Samsung is set to announce 3 new ‘flagship devices on the 20th February, but what can we expect from them in a smartphone market slowly being dominated by value-for-money Chinese brands?
What devices can we expect?
Much like Apple’s iPhone announcement in September, Samsung will almost certainly announce 3 new devices on the 20th. Following from the S9, nothing is more certain than a Galaxy S10, a similar sized super-powered smartphone much like its predecessors, the S8 and S9, but with a whole new design (but we’ll get onto that later). Similarly, Samsung will also announce a plus-sized version, the S10+, and much like Apples iPhone XR, a cheaper ‘lite’ version called the Galaxy S10e.
What notch?
Possibly the most exciting feature on the new devices is the distinct, lack-of notch. Last year, Samsung too aim at the love-it-or-hate-it design of Apple’s iPhone X, that features a distinct ‘notch’ to house the front-facing camera/microphone etc. This cut a proportion of the screen out which left some people unimpressed. Samsung released an advert blatantly mocking the design in a probable attempt to lure customers away from Apple to embrace its own. As a marketer, I don’t usually like campaigns that attempt to reduce another brands image, but this was quite funny.
The new Samsung S10’s will have no notch, thinner bezels at the top that we think will house the front-facing speaker only, which leaves the front-facing camera to be housed on-screen. That’s right, the camera will be a few millimetres below the top bezel, off to the right (as displayed in the picture).
This is where the noticeable difference between the S10 and the S10+ become apparent. The S10+ appears to have a dual front camera setup whilst the S10 and S10e only have the single camera.
How many cameras are there?
There’s a bit of speculation around this. We are lead to believe the S10 and S10+ both have 4 rear cameras, or 3 with the flash. An earlier ‘leak’ showed one with only 3 slots total, which we now believe is a dual camera with flash for the S10e.
How do they unlock?
Again the S10 and S10+ will have an additional feature to the S10e, an all-new in-screen fingerprint scanner! Although not the first company to achieve the feat, it’s seriously impressive integrating it into an OLED screen, and they still keep bragging rights over Apple. Apparently all 3 devices will also feature Samsungs 3D face scanner.
How much will they cost?
Apple have received a lot of criticism for increasing the price of their handsets year on year, and although Samsung will want to avoid the same criticism, we really don’t see how they can maintain/decrease prices across new products that are supposedly better – the next generation. The S10+ will obviously be the most expensive, with various rumours suggesting between £899-£1059 for a basic model, depending really on what more is has to offer on the S10, which should go for £799-£899. The S10e is certainly the ‘budget-friendly’ device which could be as low as £599-£699.
What else can we expect from the new devices?
• Extended battery life due to more powerful and more efficient performance.
• Faster wireless charging capabilities.
• A headphone jack.
• 5G capabilities (we’re not sure yet if Samsung will sell some with 5G capability at a higher price).
What can we know for sure?
QDOS will be releasing a range of cases and screen protectors to keep your brand new devices safe from day 1. Keep your eye on the website over the coming weeks to find out what’s in store.
OptiGuard Glass Curve Black for Galaxy S10. Available to pre-order now.
OptiGuard Glass Curve Black for Galaxy S10+. Available to pre-order now.
OptiGuard Glass Curve Black for Galaxy S10e. Available to pre-order now.