Meeting a new Samsung flagship is always interesting. Somehow more gorgeous and chic than before and yet unmistakably Samsung, the new S10 series literally sparkles with that ‘new technology’ look. Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S10 series, which includes the Galaxy S10+ (₹73,900), S10 (₹66,900) and S10e (₹55,900) are already up for pre-order and shipping soon.
My just-arrived review unit of the S10+ is ‘Prism White’ — one of the three ‘Prism’ colours available in India — White, Blue and Black. The back of the devices have an interesting prismatic shine to them, not seen on a Samsung phone before. The S10+ is really slim and light to hold, Samsung once again having achieved that level of slim width that makes it easy to grip the phone.
As familiar as the Galaxy S10+ looks, it packs six new innovations that improve upon an already stellar smartphone:
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
This time, the S10+ brings with it a new technology for securing the device. The display uses sound wave detection that reads the contours of the fingerprint in 3D, not just 2D. It’s a certified new biometric method that asks the user to press down on the in-display sensor to register a fingerprint, which is then more secure than the more prevalent optical fingerprint reader one is just beginning to see on smartphones. The method still allows several fingerprints to be registered and works even in a noisy environment. On first impressions, it takes a little longer to register as well as unlock, but Samsung says the security is like a vault.
Face recognition unlocking is also available but the iris recognition feature has been removed.
Dynamic AMOLED screen
The S10+ has a beautiful and crisp display that’s brighter than before, able to be seen better in sunlight and including a blue-light reduction by default.
It’s called an Infinity-O display because Samsung uses a cut-out on the front of the screen and to the top right to house the front camera. No notch is used, to maximise the space on the screen that has minimal bezels. When sporting one of Samsung’s S10+ wallpapers, the cut-out is all but hidden in a darkened area of the images.
The highlight of the 6.4-inch 19:9 (522 ppi) display is that it is what Samsung calls ‘Dynamic AMOLED’. It’s the first HDR10+ display and shows a depth of colours and contrasts that beats any other. It’s bright and rich and full of contrasts.
HDR10+ recording
The S10+ features a triple camera module design. The main camera module has a 12 MP sensor with large 1.4-micron pixels and a dual-aperture lens with an f/1.5 and an alternate f/2.4 setting.
There’s also a 12 MP 2x telephoto lens, with an f/2.4 lens and 1-micron pixels. A particularly attractive feature is an ultra-wide-angle 16 MP lens with 1-micron pixels and a 123-degree Field of View (FoV) — similar to that of the human eye. But the S10+ camera’s world first is that it can both capture and display in 4K HDR10+. For anyone who creates a lot of videos, this is exciting. It also has optical image stabilisation, making for steady and sharply detailed results.
Next generation WiFi
WiFi 6 is the next generation of connectivity that will be much faster than existing standards and the Galaxy S10+ is the first to feature it. Its speed is 9.6 GBPS, up from 3.5 GBPS on WiFi 5. WiFi 6 improves speed on the network, especially for multiple devices. It will, of course, talk to WiFi 6 capable routers to make connections more stable and strong. A user who gets an S10 in the next month won’t experience this difference immediately because it is all about an overall upgrade of WiFi. With the capability though, the S10 is ready for the next generation of WiFi.
Instagram mode
Although not enabled yet, the S10 phones will come with an Instagram Mode, which will allow users to use the platform’s famous filters and upload straight to the Feed or to Stories from the device.
With the cameras being such a highlight on the new series, Samsung has partnered with Instagram to bring about the feature for the first time.
Gaming performance
For gamers, the S10+ is supposed to be like a ‘supercomputer in the pocket’ according to Samsung. The amount of RAM on the S10+ can range from 8 GB to 12 GB depending on what a customer opts for. But beyond that, Samsung is working with Unity Technologies to make highly graphic-intensive gaming smooth and fluid on the new series. The graphics are supposed to be 37 per cent faster than previous versions. It will also make augmented reality applications run smooth and fast.
Other than these six innovations, the S10+ is a finessed and evolved flagship that I will be checking out more thoroughly in the next few weeks.