Galaxy S10 Rumors: Three Models, Triple Camera, Side Fingerprint Sensor And More

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Samsung has sent out invites for the August 9 Unpacked event where it will unveil the Galaxy Note 9 phablet. However, the rumor mill and many Samsung fans are already looking to the next year’s Galaxy S10 flagship. There is no shortage of Galaxy S10 rumors on the Internet, even though the device is several months away. Fresh Galaxy S10 rumors emerging from South Korea and Germany reveal exciting details about the handset.

Galaxy S10 rumors hint at three models

The Galaxy S10 (or whatever it’s called at launch) is expected to boast a new form factor to celebrate 10th anniversary of Samsung’s most successful smartphone line. We are still in the early days of Galaxy S10 rumors, but past reports have suggested that it could feature 3D facial recognition, a piezoelectric speaker, UFS 3.0 storage, and more.

Citing supply chain sources, Korean site The Bell reports that Samsung is going to launch not two but three smartphones in the Galaxy S series next year. The three devices are code-named ‘Beyond 0′, “Beyond 1’, and ‘Beyond 2.’ The Beyond 1 and Beyond 2 will be direct successors to Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Beyond 0 will be an affordable model with a smaller 5.8-inch display and slightly different specs.

The affordable Beyond 0 handset will help Samsung compete with devices from OnePlus and Xiaomi that are rapidly eating into Samsung’s market share. Samsung decided to add Beyond 0 to the Galaxy S line earlier this month, says The Bell. All the three models are expected to run the same chips (Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 depending on the region). Samsung could differentiate between the three models based on RAM. For instance, the affordable version could pack 4GB RAM, the middle Galaxy S10 could offer 6GB RAM, and the high-end Galaxy S9 Plus could pack a bigger 8GB.

Budget-friendly model to have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor

Sources told The Bell that Samsung would finally introduce the in-display fingerprint reader with Galaxy S10. But not all models will get the new feature. Samsung has been working on the technology for years. According to the publication, the entry-level model will feature the fingerprint scanner on the right side of the phone rather than under the display. The regular Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will have the fingerprint sensor placed under the display.

If it happens, it’s going to be the first time Samsung will use a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S series, similar to the Moto Z3 Play. The feature will help Samsung cut costs and sell the device at a cheaper price tag. The Fingerprint on Display (FOD) will be an expensive technology that could push up the cost of the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus. According to The Bell, the in-display fingerprint reader will cost Samsung $15 per unit. By comparison, the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S9 costs just $2.

Samsung is said to source the FOD sensors from Qualcomm. The Korean company is receiving the modules from China-based O-Film and attaching them to the back of Galaxy S10’s OLED display. It will work the same way the fingerprint reader on Vivo NEX works. You will be able to unlock the handset by placing your finger on the screen. It is unclear whether the affordable Beyond 0 model will feature 3D facial recognition that Samsung is expected to add to the regular Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus.

Galaxy S10 rumors: Only one model to get triple camera

German site AllAboutSamsung reports that Samsung will introduce a triple camera system with the next-gen Galaxy S flagship, but the feature will be kept exclusive to the Galaxy S10 Plus. The triple camera setup would help Samsung compete with Huawei’s P20 Pro, currently the world’s best smartphone camera. The regular Galaxy S10 as well as the affordable model will have a dual camera.

According to AllAboutSamsung, the Galaxy S10 Plus’s rear camera will consist of a 12MP main sensor with variable apertures of f/1.5 and f/2.4, a 16MP super-wide-angle lens with f/1.9 aperture, and a 13MP zoom lens with f/2.4 aperture. The cameras will be arranged horizontally on the rear panel. The main sensor will sit in the middle with the zoom lens on its left and the super-wide-angle lens on its right.

Both the Beyond 0 and Beyond 1 will feature a 12MP main lens with variable apertures of f/1.5 and f/2.4, and a 16MP super-wide-angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. It means they both will lack the zoom lens. KB Securities analyst Kim Dong-won recently told clients that at least one model of Galaxy S10 would sport a triple camera system.

Galaxy S10 release date

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S10 early next year. Previously, there were speculations that the company could unveil a new foldable phone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in late February. It means the company had to announce the Galaxy S10 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January. The MWC is where Samsung traditionally refreshes the Galaxy S line.

However, Chinese tipster Ice Universe said last week that Samsung is not going to change the Galaxy S10’s release timeline for the sake of the foldable. We should expect the S10 to debut at the Mobile World Congress. The foldable device, which will initially be sold only in South Korea, will be unveiled at CES in January. Samsung is said to manufacture only 300,000 to 500,000 units of the foldable handset initially.

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