At the beginning of the year, I analyzed the Samsung Galaxy S10 +, an excellent mobile, although not as surprising as I expected given the high expectations that the models that preceded it had left. Maybe that’s why, while using it, my eyes were on another model from the same family. A smaller one, but no less powerful or capable for that.
The Samsung Galaxy S10e, presented alongside the S10 and S10 +, aroused more interest than its older brothers. And is not for less. After all, Samsung had done what many had been waiting for years: create a phone as compact as possible that had nothing – or almost nothing – to envy the superior models in terms of specifications.
Now, the little guy from the Galaxy S10 series comes to our test table to show that it is as complete a mobile as the other two that make up this family despite its size and price. But above all, a much more comfortable one.
Samsung Galaxy S10e: a technical sheet of characteristics and specifications
| Samsung Galaxy S10e | |
| specs | |
| Dimensions | 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 mm, 150 grams of weight |
| Screen | 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED without curve, 19: 9 aspect ratio, HDR + |
| Resolution and density | Full HD+. 19:9 |
| Processor | Exynos 9820 |
| RAM | 6/8 GB |
| Operating system | One UI based on Android Pie 9.0 |
| Storage | 64 or 128 GB expandable via microSD cards up to 512 GB |
| Cameras | rear 12 MP f / 1.5 dual with Dual Pixel OIS + 16 MP f / 2.2 ultrawide. Front of 10 MP f / 1.9 + 8 MP f / 2.2 with Live Focus and Dual Pixel AF UHD Selfie |
| Battery | 3,100mAh with fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare) |
| Others | Side fingerprint reader, 2D face unlock AR Emojis, Super Slow-Mo, camera with scene optimizer, AKG headphones, AKG speakers, Dolby Atmos, IP68 protection. |
The best of the Samsung Galaxy S10e
Design and build
On the other hand, the Galaxy S10e feels as premium as a Galaxy S10 or S10 Plus. The aluminum and glass body is perfectly finished, without imperfections of any kind or protrusions that break the smoothness with which the metal chassis blends with the front and rear Gorilla Glass 5 glass panels.
However, the best thing about the S10e in this regard is, without a doubt, its size. At just 142 millimeters high and less than 70 millimeters thick, it ranks as the most compact high-end phone of 2019 and a worthy successor to fill in the gap left by models like Sony’s now-defunct Xperia Compact.
At just 142 millimeters tall and less than 70 millimeters thick, it ranks as the most compact high-end phone of 2019.
Pocket. It has been a long time since I used a phone in which it was not necessary to dislocate your wrist to reach the notification panel with one hand, or whose weight – of only 150 grams in this case – would directly make you forget that you are wearing it. And, in the middle of a panorama full of giants that already exceed 16 centimeters in height, the fact of standing out from the rest and offering a mobile of this type is worthy of applause.
In addition, despite being the small and affordable model of this tenth installment of the Galaxy family, the S10e does not lose details such as IP68 protection against water and dust, wireless charging – and also reversible wireless charging–, the jack headphone, the stereo speakers – although the audio quality is slightly lower than that of the S10 and S10 + – or the Infinity-O screen, which after all is what has allowed Samsung to equip this phone has a 5.8-inch panel on a body that is just over 14 inches tall.
Screen
And it is precisely its screen that deserves its section in this section of the analysis aimed at highlighting the best of the phone. As in the higher models, it is a Dynamic AMOLED panel, whose size falls to 5.8 inches, as does its resolution, which becomes Full HD + and given its 19: 9 format, it throws several pixels 1080 wide by 2280 wide. Despite this lower resolution, the pixel density – 438 dpi – does not stray too far from the S10 + ‘s 522 dpi.
The screen quality is as good as you would expect from a Galaxy S series mobile. Outdoors, the maximum brightness level allows us to see the screen without any problem, even in the brightest hours. In the rest of the moments, it will be when we most enjoy the great contrast, color reproduction – especially in screen mode ” natural, “on by default – and sharpness. Viewing angles are good, too, although the nature of the OLED panel translates into pinkish or bluish tints depending on where you look at the screen.
As with the S10, the “Natural” screen color mode is enabled by default.
Although it is sometimes neglected despite being an essential aspect, the response speed of the panel is also excellent so that the feeling of fluidity when using the device is accentuated. But as with the S10 and S10 +, Samsung still does not reach the level of Google’s Pixel or Apple’s iPhone in this regard.
Another detail that many will appreciate is Samsung’s decision to dispense with the curvature on this occasion edge characteristic of its latest flagship models. But the truth is that this is the only feature of the superior models that is not present in this variant: we do not miss the ultra-reduced margins, nor of course, the hole in the upper right part destined to house the front camera, which like the notch or any other such solution disappears from view after a few minutes after you start using the phone. And with its disappearance, there are also inconveniences such as ghost touches or greater fragility.
Performance
Several brands have already joined the trend of “affordable flagships,” which are gradually gaining ground to the more models premium. Samsung was not going to be less, and that is why this Galaxy S10e, despite costing several hundred euros more minor than the Galaxy S10, shares the same processor and only cuts its RAM by 2 GB.
Thus, we face a phone with an 8-core, 8-nanometer Exynos 9820 chip, supported by 6 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 128 GB of expandable internal storage. All this translates into a fantastic experience when using the phone. It is undoubtedly curious that one of the most miniature mobiles this year is also one of the fastest.
Logically, there will be no problems when running the heaviest games on Google Play, nor when performing processes that require a high computational load. However, we do find ourselves facing somewhat high temperatures carrying out tasks that put the phone’s multimedia capabilities to the test, such as editing video with apps like Adobe Rush or recording video at the maximum resolution that the camera allows.
Coming from testing a mobile-like Pixel 3a XL, the extra 2 GB of RAM in this Galaxy S10e will be appreciated. Despite the – questionable – RAM saving system of OneUI, it is not so frequent to see how the applications stored in memory need to be fully reloaded after a few minutes since they were abandoned.
Biometry
Adaptation. I think that phrase pretty much sums up my experience with the biometric system of this compact phone, which unlike the in-screen ultrasonic sensor of the higher models, works instantly, its hit rate is much more consistent, and it does not need a period. I wish the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 + had a side fingerprint reader like the one on the S10e.
I wish the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 + had a side fingerprint reader like the one on the S10e.
The side fingerprint reader acts as the phone’s power button, and thanks to its extreme speed, all you have to do are press the button quickly for the mobile to be unlocked since, in that short period, it will also have been able to detect the fingerprint. . However, it is also possible to unlock the phone by leaving your finger on the fingerprint reader, without having to press the button.
As the only downside, a comment that the reader’s position is not convenient for those who use the mobile with their left hand. Fortunately, thanks to the phone’s small size, it is easy to reach the hole in which the reader is housed with the index finger.
The worst of the Samsung Galaxy S10e
Autonomy
If the 4,100 mAh battery of the Samsung Galaxy S10 + offered an autonomy that at the time we qualified as mediocre, I was terrified that, with 1,000 mAh less, the battery of this Galaxy S10e would not be to shoot rockets either. And sadly, he was not wrong.
During these days of use with the phone, the Galaxy S10e has not been able to go through a whole day without having to go through the charger, after having endured around three or – luckily – 4 hours with the screen on.
The result is inferior to that of other high-end mobiles, and I am afraid that the Exynos 9820 processor instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mounts the variant destined for other countries also has a lot to do with this poor autonomy. In the past, it has already been shown that the Qualcomm platform is superior to the one signed by Exynos in terms of performance, energy efficiency, and event photography.
At least Samsung’s fast-charging technology, added to the “reduced” capacity of the phone’s battery, results in a reasonably fast charging speed, which is just over an hour allows the phone’s battery to be 100%.
Software
The fact that Samsung’s software has improved concerning what the brand proposed years ago does not mean that it has ceased to be one of the weak points of its smartphones. Everything said about the software of the Galaxy S10 + in its review is repeated this time – so I will not elaborate much more. From the appearance of duplicate applications from the moment the mobile is turned on for the first time, to Samsung’s decision not to show the content of the notifications on the lock screen, to the inclusion of unnecessary “optimization” tools such as an antivirus signed by McAfee that makes you believe that the device urgently needs to be scanned for threats.
That does not mean that One UI can denote a maturity that we have not seen in Samsung software for years. The interface is finally consistent, valuable functions such as the dark theme or Google’s digital well-being tools are included, and the Samsung Internet browser comes to surpass Chrome in some respects. Also, everything works fast, and the minimalist essence of One UI is appreciated considering where we come from.
Also, keep in mind the – justified – fame that precedes Samsung when it comes to supporting. For years, it has been one of the companies that have later updated their phones to the latest version of Android available, and although with the arrival of Android 9, we saw how the brand was able to fulfill its promise to update the Galaxy S9 before, At the end of the year, I would not put my hand on fire ensuring that this model would be one of the first to receive Android 10 once Google launches the update this summer.
In short, while Samsung’s software is no longer what it used to be, it still does not measure up to that of some of its more direct competitors. Without going any further, a mobile with a similar price to this S10e – although with a radically different concept – such as the OnePlus 7 Pro offers an experience much superior to that of the Korean model.
So are the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S10e
The photographic is one of the sections in which Samsung has decided to cut to offer a package as complete as the one provided by this S10e, at a lower price than the reference models in its mobile catalog. Of the three rear cameras of the Galaxy S10 and S10 +, we now have two, losing along the way the tele 12-megapixel sensor capable of two-fold optical zoom.
I would have preferred that Samsung had dispensed with the 16 megapixels Super Ultra-Wide camera instead of the “tele” sensor.
Personally, I would have preferred that Samsung had dispensed with the 16 megapixels Super Ultra-Wide camera, which is considerably less practical and whose results – at least in the S10 and S10 + – were not as good as when using the other two cameras. Even so, the primary sensor of 12-megapixel resolution with variable aperture f / 1.5-2.4 and optical stabilizer remains and will be the one used to take the vast majority of captures.
There are also no changes in the camera software, beyond the new “Night Mode” that was not present at the time of the S10 + analysis, and which, in the same way as the systems of other manufacturers, takes several captures and combines them later to extract more light from the scene, thus generating a brighter and more detailed final photograph.
There is no portrait mode, automatic scene detection system, super slow camera at 960 FPS, real-time filters, food mode, or Instagram model. Beyond that, the application’s operation is good, its interface is fluid, and the shutter time is very fast, as much as in the higher models.
You can capture clips at a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2,160 – 4K up to 60 FPS when recording video. To use the optical stabilizer, of course, the rate will have to be cut frame per second in half.
As for the front camera, we find the same 10-megapixel sensor present in both the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the S10 +, with a 1.9 focal length and support for dynamic focus, “wide-angle” selfies, and Ultra HD video recording.
Behavior by day, portrait mode, and at night
In general, the photos that come out of the camera of the Samsung Galaxy S10e are good . Like the Galaxy S10 +, this smaller model is capable of capturing images with a good level of detail and a fairly balanced dynamic range, although the automatic HDR mode tends to raise shadows excessively, reducing contrast and depth to scenes and generating colors not very faithful to reality.
And speaking of colors, that is precisely one of the main problems with the camera of this device – and practically, with any other Samsung there has been and to be. The processing algorithm saturates the colors too much , and the overexposure of the scenes is present again.
Since the main sensor is not supported by a tele or a depth sensor, everything about portrait mode falls on the main 12 megapixel sensor . Despite this, the result is good in terms of edge detection and blur effect , and as a downside, Samsung’s decision to continue to soften the skin of the subject in the foreground as much as possible, which translates into flat and lacking shots. of detail.
At night, the larger aperture of the lens allows you to capture bright images without too much noise even when the light has almost completely disappeared. So much so, that the night mode does not seem to bring too many advantages, especially when we see that the captures made with this mode enabled show an excessively warm white balance.
Frontal camera
The experience with the front camera also does not vary from that of the larger models. Again we find captures that lack a notable lack of detail , mainly due to Samsung’s intention to soften facial features and defects as much as possible, even when “beauty mode” is deactivated.
Video recording
When it comes to capturing video, Samsung once again proves to be one of the benchmark firms in this regard , offering enviable image and audio quality, with a good stabilization system that performs well its function of reducing vibrations. and unwanted movements , in a natural way and without introducing aberrations or artifacts in the final image.
Samsung Galaxy S10e, opinion and final thoughts from Andro4all
Despite having a certain predilection for phones with a large screen diagonal, I would be lying if I said that I did not enjoy using a mobile of the Galaxy S10e format , and even more if I said that I would not like to see more manufacturers follow in Samsung’s footsteps and adopt this format in their future terminals.
For me, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is the most attractive model of this family , and without a doubt one of the smartest purchases of this 2019 considering its current price, and that the differences with respect to the superior models will not be too significant for most of its potential buyers – not even in terms of its autonomy, although the numbers seem to say otherwise.
So unless you need a big screen in your life, or the fact of knowing that you have in your hands the most technically model in the catalog, cutting-edge there are not too many reasons that exist not to bet on the S10e . Even knowing that this implies losing the odd advantage along the way, it is worth it.
Price and where to buy the Samsung Galaxy S10e
After its presentation at the end of February, the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 + and S10e were put on sale in all those regions in which Samsung officially operates, Spain among them . The starting price of this cheaper variant and of contained size is 759 euros . However, today it can already be found for less than that figure in stores such as Amazon.
| Samsung Galaxy S10e, opinion and Andro4all note | |
| Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S10e? | |
| In favor |
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| Against |
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| Conclusions | The latest little Samsung revives the essence of compact but powerful mobiles, and also offers it in a device that only cuts in aspects that are not difficult to overlook. At a price several hundred euros lower than the Galaxy S10 and S10 +, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is one of the smartest purchases of 2019. |
| Punctuation |
Samsung Galaxy S10e The best essences are kept in small jars. |
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
