Samsung Galaxy S10: To Infinity-O And Beyond

Samsung Galaxy S10: To Infinity-O And Beyond 

OUR VERDICT

The Galaxy S10 may be a fitting 10th anniversary phone for Samsung and its storied S series. It delivers on change with a novel-looking Infinity-O screen so large it displaces the front camera, and a triple-lens rear camera that takes ultra-wide photos. Its in-screen fingerprint sensor tech should serve you well, while its Wireless PowerShare could serve your friends well. That’s tons of change – just know that it comes at a high price and therefore the Galaxy S10e and S10 Plus flank it from each side of the coin as better options.

FOR

• High screen-to-body ratio
• In-screen fingerprint sensor
• Wireless PowerShare perk

AGAINST

• Stunning price hike
• S10e and S10 Plus are better
• Great camera, but not the simplest

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is engineered and designed to be a conversation-changer, a phone that's crafted to show everyone's yearly question of "Do i actually got to upgrade?" into a more exclamatory "I actually need to upgrade!"

The S10 remains a strong and attractive phone even after its successor, the Samsung Galaxy S20, launched with 5G capability, improved cameras, and faster speeds than ever. If you do not need absolutely the latest and greatest, the year-old flagship remains a top-tier device with specs and cameras which will still be competitive against 2020's better phones. Plus the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will soon get replaced with the Galaxy Note 20, so it's clear the Galaxy S10 is way from the most recent phone from the brand.

And, as a bonus, they have been discounted - being out for a short time will have that effect.

There's also a replacement budget king on the block: the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite features a massive 6.7-inch screen with even more cameras than the S10e, plus a couple of upgrades. If you would like to save lots of even extra money, and do not mind a couple of compromises, this new budget flagship could be worth your while.

In its prime, the 6.1-inch Infinity Display really set the Samsung Galaxy S10 apart. The handset introduces a nearly-edge-to-edge look that stretches top to bottom, with pixels spilling over the curved edges at the edges – there is no room for giant bezels on Samsung's new smartphone. For the foremost part, bezels don't exist here.

Its new Infinity-O screen – also a feature of the larger Galaxy S10 Plus and cheaper Galaxy S10e – is so large it actually displaces the front camera, consigning it to alittle 'punch-hole' within the screen. All of the important sensors are neatly tucked behind this vibrant and bright Super AMOLED display.

Also behind the glass is that the new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. You will not find a fingerprint pad on the rear anymore, or anywhere visibly on the phone. Samsung put its sensor – now invisible – on the front, where we feel it belongs.

The Samsung S10 officially makes punch-hole displays a trend after the thought debuted on the respect View 20, and in-screen fingerprint sensors more mainstream after they appeared on the OnePlus 6T, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and a couple of Vivo phones.

It’s all designed to achieving that spectacular 93.1% screen-to-body ratio on the front of the phone. And, frankly, we love it a touch better than a standard notch. So far, only the selfie camera on devices just like the OnePlus 7 Pro offer a cleaner-looking alternative on a really similar curved display. But Samsung's punch-hole won't bug you after a few of hours with the Galaxy S10.

Maximization is additionally the thought behind the Samsung S10's rear-facing triple-lens camera. Samsung’s camera array has lenses to require normal, telephoto and new ultra-wide photos. The ultra-wide camera is all about capturing more of what’s ahead of you without having to copy.

Sure, LG phones have touted ultra-wide camera lenses for years, just like the LG V40, but Samsung’s cameras are more consistent in low-light conditions. The feature is finally during a flagship-level phone you would like.

The Samsung S10 also has features everyone can get. Its Wireless PowerShare feature allows you to use the rear of the S10 to Qi charge another phone or the new Galaxy Buds, cloning the reverse wireless charging idea within the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, a phone that’s not widely available in certain territories, including the US.

The Samsung S10 is an amalgam of other handsets’ single hallmark features packed into one phone, while Samsung pioneers as many technical features because it can cram in – faster Wi-Fi 6 and HDR10+ are both firsts for smartphones. And that’s what Samsung does best really.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 marks a decade of Galaxy S phones, and while there’s been little innovation in recent years from the foremost popular smartphone brands, including Samsung (Bixby and AR EMoji don’t cut it), the S10 has enough newness to tempt you to upgrade.

What's to not like? Well, if you'll handle the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus size, it's our No. 1 pick because of its extra battery life, bigger screen and better performance as a gaming phone – and therefore the price hike isn't so terrible. And if you're considering the S10 to save lots of money or need a smaller screen, the higher value is within the 5.8-inch S10e. Samsung has the simplest phones for 2019 (so far), but its biggest competition is none aside from Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Release Date and Price

The Samsung Galaxy S10 release date was Friday, March 8 and it had been announced on February 20, with pre-orders opening directly in some countries. In the US, Galaxy S10 pre-orders started on February 21. Now that its successor has launched, the S10's price has been discounted.

There's a hitch or two in Samsung's masterplan to urge everyone to upgrade to the present particular handset. The Samsung S10 launch price was expensive, more so than the Galaxy S9, although it's markedly better value than the iPhone XS, which was costlier and features a smaller 5.8-inch screen.

The Galaxy S10e is cheaper and almost nearly as good , while the Galaxy S10 Plus is that the phone you’ll want if you'll handle its price and screen size – and that’s to mention nothing of the Galaxy S10 5G and therefore the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which started at a good higher price.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 price now starts at $749 / £669 / AU$1,149 / AED 3,199 for the 128GB of storage model, meaning you're spending a further $180 / £60 / AED 100 on this phone over the S9 launch price.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10 SPECS

Weight: 157g
Dimensions: 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm
OS: Android 9
Screen size: 6.1-inch
Resolution: QHD+
CPU: Octa-core chipset
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/512GB
Battery: 3,400mAh
Rear camera: 16MP + 12MP + 12MP
Front camera: 10MP

If you would like more storage (and don't need to use the microSD slot inside the Galaxy S10) you'll choose the 512GB model which costs $1,149 / £999 / AU$1,699.

If you wish the design of this phone but think that price may be a tad high realize that Apple charges $100 / £200 / AU$430 more for the smaller 5.8-inch iPhone XS with half the interior storage, 64GB.

In certain timely sales and deals, you'll sometimes find the Galaxy S10 for up to half price its initial launch price, but these discounts are far away from reliable, as they will often be hard to seek out .

Display

Samsung’s screens are so good "our competitors are even using them", Samsung brand manager Paul Guzek told TechRadar, an all-too-obvious dig at Apple. It's hard to disagree.

In fact, the Samsung S10's 6.1-inch 19:9 Super AMOLED display board looks better than anything Samsung sells its rivals, and it has been crowned the foremost color accurate smartphone display ever.

It has elegantly curved edges with pixels that spill over the edges, amped-up brightness for better outdoor visibility, and HDR10+ support for superior contrast and color.

There's a QHD+ resolution too, which creates a pixel density of 550ppi, ensuring everything on screen is very detailed. However, the phone defaults to Full HD+, which looks nearly as good and you almost certainly won't notice a difference on a phone this size, unless you're using it for VR two inches from your face. It also saves battery life by burning fewer pixels.

The new Infinity-O display type is what stands out – for better or worse. Samsung has successfully avoided a notch cut-out at the highest of its flagship phones, instead employing a laser-cut hole within the top-right corner of the screen to embed the front-facing camera, as on the respect View 20.

Is a 'punch-hole' camera more or less distracting than a notch? From our time with the Samsung S10 thus far, we'd say less. It sits comfortably to the proper within the notification bar, providing many space for the time, battery and connectivity icons, also as any notifications you'll have.

It’s also given Samsung more screen land to play with than ever, and don’t let the larger 6.1-inch screen size scare you off.

The S10’s dimensions are 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm (and it weighs 157g), so it’s only marginally taller and wider than the S9 with its 5.8-inch screen, and noticeably thinner and a touch lighter.

Those marginal increases tall and width are thanks to the Samsung S10’s screen-to-body ratio of 93.1% (the S9 was 83.6%). The S10 Plus sports that 6.4-inch screen with an equivalent screen-to-body ratio and a pleasant size if you'll handle it. However, if you're wary of false corner touches (especially when typing) thanks to the bezel-less edges, persist with the traditional S10.

Bezel does outline the highest and bottom of this display, albeit we said it wasn’t big. Samsung’s top speaker still reigns, and there’s a skinny but noticeable chin across the bottom; it’s less bezel instead of bezel-less.

And the incontrovertible fact that rock bottom bezel is larger than the highest one catches our eye – it's going to be more distracting than the punch-hole.

There’s little to dislike regarding the new display – if the Infinity-O doesn’t distract day-to-day, and as mentioned we’ll update this review once we have more hands-on time with the S10.

Design

You’re not getting to be overly surprised by the remainder of the Samsung Galaxy S10 design, though there are a couple of notable enhancements, two hidden surprises, and an old classic here.

Its thinner aluminum frame is sandwiched between smooth glasses, with the rear coming in your choice of color: Flamingo Pink, Prism Black, Prism Blue, Prism White, canary and Prism Green. Samsung Galaxy S10 colors will vary by region, with the US getting about yellow and green.

There’s the littlest of camera bumps on the rear, housing the triple-lens camera array, while we saw no signs of Samsung’s invisible reverse wireless charging module below this. It’s a very clean look during a world of camera bumps and rear-fingerprint sensors.

We had no difficulty activating Samsung’s Wireless PowerShare feature after turning it on via the fast settings notification shade. We placed our Galaxy Buds case on the lower third of the S10 back and therefore the earbuds began charging almost instantly. It even charged our iPhone XS Max.

Samsung laid out two scenarios during which Wireless PowerShare would be helpful: charging a friend’s phone, or charging your Galaxy Buds in the dark, effectively making your plugged-in S10 a mobile Qi charger pad. Samsung noted, though, that PowerShare won’t work when the phone is below 30%.

Possibly the simplest bit about the Samsung Galaxy S10 though is its size. As we've already mentioned, it measures 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm, and considering the dimensions of the screen is nestles surprisingly well within the palm.

It's possible to use the Samsung S10 one-handed, with the curved edges on the front and rear helping to offer the effect that the phone is narrower than it actually is.

That said, the glass and metal body doesn't offer an enormous amount of grip, so if you're accident prone we'd recommend learning a case - albeit it's just a slim silicon job - to supply extra traction in your hand.

Also invisible – this point round the front – is that the fingerprint sensor. While tons of Android phones have used a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, Samsung cursed with the front-facing physical sensor pad all the high to the Galaxy S7.

So the switch to the rear felt foreign on Samsung phones – but it’s come to the front within the S10, this point tucked underneath the glass.

This is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, different from the optical sensors on the OnePlus 6T and Huawei Mate 20 Pro, for instance.

Samsung uses Qualcomm-backed tech that’s said to be better, and safer, by making a 3D scan of your print, plus it'll work if your fingers are wet or cold - two scenarios optical scanners struggle with.

It works reasonably well, but it isn't a quick as an optical fingerprint scanner. You will not be left waiting - it still takes but a second to read, register and unlock the S10, but it lacks the zip of scanners not embedded within the display.

There also seems to be a rather higher failure rate too. You would like to be precise together with your finger placement, and you will got to apply a touch pressure for it to figure. It takes a touch getting wont to, but things do improve.

And here’s a welcomed classic that hasn’t changed since the primary S phone a decade ago: the three .5mm headphone jack.

Samsung is one among the few phone makers that has the quality headphone jack in 2019 – and it’s doing it despite introducing the wireless Galaxy Buds and reducing the thickness of the Galaxy S10.