Review: The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the best Android phone that money can buy today

re's such thing as a perfect smartphone. At best, re can be a best phone for x, y or z scenario – like best-looking phone, or phone with best display, or best camera phone, or phone with best user experience. But , re’s such thing as a perfect smartphone – even though smartphone makers will go to great lengths to prove orwise. n re’s Samsung and its new Galaxy S10+ - which I believe is most complete flagship smartphone that money can buy today, full stop. 

Galaxy S10+ marks ten years of Galaxy but while Apple took ten years of iPhone as a cue to tap into uncharted territory with iPhone X, Samsung is holding on to what it does best – building a -compromise Android smartphone that tries to do everything better. Rar than trying to be best (and failing).  

While it isn’t as crazy futuristic as its foldable phone, Galaxy S10+ is future-proof in its own subtle but effective way. Galaxy S10+ is a phone designed for masses - Galaxy S10+ is a phone that people will buy at drop of a hat, without having to invest extra in a factor of anxiety, should y invest in a device like Galaxy Fold. And Galaxy S10+ will serve that customer well.    

Galaxy S10+ is so hallmark Samsung, I don’t even have to write a whole sis to state obvious – Galaxy S10+ is phone to buy right w if you’re t an iPhone person. And even if you are an iPhone person, you should consider Galaxy S10+ if you’re looking to buy a new high-end phone - simply because of sheer number of options (colours/prices) that Samsung is offering this year as opposed to last year, or year before. Unlike Apple iPhone that costs gazillions more, Samsung has launched Galaxy S10E in India at Rs 55,900, Galaxy S10 at Rs 66,900 and Galaxy S10+ at Rs 73,900 – something that compensates for fact that vanilla Galaxy S10/Galaxy S10+ are Samsung’s most expensive Galaxy S phones ever. 

w I kw, money may t necessarily be a concern for flagship buyers – but it surely won’t hurt to save some (an argument that falls well in line with OnePlus phones). It doesn’t matter if you’re buying Galaxy S10E, Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S10+. All of m share same glass and metal design langu with near edge-to-edge screens courtesy Samsung’s new punch-hole Infinity-O display, processor inside all of m stays same as well – which is Samsung’s own Exys 9820 (in India), so is software, which is Android 9 Pie-based One UI – which is without a doubt Samsung’s most well though-out software to date. 

Galaxy S10+ is phone to buy right w if you’re t an iPhone person

All three phones also pack same dual aperture primary rear cameras and 10MP primary front camera. All of m can record UHD videos using both rear and front cameras, and HDR10+ videos with rear camera. Fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging (Samsung is calling it PowerShare) are also standard across board, as is Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, IP68-certification and micro-SD stor expansion. Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10E keep hephone jack too!   

Galaxy S10+ is of course at pinnacle of Samsung’s cutting-edge tech this year but Galaxy S10 is also t very far behind. I will have more to say about Galaxy S10E in a separate review.  

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - a sleeker design 

Galaxy S10+ is a very familiar phone, and yet it somehow feels different – better. It’s like Samsung took best bits from Galaxy S9 and Galaxy te 9 and mixed two in equal measure. Galaxy S9 and Galaxy te 9 seemed like two different breeds of devices (because well, y were two different breeds of devices) having ir own positives and negatives – Galaxy S9 was drop-de gorgeous but it was also dangerously curvaceous (call it a health hazard, if you may), Galaxy te 9 was boxier but it was also quite heavy. Galaxy S10+ is both a looker and a doer – it has form as well as function. 

It is still all-glass and metal though, which means it still needs to be handled with some care (it is still prone to smudge and fingerprints on fly as well) - but that’s part and parcel of being an all-glass and metal phone anyway. Galaxy S10+ is still a big phone, and Galaxy S10 is still ridiculously small (in comparison) – but that’s what we have come to expect from lineup after Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9. And Samsung is still t letting go of dedicated Bixby hardware key – although it does allow you to remap it to open nearly any or app w (still third-party voice assistants are supported).  

What’s new really is bevy of colours that Samsung has on offer - Prism Black, Prism White and Prism Blue (all of m come with unique light-bending paintjobs), and a new build material – ceramic, for those willing to splurge.  

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - a more colour accurate display 

Like clockwork, Samsung’s signature AMOLED screens keep charting new benchmarks each year when it comes to all-round display quality – but y’ve been far from perfect. Galaxy S10+ changes that and a lot of this has to with Samsung’s new Dynamic tech that company has put in this year. result – Galaxy S10+ t only has best smartphone display ever, it is also most accurate (something that is also corroborated by analysis firm DisplayMate). 

Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED display boasts of a very high colour accuracy – both in terms of contrast as well as in terms of intensity. new panel is also brighter than one on its predecessor, Galaxy S9 - chalking a whopping 1,200 nits of peak brightness. Viewing angles are also best in-class with minimal colour and white shifting. 

Galaxy S10+ has a 6.4-inch screen with QHD+ resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection (Galaxy S10 has a 6.1-inch screen while Galaxy S10E has smallest 5.8-inch display with 1080p+ resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5) - this is first time that a Galaxy S phone has h a neutral/soothing colour pallet out-of--box, but re is also an option to pump out Samsung’s signature over-contrast through settings.  

As is customary with every new high-end Galaxy phone, Galaxy S10+ display also packs an ace up its sleeve – it is claimed to be world’s first HDR10+-rey phone. Which is a simple way of saying, supported content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will look even more cinematic than before.  

Also new is hole-punch – which is what you’ll have to get used to, to appreciate that display. Even more so in Galaxy S10+ which houses an even bigger hole-punch. setup, although largely ubtrusive, pushes tification icons closer towards left because Samsung, for some reason, decided to put hole-punch on right and t center – RIP symmetry. 

What’ll take even more time getting used to though is Galaxy S10+’ new ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner. While idea is vel – it is supposedly faster and safer than optical solution found in OnePlus 6T, it doesn’t require you to wake screen, and it works with greasy/sweaty fingers as well. While most of that is true, in-display fingerprint reer on-board Galaxy S10+, is way slower and more finicky than what Samsung will have you believe – to extent of being frustrating. But it’s thing that a proper software update can’t fix - Samsung has pushed out an update on review unit that I have been using and it has me life little more bearable – hopefully more will follow. 

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - one of fastest phones on Android side of spectrum 

Unsurprisingly, Galaxy S10+ is one of fastest Android phones that money can buy right w – this is true for even  Exys 9820-based Galaxy S10+ that Samsung will sell in India ( phone is powered by an even more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 in US). It may t always feel that way – with Samsung’s skin and all but rest assured – this is one of most powerful phones in market today.  

If that wasn’t eugh, Samsung is also offering a host of RAM/ROM options just in case – with top-tier version packing a borderline insane 12GB RAM and 1TB stor. Even base version comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB stor (this is true for Galaxy S10 as well) - so that’s a plenty. 

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - a more thought-out software 

All that hardware means thing if software/user experience is b – remember TouchWiz? Samsung did indeed get memo which is why it started on a redemption spree with Experience and with One UI, it is taking things forward – in a good way. With features like a system-wide dark mode and an emphasis on faster and seamless use on large-screen devices, One UI (which is based on Android 9 Pie) is without a doubt best piece of software that Samsung has ever built.  

It is cleaner, smoor and much more user friendly – although its big, cartoonish icons may need some time getting used to. re is also an option to tone m down furr – Samsung offers tons of customization options on top of Android. What’s impressive is that even though Samsung hasn’t necessarily cut down on fancy animations from get-go (and re are still a truck-lo of duplicate apps here), whole UI still feels faster than any of its past software iterations. Hopefully, it holds up – and hopefully Samsung shows same intent with updates as well. 

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - longer lasting 

All  optimization that Samsung has been able to pull off, also results in good battery life across board – 4,100mAh battery in Galaxy S10+ (it is 3,400mAh in Galaxy S10) can easily last for a whole day with heavy us (I have been getting 6-7 hours of screen on time) while toning things down furr can stretch things to one and a half days.  

Galaxy S10+ supports what Samsung is calling PowerShare – which means phone will be able to act as a wireless charging mat for or Qi compatible devices like smartwatches and smartphones. We’ve alrey seen Huawei toy around with reverse wireless charging in its premiere Mate 20 Pro, and while it is still pretty much a gimmick (you’ll probably use to show off to begin with, only to forget all about it later), Samsung’s PowerShare is faster – something that is good for bragging rights. 

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - a more versatile camera system 

While re’s been a growing debate around how megapixel race is making a comeback this year, Samsung seems content being out of that race for w. Inste, it is taking foundation it laid down with Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 and refining it furr in Galaxy S10+. Offering greater versatility along way – Galaxy S10+ has most versatile camera system on a Galaxy phone ever. 

Let’s start with specs. Galaxy S10+ has a primary 12MP wide (77-degree field of view) sensor with variable f/1.5-f/2.4 aperture and dual pixel OIS. Dual aperture will allow Galaxy S10 (like Galaxy S9 before it, although Samsung says it is using a new sensor) to shoot photos with more detail in low light (f/1.5), and photos without any metering issues when lighting is more than equate (f/2.4). It is paired with a 12MP telephoto sensor with OIS (again like Galaxy S9) for 2X optical zoom. 

Samsung is throwing in an ditional 16MP ultra-wide (123-degree field of view) sensor with f/2.2 aperture and fixed focus in Galaxy S10+ - which is a first for any high-end Galaxy phone. 

On front, Galaxy S10+ has two cameras embedded into display - one 10MP sensor with f/1.9 aperture and a secondary 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture for depth sensing. 

While all versatility is appreciated – it is also a joy to play around with, question is, does Galaxy S10+ hold up against Google Pixel 3, or Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Well, t really. Especially when it comes to still photography. 

Even if you are an iPhone person, you should consider Galaxy S10+ if you’re looking to buy a new high-end phone

Don’t mind me, cameras in Galaxy S10+ are an improvement over cameras in Galaxy S9 – Samsung seems to be using new algorithms so all-round result is warmer and more pleasing to eyes with great dynamic range as well, as opposed to say Galaxy S9 which was torious for over-saturating/over-sharpening  colours, often entailing in artificial-looking photos. Galaxy S10+ photos are truer to life. 

(Samsung Galaxy S10+ standard)

But metering issues still exist – Galaxy S10+ photos almost always end up being overexposed  matter lighting conditions. 

Wide-angle shots taken with Galaxy S10+ have ticeable distortion/fish-eye effect - a software update should help.   

Low light photos meanwhile appear soft and mushy because of Samsung’s highly aggressive ise reduction in such situations – this results in loss of detail something that is accentuated furr by lack of a dedicated manual night mode (a night mode is apparently on way through a software update) something that has been USP of Google’s Pixel 3. 

(Samsung Galaxy S10+ telephoto)

same story continues in front camera department as well – Galaxy S10+ can shoot good-eugh selfies with lots of detail in good light but low-light selfies (and portraits) are where close to what you get on Pixel 3 – Galaxy S10+’s dual front cameras try to recreate wide-angle effects by cropping in and out (possibly through software) but again, results are where close to what Pixel 3’s dual front cameras can achieve. 

(Samsung Galaxy S10+ wide-angle)

But where Galaxy S10+ cameras falter at stills, it more than compensates for through best in-class video recording – Galaxy S10+ videos are sharper, with more detail, and much more stabilization (including good all-round audio) than say iPhone – which has been go-to standard for many V-loggers.      

- Samsung Galaxy S10+ - yay or nay? 

So, coming to million-dollar question, should you buy Galaxy S10+? Yes and . Galaxy S10+ is t phone to buy if you’re an existing Galaxy S8/Galaxy S9 user – you should wait, because next big thing is just around corner (hopefully). For everybody else, I have alrey said this in my introduction –  Galaxy S10+ is phone to buy right w if you’re t an iPhone person. And even if you are an iPhone person, you should consider Galaxy S10+ if you’re looking to buy a new high-end phone. 

Galaxy S10+ has a sleek design, a great display, fast performance, good battery life and versatile cameras that particularly excel at videos – which is a standard for most high-end phones se days. It is all or things ( basics) – hephone jack, micro-SD, dual stereo speakers (that get loud and offer good stereo separation), IP68-rating, that set Galaxy S10+ apart from rivals. 

Galaxy S10+ is a complete phone, and that is what makes it different. It’s t perfect, but n, smartphone is.

Also Re: Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ And Galaxy S10E Launched In India: Specs, Features And Everything To Kw