in four primary colors: prism pink, prism white, prism blue, prism black. The 512GB and 1TB configurations of the Galaxy S10+ is available in ceramic white and ceramic black, which Samsung claims are more luxurious as well as scratch-resistant.
• Pricing and Availability: The Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e will be available for pre-order on February 21 and on sale March 8. The Galaxy S10e starts at $749 with 128GB. The Galaxy S10 starts at $899 and the Galaxy S10 Plus is $999. The Galaxy S10 5G will be available at the end of Q2, exclusively on Verizon, and later on with the other carriers.
• New True Wireless Earbuds: In addition to the smartphones, Samsung also announced new true wireless earbuds: the Galaxy Buds. They support wireless charging and the case is 30-percent smaller than previous generations.
• Pre-Order Incentive: For those who pre-order, you’ll get a pair of Galaxy Buds, Samsung’s new true wireless earbuds, for free. That’s roughly a $150 value.