The OnePlus 7 and Samsung Galaxy S10 are both considered to be flagship-grade phones, but neither of them are the very best the two companies have to offer. The OnePlus 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10+ are considered to be one step above these two phones, even though they share many of their specs and design cues.
Having said that, if you’re looking to save a bit of cash, and would like phones that are a bit smaller than their more powerful siblings, these two devices are definitely worth considering. Both devices are fairly new, and even though they are both made out of metal and glass, there are quite a few differences here.
We’ll compare the two phones in this article, and hopefully make your decision on which to buy a bit easier. Spoiler alert, they’re both really solid devices, so chances are you won’t make a mistake no matter which one to buy… but, they both have their strong suits, so let’s see what’s up. We’ll start with the spec comparison, and go from there, as per usual.
Specifications
Design
As mentioned earlier, both devices are made out of metal and glass, though in-hand feel is considerably different in comparison. The OnePlus 7 is taller, wider, and thicker than the Galaxy S10, and it also has a flat display, compared to a curved one on the Galaxy S10.
The OnePlus 7 is also noticeably heavier than the Galaxy S10, but it does have a larger display, and a taller display aspect ratio. Both devices are extremely slippery, and if you’re not used to using a curved display (especially on a glass phone), getting a case for the Galaxy S10 may be a good idea. Same can be said for the OnePlus 7, even though the phone doesn’t have a curved display, it’s quite slippery and larger than the Galaxy S10, so handling it with one hand is not exactly that easy, unless you have large(r) hands.
Both devices offer a really thin “chin” below the display, and neither of them have an “eyesore” on their panel. In the OnePlus 7’s case, you’re getting a waterdrop notch, while the Galaxy S10 comes with a camera hole located in the top-right corner of the display. Neither of those are great solutions, and it all depends on which one bothers you less.
Rear-facing cameras offer different orientation on these two devices, which makes them quite different on the back, in terms of the design. The Galaxy S10 offers a slightly higher display aspect ratio than the OnePlus 7, if that means anything to you, but they’re both good-looking overall.
We could not really select a winner here, as they’re both quite appealing phones in terms of looks, it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you prefer a display hole over a notch, and would like a smaller and lighter device, get the Galaxy S10, if it’s the other way around, the OnePlus 7 is a better choice design-wise.
Winner: Tie
Display
The OnePlus 7 features a larger display than the Galaxy S10, while both devices include OLED panel. The OnePlus 7 sports a 6.41-inch fullHD+ Optic AMOLED display, while the Galaxy S10 comes with a 6.1-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED curved panel.
The OnePlus 7’s panel is protected by unnamed Gorilla Glass protection, we’re guessing Gorilla Glass 5, at least according to reports. The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, comes with a sheet of Gorilla Glass 6 on top of its display.
Both of these displays are quite sharp, and are well optimized. They deliver deep blacks, great contrast, and the colors are quite punchy. The Galaxy S10’s panel is visibly sharper, though, the difference is not huge to the naked eye, but you can see it if you pay attention. That is not surprising as the Galaxy S10’s display comes with many more pixels, it’s considerably sharper.
Both panels are good enough, and the vast majority of people will not notice the difference, but the Galaxy S10 does offer one of the best displays in the market at the moment, so it’s hard not to select it as a winner of this category.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10
Performance
These are flagship-grade phones, and both of them powerful internals. That doesn’t always need to result in a well-performing device, though, but in this case, it does. Both the OnePlus 7 and Galaxy S10 are flying through anything you throw at them, with ease.
Both devices are fueled by the Snapdragon 855, which is one of the most powerful mobile processors on the market at the moment. The Galaxy S10 also comes in the Exynos 9820 variant in some markets, by the way, which is Samsung’s equivalent of the Snapdragon 855, well, sort of.
No matter which of the two phones you get, you will not face issues at this point in time, but it is worth noting that the OnePlus 7 does a tiny bit better in the performance department. OxygenOS is a lighter implementation of Android compared to Samsung’s One UI, not to mention that the OnePlus 7 has way less pixels to push.
We cannot really tell what will happen over time, but if the past is any indication, the OnePlus 7 will age better as far as performance is concerned, due to its software, and also UFS 3.0 flash storage that OnePlus included (and Samsung did not, in the Galaxy S10). We’ll see what will happen, as Samsung’s software is much better than it used to be before, so who knows. In any case, as things are at the moment, the OnePlus 7 takes this category.
Winner: OnePlus 7
Battery Life
The OnePlus 7 is a clear winner in the battery department. The OnePlus 7’s display comes with a considerably lower resolution than the Galaxy S10’s, even though it’s a bit larger. The OnePlus 7’s OxygenOS software implementation, and its larger battery do shine here, though.
The OnePlus 7 has the same display and battery size as the OnePlus 6T, which was already pretty great in the battery department. Well, the OnePlus 7 takes things a bit further, as it comes with a processor which consumes less battery than the OnePlus 6T’s chip.
The Galaxy S10 is not bad in terms of battery life, not at all, but it’s not good either. Its 3,400mAh unit will get most of you through the day, but if you’re heavy user, chances are you will have to top up during the day.
Speaking of recharging during the day, the OnePlus 7 has an advantage in that department as well, as it offers faster charging than the Galaxy S10. The OnePlus 7 ships with OnePlus’ proprietary 20W fast charging, compared to the Galaxy S10’s 15W charging.
The OnePlus 7 does not include wireless charging nor reverse wireless charging, though, unlike the Galaxy S10, which comes with 15W wireless charging, and 9W reverse wireless charging. All in all, the OnePlus 7 wins this category.
Winner: OnePlus 7
Cameras
These two phones offer considerably different camera setups. The OnePlus 7 comes with two cameras on the back, while the Galaxy S10 offers three. The OnePlus 7’s main includes a 48-megapixel sensor which takes 12-megapixel images by default, while the Galaxy S10’s main camera ships with a 12-megapixel sensor with variable aperture feature.
The Galaxy S10 also includes both telephoto and ultrawide angle cameras on the back, while the OnePlus 7 comes with a secondary depth sensor on its back. During the day, both phones are great in terms of producing images, they have a different approach to contrast, as the Galaxy S10 tends to produce contrastier images, but overall, they’re quite close in terms of sharpness, dynamic range, etc.
In nighttime conditions, though, the Galaxy S10 is a slight step ahead, though. At least based on the software that shipped on both devices. The Galaxy S10 received an update in some regions recently, when nighttime photography is concerned, while the OnePlus 7 will probably get one soon after it starts shipping to consumers (as did the OnePlus 7 Pro).
The Galaxy S10’s night mode (not yet available in the US at the time of writing this article) allows more light to enter the image, compared to Nightscape on the OnePlus 7, but the difference is not that great, truth be said. We will give this category to the Galaxy S10, though, as it does offer more in the camera department overall, at least for now.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10
Conclusion
Those of you who are looking for some audio feedback. Both of these phones offer stereo speakers, but the Galaxy S10’s output does seem a bit richer. The Galaxy S10 also wins the audio versatility round, as it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike the OnePlus 7.
On top of everything, the Galaxy S10 does ship with official IP68 certification for water resistance, while the OnePlus 7 does not, but it can handle some rain and being dropped in a puddle, so many people probably won’t care. Considering everything we’ve said, it’s really difficult to pick one of the two devices.
They each shine in some aspects, and it all depends on what you need. If you want a faster phone which is likely to remain faster for a longer period of time, and which offers better battery life, go with the OnePlus 7. If you want a smaller, lighter phone, with a better display, and better cameras, the Galaxy S10 is a better choice.
Winner: Tie