Three Galaxy S10 smartphones have just surfaced in Russia, as they’ve been certified by the Russian Roasccredit agency, which is similar to the FCC in the US. In any case, the three phones in mentions are the SM-G975F, SM-G975F/DS (dual SIM), and SM-G975X. Based on the model numbers, these are the Galaxy S10 variants, the first two seem to be identical, save for the fact that the second one comes with two SIM card slots, while the third model number belongs to a different Galaxy S10 unit. Chances are we will see plenty more of such certifications moving forward, as not only will the Galaxy S10 units pass through certification sites in many countries, but Samsung is expected to announce three or four Galaxy S10 units in early 2019, so there are plenty model numbers to go around. The Galaxy S10 rumors have been popping up like crazy over the last couple of weeks, and we’ll try to sum them up down below.
Background: Samsung is expected to announce three or four Galaxy S10 units, depending on which rumor you end up believing, One rumor claims that we’ll get regular Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ smartphones, in addition to the 5G-enabled premium Galaxy S10, while other rumors say in addition to all that, we’ll also get a compact, “budget” Galaxy S10 unit, even though that “budget” model may end up being the regular Galaxy S10 smartphone. In any case, a report that popped up earlier today claims that the 5G-enabled Galaxy S10 will sport a ceramic back, and a 6.7-inch display, so that will probably be the largest Galaxy S10 variant that Samsung will announce next year. In addition to that, that device is expected to pack in 12GB of RAM, if the rumor is to be believed, in addition to 1TB of storage. Based on those specs, and info, the 5G-enabled Galaxy S10 will not only be the most expensive Galaxy S10 smartphone next year, but probably the most expensive smartphone in the Galaxy S series in general. One more piece of info regarding the 5G-enabled Galaxy S10 surfaced a while back, claiming that the phone will include six cameras, four on the back, and one on the front, while an in-display fingerprint scanner was also mentioned.
The Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are expected to ship with 5.8-inch and 6.4-inch displays, just like their predecessors, and rumors are claiming that neither of these phones will sport as many cameras as the 5G-enabled Galaxy S10. If rumors are to be believed, the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ will either both sport three cameras on the back, or we’ll see three cameras on the back of the Galaxy S10+, and two cameras on the back of the Galaxy S10, in any case, it seems like a single camera Galaxy S10 unit is not in Samsung’s plans, unless the company opts to release that compact, “budget” Galaxy S10 smartphone, and make it considerably more affordable than the rest of the pack. All Galaxy S10 smartphones will ship with the same SoC, well, SoCs, depending on the region. In the US and China, you can expect to see the upcoming Snapdragon flagship processor to fuel the Galaxy S10, the Snapdragon 8150 or 855, depending on which name Samsung opts for. In Europe and India, on the other hand, the Galaxy S10 will ship with the all-new flagship processor by Samsung, the Exynos 9820, which got announced quite recently.
As far as the design is concerned, most Galaxy S10 units will be made out of metal and glass, save for the 5G-enabled Galaxy S10 smartphone, which will arrive with a metal frame and a ceramic back. All Galaxy S10 units are expected to sport the same looks, though, even though they may ship with a different number of cameras on the back, and will be different in terms of size, of course. All Galaxy S10 units are rumored to ship with no bezels, but all of them will include a display camera hole, if rumors are to be believed. Samsung had patented a number of designs which include display camera holes, and even though the Galaxy S10 is rumored to sport a display camera hole, chances are it will not be the first Samsung-branded phone to sport such a design. The Galaxy A8s is expected to launch soon with a display camera hole design, though that phone will probably sport thicker bezels than the Galaxy S10, as the Galaxy S10 is expected to have no bezel around the display. This seems to be Samsung’s way to avoid the display notch, whether you like it or not. All Galaxy S10 units will ship with Android 9 Pie out of the box, while Samsung’s all-new One UI skin will be included on top of Google’s operating system. Samsung’s very own Super AMOLED displays will be used in all Galaxy S10 units, and chances are that all variants of the Galaxy S10 will support wireless charging as well, and be IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Impact: The Galaxy S10 models are expected to arrive in early 2019, which probably means that we’ll see them launched at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, in February, at least if their predecessors are any indication. The Galaxy S10 is rumored to sport a display camera hole instead of a display notch, which will make it possible for Samsung to trim down bezels completely, basically, though some would argue that a display camera hole is just as bad as a display notch, if not worse. No matter how small that hole ends up being, a camera needs to fit inside of it, and that is something that will poke your eye while you’re using the phone, some would say it’s even worse than a notch as it’s not connected to the frame, so instead of having something trying to creep its way into the display from the top, this way you get a camera which is in the display, and that is more or less equal to a number of dead pixels on that spot, as you cannot use that screen real estate for anything, of course. There’s still a chance that the Galaxy S10 will not sport a display camera hole, but… rumors are pointing to the opposite.