Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+ vs Galaxy S9, S9+: Here’s what’s new

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series is finally here. The new series features three smartphones including an affordable Galaxy S10e. Here’s how the new Galaxy S10 compares with the last year’s Galaxy S9.

Samsung Electronics Co. S10, from left, S10 5G, S10+ and S10e smartphones are arranged for a photograph ahead of the Samsung Unpacked product launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Samsung debuted its most extensive new lineup of smartphones, taking on Apple Inc. amid a slowing market with new low-end and premium models, 3-D cameras, an in-screen fingerprint scanner and faster 5G connectivity. (Bloomberg)

Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S10 series made its debut today. As expected, Samsung launched three new premium smartphones, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e.

Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ come with major upgrades compared to the predecessor, Galaxy S9 series. Visible changes include a new design, new camera module and absence of a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The smartphones also come with incremental specifications upgrades under the hood.

Design and display

Samsung's new Galaxy S series has received a major facelift with no notch but a punch-hole camera, courtesy new Infinity-O display. Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ feature a 6.1-inch and 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display respectively. Galaxy S10 features the familiar curved edge display.

Samsung Galaxy S10 features Infinity O Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display. (Bloomberg)

Samsung Galaxy S10 features Infinity O Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display. (Bloomberg)

Last year's Galaxy S9 series comes in 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch AMOLED Infinity display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The rear cameras are now placed horizontally as opposed to the vertical alignment on the Galaxy S9. The fingerprint sensor is also replaced with the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+.

Performance

Galaxy S10 phones run on the latest Exynos 9820 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processors. Samsung has bumped up the storage to 512GB on the Galaxy S10. The bigger Galaxy S10+ also comes with the highest ever 1TB of in-built storage. Samsung Galaxy S9 series runs the older Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 processors.

Samsung Galaxy S10 series runs on the new Exynos9820 and Snapdragon 855 chipset. (Bloomberg)

Samsung Galaxy S10 series runs on the new Exynos9820 and Snapdragon 855 chipset. (Bloomberg)

Battery capacity has also been increased to 3,400mAh on the Galaxy S10 and 4,100mAh on the Galaxy S10+. The new phones also feature 'wireless power share' and fast wireless charging 2.0. In comparison, the Galaxy S9+ comes with a 3,500mAh battery with support for wireless charging.

Camera

Samsung has added more sensors on the Galaxy S10 series. At the rear, Galaxy S10 and S10+ feature a triple-camera setup of 12-megapixel (f/2.4) telephoto lens, 12-megapixel (f/1.5) wide-angle and 16-megapixel ultra-wide (f/2.2) cameras. For selfies, Galaxy S10 has a 10-megapixel (f/1.9) front camera.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S10 camera upgrades. (Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S10 camera upgrades. (Samsung)

Galaxy S10+ offers a dual-camera setup up front featuring 10-megapixel (f/1.9) and 8-megapixel (f/2.2) cameras. The front cameras come with features like live focus, dual pixel, AF, UHD selfie and depth. The smartphones also feature two super slow-mo video recording modes which will create longer slow-motion videos than the Galaxy S9.

On the Galaxy S9+ there's a dual-camera setup which is a combination of 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors. Galaxy S9 sports a single 12-megapixel rear camera. Up front, both smartphones house an 8-megapixel camera for selfies.

Price

Galaxy S10 starts at $899.99 ( ₹64,000 approx,) and $999.99 ( ₹71,000 approx.) for Galaxy S10+. In India, Galaxy S9 starts at ₹57,900 for the base model, while Galaxy S10+ has a higher starting price of ₹64,900.