Why Samsung’s Galaxy S10 models represent an understated masterstroke

Even though last night marked the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy S line for Samsung, the big takeaway was that it wasn’t the star of the show. It actually was the much awaited foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. Samsung opted for an approach that diverges from what Apple did in 2017 with the iPhone X to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. And if one goes back to 2017, Samsung’s Galaxy S8 perhaps had more pomp around its launch than this device. The new Galaxy S10 models aren’t revolutionary by any measure, but they are no slouches either. At the moment, outside of the Galaxy Fold, all the four Galaxy S10 models represent the cutting edge of Android as is the case every year, in fact, more so this year, than last year. Still, Samsung isn’t thumping its chest and staying humble which is a great thing. The strategy it has adopted with all the phones is a smart one which could help it push numbers even in developing markets like India where it has been losing ground to OnePlus in the premium spectre of the category. Let’s take a close look at what Samsung has actually done, and why it will work.

Samsung Galaxy S10e is a masterstroke

Let’s be clear for once — the Galaxy S10e is no cheap phone; nor in price nor in feature set. And it is a way cleverer approach than what Apple adopted with the iPhone XR.

• An added benefit in India is that because it is manufactured in Samsung’s facilities here, that $750 price wouldn’t get overly inflated like the way it does with the iPhone XR which currently costs around Rs 75,000.
• Price wise $750 converts to around Rs 53,300. Considering the OnePlus McLaren edition now pushed beyond 50k, the allure of getting the latest Galaxy S10 isn’t just vanity, it is common sense.
• Samsung is using a 5.8-inch full HD+ OLED screen on the S10e which is slightly inferior to the main S10 models as opposed to an inferior and lower resolution LCD screen on the iPhone XR or an inferior OLED on a OnePlus. There is also an infinity O screen with cut out for the camera. This looks much better than the notched screen of the iPhone XR or the water drop screen on the OnePlus 6T. It is just not a product advantage, it is also a marketing advantage to the phone.
• Dual cameras on the back are basically the same ones as the larger S10 models sans the telephoto lens which isn’t used much at all. Apple’s single camera makes the iPhone XR look inferior while the OnePlus 6T never had a flagship grade camera.
• The processor is the same as the main Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Fold — in global markets with will be the 8nm Exynos 9820 which comes with a dedicated NPU. You also get copious amounts of storage and 6GB RAM along with a bigger battery and a side mounted fingerprint scanner.

Galaxy S10 and S10+ stick to a standard Samsung formula which will make these phones look attractive against the iPhone

The Galaxy S10 and S10+ are power packed beasts. These phones are cutting edge in every sense of the word, just that they aren’t revolutionary like the Galaxy Fold — but again, these are more pragmatic options. That’s going to be a winning formula for them.

• One UI, is perhaps, the biggest new feature that’s coming out of the box on these phones. And that’s a huge refinement of Samsung’s Android software stack which undoubtedly is more useful than Google’s stock Android in its current avatar. That makes these phones much more desirable. They are also taking cues from Huawei and using machine learning on the phones which will become faster over time. This will be an advantage that will spill to even the Galaxy S10e.
• Triple cameras have been in vogue since the Huawei P20 Pro came out last year and now Samsung has adopted a similar system for its flagship. It is just not the combination of a standard, telephoto and wide-angle camera that’s going to help these phones. It will be features like a steady shot — Go Pro like mode, 4K HDR 10 capture, a night mode and AI-based scene detection and composition will help these phones get ahead of at least the iPhone for camera table stakes if not the Pixel.
• Samsung’s display technology is widely known to be the industry benchmark and the infinity O panels on the Galaxy S10 are dynamic AMOLED curved screens which are super bright at up to 1200 nits support. They should make for absolutely tasty screens that have a screen to body ratio of more than 93%.
• There are other frills too — wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, a headphone jack, a gargantuan 4,100mAh battery, dual selfie cameras on the S10+, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and partnerships with Adobe for Premier Rush and Instagram for an Instagram mode on the camera.
• Oh yes, with up to 1TB of storage, insane RAM figures with the top of the line model maxing out with 12 gigs and overall a cheaper price in India than the iPhones, these Samsung phones will have quite a few takers as Indians increasingly get disillusioned by Apple.
• Last but not least are a bevy of delicious colours that can’t be matched by more mundane poker-faced colours of the iPhone apart from the ceramic finish on the top of the brim S10+.

Suffice to say, Samsung is offering hell lot of candy, perhaps, nicer candy, for lesser money than Apple and in some regards in the ballpark of OnePlus. Yep, it will be still worth a kidney, but you know what, people can live a healthy life without one kidney, they can’t do so without a liver — and that’s what Apple has started claiming these days to consumers in India.