Everything we think we know about the Samsung Galaxy S10

[The AchieVer]

Everything we think we know about the Samsung Galaxy S10

 

Leaks abound, but there still might be some surprises

 

We’re just a few days away from Samsung’s giant 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 event on February 20th, and it’s looking like it’ll be one of the biggest phone announcements Samsung has ever made. Fortunately, given that we live in a world where leaks are plentiful and manufacturers aren’t even trying to keep secrets anymore, we already know a ton about Samsung’s new phones.

So if you can’t wait for the official announcement on February 20th, here’s everything we know so far:

 

Image: Evan Blass

THE S10 AND S10 PLUS

The core of Samsung’s lineup will stay the same as the last few years: there’s a regular S10 model and a larger S10 Plus, this time with 6.1-inch and 6.3-inch displays, respectively. And thanks to a complete spec sheet from GSMArena, we also know basically all the details on the two phones, too: 

WE KNOW BASICALLY ALL THE DETAILS ON THE TWO PHONES

Both phones are expected to feature Samsung’s new Infinity O hole-punch display, which eschews the notched design of most 2018 models for a front-facing camera punched directly through the screen. (The cutout on the Plus is a bit wider since it contains two cameras.) The S10 and S10 Plus will both have AMOLED Gorilla Glass 6 panels at 3040 x 1440 QHD+ resolution, with the main difference coming down to screen size and the S10 Plus featuring an additional front-facing camera (and therefore, a larger hole punch). 

Leaked pictures from AllAboutSamsungand official renders from WinFuture show that aside from the reworked front-camera system, the overall design of the S10 and S10 Plus should look pretty similar to last year’s S9 — Samsung is keeping the curved top and bottom bezels, as well as the sloping 3D glass sides, along with a dedicated Bixby button, USB-C charging port, and 3.5mm headphone jack. 

Things get a little more interesting on the back, though: gone is the fingerprint sensor, which has reportedly been built directly into the front display, and new is a triple-camera system (for both the S10 and S10 Plus, unlike the S9 lineup which offered different camera systems across the S9 and S9 Plus). The three cameras are divided up into a 12-megapixel telephoto lens (at f/2.4), a 12-megapixel wide lens (f/1.5), and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens (f/2.2) — expect Samsung to focus a lot on what these lenses can do at the announcement, too.

 GRID VIEW

 

A 1TB PHONE COULD BE COMING

Samsung is also expected to bump up the specs on the S10 lineup: the new phones will reportedly be getting Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 processor or Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9820 chipset, depending on the region. According to WinFuture, the S10 will offer a 128GB model with 6GB of RAM and a 512GB / 8GB version, while the S10 Plus will offer a third, maxed-out version with 1TB of storage and a whopping 12GB of RAM. The other main difference between the two phones is battery size: the S10 has a 3,100mAh battery, while the S10 Plus offers a larger 4,100mAh cell. 

Lastly, there are rumors of a new reverse wireless charging feature that will allow you to recharge an accessory (like the already-leaked Galaxy Buds) directly from the S10 or S10 Plus, no wires necessary.

The rumor mill has been oddly quiet as to price, although that’ll largely depend on specific carriers, but we do know the rough release date: Samsung is already letting customers reserve phones to ship by March 8th. 

THE CHEAPER S10E MIGHT TAKE ON THE IPHONE XR

Along with the standard S10 models, a new, cheaper S10e variant — which will be a little more lackluster than its flashier siblings — has also leaked.

The S10e is less flashy than the regular S10: it’ll have a smaller and lower-resolution 5.8-inch, 2280 x 1080 display (although still with a hole-punch camera) that lacks the curved sides of its upscale counterparts. There’s apparently no ultrasonic fingerprint reader: instead, users will have to access a fingerprint reader on the side of the device. The rear camera is also a downgrade, offering a two-camera system instead of the flashy three-lens setup on the bigger phones. 

 

Image: WinFuture

Samsung is said to be offering the same internals on the smaller S10e — just because you’re getting the cheaper phone, doesn’t mean you’re getting a weaker one. Per WinFuture, expect the same Snapdragon 855 processor, along with a pair of 6GB RAM / 128GB storage and 8GB RAM / 256GB storage models.

The biggest question for the S10e is sadly the one major detail that hasn’t leaked yet: how much it’ll cost compared to the full-fledged S10.

GALAXY S10 X?

There are also rumors that Samsung may be releasing another 5G-equipped variant of the S10, which SamMobile reports will be called the Galaxy S10 X. Details on the S10 X are a lot slimmer, although an early rumor from The Wall Street Journal back in November claimed that Samsung was working on a supersized 5G phone code-named “Beyond X”, which was said to offer a massive 6.7-inch display (for comparison, the Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch screen), a total of six cameras (two front-facing and four rear), and support for 5G. SamMobile also claims that the S10 X will offer a 5,000mAh battery and a minimum of 256GB of storage by default. 

Assuming all these specs are real, the Galaxy S10 X might just steal the show from its more ordinary cousins. That is, of course, if Samsung doesn’t have more surprises in store.

ENTER THE FOLDING PHONE

Surprises like a proper reveal for its folding phone, which the company has been building up hype for and teasing for months. There’s even fewer details here floating around than for the S10 X, but given that Samsung already previewed a rough prototype of the device back in November, we do know a little bit. 

 

Photo by Nick Statt / The Vege

Assuming things haven’t drastically changed since then, the folding phone will unfold from a 4.58-inch candy bar form factor into a 7.3-inch tablet screen, which Samsung calls its Infinity Flex Display. The phone — rumored to be called the Galaxy F — probably won’t be cheap, though, with rumors that Samsung was mulling over a nearly $1,800 price tag back in November, although that number wasn’t final yet. 

Hopefully, Samsung will decide to shed a little more light on the situation with a proper look at the folding phone at the event. 

ACCESSORIES (OOPS)

Samsung is also announcing a bunch of new accessories at the event, something we know since Samsung helpfully leaked all of them through its own Galaxy Wearable app. There’s a new Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch, and a pair of Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e fitness trackers. But the most interesting accessory might be the Galaxy Buds, which look like Samsung’s latest attempts to offer up an answer to Apple’s popular AirPods. We’ll presumably get more concrete details about all these products at the event.

 

 

 

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