In this review of the Samsung Galaxy S10, we will highlight if the smartphone sets the bar high for rivals in the same league and recognizes itself as a trendsetter, as expected by that Samsung fan, or not. The Galaxy S10 is smaller and cheaper than the Galaxy S10 Plus, and larger and more expensive than the Galaxy S10e. Does it mean that the Galaxy S10 is perfectly placed between the two as the popular choice or does it fall awkwardly between its other two siblings in the range?
The Galaxy S10 is available with either 8GB of RAM or 12GB of RAM in internal storage options of 128GB and 512GB.
Display
Samsung is still riding high on the pace it picked up after the success of the S7 series. It, however, introduced the curved screen in the S6 Edge, launched during the MCW in January 2015, but made great strides with the fan following the S7 Edge garnered. Four years afterwards, it's been fairly well established that Samsung is capable of making some fantastic-looking smartphones and the design of the Galaxy S10 is also not going to disappoint you.
What Samsung has put upfront the smartphone is a 6.1-inch Infinity-O screen which is more comfortable to handle and than the 5.8-inch display on its predecessor, the Galaxy S9. With a stunning colour reproduction, fantastic resolution and rich contrast, it's undoubtedly one of the best displays a smartphone ever had. The S10's display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which means that the panel can withstand light scratches.
The screen stretches all the way to the top and bottom of the smartphone's frame, leaving almost no bezels whatsoever. In fact, there is so much display on the Galaxy S10 that it had almost no room left for anything else and Samsung opted for a pinhole selfie camera, located in the top right of the screen. However, the camera isn't the only thing Samsung has hidden inside the Galaxy S10's display. Next to the camera is the ambient light sensor and proximity sensor, which are cleverly placed underneath the glass. They don't interfere with the screen at all and are completely invisible. The phone’s screen-to-body ratio is 93.1 per cent. The S10’s dimensions are 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm and it weighs 157g.
The Galaxy S10 boasts an AMOLED display, which has an infinite contrast ratio. The contrast ratio is the difference between the whitest white and the darkest black that a display can reproduce. A better contrast ratio ensures the screen will look more dynamic.
The Dynamic AMOLED Quad HD+ display is a brand-new panel for Samsung. It is capable of reaching a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, with support for HDR 10+ content and 10-bit colour. A nit is a measurement of how much luminescence (light) comes off a screen. The HDR10+ support helps to boost contrast and colour and if you're on YouTube or Netflix then the rich HDR quality takes video streaming to another level. The QHD+ resolution creates a pixel density of 550ppi and ensures that everything on the screen is highly detailed. Colours on the Galaxy S10's display are also wonderfully well calibrated, being neither too cool nor too warm. Viewing angles are solid as maximum brightness level does more than enough to ensure the phone is usable even in bright sunlight. Let's also not forget that Samsung continues to offer IP68 certification for its flagship devices, making them dust/water resistant.
The Galaxy S10 boasts incredible media performance. Movies and games look absolutely stunning, especially when streaming some HDR-ready content. The Galaxy S10’s striking colours and beautiful display have garnered considerable attention.
Design
The Galaxy S10 comes with a thinner aluminium frame that is sandwiched between two smooth glasses. The device is structurally sound and does not flex or bend even when force is applied. Yes, we tested it. The back of the Galaxy S10 is neat and very aesthetic. There’s only a small camera bump at back, housing the triple-lens camera setup. Samsung has made fingerprint sensor on the S10 invisible by embedding it into the AMOLED display, all thanks to Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint technology, which is said to be faster and more reliable than previous optical-based solutions.
On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a dedicated Bixby button. The 3.5mm headphone jack is present at the bottom of the frame alongside the USB-C port. The smartphone feels good in hand and it's also comfortable to hold with one hand.
Camera
Samsung's Galaxy S series is known for high-quality optics, and the Galaxy S10 is no exception. The smartphone has a horizontal triple-camera arrangement at its back which houses a triple rear camera setup consisting of a primary 12MP Dual Aperture (F1.5-F2.4) lens, a 16MP F2.2 ultra-wide lens with a 123-degree field of view, and a 12MP F2.4 telephoto lens with 2x zoom. The Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus sport the same cameras – on the back at least. The Galaxy S10 is capable of taking stunning smartphone shots that are rich in colour and contrast, and well balanced in terms of darker and lighter areas. The Samsung flagship also does a better job at levelling out exposure. The HDR mode perfectly lifts up the shadows and softens brighter areas of the image.
The Galaxy S10 makes already smart features more accurate with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) so you can get pro-grade shots worth sharing without having to manually select any advanced camera settings. Scene Optimizer can now recognize and more accurately process additional scenes because of the NPU. And with Shot Suggestion, the Galaxy S10 offers automatic composition recommendations so you can frame your photo better than ever. It has impressed us a lot. Color Point allows you to turn the background to grayscale, and the effect can be applied after a picture has been taken. Instagram fans will also find the dedicated Instagram camera mode useful. AR Emoji has received some upgrades as well.
Galaxy S10 offers an Ultra Wide Lens with a 123-degree field of view, like the human eye, so what you see is what’s in the frame. Perfect for impressive landscape shots, big panoramas and even fitting the entire extended family into the photo, the Ultra Wide Lens ensures that you’ll always be able to capture the full scene. Ultra-wide photos work really well for landscape shots when people aren't the main subject. The S10 captures better shots than most of the phones out there.
On the front, we have a single 10MP camera- the S8+ houses an additional 8MP sensor. Samsung was never at its best when front-facing cameras were considered but with the S10, it tries to improve. The Live Focus mode worked particularly well for selfies. The Galaxy S10 offers Super Steady recording with digital stabilization technology. Both front and rear cameras can shoot in up to UHD quality, and the rear camera gives you the flexibility to record in HDR10+.
Performance and Processor
The Galaxy S10 has the same processor, memory and storage as the larger Galaxy S10+ and therefore performs similarly. It serves up Samsung’s own Exynos 9820 chipset. It's an octa-core chipset based on an 8nm process that comes with a dedicated NPU and Mali-G76 MP12 GPU. The S10 is as fast as other smartphones it's competing in the market, with no noticeable lag. It loads even heavy apps instantly and plays with a perfect frame rate any game you throw and it. Also, Samsung’s Vapor Chamber cooling system allows the Galaxy S10 to stay cool during heavy gaming sessions. Overall, it delivers a more seamless and stable performance than its predecessor.
In the Galaxy S10, Samsung opted for its first-ever in-display Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that reads the 3D contours of your physical thumbprint – not a 2D image of it – for improved anti-spoofing. As per Samsung, the scanner works by emitting ultrasonic waves that map the unique pattern of your fingerprint by sensing the tiny air gaps between your finger and the screen. That wave data is then sent back to the scanner and analyzed by the phone’s main chipset in order to determine whether it’s a match.
Battery and Charging
In the Galaxy S10, Samsung has used a slightly smaller 3,400mAh battery, but there is an option of fast charging with USB Type-C port. We managed to cover an entire day easily on a single charge while browsing the internet, doing social media, streaming music and taking photos.
Additionally, the Galaxy S10 is capable of charging wirelessly as well as reverse charging other devices wirelessly. The smartphones’ built-in charging pad and new Wireless PowerShare technology allow users to use their phone to easily recharge compatible Qi-certified smartphones. This means that if your phone is running low on power, you can top off their charge with your Galaxy S10. There’s no need for additional plugs or cables when sharing battery power.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is a gorgeous looking smartphone with a premium build quality and a luxurious finish. Its battery is sufficient, the hardware is top notch, and the new One UI OS is the best yet from Samsung. Also, there have been some major improvements in the camera department. Even after using this phone for over three months, it's difficult to find anything to complain about. The Samsung Galaxy S10 qualifies to be the best smartphone Samsung has ever made.