Get the latest leaks and rumors here about Samsung’s next major phone.
We might be months away from Samsung’s official Galaxy S10 reveal, but that’s never stopped rumors, leaks or speculation before. Two things make this S10 announcement special. First, the Galaxy S10 (assuming that’s the name) will be Samsung’s 10th anniversary phone in the S series, so we’re hoping it’ll pick up some of the features we felt Samsung held back from the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9. Second, Samsung made the rare move of flashing a peek at its upcoming foldable phone, which is rumored to come out around the same time as the Galaxy S10.
Unlike LG, Samsung isn’t prone to pre-announcing its phones. It was a rare, but necessary move calculated to pique the interest of a room full of developers and press at Samsung’s annual developer conference in November. As for the Galaxy S10, there’s no public road map in sight. Still, after nine years of Galaxy S phones fueling Samsung’s rise to the top, the Korean tech giant would be crazy to stop before its 10th anniversary Galaxy S. Truth be told, I hope we’ll see something special, something that befits a decade of smartphones that get better every year.
More rumors and hints bubble up each day, including some fresh details of the Snapdragon 855 chip that will likely power the Galaxy S10 and other flagship Galaxy phones this year — perhaps the Note 10 and foldable phone, too. We also have new evidence of screen size, camera design and the Galaxy S10 retaining the headphone jack.
The Galaxy S10 isn’t just important because Samsung is the world’s top phone-maker announcing its 10th anniversary of its mainstream line. The S10 family is Samsung’s anchor, and Samsung is in peril. Slow phone sales threaten every brand, but increased pressure from China’s Huawei, which ousted Apple to take the No. 2 slot, will build pressure within Samsung’s ranks. Although Huawei faces its own considerable trouble, including hostility from the US government and others, the phone-maker has increased global sales without America’s help, and has released state-of-the-art phones like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Samsung needs to counter Huawei’s advance with everything it’s got.
Here’s how Samsung intends to keep its place at the top, according to Galaxy S10 rumors: as a series of three phones packed to the gills with the biggest mobile trends.
The Galaxy X is one rumored name for Samsung’s foldable phone, and as far as we know, it and the Galaxy S10 are separate devices. This makes perfect sense. The Galaxy S is a tried and true phone series, and Samsung wouldn’t miss an enormous opportunity to crow about a special 10th anniversary edition.
Meanwhile, a foldable phone is an untested concept that’s just getting its footing. As of today, there’s one foldable phone on the market, the Royole FlexPai, and a lot of intentions from Huawei, LG and others. Samsung and other phone-makers will want to tread cautiously to see how buyers respond before bringing a foldable design into the mainstream Galaxy S lineup.
Plus, if you believe the rumors, the Galaxy S10 code name is “ Beyond .“ The Galaxy X reportedly has the moniker of “ Winner .“
Before you cast off the headphone jack as a given, take note. Samsung’s Galaxy A8S doesn’t have one. But it does have a screen that’s expected to come to the Galaxy S10 (see below). In October, Korean outlet ET News reported that Samsung could ditch the headphone jack in the Galaxy Note 10 or Galaxy S11 (Korean).
For now, though, the headphone jack appears to be safe. A case that’s been linked to the Galaxy S10 has a hole for a standard 3.
