Samsung Announces Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ Phones
By Janko Roettgers
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Samsung officially announced its new flagship phones, the Galaxy S10 and its larger sibling, Galaxy S10+, at its Unpacked press event in San Francisco on Wednesday morning.
The new phone features a punch-hole cut-out for its front-facing camera, which allowed the company to use an edge-to-edge screen design without the notch found on the latest iPhones. The phone also features an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that’s directly integrated into its screen, which makes it possible to unlock the device simply by putting a finger on its display.
The phone features what calls a dynamic AMOLED display, with the company’s director of product marketing Suzanne De Silva promising that it would be the world’s most color-accurate display. The display measures 6.1 inches for the Galaxy S10, and 6.4 inches for the S10+.
Samsung put a big emphasis on the S10’s camera on Wednesday. The phone features a three-lens camera on the back, which is powered by machine learning software to optimize footage. “Even if you never studied photography, the S10 did,” De Silva said.
Samsung also partnered with Instagram to add a dedicated Instagram mode to its camera app, which allows users to add stickers, captions, and more to their photos, and then post them directly to Instagram Stories. In addition to this dedicated integration, Samsung also opened up its camera API to other developers, including Snapchat.
The phone is also optimized for mobile video recording, and the first phone capable of recording HDR10 in 4K. To help users edit footage without having to offload it to their PC, Samsung partnered with Adobe to bring a version of its Adobe Premiere Rush editing app to the device.
Finally, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 comes with wireless charging on-board, with a twist: The device is capable of reverse charging, meaning that it can be used as a backup battery for other devices that support wireless charging — a feature that could come in handy with smart watches and other accessories, provided that you are willing to compromise on your phone’s battery life.
Many of these features had leaked in recent days, thanks in part to Samsung inadvertently airing a TV commercial for the unannounced device.
In addition to the two flagship models, Samsung also announced a dedicated Galaxy S10 model for 5G with a 6.7-inch display, as well as a budget-priced Galaxy S10e. The Galaxy S10 will start at $900, while the S10+ is priced at $1,000 and up. The S10e will cost $750.
Pre-orders for all of these devices will begin on Feb. 21, and it will become commercially available on March 8. There is no word for the pricing of the 5G version yet, but Samsung said Wednesday that the device would come to select carriers in the first half of 2019.
In addition to the Galaxy S10 lineup, Samsung also used the Unpacked event to unveil its new Galaxy Fold phone — a foldable phone with a $1,980 price tag. Other products announced at the event included new wireless in-ear headphones called the Galaxy Buds, a fitness band called the Galaxy Fit, and a smartwatch called the Galaxy Watch Active.
