REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy S10+

Dubai - The decade-anniversary device has gone lighter yet more powerful.

First, the preview for select global media:

Then, our live-stream:

Afterwards, the unboxing:

Now, for the main event. (God I suddenly miss the chilly weather in San Francisco.)
Samsung Electronics threw everyone off their chair at its Unpacked 2019 in the Bay Area when it kicked things off with the Galaxy Fold. But we'll save that for another day (hopefully we actually get our hands on it); we're here for the real star of that show, the Samsung Galaxy S10 series.
In particular, we have the Galaxy S10+, but this time around, it ain't the big brother of the lot: remember, counting the Fold, Samsung unveiled five devices at one event - max of two in recent years - and the biggest of them is the S10 5G, which was on display at last week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Too bad Khaleej Times didn't make it that far.
No matter. The message from Samsung is clear: it's bigger, badder and ready for the future. Now, on with the task at hand: messing with the Galaxy S10+.
TALE OF THE TAPE

That's practically across-the-board changes. And, yeah... prices have also been changed - for the higher. Samsung, however, says that these prices are quite justified: you get value for your money, as they say, and each price point has been "carefully and diligently" calculated.

^Sleek
As always, this Galaxy device is smooth all over, with curved edges adorned by a metal frame reinforced by a solid back glass casing. Overall, it seems smaller than its 6.4-inch screen actually is. The only beef I have with this is with that metal frame: it tends to get a bit slippery, and a moment of loosening your hand's grip on it can be really dangerous.
Right around it are the usual stuff: power button on the right, card tray on top, 3.5mm audio jack and USB-C port below, and volume rocker and Bixby button to the left. Yes, that Bixby trigger is hanging tough, but there are ways to remap it via third-party software (if you dare to) - though word has it that there may be a software update to allow users to finally assign that particular button to something else (food delivery, most probably, for me).
And as you can see, the increasingly-popular punch-hole is now on this device - which eliminates the bezel on top. There is still, however, that tiny chin below, which still remains there for technical reasons that we'll discuss some other time. This, folks, by the way, is called the Infinity-O display.
World-firsts 
There are a certain handful of specs that you may be familiar with right now, but Samsung claims it's improved on them - and added some firsts on a smartphone for good measure.
To start off, the S10 devices have the world's first ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Translation: unlike conventional in-screen sensors that use 2D tech, Samsung's take has it mapping out a 3D version of your finger, basically making it fool-proof: 

^{There it is}
Of course, it's where you'd expect it to be. Some claim that it's too low, but for me it's just fine (maybe depends on how long your finger - particularly your thumb - would be).
It works in a snap, but there's a bit of inconsistency I'm experiencing: sometimes it recognises your finger immediately, but at times it'll ask you to do it again ('press a little longer', it would say). Regardless, maybe the lesson here is you don't have to lift your finger at once when trying to unlock it.
The S10 series is also the world's first smartphones to be certified HDR 10+, meaning you're supposed to get crisper, sharper and more vivid content - which it does provide. This is most especially good for gaming, especially those heavy on detailed graphics.
Then there's Wi-Fi 6, which allows you to connect reliably and securely to public networks. Want more firsts? How about LTE that supports 2Gbps download speeds and 150Mbps upload speeds?
Added bonus: you get to pick from a nice and cool range of colours:


Both Prism and Ceramic options are neat (even Canary Yellow!). And save for that yellow hue, you'll get the full range of colour options for the S10+. But the real reason I mentioned this right now is because of one very important thing we're about to circle back to: memory.
Instead of yapping, just refer to the list below:

Yes, there is a version with 12GB with 1TB of storage. And guess what, all of them have an expansion slot up to 512GB. Which means, on the highest-specced of the lot, you'll get a 1.5TB monster. Have fun figuring out what to store into all that space.
This entire memory session leads us to another important metric: pricing. But before that, you have to know this: the only versions that will be sold in UAE and GCC markets are the 128GB models of the S10e and S10, and all variants of the S10+.
And the prices are as follows: Dh2,699 for the 128GB S10e, Dh3,199 for the 128GB S10, Dh3,599 for the 128GB S10+, Dh4,499 for the 512GB S10+ (you know where this is going, right?) and an eye-watering Dh5,799 for the 1TB S10+ (told ya). Refer to the paragraph after the tale of the tape above to calm you down.
And a parting shot for its overall build: the S10 devices are damn light. If and when you get one, go ahead a stack it up against older Galaxy S devices. Trust me. 
Battery on the S10+, meanwhile, clocks in at 4100mAh. And you won't have any problem going well over a day-and-a-half, largely thanks to what Samsung calls 'all-day intelligent battery'. Basically, the battery adapts to how and when you use your device, shuts off apps you haven't used in a while and saves up juice where it can to prolong its life.
Our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, on the other hand, resulted in an impressive outcome: only 7 per cent of battery life was wasted, putting it on an elite list of devices we've tested that yielded single-digit results.
And then you have Wireless Powershare, which, from its name, you could guess what it is: the S10 devices act like power banks. The drill is simple (and standard): switch the feature on, flip the S10 phone screen down and place the device you want to charge on top of it. Bonus: it doesn't just charge phones; it also charges wearables - such as those new watches and bands Samsung also launched - and wireless headphones, most notably Samsung's newest sound machine, the Samsung Buds.
Camera
And now, the moment (arguably most of) you have been waiting for: the camera.
The S10+ now features a triple-lens system; Samsung finally brought this setup to its flagship after rather experimenting with the Galaxy A7 and the quad-lens-bearing Galaxy A9.

On the S10+, there's a 12MP telephoto, 12MP wide-angle and 16MP ultra-wide-angle combo (ditto for the S10; on the S10e, it's just the last two). That last one gives a field of view of 123 degrees, more than what the human eyes can see:
 
^{That's putting things into perspective}
So, we'll start off with that:


^{All cool and breezy in SanFran}
It goes without saying that you'll absolutely get more into your shot when tapping the ultra-wide view - although there is a bit of expected fish-eye effect on the sides.
Now, for some general, broad-daylight shots:




^{Levi's was on sale - but I had no size}
I particularly like that last shot: the colours are so vivid and the entire scene was crisp and clear. On the second snap, the sunlight and shadows were captured with very good detail.
Some zoom shots:

^{I just stalked what I called the 'overlooker' of Union Square}
No 10x zoom on a smartphone is absolutely perfect (yet), but the S10+ gives a really decent outcome; at closer look, there will be more smudges the more you zoom in.
Samsung has touted the S10 series' stabilisation as sturdier than its predecessor, and I can say they've done a pretty decent job in walking that talk.
Meanwhile, back in Dubai, we tried the snapper while wandering outdoors at about 11PM:


^Caption
These two shots were taken in dark conditions, but the S10+'s cameras were able to light it up as if there were actual factors lighting it up. Looking at it closely though reveals smudges.
This next one's nice:

^{Who likes late-night grocery shopping?}
This isn't exactly what you can call a colourful picture, but I like the resulting detail (with the help of some lamp posts). The blackness in the sky is great as you go higher in the photo.


^{Fresh versus plastic: what you got?}
Despite the bright yellow light above, the actual colours and quality of the rest of the shot - especially the flowers - don't get distorted. You may also notice that the part of the neon sign captured in the second pic is nice; however, if you take the entire sign, you'll have to deal with glare that you may not be able to make out what's written.
Now, let's play around with the depth sensor, which offers some neat Live Shot tricks:

^{This sunflower has been in the newsroom for a looooong time now}
Here's one more to drive home the point:

^{KT loves plants}
This time around, however, the camera is sensing multiple subjects; in this case, two plants, so that's where it's focusing its magic on. The thing with this is that it won't be perfect.
And guess what, the same tricks are also found in the front camera:

^{Uhm, hi (again)?}

That's what the dual-lens front camera can do, composed of 10MP dual-pixel and 8MP depth camera. Only on the S10+, folks: 

^{For some reason, I like the punch-hole on the right}

A parting shot (pun intended) on the camera: the main snapper also has what's called shot suggestion. For example, if its AI detects that a scene isn't lined-up properly, it'll show a line in the middle (an equilibrium point for all the nerds out there) to guide you how to angle your shot off. Once it's all levelled up, it'll automatically snap the shot for you.
And so...
Pound-for-pound, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is, expectedly, a great device. It has bumped up a number of specs several notches up, while managing to slap in some first-on-smartphone features. Its sleek profile combined with its power make it a great combination for those in the hunt to switch to a new phone.
What's bothering, however, is the steep rise in its prices. The 128GB version of the Galaxy S9+ from last year clocked in at Dh3,599. Though the increments toward the 1TB version are understandable from a technical point of view, I didn't expect the price tags to be this high. If there's any assuring factor, however, it's what Samsung Gulf says that most pre-orders were for the 512GB and 1TB models. That apparently means people are willing to spend at this point; it'll be interesting to see if this can be sustained over time when the devices hit shelves.
And if Samsung insists that this is 'only the beginning', then we have a message for them: we're looking forward to the Galaxy S10 5G and, most especially, the Galaxy Fold. Of course, those two are only for now, given the fact that they've promised 'more surprises' in 2019.
GOODIES - Excellent camera, great battery, very light build
GOOFIES - Low-light shots can get smudgy, fingerprint sensor a bit inconsistent, huge price hike
EDITOR RATING: 4.5/5
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Mobiles