Samsung has accidentally leaked its upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S10, one day prior to its official reveal. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 was set to be revealed live on Samsung’s website on 20th February 2019 at 2 pm (Eastern) or 11 am (Pacific). However, things did not go as planned when Samsung accidentally aired a commercial last night on TV2. This, coupled with the fact that TV2 is the largest broadcaster in Norway, was not good news for the Korean giant.
It was, however, good news to all tech enthusiasts out there who were patiently waiting for the reveal of Samsung’s latest flagship. They could finally sate their curiosities after going amidst a pool of fake rumors and leaks. Mind you, only the key features were revealed in the video, the rest still remains a mystery. However, they were enough to get us all fired up for the official reveal.
https://youtu.be/gqDFns5_3aw
The texts in the video are in Norwegian, which was expected given this particular video was intended for Norway. However, you can turn on the captions to see the English translation to better understand it. As mentioned earlier, this only has the new key features everyone was hyped about. To know the full specs you’ll have to wait a few hours. With that out of the way, onto the features.
The Screen and Cameras
Firstly let’s dive into, what probably was, the most talked feature of the S10. The front camera integration. As you probably saw in the videos, the rumors were true after all. The camera is placed inside a hole on the top right-hand corner of the screen. Yes, there is a hole in the display for the front camera, allowing the company to, once again, fulfill its vow of not using a notch in its displays. The screen size is still unknown.
The regular S10 will only have 1 and the S10+ will have 2 front cameras, which means the hole supporting the cameras would be wider on the S10+. The video also shows a rather Huawei-inspired triple-camera layout at the back of the device. The cameras are stacked horizontally along with the flash and heart-rate monitor like on the Galaxy Note 9.
The resolutions, focal length and the apertures of the cameras are, again, still unknown. However, we do expect the third camera to be a wide-angle unit. It wasn’t clear in the video but it’s also expected that only the S10+ will have the triple-camera layout while the S10 just gets 2. This would make the s10+ have a total of 5 cameras!
Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner
This is where Samsung really surprised us all. Prior to the video, there were countless rumors on how Samsung would use an in-display fingerprint scanner. That is true, the video confirms it. However, what we all did not expect was the use of an Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Not only will it be faster but also more secure than any other mobile fingerprint scanner out there.
How it works is, instead of storing a 2D image of your finger, it maps a 3D structure of your finger via ultrasonic pulses. It works similar to what Apple did with their FaceID which means it’s virtually impossible to fool. To know how it works in more detail, click here.
Reverse Wireless Charging
Another feature that seems to be Huawei-inspired is the reverse wireless charging. It is clearly demonstrated in the video and there’s no doubt about it. How it works is, by enabling it in settings, your phone becomes a wireless charging pod. By placing any Qi-enabled phone on it, will charge it wirelessly.
This does, however, come at the cost of your own battery life. Which means the new Galaxy smartphone might get a significant bump in the battery. There’s also a chance that this is only available in the S10+ and not the regular S10 as it wasn’t clear in the video.
Galaxy Buds
Lastly, the video reveals, what seems to be Samsung’s version of AirPods. Called the Galaxy Buds, they are the new wireless earbuds from Samsung that feature a truly wireless design. They also come in a case that will be needed to charge them. Unlike the AirPods, the Galaxy Buds are more compact and do not have the traditional earphone shaft. They will be available for purchase along with the S10 when it comes out.
The video also shows that the case and the Galaxy Buds can be wirelessly charged by the phone as well. This is definitely something new and will ensure that you always have your Buds charged when on the go.
That was pretty much what we can confirm about the Samsung Galaxy S10 yet. The rest will be revealed in a Livestream in a few hours. That includes the price. However, by the looks of it, this will be really expensive. In fact, the most expensive Galaxy Smartphone to date thanks primarily to the ultrasonic sensor. There are rumors that a budget variant called the S10e will also be revealed which seems fitting in an era of over $1000 smartphones.