Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy Note 9 phablet in the second half of this year. But the Korean company has also been working on the next year’s Galaxy S10 flagship. Leaks about the Galaxy S10 specs have already started surfacing on the Internet. Samsung’s mobile business head DJ Koh has told fans that the company would change the naming scheme with the next year’s Galaxy S10. Koh added that it would retain the ‘Galaxy’ branding, but it could do away with the ‘S’ moniker and the numbering system.
The Galaxy S10 (or whatever Samsung chooses to call it at launch) could be unveiled sooner than usual. Samsung traditionally refreshes the Galaxy S line in March or April. But it is planning to release the foldable Galaxy X handset at the Mobile World Congress next year. Recent reports suggest that the Galaxy S10 release could take place at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January next year to accommodate the Galaxy X in March-April.
Let’s take a look at the rumored Galaxy S10 specs and other details:
Galaxy S10 design and display
The phone’s design will likely be similar to this year’s Galaxy S9. Citing reliable sources, Korean site The Bell recently reported that Samsung had finalized the Galaxy S10 design. It would have slim bezels at the top and bottom, but it won’t adopt the iPhone X-like notch. The report claims Samsung will stick to the 18.5:9 aspect ratio and the Super AMOLED Infinity display panel. The S10 and S10 Plus are said to have a 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch display, respectively.
The upcoming flagship would have a glass front and back. According to Twitter tipster Ice Universe, it would offer a screen-to-body ratio of 93%, much higher than the Galaxy S9’s 83.6% ratio. It means the bezels will shrink drastically with the next year’s flagship. Ice Universe added that the Galaxy S10’s display resolution would be higher than 600ppi. To achieve the 600 pixels per inch or higher, the company will have to change the display size or offer a higher resolution.
Rumored that the screen resolution of the Galaxy S10 will exceed 600PPI
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 14, 2018
The current Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels. The S9 delivers 570 pixels per inch while its bigger sibling offer 530ppi. Even Apple’s flagship iPhone X has a screen resolution of just 458ppi.
Galaxy S10 specs: 5G support
The first phones with 5G support are coming out later this year. Qualcomm’s SVP Durga Prasad Malladi said in a recent interview that the “5G smartphones will be launched within the year.” Malladi did not mention the names of the first devices. Business Korea points out that Samsung is a major partner of Qualcomm, and the latter’s 5G chips will find their way into Samsung’s flagship phones.
The Galaxy Note 9 is coming out in July or August, and its specifications might have been finalized by now. So, the Note 9 is unlikely to have 5G compatibility. And Samsung wouldn’t want a low-end or mid-range phone to be its first device with 5G support. There is a good chance the Galaxy S10 would be Samsung’s first phone with 5G. The 5G buzz would help the company sell more S10 units. Korean wireless carriers are preparing to launch commercial 5G services in March 2019, says Business Korea.
In-display fingerprint sensor
If you are talking about Galaxy S10 specs, you can’t miss the optical fingerprint reader. Samsung has been trying to integrate the fingerprint reader under the display of its phones for years. The company was rumored to introduce the technology with the Galaxy Note 9. However, Twitter tipster Ice Universe has learned from supply chain sources that the FOD (fingerprint reader on display) will not debut with the Note 9.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also told investors that Samsung was still facing “technological difficulties” with the optical fingerprint solution. More recent reports suggest Samsung won’t be able to introduce the technology before Galaxy S10. The company is developing the in-display fingerprint reader in collaboration with Qualcomm and Synaptics. Samsung will reportedly source the components from Taiwan-based Aegis Tech.
3D sensing module
On the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, Samsung offers a new Intelligent Scan feature that combines data from the iris scanner and facial recognition to authenticate the user. But it’s far less secure than the Face ID technology on the iPhone X, which uses 3D depth sensing to recognize users. Samsung will reportedly introduce its own 3D sensing module with the Galaxy S10 to take on Apple’s flagship phones.
According to Korean site The Investor, Samsung has teamed up with Israel-based Mantis Vision to develop a Face ID-like 3D depth sensing module for its 2019 flagship. Mantis Vision has partnered with Namuga to integrate the 3D depth sensing software into a phone’s camera module. Namuga supplies 3D sensors for Intel’s RealSense AR cameras as well as camera modules for Samsung’s mid-range smartphones.
Among other Galaxy S10 specs, it will likely be powered by Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 855 processor or Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9820 (or whatever it’s called at launch) depending on the market. The new chips are said to be based on the 7nm process technology, which promises better speed and higher energy efficiency.
