While Samsung usually released two variants of its flagship phones, this time around, it has released three: the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+. So between the three, which one should you purchase and is right for you? Confused? Read our guide to find out.
Internally, all three Galaxy S10 variants pack the same set of chips. They primarily differ in their camera specs, display size, and battery capacity. And that makes a world of a difference depending on your workload.
Galaxy S10e vs Galaxy S10 vs Galaxy S10+: Which One to Buy?
Who Should Buy the Galaxy S10e
The Galaxy S10e is the newest entrant to Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup. The Korean company has taken a cue from Apple’s iPhone XR for the S10e. While the Galaxy S10e shares the same internals as the Galaxy S10, it lacks all the other frills offered by it.
The S10e packs a 5.8-inch FHD+ Infinity-O Super AMOLED display, an Exynos 9820/Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. Compared to the Galaxy S10 and S10+, it lacks a triple camera setup at the rear and instead only features a dual-camera setup — a 12MP primary f/1.5 aperture shooter and a 16MP f/2.2 super wide-angle shooter.
Unlike previous Samsung flagships, the Galaxy S10e features a flat AMOLED panel. While curved AMOLED panels don’t add much in terms of usability or experience, the lack of it does slightly take away the premium feel from the Galaxy S10e. Plus, the slightly larger bezels surrounding the display don’t help things either.
To keep its price in check, the Galaxy S10e also does away with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and instead features a traditional fingerprint scanner located on its side.
These compromises mean the Galaxy S10e is ideally for someone who is not willing to spend $900 on the regular Galaxy S10 but still wants the same experience as it. The lack of a third telephoto camera sensor at the rear is not a big omission and most people are not going to notice the lower-resolution FHD+ display as well.
However, the smaller display size means the Galaxy S10e comes with a relatively modest 3,100mAh battery. This means if you are a power user, the S10e is definitely not for you as it will struggle to make it through a day of heavy use. And that’s going to be a deal breaker for many.
Who Should Buy the Galaxy S10
Compared to the Galaxy S10e, the Galaxy S10 comes with a bigger 6.1-inch QHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a triple-camera setup.
If you are a heavy multitasker, the extra screen real estate offered by the Galaxy S10 will come in handy. Since the screen is curved, the increase in display area will not affect the phone’s one-hand use in any way. The in-display fingerprint scanner is a cool show-off feature and does not really add much value in terms of user experience.
There’s also a third telephoto sensor at the rear which offers 2x optical zoom. If you click a lot of photos, the 2x zoom can come in handy, though it does not really take outstanding pictures.
Overall, the bigger screen and the bigger battery (3,400mAh) make the Galaxy S10 worth a buy over the Galaxy S10e. Among the three Galaxy S10 variants, it is regular Galaxy S10 which offers the most value for money in my opinion. At $899, its expensive for sure, but that blow will be softened by the various pre-order and launch day goodies offered by Samsung and other retailers.
Who Should Buy the Galaxy S10+
The Galaxy S10+ is meant for pro users, ones who want the best and nothing else. It comes with a 6.3-inch QHD+ display and offers all-day battery life thanks to its 4,100mAh battery.
Apart from the bigger display and battery, the Galaxy S10+ also comes with a second camera at the front. The 8MP f/2.2 shooter complements the 10MP f/1.9 shooter and it is used to capture depth information for portrait photos taken from the front camera.
Until and unless you really want the better battery life offered by the Galaxy S10+, the regular Galaxy S10 is going to serve you just fine. The 8MP front camera while useful is not worth the extra moolah. Meant for the pros, its not surprising then that the Galaxy S10+ also carries an equally hefty $999 price tag, though Samsung is bundling Galaxy Buds in some markets with the pre-order which sweetens the deal to a great extent.
So which Galaxy S10 variant are you planning to buy? The Galaxy S10e, the Galaxy S10, or the Galaxy S10+? Or are you going to save up for the Galaxy Fold?
