Latest Galaxy S10 Rumors: 5G Support, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Reader, Triple Camera

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Samsung’s 10th anniversary Galaxy S handset is expected to be revolutionary. It will launch around the same time major wireless carriers in the US and South Korea would start rolling out 5G services. The recently-launched Galaxy Note 9 lacks a genuine technological advancement, but the upcoming S10 would be jam-packed with innovative features. Here’s what the Galaxy S10 rumor mill has revealed so far about the device.

Galaxy S10 rumor: Will it get 5G?

ValueWalk has reported earlier that Samsung was preparing to launch its first phone with 5G technology in 2019 to take full advantage of the 5G buzz. Korean carriers will start offering 5G services in the first half of 2019, and Samsung would want to have its own 5G-compatible phones on the market by then.

However, Galaxy S10 might not be the first Samsung device to offer 5G support. During an interaction with the press, Samsung’s mobile business head DJ Koh said the Galaxy S10 would not be the company’s first 5G phone. He did not specify which device will get the 5G technology first, or whether the S10 would feature the high-speed connectivity at all.

Koh’s comment has sparked speculations that the S10 might not offer 5G support. But that’s only one way to look at it. Another option is that the company could launch its first 5G phone even before Galaxy S10. When the S10 arrives, it could be Samsung’s second or third (not first) phone with 5G. We have to wait to see which handset will get the title of Samsung’s first 5G smartphone.

At the press event, Koh reiterated Samsung’s desire to be the world’s first vendor to launch a foldable smartphone. According to Twitter tipster Ice Universe, the foldable phone would launch at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January next year, a couple of months before the Galaxy S10.

Then again, it’s entirely possible that the foldable phone might not feature 5G. According to chipmakers, the early 5G smartphones will be clunkier and less power-efficient than 4G devices. The OEMs have to design their phones around the early 5G modem and antenna. Samsung wouldn’t want to compromise the form factor of its most popular premium smartphone for the sake of 5G.

Koh added that Samsung had no plans to merge the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines in the foreseeable future. It means we could see as many as four premium handsets from Samsung next year: Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, foldable smartphone, and 5G smartphone.

Samsung patents ultrasonic fingerprint sensor

Speaking at an event in China last month, DJ Koh said the company’s next year’s flagship would use ultrasonic fingerprint sensors rather than the optical ones. Koh claims the ultrasonic sensors are faster, more accurate, and offer a much better user experience.

Now the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has published a Samsung patent application detailing how the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor would work. An ultrasonic transmission/reception module would activate a specific area of the display to capture the fingerprint. Samsung could use as many as four sensors under the display to accurately capture your fingerprint.

According to the patent application, the fingerprint processor could use different scan frequencies to record data. It could even detect your grip on the device to determine the fingerprint sensing area.

An earlier Galaxy S10 rumor claimed that Samsung would use the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor only in the most expensive Galaxy S10 Plus model. The regular S10 could feature a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Another Galaxy S10 rumor hints at triple camera setup

The Korean electronics behemoth is reportedly going to introduce a triple camera system with the Galaxy S10 early next year. Now ETNews has learned from inside sources that the Galaxy S10 triple camera system would consist of a 13MP telephoto lens, a 12MP wide-angle lens, and a 16MP super-wide angle lens.

The triple camera would offer improved optical zoom and wide-angle functions, besides capturing better pictures in low-light conditions. While the Galaxy S10 might be Samsung’s first phone to sport triple cameras, ETNews says the company plans to bring triple cameras to its Galaxy A series later in 2019 to take on Chinese vendors such as OnePlus and Huawei that are luring customers with high-end specs on mid-range devices.

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