Samsung’s entry level device on the S10 iteration has mostly what consumers will perceive as positive stuff as well as unexpected nasty surprises that we’d hoped the company not to enforce in its cost cutting endeavor. The tenth anniversary devices on the Galaxy S series are scheduled for official launch on Wednesday 20th February; however, thanks to the massive leaks, we now know quite enough to put everything in perspective and shed some light on just who’s this phone for. As expected, being the device with least number of executive features, we don’t expect the Galaxy S10e to be priced in the same league as its two senior siblings – galaxy S10 and S10 plus.
We’ve learnt to appreciate just how much influence Apple has on the rest of handset makers who often break away from their norms and traditions to embrace the so called “world expectations”. Samsung was clever enough not to fall for the becomingly popular notch generation but it’s implementation of an almost all screen display is still eliciting mixed reactions. Some have gone to the extend as compliment Apple’s viewpoint considering the rest unrealistic and gimmicky. On the other hand, Samsung’s decision to unveil a total of three devices consisting of a larger Galaxy S10 Plus, a mainstream Galaxy S10 and a cheaper Galaxy S10e led us to believe it followed in the exact footsteps of Apple when it unveiled the iPhone XS plus, iPhone XS and iPhone XR.
Whether the Galaxy S10e will attract just as much attention we witnessed on the iPhone XR remains everyone’s guess, but we have just enough details to have you reliably informed before deciding to go the S10e way. This year’s Galaxy S lineup shares an awful lot of features that making that decision may trickle down to your financial muscle rather than what this has or missing compared to the rest. We have therefore isolated the most impactful features that could easily sway your decision if price is not a factor. If you’re looking for a mid-range device that’s readily available in Kenya, we strongly suggest you consider Huawei Y7 Prime.
Here is what you need to know before buying the Galaxy S10e; differences from S10 and S10 Plus
- Fingerprint sensor embedded inside the power button rather than under the screen. We appreciate Samsung’s initiative to have the fingerprint sensor placed somewhere else rather than the back. I’ve always thought Apple’s placement of the sensor on its legacy devices was more practical than having it at the back. However, we are more thrilled to have the sensors under the screen on the S10 and S10 Plus which is not the same case for the Samsung Galaxy S10e. if you consider buying the lower end version of the S10 series, then be ready to live with a fingerprint sensor on the power button and leave all the bragging rights to those with its senior siblings.
- Design and Size. While all the S10 series come equipped with an AMOLED HDR+ displays – thank you Samsung, expect a slightly smaller 5.8inch with 2280 x 1080 pixels (438 ppi) panel on the S10e, the S10 and S10 Plus come with 6.1-inch 3040 x 1440 pixels (550 ppi) and 6.3-inch 3040 x 1440 pixels (522 ppi) consecutively. The Samsung Galaxy S10e is also slightly thicker at 7.9mm compared to the other siblings which are a tad slimmer at 7.8mm.
- Colors: (S10e) – Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Black, Canary Yellow. (S10) – Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Black and (S10 Plus) – Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Black as well as Ceramic Black and White for 12GB RAM models
- Performance and Storage. We don’t expect much difference on performance as all the series are equipped with Exynos 9820 chip and a variation of 6GB or 8GB RAM except for the 10S Plus which includes a variant with 12GB RAM. Internal storage varies from 128 GB to 1TB.
- Cameras: all these devices come with a 12MP and 16MP ultra wide-angle lens back cameras, except for the selfie camera which is equipped with a 12MP sensor on the senior siblings a 10MP selfie camera on the 10e.
That’s a pretty exhaustive list but you can still head over to GSMArena for detailed specs and features that might come in handy to making that choice you’d rather not regret later on.