Samsung Galaxy S10+ Plus: with a pill-shaped cut-out ‘notch’

The biggest of the flagship trio, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone is a big step up compared to when we had the S9+ which was just a specs bump. The Galaxy S10+ is a completely new device to its predecessor. Let’s take a look.

Flagship smartphones couldn’t get better than this until the next iteration. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the biggest smartphone of the flagship trio. As such, it has everything one needs in a smartphone. Setting the standard yet again with a combination of leading edge design and features it will have other smartphones following in its footsteps.

The flagship trio being the Samsung Galaxy S10+, S10 and S10e. These phones aren’t the first to use the Infinity-O notch, an extension of the Infinity Display with a small O shaped cut-out sometimes known as a punch hole. The first Samsung phone to feature this is the Galaxy A8s. The S10+ takes that idea further as it needed to accommodate two front facing optic sensors. This meant the cut-out is extended into an oblong pill shape.

Precise laser cutting, on-screen security, and a Dynamic AMOLED that’s easy on the eyes make the Infinity-O Display the most innovative Galaxy screen yet. But before we go any further and in case you are wondering, the smartphone retains the headphone jack and microSD slot while maintaining the IP68 rating keeping it waterproof and dust proof. It even has wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, more on this later.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ Design

Pushing the Infinity Display closer but not right up to the edges for higher screen to body ratio, the Galaxy S10+ albeit being a device with big 6.4-inch display, only measures 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8mm. This makes it smaller than the Note 9+ even though both devices share the same display.

Everything about the phone screams luxury. Starting with he edge-to-edge display, it makes the device stand out. Covered in one continuous piece of glass albeit curved on either sides, this display is similar to Galaxy S9+ but minus the forehead and chin bezels. However, the one thing that will be staring back at you is the pill shaped cut-out that accommodates the front facing camera and sensors.

Just like the Apple’s 10th Anniversary iPhone X, Samsung made the move of re-introducing chrome accent. This runs along the sides to offer a level of elegance not seen on the Galaxy S series for a while now. Unlike the iPhone X, XS and XS Max, the chrome surround is not as chunky thanks to the curved glass display and backplate. And, just like on the iPhones, the chrome trim is also applied around the triple-camera array on the back.

With the S9+ and S8+, the top and bottom bezels are still quite tall compared to the curved side bezels. Thanks to the curved glass and display, the side bezels are non-existence. On the S10+, The bottom bezel is smaller but still slightly bigger than the top bezel. The minimal top bezel houses the receiver speaker. The receiver is pushed right up into the top bezel making it barely visible. While the camera sensors are housed in the pill-shaped notch.

That said, the screen-to-body ratio is still smaller, approximately 90% compared to smartphones from competitors with up to 94% screen-to-body ratio especially ones with slider or pop-up camera.

Infinity O notch is still a notch. Just like when the conventional notch was first introduced, it’s controversial to say the least. Everyone will have something to say about it, until it becomes the norm.

The included wallpaper cleverly camouflaged this with a darken corner. When viewing video or using apps, it becomes more obvious and intrusive. It also moved the status bar down and away from the right corner.

On the Galaxy S10+, the Bixby, Samsung’s voice assistant dedicated button is more reachable and can be re-programmed to launch an app or perform other action.

Dynamic AMOLED display

As you would expect from Samsung, the display on the S10+ is amazing. Dynamic AMOLED means it is not oversaturated with a wide colour gamut and plenty of brightness. Contrast is a strong point of AMOLED displays and is demonstrated here with crisp, clear and full of detail. At 6.4-inch with 19:9 aspect ration, it is one of the biggest display you can find on a grip friendly mobile device. While it can run at 3040 x 1440 pixel resolution, it defaults to 2280 x 1080. The reason for this, longer better life and better performance. The panel is capable of 1200 cd/m2, 10-bit colour support for HDR10+ content and reduced blue light emission. For colour reproduction, it achieves 100% SRGB gamut coverage in Vivd mode with contrast ratio reaching infinity to one.

Wave Sensor for Your Finger

Underneath the display is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Instead of using light to read the fingerprint, it uses sound waves. It’s first in the S series that uses under the glass sensor. The S9+ still spot physical scanner. But gone on the S10+ is the iris scanner. The front facing camera and time-of-flight sensor offers 3D facial unlock. There is even a cool swivelling dot moving around the edge of the cut-out when it is scanning your face.

The Most Cameras on a Galaxy S Series

The professional grade primary shooter is made up of three cameras, a 12MP wide angle, a 16MP ultra wide angle and a 12MP telephoto camera. The bonus third camera, the ultra wide camera is capable of shooting up to 123 degree field of vision. Together, the cameras offer 2x optical zoom. That ultra wide camera allows for even wider panorama with wider and taller angles.

Intelligent shooting feature recommends image compositions to use and automatically optimise the settings based on the scene. Dual aperture mode first seen on the S9+ allows for switching between F1.5 (night light) mode and F2.4 mode (day light) allow for better control when capturing photos during the day and night. With its powerful processor, it adjusts and optimises the light even before it captures the image. In low light, it combines multiple frames to create a beautiful shot.

When capturing video, it uses the Ultra Wide Camera and predictive software to capture super steady footage. This makes it great as an action camera, producing super smooth videos and handles high motion subjects better. Videos are captured with rich colour and contrast of HDR+ and Dynamic Tone Mapping. Colours stay accurate in each scene.

If action shots are not your thing, then Super Slow-mo capture will give you the effect you need. The phone captures fast motion at 960 fps with HD support to produce your next super slow motion masterpiece. The cameras truly excel for both stills and video capture. Not only does it shoot smooth and stablished footage in 4K at 60fps, it can also record said video with HDR10+ for better dynamic range.

For the front or selfie cameras, the Galaxy S10+ is the only smartphone among the trio that comes with dual camera. A 10MP selfie camera is paired with an 8MP RGB Depth Camera for bokeh effect, artistic selfies and Live focus. The 10MP sensor is also capable of recording 4K UHD video. The phone also takes advantage a Dual Pixel Sensor to capture action shots dubbed the with more precision and clarity.

Power Sharing

Another notable feature that is quickly becoming a thing with high end smart phones that support wireless charging is the ability to share your charge with other devices. Known as Wireless PowerShare, it’s reverse wireless charging so you can use the back of the phone to charge other devices. To top up its high capacity 4100mAh battery, the smartphone supports Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 with up to 100% faster charging.

Among the many features is wireless power sharing where you can use the phone’s big capacity battery to charge other devices including compatible headphones, watches or even another phone. It’s nothing more than reverse charging but to have it on a phone is simply brilliant.

One last thing, it still maintains a headphone jack. The icing on the cake so to speak, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ still manage to leave the headphone jack alone and not leave it out like most manufacturers are doing these days.

Specifications

• Screen: 6.4-inch, 19:9 (Edge), Wide Quad HD+, Dynamic AMOLED+
• Front camera: dual Pixel 12-megapixel OIS f/1.5 – f/2.4 AF + 16-megapixel ultra-wide f/2.2 FF + 12-megapixel telephoto OIS f/2.4 AF
• Rear camera: dual Pixel 10-megapixel f/1.9 AF + 8-megapixel f/2.2 AF depth front cameras
• CPU: Samsung Exynos 9820 Octa-core 8nm processor
• Memory: 8GB + 128GB or 8GB + 512GB (ceramic version only)
• Memory option: 12GB + 1TB (ceramic version only) – microSD up to 512GB (all versions)
• Battery: 4100mAh
• Size: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8mm
• Weight: 175g