2019 is going to be the year of Samsung.
Samsung's Galaxy S phones always give us something exciting to look forward to at the beginning of each year, and 2019 officially marks the 10-year anniversary of when the first Galaxy S flagship was released.
Similar to what Apple did with the iPhone X, we're expecting the Galaxy S10 to be truly special. The Galaxy S9 and S8 were both excellent phones, but in honor of such a big anniversary, Samsung will likely pull out all the stops to release a truly special and jaw-dropping gadget.
If you're ready to learn more about the Galaxy S10 and find out what we could look forward to this February, here's everything you need to know.
The latest Galaxy S10 news
January 7, 2018 — Sprint's 5G version of the Galaxy S10 to launch "in summer 2019"
5G is expected to be all the rage in 2019, and on that note, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is what we're anticipating to be one of the first phones to support the new, faster network. Today, Sprint announced that it plans on launching a 5G smartphone this coming summer.
Sprint today confirmed plans for an innovative, standards-based 5G smartphone expected to launch in summer 2019 from Samsung. Sprint customers will be among the first in the world to experience the incredible speed, reliability and mobility of 5G on this feature-rich handset.
While Sprint never mentions what Samsung phone it's referring to, it seems quite likely that the Galaxy S10 is the device in question. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have all already confirmed similar announcements, but this is the first time we've gotten anything more specific than just "2019."
That "summer" timeframe is later out in the year than when we usually see Samsung's Galaxy S-line released, suggesting that the 5G model could be launched later than its 4G LTE siblings.
January 5, 2018 — Possible battery sizes for the S10 series posted by Ice Universe
We're creeping closer and closer to the spring launch of the Samsung Galaxy S10, and while we've seen several leaks surrounding the screen sizes, the camera cutouts and the like, a new leak from Ice Universe features one of the most important specs in a smartphone: the size of the battery!
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) January 4, 2019
If you can't quite make out the scribbles on this photo, the claimed sizes for the S10 line are:
- Galaxy S10+ — 4,000 mAh
- Galaxy S10 — 3,500 mAh
- Galaxy S10 Lite — 3,100 mAh
That battery on the S10 Lite is barely larger than the S9's 3,000 mAh battery, but the 4,000 mAh battery on the S10+ is a significant bump from the S9+'s 3,500 mAh capacity, bringing it up to match the Samsung Galaxy Note 9's 4,000 mAh battery. If you think that's going to translate to booming battery life, remember that the S10+ is projected to have a 6.4-inch screen — a bit taller than the Note 9.
We'll have to wait and see what hardware these batteries are powering, and what new optimizations Samsung is bringing to the table with their first phones launched on the newly overhauled Samsung One UI.
January 3, 2019 — Samsung Galaxy S10 shows up in hands-on photo
Following plenty of back-to-back renders and mockups of what the Galaxy S10 is expected to look like, we finally have our first hands-on picture of the phone that shows what it'll look like in person.
Samsung Galaxy S10 "Beyond 1," in the wild. pic.twitter.com/EMquh59Kln
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 3, 2019
The image comes courtesy of Evan Blass and the phone shown in the picture is said to be the "Beyond 1" variant of the S10. Based on what we know so far, that means we're looking at the Galaxy S10 Lite. Compared to past renders we've seen, everything lines up nicely with slim bezels all around and a small hole-punch notch at the top right for the front-facing camera.
No other new details are revealed here, but it's still exciting to finally get a hands-on look at the device.
December 22, 2018 — Samsung Galaxy S10 may have a Night Sight-like "Bright Night" mode in the Samsung Camera app
The Night Sight feature that Google released on the Google Pixel 3 is an impressive feat of smartphone camera processing. It's little wonder that other manufacturers have already started rolling out similar features — like Nightscape on the OnePlus 6T — and honestly, I'm not shocked that new references in the Samsung Camera app reveal Samsung is hard at work on its own version of the feature. Honestly, I'd be shocked if it wasn't working on one.
The name "Bright Night", however, is a surprise, and if I could just send a last-minute wish to Santa, I'd ask if he could name it something else.
<string name="Title_bright_night">Bright night</string>
<string name="smart_tips_bright_night_description"> Suggest mode to take bright pictures even in very dark conditions. </string>
<string name="super_night_guide_capture"> Hold your phone steady. Taking picture. </string>
<string name="super_night_guide_ready"> Brighten up this shot with Bright night. </string>
<string name="bright_night_summary"> Take bright pictures even in very dark conditions </string>
<string name="SM_NIGHT"> Night </string>
<string name="SM_NIGHT_description"> Take multiple shots and combine them to get brighter, clearer pictures in low light without using the flash. </string>
<string name="bright_night_summary"> Take bright pictures even in very dark conditions. </string>
These strings were found by XDA in the Samsung Camera app on the latest Note 9 One UI Beta update, which makes me wonder if the feature will be held until the release of the Galaxy S10 or if it will be released before then. After all, the next Samsung flagship isn't expected to be announced until February at the earliest, and that's a long time to make users wait for a camera feature that other users have been enjoying for two months already.
Whatever the case may be, these strings aren't attached to a live feature yet, so we'll have to wait and see when — and where — Bright Night arrives on Samsung phones. And if it arrives with that name, because hey, things can change in two months and Bright Night and Night Sight is a little on the nose, guys.
December 20, 2018 — T-Mobile is getting a 5G version of the Galaxy S10
The race to 5G is one of the fiercest competitions in the mobile industry right now, and in a blog post bad talking AT&T and Verizon's 5G efforts, T-Mobile quietly confirmed that it'll be getting a 5G version of the Galaxy S10 in 2019.
In a blog post titled 5G for Few vs 5G for All, T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said the following:
Add to that all the hyperventilating both Verizon and AT&T did a couple weeks ago trying to lay claim to the first 5G phone – a phone ALL of us are working with this OEM to develop, and ALL of us are going to carry. That's right, T-Mobile is working on that phone too – and other 5G devices with other OEMs and chipset manufacturers.
"That phone" mentioned in the post is a Samsung one that was shown off at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit earlier in the month and is widely expected to be a version of the upcoming S10.
This news shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but it is nice to get confirmation from TMO that this is happening.
December 20, 2018 — Olixar's Galaxy S10 cases are already up for pre-order
The Galaxy S10 is set to debut at the end of February, but that isn't preventing accessory manufacturers from listing cases for the upcoming flagship. Olixar's range of cases for the Galaxy S10 are now up for pre-order at Mobile Fun, and they give us another look at the purported design of Samsung's 2019 flagship.
Based on the case renders, it looks like the Galaxy S10 will sport three cameras at the back, and the lack of a cutout for the fingerprint sensor suggests Samsung is going with an in-display solution. The bezels up front are also razor-thin, and hint at a punch-hole design for the front camera. If you've already made up your mind about the Galaxy S10, hit up the link below to get your hands on cases for the device. While the cases are very affordable at $10, know that you may have to shell out at least $1,000 for the phone.
December 12, 2018 — Samsung may announce the Galaxy S10 on Feb. 20, prices starting at $850
Ready for a big pile of Galaxy S10 details? I sure hope so, because thanks to a "major tech retailer" that spoke with Gizmodo UK, we've got quite a bit of new information to dive into.
The most interesting details to come out of Gizmodo's report has to do with pricing and availability for the S10 series. It's said that Samsung will hold an event on February 20 to unveil the phones, just five days before MWC 2019 will kick off in Barcelona. Pre-orders will apparently open that same day with the phones officially launching on March 8.
In regards to price, the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10 Lite will cost £669 in the UK ($850 in the U.S.) with the 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 costing at least £799/$1000 while the S10+ will go for £899/$1130. For the larger S10+, it's further noted that you'll be able to get as much as 1TB of internal storage for a grand-total of £1399/$1760.
The report further reiterates the presence of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, Infinity-O style displays, and that a 5G version of the S10 will be available in "late Q2 at the earliest."
December 11, 2018 — This is what the Galaxy S10 Lite might look like
Just a few short days ago, new renders appeared to give us a closer look as to what we can likely expect from the Galaxy S10 and S10+. Today, another render has popped up — this time providing a glimpse of the lower-end Galaxy S10 Lite.
Galaxy S10 Lite looks like this might look like this.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 11, 2018
(Sorry, I modified it a bit) pic.twitter.com/lQnZt3wWx5
This latest render comes courtesy of Samsung tipster Ice Universe and reveals a phone that looks very similar to the regular S10. There's a camera hole-punch cutout at the far right corner, and while the bezels surrounding the display are very thin, they do appear to be slighter thicker than the S10 and S10+.
There's still no word as to how competitive Samsung's going to get with the S10 Lite's pricing, but if we can get a phone of this caliber around the $500 range, we could be in for something mighty special.
December 5, 2018 — New concept renders bring the Galaxy S10 into fuller focus
We're still a few months away from an S10 reveal at Mobile World Congress, but rumors and leaks are now turning into concept renders. And while these from Ben Geskin are certainly problematic and theoretical, they're an interesting look at what the front and back of the new phones could look like.
Samsung Galaxy S10+
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) December 4, 2018
- 6.4" AMOLED QHD+
- Quad Main / Dual Selfie Camera
- In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
- 3.5mm Audio Jack pic.twitter.com/aQK6rSrbEP
Indeed, it's interesting that in avoiding the notch and introducing a "hole punch" in the screen to accommodate the front-facing cameras, Samsung's so-called "Infinity-O" displays could be among the more controversial designs of 2019.
You'll get used to it | #GalaxyS10 pic.twitter.com/uJKlHDfSmh
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) December 5, 2018
While there's nothing definitive in these renders to say that they'll turn out to be what the S10 series looks like, it's clear that Samsung's status quo is disappearing and that it, too, will move towards a more modern, full-screen design in 2019.
What do you think?
November 20, 2018 — Samsung's ten-year anniversary Galaxy S10 rumored to have six cameras and support 5G
If you've been following the Galaxy S10 rumor mill, you'll know that we've been anticipating three different models — including the Beyond 1, Beyond 2, and Beyond 3. Now, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Samsung's working on a fourth variant that's codenamed as "Beyond X."
While Beyond 1, 2 and 3 are expected to be released in February, Beyond X won't come out until later in the spring. It'll be marketed as a special 10-year anniversary celebration of Samsung's Galaxy S series, with two of the highlights being 5G connectivity and a total of six cameras (four on the back and two on the front). This combo will reportedly allow for "richer photos and better spatial perception." The screen will also be quite massive at 6.7-inches.
Should this turn out to be true, Samsung will have a very busy 2019. As of right now, its current lineup is set to include four variants of the Galaxy S10, the Note 10, and its upcoming foldable phone.
November 13, 2018 — Samsung Galaxy S10 to have an off-center notch for the selfie camera
During Samsung's developer conference on November 7, one announcement that the company seemed to rush through was a new lineup of Infinity Displays that are coming to future smartphones. In addition to the Infinity Flex panel, we were also introduced to Infinity-U, Infinity-V, and Infinity-O. According to a couple new leaks, the Galaxy S10 will ship with the Infinity-O style screen.
What exactly does that mean? While Infinity-U and Infinity-V are more traditional notched displays, Infinity-O has an off-center camera cutout near the left corner of the screen rather than a dip in the top middle. Evan Blass recently confirmed that the S10 will ship with this kind of display, and shortly after that, Ice Universe shared the above picture on Twitter, which has since been deleted.
It's unclear if the device in the photo is the S10 or a prototype showing off the Infinity-O display, but either way, it gives us an idea of how the front of the S10 will look.
In addition to this, Blass also reiterated a few Galaxy S10 features we were already expecting:
Few preliminary Galaxy S10 details:
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) November 13, 2018
- "Punch hole" style selfie cam cutout (sounds like Infinity-O display).
- Ultrasonic, in-display FPS
- Three rear cameras (standard/wide/tele)
- One UI over Android Pie
What do you think about the S10's take on the notch?
November 1, 2018 — Galaxy S10 to drop iris scanning in favor of in-display fingerprint sensor
It's been a hot minute since we had an update on the Galaxy S10, but that's changing today thanks to a series of tweets from trustworthy Samsung tipster Ice Universe.
Yes, the S10 cancels the iris sensor and the ultrasonic fingerprint is enough to replace it.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 2, 2018
As you can see from the above tweet, Samsung will apparently completely drop iris scanning on the Galaxy S10 and instead have its ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor tech be the main form of biometric authentication.
Ice Universe goes on to say that the ultrasonic sensor will be faster than optical in-display sensors like we see on the OnePlus 6T and have a larger surface area (possibly up to 30% of the entire display).
Compared to optical fingerprint sensors, the S10 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is faster and has a larger recognition area, and 30% of the screens may be recognized.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 2, 2018
Furthermore, it's noted that the ultrasonic tech (that's being sourced from Qualcomm) will be exclusive to Samsung phones for at least half a year.
July 20, 2018 — The Galaxy S10+ might be the last Plus model for the Galaxy S series
This year's Galaxy S lineup is expected to be one of the biggest ever with three different S10 models being released at the same time, but according to a new report from The Bell, that could be changing next year.
For the past couple of years, Samsung's released one regular Galaxy S phone and then a larger Plus model alongside it. That'll continue with the S10 series, but after that, it's said that Samsung will simply get rid of the Plus variant as it already overlaps the Galaxy Note line so much.
This move is reportedly being made to "defeat profitability deterioration caused by the saturation of the smartphone market."
What's your take on this?
July 16, 2018 — New report says Samsung will use Qualcomm's in-display fingerprint sensor tech for the S10, Note 10, and more
We've already been expecting Samsung to introduce an in-display fingerprint sensor with the S10 series for some time, but thanks to a new report from Ming Chi Kuo at TF Securities, we now have specifics as to what kind of tech will be used for this system.
Per Kuo:
We expect Samsung will promote the ultrasonic FOD aggressively starting from 2019. Shipments of models equipped with this function are likely to reach 60mn units; specifically, the high-end S10 models.
Furthermore, Kuo goes on to say that this technology will also be present in "the most high-end model of the A series" as well as the Galaxy Note 10.
These ultrasonic sensors are developed by Qualcomm, and unlike optical ones from Synaptics, can even measure things like your heart-rate and current blood flow.
July 6, 2018 — The three S10 models will use a mixture of side-mounted and in-display fingerprint sensors
Late last month, a report came out suggesting that Samsung will release three different models of the Galaxy S10 — including Beyond 0, Beyond 1, and Beyond 2. Now, according to reliable Samsung tipster Ice Universe, we have new details on how the fingerprint sensor situation will be handled.
For Beyond 0, the cheapest of the three models, there will be "side fingerprints. "Although we don't know for sure, this will likely be similar to the fingerprint sensor found on the Moto Z3 Play. As for the Beyond 1 and Beyond 2, it's noted that we'll see in-display fingerprint sensors.
Lastly, Ice Universe also confirms that Beyond 0 and 1 will have dual rear cameras while Beyond 2 will offer a triple camera setup.
July 5, 2018 — Samsung may announce the Galaxy S10 after the Galaxy X
Here's something we weren't expecting. According to reliable tipster Ice Universe on Twitter, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S10 during Mobile World Congress 2019 in February. While that isn't out of the ordinary for Galaxy S phones, what Samsung might do just a month earlier is.
CES2019：Galaxy X
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 4, 2018
MWC2019：Galaxy S10
In January at CES, we'll officially be introduced to the long-awaited Galaxy X. This is the foldable phone we've been hearing about for years, and should this turn out to be true, this would probably allow Samsung to easily dominate the first half of next year.
June 27, 2018 — ISOCELL Plus technology could result in big camera improvements for the S10
Samsung's long been one of the top players when it comes to smartphone cameras, and on June 27, the company announced its latest innovation in mobile photography — ISOCELL Plus.
ISOCELL Plus can capture considerably more light than Samsung's traditional ISOCELL sensors (first introduced in 2013), with Samsung touting as much as 15% greater light sensitivity. Perhaps even more impressive, Samsung notes that ISOCELL Plus "also enables image sensors to equip 0.8-micrometer (µm) and smaller-sized pixels without any loss in performance, making it an optimal solution for developing super-resolution cameras with over 20 megapixels.
It's not explicitly said that ISOCELL Plus will be present on the Galaxy S10, but I'd be surprised if Samsung didn't include it on next year's phone.
June 25, 2018 — Samsung to release three S10 models, introduce a triple camera system, and swap out iris scanning for an in-display fingerprint sensor
What a news dump today turned out to be for Galaxy S10 rumors!
Jumping right into things, a report from The Electronic Times claims that Samsung will launch not one, not two, but three different models of the S10. The most affordable of the bunch, codenamed Beyond 0, will reportedly ship with a 5.8-inch display that's completely flat. Beyond 1, the mid-tier option, will also use a 5.8-inch screen but feature curves similar to what's found on the S9.
The star of the show, Beyond 3, will boast a large 6.2-inch curved display and feature three cameras on the back — something we've never seen from Samsung before.
As if three different models and a triple camera system wasn't enough to get you excited, The Bell also reported today that the Galaxy S10 will ditch the iris scanner of the S9 and replace it with a 3D facial-recognition system and in-display fingerprint sensor similar to what we've seen from the Vivo X21 and NEX.
All the important details
How many versions is Samsung going to launch?
For the past four years, Samsung's typically launched two models of its Galaxy S series:
- 2015 — Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+
- 2016 — Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
- 2017 — Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
- 2018 — Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
With the Galaxy S10 in 2019, Samsung is expected to shake-up its formula by releasing as many as four different models — codenamed Beyond 1, Beyond 2, Beyond 3, and Beyond X.
Beyond 1 and Beyond 2 will be similar to older S flagships with the former having a flat screen while the other has Samsung's iconic curved display. Beyond 3 kicks things up a notch, expected to offer a larger screen and triple camera system on the back. For all intents and purposes, we're expecting these to be the Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+.
Beyond X is expected to come out a few months after the first three phones and act as a special edition smartphone in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Samsung's Galaxy S lineup. Rumored specs for it inlcude a 6.7-inch display, a total of six cameras, and support for 5G data speeds.
What will the Galaxy S10 series look like?
While we obviously can't say for certain what the Galaxy S10 devices will look like before Samsung officially unveils them, leaks, rumors, and renders have given us a pretty good idea of what to expect.
The above renders come from Ben Geskin and showcase what the Galaxy S10, S10, and S10+ should look like.
While you won't find a traditional notch at the top of any of the phones, there is a hole-punch cutout in the top right corner to accomdate the front-facing camera. There's just one of these on the S10 Lite and S10, but on the S10+, we can see two lenses.
Also expected is a glass back, USB-C for charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
What kind of specs are we anticipating?
A lot of the specs for the Galaxy S10 series are still up in the air, but even so, there are a few things that we feel fairly confident we can look forward to.
The below spec list is based on the latest news and rumors, so take it with a grain of salt.
| Category | Galaxy S10 Lite | Galaxy S10 | Galaxy S10+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie One UI |
Android 9 Pie One UI |
Android 9 Pie One UI |
| Display | 5.8-inch Flat Super AMOLED |
6.1-inch Curved Super AMOLED |
6.44-inch Curved Super AMOLED |
| Processor | Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 | Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 | Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 |
| Rear Cameras | Two | Two | Three |
| Front Cameras | One | One | Two |
Specs for the special Beyond X variant of the Galaxy S10 are even murkier, but we can likely expect some similarities with a Snapdragon 855 processor, AMOLED display, and Android 9 Pie being available out of the box.
A lot of the finer details are still up in the air, however, but we'll continue to update this as we learn more.
When will the phones be released?
Perhaps the biggest question on your mind is "When will I be able to buy the Galaxy S10?".
Save for the Galaxy S8 that was announced at its own special event, Samsung usually unveils its Galaxy S flagship phones during Mobile World Congress each year.
On July 5, reliable leaker Ice Universe said that the S10 will be unveiled at MWC — just a month before the Galaxy X. On November 20, The Wall Street Journal also confirmed that Beyond 1, 2, and 3 will be revealed at some point in February.
On December 4, Gizmodo UK reported that the Galaxy S10 series will get its unveiling a few days before MWC on February 20 with pre-orders opening that same day and an official launch scheduled for a few days later on March 8.
During CES 2019 on January 7, Sprint announced that it'll have a 5G Samsung phone for sale at some point during Summer 2019. While not confirmed to be the Galaxy S10, it's widely expected that this will be a special 5G version of the phone — perhaps the Beyond X.
How much will the S10 cost?
That same Gizmodo report referenced above also shed some light on how much we can expect to pay for the various S10 handsets.
Here's what to maybe expect:
- Galaxy S10 Lite — £669/$850
- Galaxy S10 — £799/$1000
- Galaxy S10+ — £899/$1130
The above prices are for the models with 128GB of storage. The S10 will also be available in a 512GB model that'll supposedly set you back £999/$1250. As for the S10+, it'll be offered in 512GB and 1TB models as well that'll sell for £1099/$1390 and £1399/$1760, respectively.
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