Review of Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus: Killer cameras and battery life could match those in Note 10

I'm using the Galaxy S10 Plus ($ 1,000 at Walmart) every day since Samsung launched the phone four months ago as one of its flagship models for 2019. Despite the threat of being overshadowed Galaxy Fold and the fastest Galaxy S10 5G (and be stunned from below by the purchase of value Galaxy S10E), the Galaxy S10 Plus is one of the best Android phones of the year. Soon, the best features of the S10 Plus – its crisp screen, three world-class cameras and long-lasting battery life – will face another challenge among Samsung's ranks: next Galaxy Note 10, which has been virtually confirmed for its launch on August 7 in New York.

Anything that's great with the Galaxy S10 Plus is meant to be even better in Note 10, even if you're not attracted to the Note Pen's Pen S Pen, the digital pen that's the signature of the Galaxy Note , derived from the battery life of the S10 Plus and camera prowess, to the probability that the Note 10 will be compatible with 5G data networks. For example, Note 4's 4,300 mAh battery could dominate the S10 Plus's already impressive 4,100 mAh juice box.

As Samsung likes to capitalize on its strengths, the Galaxy Note 10 would also include the fantastic screen clarity of the S10 Plus and features such as wireless power sharing, which allow you to charge your phone. other devices from the phone itself.

Note 10 could also correct one of the biggest missed opportunities of the S10 Plus, namely the absence of a night mode that accentuates, brightens and dramatically improves the pictures taken in very low light. the Huawei P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3 (and the Pixel 3A cheaper) are now the main competitors of the S10 Plus. The low-light shots are not a compromise, especially when compared to the other benefits of the Galaxy S10 Plus, but being able to match these night-time modes would make the S10 Plus the undisputed champion of all.

The accuracy of the on-screen fingerprint reader is another opportunity for Note 10 to beat the S10 Plus.

So, what does the S10 Plus still have in its favor? It will certainly cost less than the Galaxy Note 10, a benefit if you do not rush to register for 5G (read our article 5G overall speed tests here). And it's the only one from Samsung four new Galaxy S10 phones to have a 1TB storage option and a ceramic finish for the 512GB and 1TB models. Do you really need all this storage? Is it worth $ 250 to pay for this, and for the ceramic finish? "Need" would be a bit exaggerated, but if you want it, it's nice to know that it's there.

In the current state of things, the S10 Plus is still a great device that I would be happy to use every day – and I think you would feel the same way in the same way.

Galaxy S10 Plus price: $ 1,000 now seems normal

With $ 1,000 for the 128GB model, $ 1,250 for 512GB and $ 1,600 for the 1TB (!) Storage option, C is an expensive device. (It starts at £ 1,099 in the UK and $ 1,499 in Australia.) Of course, when you look at the $ 1,980 starting price of the Galaxy Fold, Huawei Mate XThe price of $ 2,600, the S10 Plus seems almost reasonable As a phone, you can buy today, without emptying your bank account or waiting for the start of 5G networks.

As for the Galaxy S10 standard, it's not a bargain, saving only $ 100 and losing a second front camera, a bit of space for the screen and a small battery life drums.

Regarding comparisons with other phones, I would not use the Galaxy S9 Plus ($ 715 at Walmart), but I would do it from any older Galaxy phone The essential, it's that you have more general flexibility with shooting on the S10 Plus than with the Pixel 3 ($ 813 at Walmart). Night mode is an exception and Huawei's Pixel 3 and P30 Pro have dedicated night modes that easily outperform the Galaxy S10 Plus. If night photography is right for you, wait until next month for Galaxy 10 or October (probably). Pixel 4. Or cross your fingers so that Samsung can offer a significant software upgrade.

Nice to look at, but a slippery devil

Samsung favors glossy finishes that reflect light in an unusual way. My test unit is the 128GB version in Prism White, and it reflects the iridescent shades of pale blue, mint and pink in the light. This color is beautiful and subtle. Flamingo Pink, Canary Yellow, Prism Green and Prism Blue are more daring – there is also black prism.

I immediately noticed that the S10 Plus tended to slip off of the hands and surfaces, especially if they were not perfectly level. He fell many times between my fingers, usually landing on my purse, a table or my knees. He also slipped off my nightstand, a couch, a chair, but he came out unscathed. I like to see the phones as they come out of the box, but I will want a case for this one.

Samsung has placed its fingerprint reader well: it moves from the back of the phone to fit on the screen. However, although practical, accuracy is a problem, especially when it comes to using Samsung Pay or Google Pay for mobile transactions. I can not tell you how many times I had to try my print three or even four times to get it in order to unlock the phone or check a transaction. It's a bad experience that hurts the thumbs, the impatient behind you and the daily aggravation.

After so much praising the potential of the on-screen fingerprint reader, the reality of technology makes me dream for the Galaxy S10E fingerprint sensor in the power button , and it's too bad.

The fingerprint reader on the screen has problems

Samsung has placed its fingerprint reader well: it moves from the back of the phone to fit on the screen. However, although practical, accuracy is a problem, especially when it comes to using Samsung Pay or Google Pay for mobile transactions. I can not tell you how many times I had to try my print three or even four times to get it in order to unlock the phone or check a transaction. It's a bad experience that hurts the thumbs, the impatient behind you and the daily aggravation.

After so much praising the potential of the on-screen fingerprint reader, the reality of technology makes me dream for the Galaxy S10E fingerprint sensor in the power button , and it's too bad.

You will have the best chance of deliberately placing your thumb on the target, lightly pressing on the screen and giving it a solid second to unlock. You can not just skim the sensor. I also recommend scanning four fingers so that you have backups. I used my right thumb twice, my left thumb once and my right index finger.

This fingerprint scanner is a big problem because it's the first to use Ultrasonic technology from Qualcomm. This means that it uses sound waves to get a 3D image of your print. It is considered much more secure than an optical sensor, which basically takes a 2D picture of your finger. but that seems to apply more to the natural movies of gunk and goo. When I pressed an oily (and delicious) churro between my fingers and then tried to unlock the phone, I was wrong 20 times in a row. It turns out that there is a limit.

Another note: there is no more scanning of the iris, characteristic of the signature since the Galaxy S7. This is a strange gesture for Samsung, who is generally a fan of More Features. You will still have Android's built-in face unlock, but I do not recommend using it as it's not secure enough for mobile payments. You can use it if you want something fast and convenient, but I will stay with security.

The real question is where is Samsung's version of Apple's Face ID by Samsung. It's been two years now since the iPhone is no longer in this feature, which Samsung really hates, really, to do. Now, without scanning the iris, the brand does not have any facial recognition feature secure enough for mobile payments (the Android face unlock option is not available). ). Rumor has it that Android Q, the next version of Google's software, will incorporate a code for unlocking secure faces in the code, but we have not seen it in the beta versions of Android Q.

Shiny display, but, O, this "notch"

The Galaxy S10 Plus has a "notch" Infinity-O that is really a hole in the display to make room for two cameras. Its oval shape attracts more attention than the individual lenses of the Galaxy S10 and S10E, but I'm not really too sticky in the notch.

More concretely, there is the feeling of having a big screen with thin glasses. Most of the time, this is confused with the background, without attracting too much attention to itself. But when the screen is very bright, like on a white background, the asymmetry of a pill-shaped cut becomes more noticeable. I wonder if the Infinity-U screen, like the one that Samsung placed on the medium Galaxy A50 and A30would look better, even though it would look more like an eyebrow-like cut. The solution to the dilemma of all screens may already be there.

The screen itself is gorgeous, with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display and a resolution of 3,040 x 1,440 pixels. The readability outside is fantastic. When I get up in the middle of the night and read the phone to fall asleep, the screen is actually as well bright, even when the brightness is low and the blue light filter is on. Heck, it is even too bright using the Android Wind Down mode that shifts the colors to grayscale.

Finally, remap the Bixby button is real

After two years of complaints, Samsung has listened to fans and released software to help you remap the Bixby button to open another application.

The ability has always existed – even the Galaxy S Active phones a few years ago let you set your comfort key – but Samsung was reluctant. It's better to learn to love Bixby, he reasoned. That's why it's nice to see Samsung acting properly.

Android pie and a user interface

There are two words to describe the One UI design: big and sparkling. Icons are large flat circles that take a while to get used to, as many models have been changed from the color of the Gallery icon to the shape of the Galaxy Notes application.

I really think so: these icons are huge. Their use on the home screen made me feel like a kid. I immediately jumped to a smaller icon size (hence, a larger grid of apps on the Home screen) to embed more favorite apps without rummaging around. in folders or drag additional screens.

Even though I like my smaller screen icons, seeing the larger icons in the application drawer was fine – these are easier targets to reach. I've also liked the fact that some larger menus and "cards" are easier to read without wringing their necks or squinting. This is particularly visible in Bixby Home, which you access by sliding to the left of the home screen.

Bixby Routines: I am not a big fan of Bixby and I only call him by accident, but Bixby Routines might change his mind. I've been impressed by the IFTTT type flexibility to set up routines, and the presets are easy enough for novices to become familiar with the water.

For example, I have set up a morning routine that starts at 6 am and turns on the screen Always On (yes, you can turn it off), displays specific shortcuts to the screen. lock screen and disables the blue light filter that I will activate. for a bedtime routine.

I have tested the Galaxy S10 Plus while using it to cover the CMM conference in Spain. So I did not have a defined routine to understand how well it works. This is difficult when bedtime and wake alarms are erratic and you can not set a real "home" to use as a basic test. I will be able to dive deeper once I am back in San Francisco.

Gesture navigation: The navigation buttons are enabled by default, but you can unlock even more space by activating gesture navigation in the quick settings menu. Turn it on and the bottom of the screen enlarges, leaving you three horizontal dashes in place of the buttons. To navigate, tap lightly to use them (they "bounce" down). It's not a difficult adjustment and it's always nice to have alternatives.

House of children: There is a new mode in the notification setting called Kids Home, which opens a contoured / wall-mounted garden for kids to take photos and download apps. Young children, that's it. The older ones would roll their eyes and mock, then find the password and change all the language settings.

Wireless PowerShare really works

I love this feature, which will load any other Qi compatible device when you place it on the back of the Galaxy S10. Samsung is not the first to implement this, but it's a real plus, especially to complete the accessories or give a boost to your friend's phone. Wireless charging is not as fast and efficient as wire charging, but it allows you to leave more cables at home, especially for small rides. I can see a scenario in which you charge your phone at night and charge a second device over it.

Your phone will turn it off automatically when it reaches 30%. Since the life of the battery is so good, it should allow you to spend the day. Note that Wireless PowerShare will not work if you have less than 30% of battery life left.

I've already used this naturally twice. The night when I had the S10 Plus, I had to use the new wireless power sharing feature when I noticed that my Galaxy S9 Plus had dropped by 7% and that it was down. he was going to die while I was still setting up my new phone. I was having dinner, with my cables in my hotel room, and that's exactly what the movie was designed for. So I turned it on and went back and saw my battery climb to just 13%.

As the phones were back to back and the Galaxy S9 Plus was up, I could still type and type, as long as I did not change its position on the back of the Galaxy S10 Plus. I'm happy with this one.

The second time, my colleague from CNET in Español, Juan Garzon, innocently asked how much time I had left, then whether he could get a supplement. My battery has run out of 57% to 30%, but the low double digits have allowed it to go up to 30%, and both phones still had hours of life.

Three rear cameras are fine

Testing a camera is a huge undertaking in itself, and Samsung has added many elements. There are three cameras on the back of the S10 Plus (12 megapixels, 12 megapixel telephoto, ultra-wide angle of 16 megapixels) and two on the front (respectively 10 and 8 megapixels).

The quality of the photos is very good overall, but I have already complained about the low light mode in a section below. We will have a lot of comparisons and shots from deep dive cameras in the next few days, but here is my overall assessment for the moment.

Let's start with this handy chart to compare the S10 Plus cameras to other S10 phones.

Specifications of Galaxy S10 Camera

	Samsung Galaxy S10E	Samsung Galaxy S10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus	Galaxy S10 5G
12 megapixel wide angle lens (double aperture)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
16 megapixel wide angle lens (fixed focus)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
12 megapixel telephoto lens	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
10 megapixel front camera (double aperture)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
8 megapixel front camera	No	No	Yes	No
3D depth detection camera (rear)	No	No	No	Yes
3D depth detection camera (front)	No	No	No	Yes

Three cameras, three viewsYou can take a picture with any of the three lenses by simply touching the icon on the screen. I shoot mainly with the standard lens of 12 megapixels, switching to telephoto zoom (2x) on a distant detail, such as the statue at the top of a fountain, or toward the ultra-wide lens for adapt to most of my friends or the scene in the shot. The ultra-wide angle has a field of view of 123 degrees. It therefore slightly distorts the image. You may notice that your friends are a bit stretched.