Samsung Galaxy S10+ Reviewed.

The latest in the S series from Samsung is here.

In addition to the S10 and S10+, Samsung also launched latest addition to the series, S10e. We had the privilege of reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S10+.

As a fan of the S series (I’ve been using the S series since S3 first launched), I was excited to try out this newest member to the series and to compare it to my own Samsung Galaxy S9+.

What is the Samsung Galaxy S10+?

According to Samsung’s website, the S10 series has been redesigned with no notch on the screen. The Infinity-O Display is certainly easy on the eyes and there’s no ‘border’ at the edges of the phone, making the screen wider and starts and ends at the phone edge.

The fingerprint system is moved back to the front on the phone, as how S7 was designed. The difference is that the system is on-screen so you touch the glass itself to unlock your phone. S9+ has the fingerprint system at the back of the phone, beside the camera.

The S10+ and S10 is also capable of charging each other without the use of cables. So that basically means if you and your friend has the latest S series, you are both each other’s portable chargers. Just make sure the other is not a heavy phone user and you’re safe.

The prices of the phones are:

• Galaxy S10e 128GB – S$1, 078
• Galaxy S10 128GB – S$1, 298
• Galaxy S10+ 128GB – S$1, 398
• Galaxy S10+ 512GB – S$1, 798
• Galaxy S10+ 1TB – S$2, 198

Take a look as to how the Samsung Galaxy S10+ specs differ from the S9+.

First Impressions.

The very first thought I had upon handling the S10+ is the noticeable difference in weight. The S10+ definitely feels much lighter as compared to the S9+.

The S10+ gives the impression of being much sleeker and smoother than the S9+ even though my phone is barely a year old.

The next impression is how wide the screen of the S10+ looks. The rounded edges of the S10+ also makes it look more rectangular (for a lack of a better description) than the S9+. Do I have any complaints? Definitely not.

The Performance.

The first claim that Samsung has is that the S10+ has “24-hour Intelligent Battery”. While I didn’t use it for 24 hours straight, I did use it to watch youtube videos for approximately 2 hours while getting ready to go out. At start, 57%. At the end of 2 hours, about 45% left. Colour me impressed.

When running the benchmark between both S9+ and S10+, the performance score is vastly different and S10+ definitely scored higher than S9+.

Most notable is the overall score. The Samsung S10+ scored 32.33% better than the older S9+. That’s almost a 1/3 performance increase, which is pretty impressive. The individual scores also are just as eye opening, though the video editing capabilities for S10+ still leaves much room for improvement.

It doesn’t take a genius that this tells you that if you’re the kind that loves to edit your photos before you post it on instagram, the Samsung S10+ will definitely give you better editing. Loading of videos? The S10+ wins. Reading Thought Catalog / Buzzfeed / random articles on the web, it’s definitely the S10+ will load faster and perform better.

Next comes gaming. I don’t play games on my phone, so I roped in my fiance to help with this part. He downloaded PUBG and played a few rounds of it. His words?

Samsung claims, ” the high-resolution Infinity-O Display and Dolby enhanced game mode deliver realistic picture and better sound, while Unity game engine optimization makes your gaming experience feel more powerful.“

Once more, S10+ scores much higher on the 3Dmark when compared to the S9+. It definitely seems that Samsung’s claims that S10+ gaming graphics are better are backed up by a real-life player, but also by 3Dmark’s scores.

Unfortunately, S10+ was unable to run the battery test despite multiple attempts.

Last comes my favorite part, the camera.

With the improved and additional cameras in the S10+, I had to take comparison pictures with my S9+.

The difference in both pictures are very little but you can see that S10+ has a sharper picture as compared to S9+. The colors are also brighter and S9+ has a slight yellow cast to it.

Again, S10+ has a clearer and brighter picture as compared to the S9+. The blue is bluer, white is brighter and definitely sharper.

The bottom line.

The S10+ might be lighter than the S9+ but the quality is quite similar. Samsung has never skimped on the quality of their phones and they’re not starting now with the S10+. The quality of their phones has consistently been great starting from my very first S3 until now. But does that mean that it’s much, much better? I’m going with a ‘no’.

Sure, the improved screen means that there’s wider screen space and the fact that the fingerprint sensor is in front means it’s easier to unlock the phone. Oh, let’s not forget the awesome graphics and camera quality too. But that’s pretty much it.

The S10+ has been a definite joy to review and it only serves to make me look forward to the next installment of the S series. Is it a must-have? Eh, probably not especially if you already have the S9+ but if you’re looking for an upgrade or a change? I would definitely recommend it.

TLDR:

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is a great phone, but if you’re already on the S9+, you might want to pass. If not, there’s really no reason not to get the S10+ as it offers a genuine performance upgrade over what the S9+ offered.