Samsung is the undoubted king of the high end Android smartphone market, with its Galaxy S line-up regularly re-writing the rules as to what a modern mobile should deliver to users. This year, the Galaxy S10 is the South Korean firm’s flagship, with the Plus version of this device arguably making the biggest splash thanks to its impressive list of hardware.
Now that the S10 Plus has finally arrived, it is a great time to look into what it has to offer and to determine whether or not it is a worthwhile upgrade for fans of high-end handsets.
Component Confusion
One of the slightly vexing aspects of the S10 Plus’ feature set is that it actually varies according to the price you are willing to pay. Even the cheapest version is costly, coming in at around £899 without a SIM in the UK, so getting cheap phone insurance to avoid even greater expense in the event of damage occurring is vital.
The base model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which a year or two ago would have put it at the top of the pile. Today, Samsung is clearly convinced that its customers will not be satisfied unless there is even more hardware on hand, which is why the range-topping example of the S10 Plus sports a huge 12GB of RAM and an incredible one terabyte of storage space.
In an age when cloud storage is so widely used by most consumers, the idea of paying for this much room on a mobile for personal data might seem debateable. Whether or not that is the case, the S10 Plus is pushing the envelope nevertheless.
Display Details
The most impressive party trick of this new device is arguably its screen, which is not only 6.4 inches across the diagonal but also manages to stretch right to the edges of the device on all sides. A minimal amount of visible bezel is achieved through a few clever tricks. The front-facing cameras are integrated with the display, as is a fingerprint scanner that sits invisibly beneath its surface.
The maximum resolution of the screen is 1440×3040, which is another noteworthy feature, although running it at this setting for long periods will result in reduced battery life. A more efficient 1080×2280 setting is available for users who want more time with their phone between charges.
Camera Capabilities
Aside from the pair of front-facing cameras, which have 10 megapixel and 8 megapixel sensors respectively, the primary array of lenses on the rear of the phone consists of three different options. The first has a 12 megapixel sensor and is designed for standard snaps. The second has the same pixel count, but is intended for long distance shots, while the third is a 16 megapixel camera with a lens designed to take ultra-wide images.
Making sure that you have mobile phone insurance when you buy the Galaxy S10 will mean that if there is an issue with these cameras that falls outside of the warranty, you will still be covered for repairs or replacement. This incredibly complex assembly could well suffer a fault at some point, which is why the best gadget insurance will be a good ally to have in your corner.
In all, the S10 Plus is another world-beating device on paper, but with its higher price point and arguably excessive RAM and storage, it could alienate some buyers.