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'Gaming phones' are just flagship phones now
The specs on Samsung's Galaxy S10+ are bonkers. This baby has up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage, with the option to add 512GB more via microSD and a vapor-chamber cooling system a lot like the one in the Xbox One X. Samsung is talking up the S10+'s Adreno 640 GPU and Infinity-O display, and it's happily comparing the new phone to a laptop in marketing materials.
The problem with the Galaxy Fold
Take a look at the Galaxy Fold's 68 official images on Samsung's press site, and see if you can work out what's missing. Or watch the promotional clip and tell me what you find odd about it. No, I'm not talking about how weird that tiny outside screen is. Instead, it's the thing Samsung went to painstaking lengths to avoid talking about at is "Unpacked" keynote yesterday. It's an issue facing all folding phones, really: the fold gap.
Samsung's Galaxy S10 provides a sneak peek at WiFi's future
Samsung's Galaxy S10 and S10+ have a lot going for them; their luscious OLED displays, the in-screen fingerprint reader, and they each have three rear-facing camera lenses. Another interesting feature on both these phones (as well as on the lower-end S10e), is the support for WiFi 6, the very latest in WiFi standards. In fact, Samsung claims that the S10 series of handsets will be the first-ever to adopt WiFi 6. I had a chance to test this out following the Galaxy Unpacked event earlier today, and though there are a few significant caveats, I did think it was a lot faster than I expected. To recap, WiFi 6 is another way of saying 802.11ax, and will be the WiFi standard of the not-too-distant future. It promises over 10Gbps speeds under ideal conditions, but more importantly, it will supposedly allow double the amount of data streams, which will help limit congestion. That means more simultaneous 4K streams, gaming and file-downloading than ever before. It also promises something called Target Wakeup Time, which will apparently extend the battery life of devices like smart thermostats and locks by avoiding frequent device wake calls. In short, WiFi 6 is for the home of the future. Following the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, I noticed that several S10s in the demo area were connected to a WiFi 6 network; there's a tiny number 6 on the top right of the WiFi symbol to indicate this. There were well over a hundred different S10s at the event, and I can't be certain that they were all hooked up to the same WiFi router, but a vast majority of them did have a WiFi 6 symbol. I ran a speed test on a handful of these phones (I used the browser and loaded fast.com), and found that most of them had speeds of 76Mbps. No, that's not really a blockbuster speed, but based on my experience, that's still a lot better than the WiFi speeds at most large-scale events. I went ahead and changed the WiFi network on some of them to a separate WiFi SSID at the event (it was the SSID meant for press and attendees), and saw that the 6 symbol was no longer there, which tells me that this particular WiFi network did not support WiFi 6. Then I ran the speed test again, and it was much slower; around 6Mbps (I also ran the same speed test using my iPhone XS -- pictured above -- on the aforementioned event WiFi network, and it was around the same speeds). There are too many variables to really say one is definitively better than the other -- there's no telling how many devices were connected to each network, and I don't know if the routers were in the same room or what their settings were. Plus obviously this was in a relatively controlled environment, and Samsung probably made sure the WiFi speeds for the S10 demo phones were better than average. But considering that most event WiFi speeds are very dire -- certainly closer to the 6Mbps end of things -- I was still fairly impressed to see the WiFi 6 phones clock in at that aforementioned 76Mbps. This doesn't mean you need to go out and get the S10 immediately if you want a WiFi 6 phone. For one thing, WiFi 6 isn't widely available right now; there aren't that many WiFi 6 routers on the market, and they're pretty pricey at around $300 or more each. Plus, there will most definitely be more WiFi 6 phones in the future; the S10 is just the first out the gate. But, if you're in the market for a new phone, and you want one that's pretty future-proof, then the S10 might not be a bad idea.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active hands-on: Ready for the gym
Samsung's updated watch is a stripped-down version of what came before it. Amid all the four (four?!) new phones Samsung paraded out at its Unpacked event, the Galaxy Watch Active is Samsung's newest smartwatch, with a design that feels less aggressive, not to mention less chunky.
Samsung’s 2019 ‘Unpacked’ event by the numbers
Welp, that's 90 minutes we're never getting back. In a lackluster announcement event held in San Francisco on Wednesday, Samsung execs stumbled their way through repeated applause breaks to tell the world about the company's newest needless mobile device: the Samsung Fold -- a phone that expands into a tablet and costs more than a phone and tablet put together. The company also unveiled new additions to its Galaxy S line, some derivative wireless earbuds and a wearable fitness tracker. Sorry, Galaxy Home fans, you're going to have to wait until at least April for updates.
The S10 has a Bixby button, but it can be remapped to open any app
Samsung's newest, shiniest phones, the Galaxy S10 line, come with a Bixby button just like the company's previous devices, but this time around, there's a twist: The key is completely customizable. S10 owners can remap the Bixby button to open any app with a single or double press, according to The Verge.
The biggest news from Samsung's Galaxy S10 event
Samsung's 2019 Galaxy Unpacked event was... well, packed. Excuse the cheeky wordplay, but the company introduced four variants of the Galaxy S10 smartphone today. And that's not to mention the wild, aspirational and incredibly expensive Galaxy Fold, plus some new wearable products to boot. There's a lot to break down among the bevy of announcements, so join us as we tackle the most important news from Samsung's big day.
Samsung's Galaxy S10e isn't the start of a cheaper flagship revolution
The Galaxy S10e is one of the more interesting announcements to come out of Samsung's Unpacked event. Not that it was a surprise, with rumors as far back as October signaling its existence. Nor is it actually that unexpected. Product prices are inflating, sales are slowing down and meaningful innovations are few and far between. But none of this is news. The most notable thing about the S10e is Samsung's acknowledgment that it's once again time to mix things up -- that the S10 and S10+ won't meet everyone's needs.
Galaxy S10+ vs. the competition: The cameras are just the beginning
The S10+ isn't pushing any boundaries with the size of its 6.4-inch display: However, it is the company's first dynamic AMOLED screen. And it really stands out with its new triple rear camera setup. However, that's not all that distinguishes Samsung's new large handset in 2019. Check out the table below to see how the S10+ stands up against its closest competition like the Pixel 3XL and iPhone XS Max. And don't forget to check back in a few weeks for our full review of the S10 and S10+, when we'll look at more than just the numbers.
Galaxy S10 vs. the competition: Three is the magic number
Samsung's Galaxy S10 is here and it sits in a rather odd place — it's actually in the middle of four siblings announced today. But it still boasts the same three-camera setup as the larger S10+ and S10 5G. With a 6.1-inch screen it cuts an imposing figure next to other flagships, and that's not the only place where it seems to pull ahead. Check out the table below to see how Samsung's newest release stacks up against the stellar Pixel 3 and iPhone XS, and check back in a few weeks for our full review.
Samsung's new smartwatch is focused on fitness
At Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, the tech giant announced a new smartwatch designed for those who maintain active lifestyles. The Galaxy Watch Active, an update to the company's flagship Galaxy Watch smartwatch, adds new fitness tracking features including the ability to monitor blood pressure and stress levels. Samsung also introduced a fitness tracker called the Galaxy Fit.
The Galaxy S10 has a dedicated Instagram photo mode
Samsung's Galaxy S10 phones have a whole bunch of cameras, so what better what to make use of them than by quickly sharing your selfies to Instagram? The camera app has a built-in Instagram mode which lets you slap stickers and music on your photos, and share them to your Stories directly. You can also add hashtags, text or use Instagram's editing tools to soup up your fire selfies without having to open up the Instagram app.
Bixby Routines promise to turn the S10 into a precog
Samsung's AI assistant, Bixby, is getting an update on the shiny-new Galaxy S10 with Bixby Routines, a feature that learns your habits to preemptively launch apps or settings when you're most likely to need them. For instance, getting into your car could automatically trigger Spotify or turn on Do Not Disturb mode, while heading to bed could boot up battery-saving modes. Or, users can program routines manually.
The Galaxy S10 will get its own version of Adobe Premiere Rush
Samsung is making a big play for video creators who don't want the friction of having to go back to their computers to edit their clips. At the company's Galaxy S10 event, the company announced that a custom version of Adobe's Premiere Rush will be coming to the handset later this year.
Samsung's more affordable Galaxy S10e will cost $750
If you like the Galaxy S10 but find the two standard models to be overkill, you're in luck. Samsung has unveiled its rumored Galaxy S10e, delivering most of the regular S10's features in a more affordable package. You'll have a smaller 5.8-inch display, 'just' two rear cameras (more on those in a bit) and a more conventional fingerprint reader, but it's otherwise as fast and eye-catching as its brawnier counterparts. Effectively, it's an iPhone XR for Samsung fans.
The Galaxy S10 features Samsung's first dynamic AMOLED screen
As this story breaks, Samsung is in the midst of unveiling its latest flagship phones, the Galaxy S10 and S10+. (Plus that foldable phone you may have heard about.) Since we saw the phone ahead of the event, we have hands-on impressions already on the site, but given that we are Engadget, we thought it was worth taking a minute to talk about the screen tech specifically. This is the company's first phone with a dynamic OLED panel -- technology that Samsung's marketing department is referring to as "Infinity O AMOLED." We're looking at an HDR10+ screen that uses "dynamic tone mapping" to improve the contrast, keep details visible even in dark spots and optimize colors when you're say, watching a movie. Unrelated to that, the screen also reduces blue light by 42 percent in an effort to minimize eye strain. That's not a special night mode, mind you, but the default experience.
Samsung's Galaxy S10 and S10+ arrive on March 8th starting at $900
To the surprise of literally no one, Samsung just announced the Galaxy S10 and S10+, the company's latest pair of flagship smartphones. While last year's S9 was a rather iterative update, the Galaxy S10 series is notably different than what we've seen the last two years. As we've seen in a host of leaks over the last few months, the S10 series sports a cut-out in the screen for the front-facing camera, rather than the notch that Apple and so many other manufacturers have used. A commercial that hit the internet the other day basically confirmed the three cameras on the back, with two more up front on the larger S10+ (the smaller S10 only has one front-facing shooter). That extra second camera is for improved depth-sensing for selfies; it doesn't actually shoot pictures.
Samsung’s Galaxy S10 goes wide with a third camera lens
Following Huawei's lead with the Mate 20 Pro, Samsung has introduced a third piece of glass for its new Galaxy S10. The additional wide angle lens should make short work of landscapes and large group shots.
Samsung's first 5G phone is a higher-spec Galaxy S10
Samsung has revealed its first flagship 5G phone as part of its Galaxy S10 lineup and it turns out a November report about the device was pretty accurate. With a 6.7-inch, 505ppi AMOLED Infinity-O display, it's the largest of the Galaxy S10 lineup. It measures 77.1 x 162.6 x 7.94 mm, so it's a little taller, thicker and wider than the three other models. The S10 5G weighs 198 grams -- 23g more than the standard S10+, but the same as that device's ceramic variant.
Samsung Galaxy S10e hands-on: High-end, but not too high
Right around this time every year, Samsung releases a pair of glamorous, high-end Galaxy devices, meant in part to set the smartphone standard for months to come. For four years now, this has been about as concrete a smartphone tradition as you'd find. Of course, some traditions don't last forever. There's the whole change-of-scenery thing going on for this announcement, but this year, Samsung's Galaxy has grown a little bigger and a little smaller. Meet the Galaxy S10e.
