Samsung ‘Unpacked’ preview: Galaxy S10 flagships, Foldable phone, wearables and everything else you can expect from Samsung’s first big launch event of the year

Samsung ‘Unpacked’ preview: Galaxy S10 flagships, Foldable phone, wearables and everything else you can expect from Samsung’s first big launch event of the year
HIGHLIGHTS

Samsung will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the S-Series phone by launching three models of the Galaxy S10 phones and refreshing its wearables portfolio. The company may also finally reveal its foldable phone.

Highlights:

  • Leaks suggest that Samsung will launch three Galaxy S10 phones.
  • It may also unveil a more powerful Galaxy smartwatch and new fitness bands.
  • We may also see a pair of new Galaxy Buds with larger batteries.

In 2019, Samsung’s S-Series will complete 10 years, and to commemorate its tenth anniversary, Samsung is expected to launch three new flagship phones on February 21 12:30AM IST. Although the information, including photos, videos and reports making rounds on the internet over last few months have already leaked the phone in full glory, we still have to wait for the official confirmation on the specs and features. Apart from the S10 flagship phones, the South Korean tech giant may also launch its much awaited Foldable phone, new Galaxy smartwatch, a fitness band and the new Galaxy earbuds. Samsung's 2019 ‘Unpacked’ event is packed with announcements and will be held in San Francisco. The event will be live streamed on Samsung's India website at 12.30AM on February 21. Here’s what to expect from the launch event.

Reports have suggested that Samsung will launch three Galaxy S10 phones this year. All the devices have been spotted on various certification websites giving enough evidence about their existence and the possible names of these devices. One will be an affordable device, the Galaxy S10e, that will reportedly have almost the same internals as the other two phones, but will miss out on some of the trademark Samsung Galaxy flagship elements. The second phone will be a regular Galaxy S10 device and is expected to have all the components of a flagship. The third model, called the Galaxy S10+, will be a larger version of the regular Galaxy S10.

Galaxy S10e

Display will be the most striking factor that will let people differentiate between the three models. It has been reported that the Galaxy S10e will sport a 5.8-inch flat 2K+ Super AMOLED display offering a 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone is expected to have an Infinity-O display, which is basically a punch-hole in the top corner of the panel to house a selfie camera. The display will be protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood, the phone will come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC for the US market and for Asian markets, Samsung will use the indigenously developed Exynos 9820 processor. The Galaxy S10e might launch in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB models.

As far as the camera is concerned, the device has been seen (in leaks) sporting a dual-camera setup on the back and a single lens on the front. The rear dual cameras could come equipped with a 12MP primary sensor with f/1.5 aperture and a 16MP secondary sensor with f/2.2 ultra-wide lens. On the front, the phone is said to feature a 10MP single lens with autofocus support and the capability to capture UHD images. The Galaxy S10e could be backed by a 3100mAh battery, and support fast wireless charging 2.0. The phone will run Android 9.0 Pie out-of the box. The fingerprint sensor will be in-built on the power button.

Galaxy S10

The Galaxy S10 has been reported to feature a bigger 6.1-inch 2K+ curved Super AMOLED display offering a 19:9 aspect ratio. Unlike the smaller device, the regular Galaxy S10’s display will be protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The phone will have an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor that will use the soundwaves to unlock the device. Under the hood, the phone will have the same processor for the respective markets, however, we may also see a 512GB storage option apart from the 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB varitants.

Another striking difference will be the camera configuration. The Galaxy S10 will sport a triple camera setup on the back and a single lens on the Infinity-O display. Reports suggest that the setup will have a 12MP camera with f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens (45-degree), along with a 12MP sensor with f/1.5, 77-degree lens and 16MP fixed-focus f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide camera. On the front, it is expected to sport a 10MP camera similar to the one in the Galaxy S10e. The phone will ship with Android 9.0 Pie and sport a 3400mAh battery.

Galaxy S10+

The Galaxy S10+ will be the most expensive phone of the lot. Not only will it sport a 2K+ 6.3-inch curved Super AMOLED display, it will also ship with a bigger battery and two front facing camera sensors. Just like the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S10+ should feature the latest Gorilla Glass 6 protection and an Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Under the hood, it will ship with the Snapdragon 855 processor in the US and Exynos in Asian markets.

In terms of optics, the phone is said to sport the same rear camera configuration as the Galaxy S10, that is, a 12MP camera with f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens (45-degree), along with a 12MP sensor with f/1.5, 77-degree lens and 16MP fixed-focus f/2.2 123-degree ultra-wide camera. Apart from the 10MP front sensor, there will be an 8MP secondary sensor stacked inside the pill-shaped opening in the display. The phone is expected to house a 4100mAh battery. The Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are speculated to come with reverse charging technology.

Reportedly, all the phones are slated to come in Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Black and Canary Yellow colour options. Some reports even have mentions of a Blue colour option. Apparantly, the standard S10 and S10 Plus will come in the same memory/storage variants but not in Canary Yellow colour option. 

Galaxy Watch Active and Galaxy Fit fitness band

Samsung may also refresh its wearable portfolio with the new Galaxy smartwatch and fitness bands. Reports have suggested that Samsung may call its new smartwatch the Galaxy Watch Active, and it is likely to ship with more functionalities as compared to its predecessor. It may have a heart rate monitor to counter Apple Watch Series 4’s ECG function. It is likely to come with new watch faces and could be powered by the Exynos 9110 chipset. It is tipped to feature a 1.3-inch diameter display with a 360x360p resolution. The wearable is expected to sport Samsung Pay via NFC and GPS, could house a 230mAh battery. A screenshot showed that Samsung could also launch two fitness bands, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fite, at the event.     

Galaxy Buds

While Apple may be struggling to launch a new AirPods, the ‘Unpacked’ event may also see refreshed Galaxy Buds. Although there is not much information available on the buds, it has been reported that they will be offered in black and white colours. We may also see better battery in the charging case as well as the earbuds itself. Samsung may also bundle the earbuds under an offer for those who pre-book the Galaxy S10 devices.

Foldable Phone

Samsung has already showased its foldable smartphone and earlier this year, a video gave a glipse of what the phone may look like. The South Korean giant has not announced the official launch date but a company executive had suggested that the comapny could launch the foldable phone in the first half of 2019. In January, the company teased the phone through billboard advertising in France. Reportedly called the Galaxy F, Samsung's foldable phone feature two displays: a large 7.3-inch screen with1536x2152p resolution and 420 dpi, and the other 4.58-inch panel offering 840x1960p resolution. The larger display is speculated to feature a 4.2:3 display aspect ratio while the smaller one might have a 21:9 aspect ratio. A report claimed that the Galaxy F may house a pair of  3,100mAh batteries.

Related Read:

All Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, S10 Lite rumours in one place

Digit NewsDesk

Digit NewsDesk

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