The Galaxy S10 is official, and we've been busy writing about the device along with other products that Samsung announced at Unpacked 2019, including the Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy S10 rumors and leaks were plentiful and they gave us a good idea of what to expect before Samsung took the stage, and here are the features that have me excited as I wait for the Galaxy S10+ to go on sale.
Galaxy S10+ features that have excited me
Ultra-wide camera
Well, if you are a regular SamMobile reader, you probably had an idea this would be on the top of my list. I've loved Samsung's decision to focus on ultra-wide cameras in the budget and mid-range segment, and now a flagship from the company has an ultra-wide camera as well. That and the telephoto lens mean the Galaxy S10+ is ready for every scenario. And in addition to letting you shoot wider pictures, I like that the ultra-wide camera on the Galaxy S10 lineup is a 16-megapixel sensor, so we'll get plenty of detail in those ultra-wide shots compared to the 5 or 8MP ultra-wide cameras on devices like the Galaxy M20 and Galaxy A7 (2018).
Dual Pixel autofocus on front camera
This is another camera feature that I'm happy to see on the Galaxy S10+ and in general. Samsung's smart autofocus thing on the Galaxy S8 and other recent flagships has been a good workaround to a physical autofocus system, but it's far from perfect. With Dual Pixel autofocus, the 10MP front camera on the Galaxy S10+ trio now has the same autofocus system as the rear cameras, so the selfie game should be considerably better. I think I'm growing a bit too old to be taking too many selfies these days, but hey, when I do take one, the S10 will be able to do it quickly without me worrying about the focus kicking in, especially indoors and in poor lighting conditions.
In-display fingerprint sensor
This one should be obvious. I've never liked Samsung's rear-mounted fingerprint sensors. It was both the problematic location of the sensor back in 2017 and – though it got fixed with the Galaxy S9 – the fact that the fingerprint reader was still on the back, which means you have to lift the phone off the table to unlock it. With the Galaxy S10, it's back at the front and inside the display, so it should be pretty similar to the physical home key fingerprint readers from before the Galaxy S8 came along. I am not at all disappointed that the iris sensor is gone, but no notification LED is going to be a problem as I've never been keen on Always On Display because of its effect on battery life.
4,100 mAh battery
This is perhaps the main reason I'd go for the Galaxy S10+ and not the Galaxy S10. Spoiler alert, though: the 4,100 mAh battery is probably going to be the same as the 4,000 mAh battery on the Note 9. Samsung has just adopted the way of Chinese OEMs and is now rating batteries for their typical capacity and not the rated capacity, which is the capacity that matters in real-life conditions. The rated capacity is going to be around 4,000 mAh on the S10+ and 3,000 mAh and 3,300 mAh on the Galaxy S10e and S10. Not that that's a bad thing, as 4,000 mAh is plenty for a flagship phone, especially now that there's more efficient silicon powering under the hood.
One Galaxy S10+ feature that I'm not keen on
That one feature would be the dual front camera. Or, more precisely, that God awful cutout for the front camera. I don't think I would mind a single cutout like the S10e or S10's, but that wider cutout on the S10+ is just too, well, wide. I still haven't played with the phone in person so maybe I won't mind it as much in practice, but I'm disappointed that to get that big battery, one also has to embrace that dual front camera as well.
The second front camera will be great for those who love taking bokeh selfies, but for everyone else, it will serve little purpose than to give you a bigger black hole to look at every time you use the phone. One can't have everything, though, so I guess this is something I and many others who buy the Galaxy S10+ will have to live with.
What about you? What is your favorite Galaxy S10 model out of the three (or four, if you're lucky enough to be in a market where the Galaxy S10 5G will be launched) and what are the features you're looking forward to the most? Let's discuss in the comments!
