I like the Galaxy S10e more than the Galaxy S10+. It's not that the Galaxy S10+ isn't a good phone. It's almost a masterpiece, as I concluded in our Galaxy S10+ review, but I like the Galaxy S10e more because I wasn't expecting it to be such a well-rounded flagship. After I completed our Galaxy A50 review, I had the option to move back to the S10e or S10+ and chose to go for the former. I even pondered making it my daily driver, until I went out on a weekend trip and realized the S10e lacks a very important feature.
No telephoto camera is a no-go
Like the Galaxy S9, the Galaxy S10e doesn't get a telephoto lens as part of its rear camera setup. It has an ultra-wide camera that proved to be extremely useful for taking photos during my trip (to a beautiful hillside destination). The lack of a telephoto camera quickly became an issue, though. Thankfully, I had the Galaxy S10+ in my pocket as well and I used it for all the times I wanted to zoom in on a scene.
The perks of writing about phones and reviewing them for a living made it possible for me to have both phones at hand, but it also made me realize the S10+ is what I'd have to eventually use even though I love the Galaxy S10e. And I do take photos with the telephoto lens in the city as well, so my trip to the hills only reinforced its importance. Basically, for those who want a full-fledged camera experience, the smallest member of Samsung's flagship lineup continues to be limited.
Compact flagships will always have some sacrifices
To be fair to Samsung, the Galaxy S10e would have costed a lot more if it had things like a triple rear camera or a curved display, and the company had to make some sacrifices to achieve the $750 price tag of the S10e. And it's probably not easy to decide which features make the cut and which don't, so I certainly don't envy the folks over at Samsung who have to make those decisions.
What do you think? Are the Galaxy S10e's fewer cameras one of the reasons you opted for a Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S10+?
