The Samsung Galaxy S10e remains an affordable flagship with good features in a handy size, even as it’s surpassed by newer phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S10e was the company’s flagship phone with 2019 specs and features at 2016 prices, giving consumers the opportunity to nab top features form the Galaxy S10 at a solid discount. The handset is no longer one of Samsung’s newest smartphones, as it has been succeeded by two generations of flagship phones. While the newest Galaxy S21 lineup doesn’t include an affordable ‘Lite’ phone equivalent, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition released later in 2020 fills that role for an update on the S10e. We’ll leave our reviews for the main S21 phones here to compare specs. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 has also been released, but if you want the absolute top-tier stylus handset, you’ll want to go with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. We didn’t receive another budget flagship in the Note 20 line, so the S10e’s biggest competition is the aforementioned S20 Fan Edition – though its larger sizes mean the S10e remains the affordable pick in a smaller form factor. In such a way, the S10e (‘e’ for ‘essential’) has plenty in common with the Apple iPhone 12 mini, and it’s easy to see it as the Samsung budget flagship for its line: both pack the standout perks of their generation while shaving off a few extras present in their costlier siblings. While Apple’s new compact flagship has better specs and 5G connectivity, the S10e is still a cheaper option. But you probably won’t be picking between either less-expensive device — you’ll be eyeballing those handsets compared to their costlier siblings. We found the S10e to a robust phone that’s worth forgoing the extra perks in the S10 (which is $150/£113/AU$210 more) or the S10 Plus ($250/£189/AU$350 more). As a bonus, the S10e’s smaller dimensions will certainly appeal to folks who don’t appreciate the increasing size of flagship phones. The Samsung Galaxy S10e may pale in comparison to the company’s later flagships, but if you’re looking for a useful 2019 smartphone that’s still better than its contemporary Galaxy A phones, you’re in luck. Naturally, there are compromises for that lower cost. The S10e doesn’t get some of some of the neat features packed in its pricier siblings, like an in-screen fingerprint sensor, curved screen sides or a telephoto lens. These perks have indeed appeared in more handsets in 2019, like the Huawei P30 and OnePlus 7 Pro, so it’ll be curious to see if their exclusion gives you flagship phone envy. But we doubt you’ll be too jealous. The Galaxy S10e is a one-hand-friendly phone with outstanding specs to match — a combo that will endear the handset to you. Its 5.8-inch all-screen display is easy to hold and its chipset is fast enough that it’ll compete with other flagships for years to come, even if its compromises in display resolution and camera fall short of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus.
