Once upon a time, Samsung’s Galaxy line was seen as a copy of the iPhone; there were even multiple lawsuits between the two companies over it. There’s no mistaking the new Galaxy S10 line for an iPhone now, though, it’s gone from a “copycat” to a “holy crap” with some amazing new models including the new Galaxy Fold!
You’d better hope that your wallet is braced and ready because Samsung has added some amazing (and pricey) temptations in their latest lineup!
The New Galaxy S10 Lineup
First, there’s the Galaxy S10 line, with the S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G. The S10 and S10+ are the main flagship phones, with the plus having a bigger screen; so apparently, Samsung borrowed a teensy bit from Apple. But that’s where the comparisons end. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and S10+ are rocking in-screen fingerprint sensors, so you get all of the full-screen goodness plus the fingerprint reader with extra encryption, and they managed to cram all the sensors down into a hole-punch in place of a notch. That’s some pretty incredible engineering! They also included artificial intelligence with a widescreen camera lens, so expect some truly excellent photography. Similarly to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro we reviewed, the new Galaxy S10 phones can be used to charge other Qi-charging enabled devices. You can even do pass-through charging of the other device from the S10 while your Samsung is charging.
The S10e is more along the lines of the iPhone XR. You lose the in-screen fingerprint reader in favor of a side-button reader, plus the screen is slightly smaller at 5.8″, but you’re still getting an excellent camera, zippy processor, and full screen with just the little hole punch for the selfie camera. The S10 5G isn’t out yet, but it will be able to take advantage of 5G networks when they are available. Pricing is about what you’d expect for flagship phone lines: starting at $799 for the S10e, $899 for the S10, and $999 for the S10+.
Galaxy S10 line Product Specifications
| Galaxy S10e | Galaxy S10 | Galaxy S10+ | Galaxy S10 5G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.8-inch, Full HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED, 19:9 (438ppi) | 6.1-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 19:9 (550ppi) *Default resolution is Full HD+ and can be changed to Quad HD+ (WQHD+) in Settings. |
6.4-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 19:9 (522ppi) | 6.7-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 19:9 (505ppi) |
| *Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners. | ||||
| Camera | Rear: Dual Camera with OIS | Rear: Triple Camera with Dual OIS | Rear: Triple Camera with Dual OIS | Rear: Quadruple Camera with Dual OIS |
| – Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS (77°) | – Telephoto: 12MP PDAF, F2.4, OIS (45°) | – Telephoto: 12MP PDAF, F2.4, OIS (45°) | – Telephoto: 12MP PDAF, F2.4, OIS (45°) | |
| – Ultra Wide: 16MP FF, F2.2 (123°) | – Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS (77°) | – Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS (77°) | – Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS (77°) | |
| – 0.5X optical zoom, up to 8X digital zoom | – Ultra Wide: 16MP FF, F2.2 (123°) | – Ultra Wide: 16MP FF, F2.2 (123°) | – Ultra Wide: 16MP FF, F2.2 (123°) | |
| – 0.5X/2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom | – 0.5X/2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom | – 0.5X/2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom | ||
| – 3D Depth: hQVGA | ||||
| Front: – Selfie: 10MP Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, F1.9 (80°) |
Front: – Selfie: 10MP Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, F1.9 (80°) |
Front: Dual Camera – Selfie: 10MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.9 (80°) – RGB Depth: 8MP FF, F2.2 (90°) |
Front: – Selfie: 10MP Dual Pixel AF, F1.9 (80°) – 3D Depth: hQVGA |
|
| Body | 69.9 x 142.2 x 7.9mm, 150g | 70.4 x 149.9 x 7.8mm, 157g | 74.1 x 157.6 x 7.8mm, 175g (Ceramic: 198g) | 77.1 x 162.6 x 7.94mm, 198g |
| AP | 7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8 GHz + 2.4 GHz + 1.7 GHz) | |||
| 8nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.7 GHz + 2.3 GHz + 1.9 GHz) | ||||
| *May differ by market and mobile operator. | ||||
| Memory | 6GB/8GB RAM (LPDDR4X), 128GB/256GB | 8GB RAM (LPDDR4X), 128GB/512GB | 8GB/12GB RAM (LPDDR4X), 128GB/512GB/1TB | 8GB + 256GB |
| + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) | + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) | + MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) | (No MicroSD) | |
| *May differ by market and mobile operator. *User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed. |
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| SIM Card | Single: one Nano SIM and one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) | 1 SIM | ||
| Dual(Hybrid): one Nano SIM and one Nano SIM or one MicroSD slot (up to 512GB) | ||||
| *May differ by market and mobile operator. *MicroSD card sold separately. |
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| Battery1 | 3,100mAh (typical) | 3,400mAh (typical) | 4,100mAh (typical) | 4,500mAh (typical) |
| Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless | Super Fast Charging compatible on wired with QC2.0, AFC and PD3.0 | |||
| Improved wireless charging speeds with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | Fast Charging compatible on wireless | |||
| Improved wireless charging speeds with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | ||||
| Wireless PowerShare2 | Wireless PowerShare | |||
| *Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC *Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA *May differ by market and mobile operator. |
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| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie) | |||
| Network | Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat.20 | Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat.20 | ||
| – 2.0Gbps download, 150Mbps Upload | – 2.0Gbps download, 150Mbps Upload + None Standalone (NSA), Sub6 / mmWave (28G, 39G) | |||
| *May differ by market and mobile operator. | *May differ by market and mobile operator. | |||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM | |||
| – 1.2Gbps Download / 1.2Gbps Upload | ||||
| *May differ by market and mobile operator. Bluetooth® v 5.0, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo*, Glonass, BeiDou*) *Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. |
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| Payment | NFC, MST *May differ by market and mobile operator. |
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| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Capacitive Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor | Accelerometer, Barometer, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor | ||
| Authentication | Lock Type: Swipe, Pattern, PIN, Password Biometric Lock Types: Fingerprints, Face |
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| Audio | Stereo speakers and earphones: Sound by AKG | |||
| Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus included) | ||||
| Audio Playback Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE | ||||
| Video | MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM | |||
Preorders for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and the Galaxy S10e begin February 21, 2019, at 12:01 am ET. If you pre-order a Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S10+ between February 21, 2019, and March 7, 2019, Samsung will throw in a set of free Galaxy Buds ($129.99 value); you can also get money off if you trade in an eligible device. Visit www.samsung.com/us/promotions to learn more.
New Samsung Wearables
In addition, Samsung upgraded its wearables with a new Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Fit, and Galaxy Buds. Galaxy Watch Active is aiming squarely at Fitbit with a $199 price tag. The Galaxy Buds will be $129 but will be free with preorders of the new Galaxy S10 phones direct from Samsung.
| Galaxy Watch Active Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Category | Feature |
| Color | Silver, Black, Rose Gold, Sea Green |
| Dimensions & Weight | 40mm, 39.5 x 39.5 x 10.5mm, 25g |
| Display | 1.1” (28mm) 360 x 360 Full Color AOD
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Strap | 20mm (interchangeable) |
| Battery | 230mAh |
| AP | Exynos 9110 Dual core 1.15 GHz |
| OS | Tizen-based Wearable OS 4.0 |
| Memory | 768MB RAM + 4GB Internal Memory |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, A-GPS/Glonass |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart Rate Monitoring, Ambient Light |
| Charge | WPC-based wireless charging |
| Durability | 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G |
| Compatibility | Samsung Galaxy, Android 5.0 or above with more than 1.5GB RAM
iPhone: iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above |
| Category | Galaxy Fit Features |
| Color | Black, Silver |
| Display | 0.95” Full Color AMOLED
120 x 240,282 ppi |
| AP | MCU Cortex M33F 96MHz + M0 16 MHz |
| OS | Realtime OS |
| Size | 18.3(W) x 44.6 (H) x 11.2(T)
24g (w/strap) |
| Memory | 512KB internal RAM, 2048KB external RAM, 32MB external ROM |
| Connectivity | BLE |
| Sensor | HRM, Accelerometer, Gyroscope |
| Battery | 120mAh |
| Charge | NFC Wireless |
| Durability | 5ATM water resistance
MIL STD 810G |
| Compatibility |
Samsung Galaxy, Android 5.0 or above with more than 1.5GB RAM iPhone: iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above |
| Galaxy Fit Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Category | Features |
| Color | Black, Silver |
| Display | 0.95” Full Color AMOLED
120 x 240,282 ppi |
| AP | MCU Cortex M33F 96MHz + M0 16 MHz |
| OS | Realtime OS |
| Size | 18.3(W) x 44.6 (H) x 11.2(T)
24g (w/strap) |
| Memory | 512KB internal RAM, 2048KB external RAM, 32MB external ROM |
| Connectivity | BLE |
| Sensor | HRM, Accelerometer, Gyroscope |
| Battery | 120mAh |
| Charge | NFC Wireless |
| Durability | 5ATM water resistance
MIL STD 810G |
| Compatibility |
Samsung Galaxy, Android 5.0 or above with more than 1.5GB RAM iPhone: iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above |
| Galaxy Buds Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Category | Feature |
| Color | Black, White |
| Size | Earbud: 17.5 (W) x 19.2 (D) x 22.3 (H) mm / Case: 38.8 (W) x 70 (D) x 26.5 (H) mm |
| Weight | Earbud: 5.6g per earbud / Case: 39.6g |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, Proximity, Hall, Touch, Ear on/off detection |
| Battery | Earbud: 58mAh / Charging case: 252mAh |
| USB | Type-C |
| Speaker | 5.8pi Dynamic Driver |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0 or later, RAM 1.5GB or above |
| Audio | Audio Codec: SBC, AAC, Scalable (Samsung proprietary) |
- Galaxy Watch Active will be available in the US starting on March 8, 2019, for $199.99 at Samsung.com and major retailers. Consumers who pre-order Galaxy Watch Active starting February 21 through March 7, 2019, will receive a free Wireless Charging Pad.
- Galaxy Fit will be available in Q2 2019.
- Galaxy Buds will be available for $129.99 on Samsung.com and major retailers and carriers starting March 8, 2019. For a limited time, consumers who pre-order a Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S10+ on Samsung.com will receive a free pair of Galaxy Buds.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold
Finally, there’s the Galaxy Fold. It’s both a 7.3″ tablet AND a 4.6″ phone, using the magic of a bendable “Infinity-Flex” display and a special folding hinge. Samsung says it will be able to multitask up to 3 apps side by side, and at least from the pictures, it looks pretty slick. It should, for what it will cost!
Galaxy Fold Product Specifications
| Galaxy Fold | ||
|---|---|---|
| Display | Main display: 7.3” QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED (4.2:3) Cover display: 4.6 ” HD+ Super AMOLED (21:9) * Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners |
|
| Camera | Cover camera | 10MP Selfie Camera, F2.2 |
| Rear triple camera | 16MP Ultra Wide Camera, F2.2
12MP Wide-angle Camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.5/F2.4 12MP Telephoto Camera, PDAF, OIS, F2.4, 2X optical zoom |
|
| Front dual camera | 10MP Selfie Camera, F2.2 8MP RGB Depth Camera, F1.9 |
|
| AP | 7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor | |
| Memory | 12GB RAM(LPDDR4x), 512GB (UFS3.0)*User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed.
|
|
| Battery | 4,380mAh (typical)* Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless; Wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA * 4,380mAh (typical) refers to the typical value of the battery capacity as tested under third-party lab conditions. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,275mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors. |
|
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie) | |
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be available in the U.S. through AT&T and T-Mobile in the second quarter of 2019; the suggested price for the Galaxy Fold starts at $1,980.00.
Which new Galaxy model are you most intrigued by?
