The Galaxy S10 Plus reveals itself a little more each passing hour.
The Galaxy S10 Plus and I have had a whirlwind relationship so far. We’ve just barely met, and already it’s seldom left my side as I flew from Samsung’s Unpacked launch event to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest smartphone show. My first day with the Galaxy S10 Plus was largely about getting to know each other on the airplane. Finally, my first « day » in Barcelona, I had a chance to take it for a spin around one of my favorite European cities.
Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Plus is the largest and most advanced of the three mainstream Galaxy S10 phones that Samsung plans to sell on March 8. If that sounds like a lot of qualifications to place on a phone that’s shaping up to be a real killer device in 2019, you’re onto something. Compared to the more feature-packed Galaxy S10 5G and the foldable Galaxy Fold that Samsung also announced this week (was it really just two days ago?), the Galaxy S10 Plus pales in comparison. 5G and foldable mark the future, but the Galaxy S10 Plus is a phone for the present.
The more time I spend with the GS10 Plus, the more I like it. Most of it. The ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint reader and I are having some tension. And the tons of camera features and I are still circling each other, trying to decide if we’re frenemies or just fast friends. I don’t care for all its fashion choices. But mostly, the Galaxy S10 Plus has some nice surprises that augment what we already knew.
I’ve already taken a couple dozen photos and video clips. I’ve explored the menus within the Settings menus and discovered a ton of features and featurettes that I’ll share soon. (Getting used to these things take time.) I’ve also charged my dying Galaxy S9 Plus from last year via the charging pad on the back of the Galaxy S10 Plus while switching my credentials over to the new device (it works!), and whipped up a new AR Emoji of myself and two colleagues using Samsung’s updated engine ( it’s a lot better, but still needs work).
A solid phone review takes about a week to really test out the hardware and software specs, especially the camera and battery life. For example, the Galaxy S10 Plus’ 4,100-mAh battery ran for over 21 hours on its first looping video drain test in airplane mode, so that already requires days of testing. Quirks also tend to make their way to the surface over time.
Still, I know you’re as anxious as I am to see how well the Galaxy S10 Plus performs, with all its exciting new features: the in-screen fingerprint reader (it’s iffy so far), the three rear cameras and two selfie lenses, the Snapdragon 855 chipset and the new hole punch in the screen. Hence, this ongoing review is where I can share some of my impressions and experiences before we’re ready to apply a final rating. Hopefully I can answer some of your early questions. Keep checking back daily for frequent updates.
Samsung is partial to glossy finishes that reflect light in unusual ways. My review unit is the 128GB version in Prism White, and it definitely reflects iridescent shades of pale blue and pink in the light.
