Every year without fail, Samsung will release a new Galaxy S phone which is part of the company’s flagship lineup of smartphones. This year gave us the Galaxy S9, and next year we expect that there will be the Galaxy S10.
However what makes next year’s phones more anticipated is the fact that they will be the 10th smartphone in the Galaxy S lineup which we reckon Samsung will want to make a big deal of.
Design
Samsung has settled into a comfortable pattern when it comes to their smartphone designs in recent times. The company has in the recent years introduced a curved edge display for its smartphones and save for some minor changes here and there, the designs of the more recent Galaxy S handsets haven’t been too varied from model to model.
This isn’t to say that Samsung won’t change things up with the Galaxy S10, because like we said it marks the 10th phone in the Galaxy S lineup and we imagine that Samsung will want to do something to celebrate it, such as with a brand new design. However so far there haven’t really been much talks about a radical new design, although apparently it has already been finalized.
Display
With the recent Galaxy S models like with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9, Samsung launched two variants of each where one model featured a 5.8-inch display while the “Plus” model offered a slightly larger 6.2-inch display. This is expected to remain the same, but the rumors are claiming that there will be a third model introduced with a smaller 5-inch display.
Presumably the handset with the smaller display will be priced more affordably, meaning that customers can get the best of the Galaxy S10 but in a smaller and more affordable package. We have also heard the rumors that at least one of the models will feature a higher pixel density of 600 PPI, which is an increase of 30 PPI over the current models. This means that we could be looking at an increase in resolution for the newer models.
Processor & RAM
So far with the Galaxy S phones, Samsung has typically chosen to use either Qualcomm or their own in-house Exynos chipsets, depending on the market that the phones will be headed for. Given that this will be a flagship phones, it’s almost a guarantee that they will be packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (or whatever will be Qualcomm’s flagship chipset for 2019), and also the latest Exynos chipset which we imagine Samsung could either announce later this year or early next year.
As for the amount of RAM, Samsung has so far offered RAM varying between 4-6GB, but the rumors are saying that could change with the Galaxy Note 9 where Samsung could offer as much as 8GB of RAM. What this means is that if the rumors prove to be true, we wouldn’t be surprised if this was extended to the Galaxy S10 as well.
Camera
Samsung has been introducing dual cameras to its smartphones in recent times and we expect that this is a trend that will continue with the Galaxy S10. So far Samsung has reserved the dual lens setup for the “Plus” model so it is unclear if this will change next year where all models will receive dual cameras.
However we have heard rumors that there could be a model with a triple lens setup, taking a page out of Huawei’s playbook which interestingly enough is what Apple is rumored to be doing as well.
Security
When it comes to smartphone security, Samsung has typically employed several different methods. This includes the standard PIN, fingerprint, and in more recent times an iris scanner. However a rumor has suggested that Samsung could actually end up ditching the iris scanner and that the Galaxy S10 might use the company’s in-house developed in-display fingerprint sensor.
If the rumor is true, Samsung would not be the first to use an in-display fingerprint sensor as other companies such as Vivo have already beaten them to the punch. The only question would be whether or not Samsung’s alleged in-display sensor will be better, more accurate, and faster than what’s available in the market.
There have also been talks about Android OEMs who are trying to incorporate facial recognition following Apple’s somewhat successful inclusion of the tech into its iPhone X. We have heard rumors from last year but they have yet to materialize, so maybe we’ll see it with the Galaxy S10, if at all.
Battery
For the past few generations of the Galaxy S series, Samsung has kept the battery sizes of its models similar, where the smaller Galaxy S model will feature a 3,000mAh battery, while the Plus model will feature 3,500mAh battery. There have been no indication that this will change, but at the same time we’re sure that Samsung fans and would-be customers wouldn’t mind seeing a larger battery.
5G
5G is expected to become the next standard when it comes to mobile internet technology, an at the rate things are going, 5G networks are expected to begin rolling out next year on a larger scale. One of the rumors of the Note 9 is that it could support 5G, which means that the Galaxy S10 should also offer support.
We know that Samsung has been working on the tech and that the company is looking to develop 5G Exynos modems, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Galaxy S10 were to support 5G when it launches next year.
Launch Date, Availability, Pricing
Samsung typically keeps its launches of the Galaxy S series of phones to the early part of the year, and this shouldn’t change with the Galaxy S10. With the Galaxy S8 we saw a launch in April, while the Galaxy S9 was a tad early in March, but either way March-April is probably a good estimate.
As for pricing, the Galaxy S9 saw a slight increase in price compared to the Galaxy S8. Based on this it seems likely that the Galaxy S10 could also be priced higher than its predecessor, or at the very least it would maintain its current pricing, with the exception being the rumored 5-inch model which could potentially be cheaper.
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