Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner, Reverse Wireless Charging, Triple Cameras: Meet Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus

The new phones are the best Samsung’s ever put out

Samsung has officially taken off the wraps off of their new flagships today. The two new flagships are the most advanced devices that the Korean company has ever put out, made in the face of stiffening competition VS its Chinese rivals and shrinking global marketshare.

Both phones look the part, thanks to Samsung’s mastery of glass and metal. They don’t look too different from last year’s models (or the models the year before that) at least on the front, save for that hole punch display on the front.

We can’t say the same for the rear of the phone, which holds Samsung’s first attempts at a triple camera module on a flagship model. From left to right, the cameras are made up of a 45 degree, 12-megapixel 2x optical zoom lens, a 12-megapixel 77-degree wide lens and a 16-megapixel 123-degree ultra-wide lens. For the first time ever, both the regular and plus models of the S series will have exactly the same camera module, with the smaller S10e having just two cameras.

The main camera still retains that variable aperture capability that came in the S9 and S9 Plus, which allows the phone to switch from an aperture size of f/1.5 to f/2.4 depending on the light.

The front of the two phones have slightly bigger screens and smaller bezels compared to last year’s model, though Samsung’s improved the display on them for 2019. The panels, coming in at 6.1-inches for the S10 and 6.4 inches for the S10 Plus, use Samsung’s Dynamic Super AMOLED panels which delivers 800 nits of brightness, has HDR 10 Plus quality capabilities and emit 41% less blue light than competing tech.

Samsung’s also put in an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner right into the display, and while other companies have already done that, Samsung says their offering is faster and more secure since the phone scans your fingerprint using sound waves instead of taking photos of it in the case of an optical-based sensor.

The phone also has the capability for reverse wireless charging. Speaking of charge, the Galaxy S10 has 3400mah while the Galaxy S10 Plus has 4100mah of juice.

Just like their other flagships, both the S10 and the S10 Plus are water-resistant. Audio snobs can also relax as the new flagships still retain their 3.5mm jacks.

Powering the phones are Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 flagship processor and Samsung’s home-grown Exynos 9820, depending on where you are in the world. Philippine customers will get the 8nm Exynos 9820 naturally, and the phones come in a variety of storage and RAM configurations. You’re getting 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage for both the S10 and S10 Plus. If you’re really loaded, you can opt to buy the limited edition S10 Plus that ships with 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

Samsung will also be selling its wireless Galaxy Buds along with the new Galaxies, as well as a new back covers. One of the covers is powered by the phone’s reverse wireless charging tech, displaying emojis on the rear that you can customize.

The limited edition Galaxy S10 Plus with 1TB of storage is priced at Php 89,990. The regular Galaxy S10 Plus with 128GB of storage is priced at Php 55,990. The Galaxy S10 is priced at Php 49,990.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Specs

Samsung Exynos 9820 octa-core processor
Mali-G76 MP12 GPU
8GB/12GB RAM
6.4-inch WQHD Dynamic Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, 3040 x 1440 resolution, dual curved edge, HDR10+
128GB/1TB expandable storage, via microSD
Triple rear cameras: 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture; 12-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom; 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera; with Dual Pixel, Dual OIS, 960FPS Super Slo-Mo video, 4K HDR10+ shooting at 30FPS/4K shooting at 60FPS
Dual front cameras: 10-megapixel f/1.9 main camera; 8-megapixel f/2.2 wide-angle camera; dual-pixel autofocus, 4K video recording
Dual SIM
3G, LTE, WiFi 6
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, heartbeat sensor, IP68 certification, USB Type-C port, Bixby AI, 3D Emojis
4100mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging
Android 9.0 Pie (One UI)

Samsung Galaxy S10 Specs

Samsung Exynos 9820 octa-core processor
Mali-G76 MP12 GPU
8GB RAM
6.1-inch WQHD Dynamic Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, 3040 x 1440 resolution, dual curved edge, HDR10+
128GB expandable storage, via microSD
Triple rear cameras: 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture; 12-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom; 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera; with Dual Pixel, Dual OIS, 960FPS Super Slo-Mo video, 4K HDR10+ shooting at 30FPS/4K shooting at 60FPS
10-megapixel f/1.9 front camera with dual-pixel autofocus, 4K video recording
Dual SIM
3G, LTE, WiFi 6
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, heartbeat sensor, IP68 certification, USB Type-C port, Bixby AI, 3D Emojis
3400mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging
Android 9.0 Pie (One UI)

Samsung Philippines will start taking pre-orders tomorrow, Feb. 22 through March 3. Samsung really, really wants you to buy their flagship phone, since they’re throwing in a 43-inch Smart TV with every purchase of the top-tier variant along with vouchers that you can use in their stores. The regular 128GB Galaxy S10 nets you a 32-inch Smart TV and in-store vouchers as well, while the Galaxy S10 will get you free wireless Galaxy Buds plus store vouchers.