I've been using the Galaxy S10 Plus ( ) every day since Samsung launched the phone four months ago as one of its flagship models for 2019. Despite the threat of being overshadowed by the foldable Galaxy Fold and the faster Galaxy S10 5G (and being knocked out from below by the value-buy Galaxy S10E), the Galaxy S10 Plus has hung on as one of the top Android phones of the year. Soon, the S10 Plus' best virtues -- its sharp screen, three top-notch cameras and all-day battery life -- will face another challenge from within Samsung's ranks, the upcoming Galaxy Note 10, which is all but confirmed to launch Aug. 7 in New York. Everything that's great about the Galaxy S10 Plus is set to get even better in the Note 10, even if you're not drawn to the Note's S Pen stylus, the digital pen that's the Galaxy Note's signature feature, from the S10 Plus' battery life and camera prowess, to the likelihood that the Note 10 will be compatible with 5G data networks. For example, the Note 10's rumored 4,300mAh battery could dominate the S10 Plus' already impressive 4,100mAh juice box. Samsung likes to build on its strengths, so the Galaxy Note 10 would also include the S10 Plus' fantastic screen clarity and features like wireless power sharing, which lets you charge other devices from the phone itself. The Note 10 could also correct one of the S10 Plus' biggest missed opportunities, the lack of a night mode that sharpens, brightens and vastly improves photos taken in extreme low light. The Huawei's P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3 (and the cheaper Pixel 3A) are the S10 Plus' major competitors now. Low-light shots aren't a deal-breaker for me, especially when weighed against the Galaxy S10 Plus' other benefits, but being able to match those other night modes would make the S10 Plus the undisputed champion across the board. The accuracy of the in-screen fingerprint reader is another opportunity for the Note 10 to beat the S10 Plus. So what does the S10 Plus still have in its favor? It's sure to cost less than the Galaxy Note 10, a benefit if you're not sprinting to sign up for 5G (read about our global 5G speed tests here). And it's the only one of Samsung's four new Galaxy S10 phones to have a 1TB storage option and a ceramic finish for the 512GB and 1TB models. Do you really need all that storage? Is it worth the $250 price tag to pay for it, and for the ceramic finish? "Need" would be a stretch, but if you want it, it's nice to know it's there. As it stands now, the S10 Plus is still an excellent device that I'd be happy to use every single day -- and I think you'd feel the same way, too. Galaxy S10 Plus price: $1,000 now seems normal At $1,000 for the 128GB model, $1,250 for 512GB and a cool $1,600 for the 1TB storage option (! ), it's a costly device. (It starts at £1,099 in the UK and AU$1,499 in Australia.) Of course, when you look at the Galaxy Fold's $1,980 starting price and Huawei Mate X's $2,600 price tag, the S10 Plus seems almost reasonable as a phone you can buy today, without emptying out your bank account or waiting for 5G networks to kick in. As for the standard Galaxy S10, it's not a great "deal," shaving off only $100 and losing a second front-facing camera, a little screen space and a little battery life. As for comparisons with other phones, I wouldn't upgrade from the Galaxy S9 Plus ( ), but I would from any older Galaxy phone. The bottom line is that you have more general flexibility with camera shots on the S10 Plus than with the Pixel 3 ( ). Night mode is one exception, and both the Pixel 3 and Huawei's P30 Pro have dedicated night modes that easily outpace the Galaxy S10 Plus. If nighttime photography is a make-it-or-break-it feature for you, you may want to wait for next month's Galaxy 10 or October's (likely) Pixel 4. Or cross your fingers that Samsung might push out a meaningful software upgrade. Andrew Hoyle/CNET Lovely to look at, but a slippery devil Samsung is partial to glossy finishes that reflect light in unusual ways. My review unit is the 128GB version in Prism White, and it definitely reflects iridescent shades of pale blue, mint and pink in the light. This color is nice and subtle. Flamingo Pink, Canary Yellow, Prism Green and Prism Blue are bolder -- there's Prism Black as well. Right away I noticed that the S10 Plus has a tendency to slip out of hands and off surfaces, especially if they're not perfectly level. It's shot out from between my fingers numerous times, usually landing on my purse, a table or my lap. It also slid off my nightstand, a couch, a chair, but has emerged unscathed so far. I like to review phones the way they emerge from the box, but I'm going to want a case for this one. Now playing: Watch this: Get a look at the Note 10 Samsung got the placement of its fingerprint reader right -- it moves from the back of the phone to integrate with the screen. But, while convenient, accuracy is a problem, especially when it comes to using Samsung Pay or Google Pay for mobile transactions. I can't tell you how many times I've had to try my print three or even four times to get it to unlock the phone or verify a transaction. It's a bad experience that makes for sore thumbs, impatient people in line behind you, and daily aggravation. After hailing the potential of the in-screen fingerprint reader so long, the reality of the technology makes me long for the Galaxy S10E's fingerprint sensor in the power button, and that's too bad. In-screen fingerprint scanner has problems Samsung got the placement of its fingerprint reader right -- it moves from the back of the phone to integrate with the screen.<doc-sep>Update February 17: Samsung recently announced the Galaxy S20 series, including the S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra. These phones are a huge step up from the S10 family in terms of specs and features. Some of the biggest improvements include 120Hz displays, the latest processor, huge allotments of RAM, big batteries, flexible cameras, and 5G. More pertinent to this review, Samsung dropped the price of the S10e, S10, and S10 Plus. The phones now cost $150 less each, meaning $599 for the S10e, $749 for the S10, and $849 for the S10 Plus. These change the value equation, as the phones are much more affordable than the very pricey S20 series, which cost between $999 and $1,599 depending on model and options. What we’re saying is there is a lot more value to be had here. Samsung Galaxy S10e review notes: I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S10e on T-Mobile’s network in the U.S. for roughly eight days. The device is running Samsung One UI version 1.1 on Android 9 Pie with build number PPR1.180610.011.G970U1UEU1ASBA on the February 1, 2019 Android security patch. We’ll refrain from adding review scores until we can put the devices through our full suite of tests. The Samsung Galaxy S10e review unit was provided to Android Authority by Samsung. The model in this review is the U.S. variant with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Take a look at the smartphones we consider to be flagships. The Galaxy S10 Plus, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, and iPhone XS Max are all great phones in their own right, but what do they have in common? All three of them start at around $1,000. If you’re like me, you just cringed a little bit. Luckily, smartphone companies have noticed that not everyone wants to spend a grand on a phone, so they’re launching more affordable versions of their top-tier devices. For Samsung, this year’s affordable flagship is the Galaxy S10e — it’s a direct competitor to Apple’s iPhone XR, and offers just about the same Galaxy S10 experience without the eye-watering price tag. Read our full Samsung Galaxy S10e review to find out why you should probably buy this phone. See price at Amazon Design 3.5mm headphone jack Side-mounted fingerprint sensor IP68 water resistance 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9mm, 150g All phones in the Galaxy S10 lineup share a similar design language, but the Galaxy S10e is the most different of the bunch. It’s not as flashy as the Galaxy S10 or S10 Plus, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. In fact, I quite like that aspect of the S10e. Hear me out. For starters, it doesn’t have a gigantic display — this is very much a one-handed phone. It doesn’t sport the traditional curved edges around the display either, which makes it way easier to hold than its bigger brothers. Minimal bezels surround the display on the front, while the back edges are nicely curved to fit into your hand. The glass-and-aluminum design makes the Galaxy S10e feel quite substantial as well, without it being too heavy. It feels more like an iPhone XS than anything else. In doing so, it makes my Google Pixel 3 feel like a toy. If you buy the Galaxy S10e, there’s no doubt you’re going to need a case. It’s so slippery. While writing this section of the review, my S10e almost slipped off the table on its own! I’m not the only one with Slippery Galaxy Syndrome either. Around the left side, you’ll find a volume rocker and dedicated Bixby button (more on that later) directly below it. The right side of the S10e houses the power button/fingerprint sensor combo. That’s right, the Galaxy S10e doesn’t have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor embedded in its screen like the S10 and S10 Plus. As I’ve already mentioned, this is a good thing — the S10 and S10 Plus’ fingerprint sensors are slower and less accurate than traditional scanners. I think side-mounted fingerprint sensors are underrated. They’re located in a spot where your thumb naturally rests. You can even swipe down on the S10e’s sensor to pull down the notification shade. For as fast as the fingerprint sensor is (it’s really fast), there are some downsides: The fingerprint sensor is located on the right side of the phone, so left-handers will probably have trouble reaching it with their index fingers. It’s located a bit too high for my liking — I’ve had to adjust the way I pick up my phone so I can ensure I’m able to reach it every time. Because of its location, I’ve found myself taking a ton of accidental screenshots when turning the volume down. It’s very easy to hit the power and volume down button at the same time. Finally, you need to make sure to cover the entire sensor with your fingerprint, not just a portion of it. It’s harder to get used to than you’d think. I wouldn’t call any of these things dealbreakers, and I think the sheer speediness and reliability of the sensor overshadows any of the other issues. Display 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display 2,280 x 1,080 resolution, 435ppi 19:9 aspect ratio Samsung makes the best displays in the smartphone business, and the Galaxy S10e’s 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel is wonderful. It gets plenty bright and dim, and I’ve had no problems with outdoor visibility. This is a Full HD+ display, so it’s not as pixel dense as the other Galaxy S10 models. But unless you absolutely have to have a Quad HD+ display on your phone, the S10e’s screen will do just fine. To trim down as many bezels as it could, Samsung decided to place the front-facing camera inside the display. Personally, I prefer this to a big ol’ notch in the middle. It gets out of the way most of the time, and frankly I stopped noticing it after about an hour with the device. All of Samsung’s wallpapers try to hide it as much as possible, and it’s barely noticeable if you use a black wallpaper.<doc-sep>For many people, the world of smartphones has two players: Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone. And realistically, there isn't much chance of people switching between the two in any given upgrade cycle. Samsung dominates the non-iPhone market in any location around the world that has the purchasing power to afford $1000 smartphones; and even outperforms Apple in many others. So it's no surprise the technology world stops and stares every time Samsung refreshes the Galaxy S line. No matter what the Galaxy S10 and S10+ brought to the table, it was going to be covered and analyzed to every extent possible. Thankfully for us all, the Galaxy S10 is a great phone — due in no small part to the reality that it's mostly unchanged from the previous year's Galaxy S9 (and even the S8 before it). Samsung once again took its dominant position in hardware, display, specs and features and simply turned it all up another level for 2019. The result is a phone that's an easy buy for just about anyone. VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & more Samsung Galaxy S10 It's tough to argue against the Galaxy S10. Fantastic hardware and a best-in-class display wrap around top-notch specs and a pile of features to make anyone envious. The wide-angle camera is a treat, and the photography experience is fast and consistent. Just allot some time to tweak the software, and you'll be happy as can be. $750 at Amazon $750 at Best Buy $750 at Walmart The Good Incredible smartphone display High-end specs Filled with useful hardware and software features Fun triple camera Headphone jack The Bad Fingerprint sensor worse than capacitive alternatives Software requires tweaks and management Main camera doesn't match Pixel 3 Charging speed behind the competition Samsung Galaxy S10 Price & release date The Galaxy S10 was released alongside the larger S10+ and smaller Galaxy S10e on March 8, 2019. The phone featured top-of-the-line specs for its time, including a Snapdragon 855 processor, a curved Quad HD+ display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of baseline storage, expandable via microSD. The entry-level S10 variant launched at $899, while the upgraded model with 512GB of storage initially sold for $1149. The Galaxy S10 series has since been replaced by the Galaxy S20 lineup, including the most recent Galaxy S20 FE that offers a majority of the same specs and features at a significantly lower price — though the S10 can still be found refurbished or used at even lower prices. Though the S10 launched with Android 9 Pie, it's since been updated to Android 10 with a newer version of Samsung's One UI 2.1, and is set to receive Android 11 shortly. The Galaxy S10 is available in Prism Black, Prism Blue, Prism White, and Flamingo Pink. Look and feel Samsung Galaxy S10 Hardware, design and display Samsung has iterated on this same basic design concept since the Galaxy S6, slowly changing the proportions, stretching the edges and increasing the scale with each subsequent phone. It's been a successful one to be sure; it's more than a coincidence that just about every high-end smartphone has coalesced to look like the phones Samsung's been making since 2015. So you can't blame Samsung for keeping with what's worked so well. The Galaxy S10, and the larger Galaxy S10+ I've been using for this review, are brilliantly executed designs. The key theme of these phones is pure efficiency: getting as much hardware, as many specs, and as much capability into as compact of a body as possible. The GS10+ has the same effective screen real estate as the Note 9 from just a few months ago, yet is smaller in every dimension, 25 grams lighter, and has a larger battery. Just as impressively, you get every feature that was here before. A microSD card slot sits next to the SIM. A headphone jack accompanies the USB-C port on the bottom. Stereo speakers give you a roughly 60/40 split between the bottom and top. It's such a treat to see Samsung still standardize on these core tenets. Samsung has eked out every millimeter of space to make the hardware efficient and filled with features. With so little space to work with, it means these phones don't necessarily have much room for extra visual flair our flourishes to catch the eyes, which basically leaves the entire task to the glass backs with their brilliant hues and color-shifting properties. And if you opt for the highest-end GS10+ models, you get a ceramic back that adds a distinct look and a noticeable increase in heft. But let's be honest, you're probably going to put a case on the phone anyway — and I wouldn't blame you, because the phone's quite slippery in the hand. The only downside to be found with this hyper-efficient design is potential usability issues when it comes to accidental palm touches. This is the first "infinity display" curved Samsung phone I've actually had troubles with accidental touches on. Whether that's due to an even smaller amount of metal on the side of the phone, changes in its palm rejection software or some combination, it's noticeable when holding the larger Galaxy S10+ — I've been accidentally touching interface elements and inadvertently pressing keys while typing. A thin case will "solve" this problem, but after years of hearing other people complain about this with Samsung phones, I finally experienced it for myself with the latest generation. If I have my choice of any phone in the world purely for its display, I choose the Galaxy S10. The real stunner that will take all of your attention, though, is the latest AMOLED display. Take your pick of the 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 or 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+, it doesn't matter — the display is once again amazing and the benchmark all other companies are chasing from some distance.<doc-sep>Weekly poll: did the Samsung Galaxy S10+, S10 or S10e live up to your expectations? So, what do you guys think - are the new Galaxy S10 flagships everything you wanted? Their Dynamic AMOLED screens are the best that DisplayMate has tested, the S10+ rear camera is tied for first and the selfie camera is first on DxO's chart. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the fully-loaded model. It has the largest screen of the LTE trio, 6.4", and the largest battery by some distance - 4,100mAh compared to S10's 3,400mAh. You'll need that capacity if you're going to share it with your wearables. The Samsung Galaxy S10 buys you the same excellent rear camera - the triple wide/ultra-wide/telephoto shooter with dual OIS and dual aperture. You do lose the depth sensor on the front camera, but it still turns in excellent selfies. Samsung Galaxy S10+ • Samsung Galaxy S10 • Samsung Galaxy S10e The Galaxy S10e is a callback to years past when screens were flat and flagships cost $700 or so. The phone is more compact too, but it has almost all the awesome features of the other two - the powerful chipset and fast wireless charging certainly, though it's missing a telephoto camera. If you haven't made up your mind about the S10 phones, we'd direct you to our Galaxy S10+ review and our Galaxy S10 review, don't forget the video review too. These three are available in 70 countries as of today and will expand to 130 countries by the end of the month. Have you pre-ordered already or made plans to buy one of these and if so which one?<doc-sep>
Every year for the past decade, Samsung has released a steady beat of new Galaxy S phones. The early Galaxy S phones were good, but not great, and were such close copies of the iPhone that Apple sued Samsung over them and won. It took Samsung a few years to hit its stride with high-end hardware, and the last few Galaxy S phones have been considerably better, if a bit predictable. This year’s Galaxy S10 family is no different: these are high-end phones with cutting edge technology and sleek designs. What Samsung has gained over the past 10 years is an identity. The Galaxy S10 is distinctly Samsung — it’s not a copy of the iPhone or any other device you can buy. In fact, it almost feels like the opposite of the iPhone: if you’ve been frustrated with Apple’s recent devices for lacking headphone jacks, adding notches, or removing fingerprint scanners, Samsung is here for you with a headphone jack, a fingerprint scanner, and a notchless screen design (that has some other compromises). It feels a bit like the S10 is the anti-iPhone. That isn’t to say there aren’t similarities between Apple’s flagship and Samsung’s. For one thing, both are expensive: the Galaxy S10 starts at $899.99, while the S10 Plus that I’ve been testing for the past week starts at $999.99. You can even option an S10 Plus out to a staggering $1,600 — that’s nearly three times the starting cost of the popular OnePlus 6T. The other thing that the S10 shares with the iPhone is a lack of a compelling differentiator from its previous iterations. Sure, the screen is bigger and there are some incremental advancements in performance and battery life, but an S10 is not going to change much for you if you have a Galaxy S8 or S9. That said, the S10 is one of the best phones you can buy right now, and the best Galaxy S phone Samsung has ever made. It’s just going to cost you. Like last year’s Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S8, the S10’s hardware is very nice, which you’d expect from a device this expensive. The best way to describe it is refined: plenty of phones have curved screens, glass backs, and metal frames, but few feel this nice to hold or well put together. Samsung is now on Apple’s level when it comes to fit, finish, and feel, and well ahead of Google, OnePlus, and other Android device makers. On the top-tier S10 and S10 Plus, the front and rear glass curve into the metal frame, which makes the phones easier to hold, even though they have very large screens. The curved screen has been a Samsung trademark for a few years, and while some might not like it, I don’t have any issues with it. Samsung brings the most polished and refined hardware to the Android table Curved screen or not, the S10 Plus is a big phone, and not one I can comfortably use one-handed. If I were to buy it, I’d probably put a case and a PopSocket on it to make it easier to manage. For those who want a smaller phone, there’s the standard S10, which is still fairly big, and then the new, smaller S10E, which we’ll cover in a separate review. The S10 Plus’ refinements extend to things like its vibration motor, which is much nicer feeling than many other Android phones. It’s not quite as good as Apple’s class-leading Taptic Engine, but it’s not buzzy and irritating, either. It provides nice feedback for typing on the keyboard. Unlike the iPhone, the Pixel, and many other phones, the S10 still has a headphone jack at the bottom, next to its USB-C charging port. There are also stereo speakers that are loud and full sounding for when you’re not wearing headphones. There are also the Galaxy S mainstays: IP68 water resistance; fast wired and wireless charging (with a fast charging brick in the box); and microSD card support for expanding the phone’s storage. The base model S10 comes with 128GB of internal storage, which I think most people will be happy with. Both the iPhone or Pixel provide less storage in their base configurations and don’t give you the ability to expand it with a microSD card.