No Galaxy S10 Release At CES 2019, But There Was Another Hint

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Samsung Galaxy S10 release at ces 2019
Image Source: Samsung.com (screenshot)

A few tech watchers were hoping for a Galaxy S10 release at CES, but it didn’t happen (and it seems the general consensus was actually pointing to a February reveal anyway). As a result, Samsung fans must continue to be satisfied with rumors for now. Instead of unveiling the S10, the Korean electronics giant hinted at a key feature this year’s new smartphones will likely have, which is support for 5G wireless networks.

No Galaxy S10 release at CES 2019, but another hint

According to multiple reports from CES 2019, Samsung Consumer Electronics CEO HS Kim said the Korean company was the first to secure approval from the FCC for its 5G networking equipment. He also said 5G technology will be arriving in this year’s new handsets slated for release in the first half of the year. The Galaxy S10 is expected to be among them.

Samsung has said it plans to launch four handsets with support for 5G this year, including two for the AT&T network, one for Verizon and one for Sprint. While some reports have suggested the Galaxy S10 could be Samsung’s first 5G-equipped smartphone, CNET notes that Samsung Mobile Chief D.J. Koh told news outlets late last year that their first 5G device will launch in Korea in March.

Samsung executives also highlighted the company’s Bixby digital assistant during their press conference at CES 2019, CNET added. The company revealed that Bixby will enable users to manage their health via robots or check how much gas they have in their car. Samsung is also adding Bixby support to Gmail, Google Maps and other popular apps and additional features to its smart appliances.

When will the Galaxy S10 release be?

Now that CES 2019 is in the books and there was no Galaxy S10 release date announced, rumors will likely turn to other potential dates for the unveiling. Some reports peg the Galaxy S10 release on Feb. 20 with the phones becoming available for purchase on March 8. If the timing is accurate, it would mean Samsung is planning to release the new phone just before this year’s Mobile World Congress, which is scheduled for Feb. 25-28.

The company is widely expected to release three new handsets using the Galaxy S10 moniker. The flagship S10 is expected to be the same size as the S9, but possibly with thinner bezels. The S10 Plus will likely have the biggest screen of the three, possibly as large as 6.4 inches. It’s also expected to have a quad-lens camera on the back and a dual-lens camera on the front.

The S10 Lite is believed to be smaller and less expensive than the other two S10 handsets. This variant is likely to have fewer features than its more expensive counterparts, as would be expected from a so-called “lite” variant. Despite that, a new Geekbench listing uncovered by MSPoweruser this week suggests the specs of this “lite” variant won’t be just too bad. The listing suggests a Snapdragon 855 chipset with 6 GB of RAM and Android Pie out of the box.

Other rumors about the Galaxy S10 suggest the phones will have a feature called “Artistic Live Focus,” which will reportedly enable users to create digital animations and add other special effects to their photos. We’ve also heard about something called a “Bright Night” mode, which is expected to be similar to Google’s Night Sight feature on its Pixel 3 line-up.

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