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Google Fi Reminds Us, The Galaxy S10 Does Work On Its Network

Google Fi Reminds Us, The Galaxy S10 Does Work On Its Network

By Daniel Golightly
February 20, 2019

The social media aficionados at Google Fi have taken to Twitter to reveal via an emoji-laden post that Samsung’s brand new Galaxy S10 devices will be compatible with the phone service when they land. One noteworthy caveat with the announcement is that Google appears to imply that it won’t actually be offering the gadgets themselves. That means users will need to purchase an unlocked variant or buy the device outright through another carrier to bring over to Google Fi.

The carrier also hasn’t provided details about just how compatible the new handsets will be. For instance, it isn’t yet clear whether the devices will be compatible with Google Fi’s incoming RCS texting features. It seems unlikely, given just how advanced Samsung’s latest flagships are, that the feature wouldn’t be supported but no confirmation has been provided yet. For now, the feature is only known to be supported via Google’s own Messages app.

The new Galaxy lineup

In total, there are four new Samsung Galaxy S10 devices headed to market. Those include the Samsung Galaxy S10e, starting at $749.99 in the US, in addition to the Samsung Galaxy S10 for $899.99 and Galaxy S10+ at $999.99. The fourth gadget, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G hasn’t been given a price point just yet.

All of the new devices will feature a new display technology Samsung calls Dynamic AMOLED and each will have a 6GB and 8GB RAM available. The larger Samsung Galaxy S10+ will tack on an additional 12GB version while the 5G model will only be available in an 8GB configuration.

For storage to back up the memory, the Samsung Galaxy S10e will come with either 128GB or 256GB and the Samsung Galaxy S10 models will pack in either 128GB or 512GB. Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ will feature 128GB, 256GB, and 1TB storage options to match the RAM variances. The Galaxy S10 5G won’t have expandable storage like its counterparts and will only feature 256GB of storage.

The new Galaxy S10 devices also differ in screen size and camera layouts. Starting at the “budget” end of the spectrum, the Samsung Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10 will both be available in Black, Blue, Pink, and White. The smaller handset will ship with a 5.8-inch flat panel compared to the Galaxy S10’s 6.1-inch curved panel but each will feature a single display hole at the front for a selfie-snapper.

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ comes with a 6.4-inch QHD+ curved Dynamic AMOLED display and the Galaxy S10 5G pushes that further still to a similarly specced 6.7-inch panel. Both devices will have a dual-selfie camera array but the largest of the two will pack a 3D depth sensor in place of an RGB sensor.

Rear camera arrays are similarly dizzying in variety, with the Samsung Galaxy S10e only featuring two snappers — a 12-megapixel and 16-megapixel array. The Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ both add a third sensor to that, with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens in addition to the standard variable aperture lens and ‘ultra-wide’ angle lens found on its siblings. As with the front-facing cameras, the 5G variant of the Samsung Galaxy S10 packs a fourth sensor in the form of a rear-facing 3D depth sensor.

Providing power to the handsets are four differently sized batteries as well. In the Samsung Galaxy S10e, the company has included a 3,100mAh unit, compared to the 3,500mAh and 4,100mAh battery found in the Galaxy S10 and S10+, respectively. The Galaxy S10 5G has 4,500mAh power supply to assist in driving the energy-hungry 5G radio.

Not surprised

Google only announced official support for third-party smartphones as recently as November. However, the addition of Samsung’s new devices is hardly surprising since the only real requirement for compatibility is that a gadget needs to support network bands across GSM, CDMA, and LTE.

Of Samsung’s new devices specifically, the Galaxy S10 5G may turn out to be the only device that isn’t supported on Google Fi. For now, the OEM has only revealed that the handset will be a timed exclusive through Verizon in support of that carriers still somewhat limited 5G rollout. That will remain the case for the first half of 2019, although the top-tier flagship should work with Google Fi after that point.