Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus takes on the best premium flagships in a specs battle

After months of waiting, Samsung's finally launched the company's tenth-anniversary edition of the Galaxy S series of smartphones. The Korean tech giant faced quite a lot of criticism last year for a dull refresh of the Galaxy S8 lineup, but this year, the Galaxy S10 series definitely showcases the best Samsung has to offer.The Galaxy S10 series does not only pack a gorgeous new display (with an actual hole) but also introduces a number of industry firsts which will definitely catch the eye of Samsung's competitors. These include the introduction of the world first ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, which is expected to be considered fast and reliable than existing optical sensors.[caption id="attachment_6128711" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Galaxy S10 E, Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10 Plus. Image: Samsung[/caption]The Samsung Galaxy S10 family includes a core set of shared features, such as multiple cameras, with only minimal tweaks differentiating the various models. More importantly, the various sizes and price points mean it will be easier than ever to find the right phone. However, the source of inspiration to expand to three phones this year is quite evident and would be a cause of worry for Apple, that has been struggling with iPhone sales this year.But Samsung's competition isn't limited to its iOS counterparts. The top of the line, Galaxy S10 Plus will be up against formidable Android competition with the likes of the feature-packed Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the dull but beautifully optimised Google Pixel 3.[caption id="attachment_6128721" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The glass back of the Galaxy S10. Image: Samsung[/caption]While we wait for the Galaxy S10 series to arrive in India, here's how the premium Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus fare against the Pixel 3 XL, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max.Bear in mind that we're still not done testing some of these smartphones, so we're currently comparing them going only by their specifications on paper.

Smartphone	Samsung Galaxy S10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus	iPhone XS	iPhone XS Max	Google Pixel 3 XL	Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Display Size (inch)	6.1	6.4	5.8	6.5	6.3	6.39
Resolution (pixels)	1440 x 3040	1440 x 3040	1125 x 2436	1242 x 2688	1440 x 2960	1440 x 3120
Pixel Density (PPI)	550	526	458	458	523	538
Display Type	Dynamic AMOLED	Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED	Super AMOLED	P-OLED	AMOLED
Dimensions(mm)	149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8	157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8	143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7	157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7	158 x 76.7 x 7.9	157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6
Weight (gm)	157	175	177	208	184	189
Dual SIM	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
SIM Type	Hybrid Dual	Hybrid Dual	Nano-SIM + eSIM	Nano-SIM + eSIM	Nano SIM	Nano-SIM
Connectivity Types	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE/ VoLTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE/ VoLTE	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Processor	Exynos 9820	Exynos 9820	A12 Bionic	A12 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845	HiSilicon Kirin 980
CPU Cores	Octa Core	Octa Core	Hexa-core	Hexa-core	Octa-Core	Octa-core
CPU Clock Speed (GHz)	2x 2.7 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x 1.9 GHz Cortex-A55	2x 2.7 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x 1.9 GHz Cortex-A55	2x2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x1.6 GHz Tempest	2x2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x1.6 GHz Tempest	4x 2.5 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x 1.6 GHz Kryo 385 Silver	2x 2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x 1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55
GPU	Mali-G76 MP12	Mali-G76 MP12	Apple GPU	Apple GPU	Adreno 630	Mali-G76 MP10
RAM	8 GB	8, 12 GB	4 GB	4 GB	4 GB	6, 8 GB
Ruggedness			IP 68	IP 68	IP68 dust/water resistant	IP 68 dust/water resistant
On-Board Memory	128/ 512 GB	128 GB/512 GB/ 1 TB	64, 256, 512 GB	64, 256, 512 GB	64/128 GB	128, 256 GB
Expandable Memory	Yes, up to 512 GB	Yes, up to 512 GB	No	No	No	Yes, up to 256 GB
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2	Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2	Face ID, Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer	Face ID, Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer	Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Face ID, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass
Primary Camera	12 MP, f/1.5-2.4; 12 MP, f/2.4 and 16 MP, f/2.2	12 MP, f/1.5-2.4; 12 MP, f/2.4 and 16 MP, f/2.2	12MP f/1.8; 12 MP f/2.4	12MP f/1.8; 12 MP f/2.4	12.2 MP, f/1.8	40 MP, f/1.8; 20 MP, f/2.2 and 8 MP, f/2.4
Optical Image Stabilization	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera Array	Triple	Triple	Dual Camera	Dual Camera	Single	Triple camera
Autofocus System	Dual Pixel PDAF	Dual Pixel PDAF	Phase detection autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Dual pixel PDAF	PDAF/Laser AF
Secondary Camera	10 MP, f/1.9 and 8 MP, f/2.2	10 MP, f/1.9 and 8 MP, f/2.2	7 MP f/2.2	7 MP f/2.2	8 MP, f/1.8 and 8 MP, f/2.2	24 MP, f/2.0
Video Capture	2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps	2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps	2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps	2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps	2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS)	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps
Flash	LED Flash	LED Flash	Quad-LED	Quad-LED	Dual-LED	Dual-LED
OS Version	Android 9.0 Pie/ One UI	Android 9.0 Pie/ One UI	iOS 12	iOS 12	Android 9.0 Pie	Android 9.0 (Pie
AI (Smart Assistant)	Bixby, Google Assistant	Bixby, Google Assistant	Siri	Siri	Google Assistant	Google Assistant
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual, band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual, band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth	5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX	5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX	v5.0, A2DP	v5.0, A2DP	v 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD	v 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Infrared	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, in-display (ultrasonic)	Yes, in-display (ultrasonic)	No	No	Yes, Rear button	Yes, in-display
3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Radio	No	No	No	No	No	No
USB Type	Type-C Reversible connector	Type-C Reversible connector	Lightning Port	Lightning Port	Type-C Reversible connector	Type-C reversible connector
USB Standard	v 3.1	v 3.1	USB 2.0	USB 2.0	v 3.1	v 3.1
Battery (mAh)	3400	4100	2658 mAh	2658 mAh	3430	4200
Fast charging	Yes (support wireless fast charging as well)	Yes (support wireless fast charging as well)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Colors	Prism White, Prism Black, Prism Green, Prism Blue, Canary Yellow, Flamingo Pink	Prism White, Prism Black, Prism Green, Prism Blue, Canary Yellow, Flamingo Pink, Ceramic Black, Ceramic White	Space Gray, Silver, Gold	Space Gray, Silver, Gold	Clearly White, Just Black, Not Pink	Emerald Green, Midnight Blue, Twilight, Pink Gold, Black
Prices in India	$899.99	$999.99	Rs 94,900	Rs 1,04,990	Rs 83,000	Rs 69,990

ConclusionThe Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus are definitely smartphones that Samsung has not played a safe card with. Both smartphones offer nothing short of what you would expect from a premium flagship worthy of being compared to the best iPhones. When compared to its Android counterparts, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro surprisingly matches the Galaxy S10 series offerings, while the Pixel 3 XL feels a little dated. However, we will have to reserve our judgement for the detailed review. But at this point, things do look well poised for an exciting neck-to-neck showdown.