Smart Android And Trik-Commenting on Andorid indeed never endless, because smart devices this one is often updated every certain amount of time. So that the market can always be garapnya menerinya with pleasure. And it is not denied if this device has become the lifestyle of each society. To not wonder if the 6th business information and many are turning to mobail smartphone. With Android which thoroughly dominated the mobile industry, choosing the best Android smartphone is almost identical to choose the best smartphone, period. But while Android phones have few real opponents on other platforms, internal competition is intense.
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy S10e is like a breath of fresh air in a world of behemoth smartphones with enormous displays. To be honest, we didn't expect Samsung or any other manufacturer for that matter to release a compact flagship. Especially since even Sony dropped their compact lineup. But here it is - a small flagship phone for a little less than you'd expect from a normal flagship these days.
It's nice to see Samsung keeping most of the high-end features in this little guy but for around €700, some corners had to be cut. For starters, you don't get the telephoto lens, the bezels are a tad thicker and the under-display fingerprint has moved to the side frame. If you are willing to live without those, than the Galaxy S10e might be the right choice for you out of all three phones Galaxy S10s.
Samsung Galaxy S10e specs
- Body: 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 mm, 150 grams, metal side frame, Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.
- Screen: 5.8" Dynamic AMOLED, 1080 x 2280px resolution; 19:9 aspect ratio; ~438 ppi.
- Chipset: Exynos 9820 Octa (8nm) chipset: octa-core CPU ((2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.31 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.95 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G76 MP12 GPU.
- Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB built-in storage, microSD slot support.
- OS: One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie.
- Rear camera: 12MP f/1.5-2.4, 1.4µm, 1/2.55", PDAF support, OIS + 16MP f/2.2, ultra-wide 104µm, LED flash; 1080p@30/60/240fps, 4K@30/60fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+ support.
- Front camera: 10MP f/1.9, up to 2160p@30fps video recording.
- Battery: 3,100mAh, adaptive fast charging 15W (9V/1.67A).
- Connectivity: Single-SIM, Dual-SIM available in certain markets (hybrid slot); LTE-A, 7-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.20/13 (2Gbps/150Mbps); USB Type-C (v3.1); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/ax MU-MIMO; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0.
- Misc: Stereo loudspeakers, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, IP68 rating dust and water protection.
But don't mistake the Galaxy S10e for an upper-mid-range device. It's still a flagship phone with a corresponding price tag although, a lot lower than the S10 or S10+ for that matter. You still get the flawless screen experience - as long as you don't mind the punch-hole camera - the great camera, powerful Exynos 9820 (or the Snapdragon 855 depending on your region) and tons of proprietary Samsung features.
Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S10e
Unfortunately, we didn't get a retail unit so the phone didn't come in its original box. However, we did receive the proper charger supporting fast charging output of 15W. We also got the AKG-branded buds, which sound great, by the way. It seems that all three Galaxies come with those AKGs. Kudos for that.
Design and build quality
The Galaxy S10e follows the same design language as its bigger siblings with metal side frame and glass on the front and back. However, instead of using a Gorilla Glass 6 and 5 configuration for the front and back, respectively, the S10e settles for a Gorilla Glass 5 sheets on both sides. The water and dustproof IP68 rating, though, is still at hand.
As you'd expect from a glass sandwich smartphone, the Galaxy S10e isn't the grippiest one around. It's still quite slippery and the glass is a fingerprint magnet. On the other hand, due to the small footprint of the handset, it's way easier to handle even with one hand. And the rounded edges on the back help with that too.
Moving to the front, we feel like we are missing something here - the curve. Unlike all Samsung flagship phones for the past couple of years, the S10e is the first one to go for the flat front panel design. And this could be a plus depending on how you look at it. The curve does help with reducing the footprint and maybe the grip to some extent but the repairs are more expensive and if you are looking for extra protection, the curved display makes things more complicated. It depends on your stance regarding curved displays.
Bezels are pretty minimalist as well, so you can enjoy the 5.8-inch display in a pretty compact package. In fact, the upper bezel is so small that it barely fits the earpiece that doubles as a secondary loudspeaker. That's why the proximity and ambient sensors are placed under the screen. The chin is the only thing that stands out and it's still a lot thinner than most we've seen. And now let's address the elephant in the room - the punch-hole selfie cam. Once you get used to it and apply a funny wallpaper that masks it, you will get used to it fast.
Mathematically speaking, the punch-hole camera makes more sense than a notch but it's a really minimal upgrade, to be honest. The UI usually cuts out the upper part of the screen rendering it unusable. Also, we don't know why Samsung decided to place the hole on the right as it pushes the status bar icons more to the middle of the screen. And one would make a case that there's no relevant content in the lower-left corner of the screen than on the upper-left when playing games or watching videos. It's less distracting on the left. In any case, we feel like this shouldn't be a deal-breaker if you like everything else about the phone.
This leaves us with the side frame of the handset. As we've already mentioned, it's made of aluminum with a glossy finish. On the bottom, you will find the USB-C connector along with the loudspeaker grille, the main microphone and the 3.5mm audio jack.
Going to the left, we find the dedicated Bixby button and the volume rocker. Both buttons feel quite firm, there's minimal wobble and provide tactile and clicky feedback.
The top side houses the secondary noise-canceling microphone and the SIM card tray that also holds the microSD card slot.
And finally the right frame. This is where Samsung really messed up. The power button that also doubles as a fingerprint reader is placed so up high near the corner of the S10e that makes it really hard to reach. To be honest, we were impressed by the awkward and uncomfortable placement of the button since we are dealing with such a small device here.
Also, due to the small surface of the fingerprint scanner, it's really important to train it properly and scan all the edges of your fingertip to ensure accurate and fast reading. Otherwise, we don't have any major complaints about the functionality of the reader. It's accurate and responsive.
Although there were no surprises with the design - except for the utterly awkward fingerprint reader placement - the Galaxy S10e carries high-end materials and offers impeccable build quality on par with the rest of the expensive flagships out there.
Here's a 360-degree view of the handset if you want to take a closer look.
Unrivaled display image quality
Samsung's flagship devices have always been the echelon in the smartphone industry when it comes to OLED panels and despite the considerably lower price of the Galaxy S10e, the company didn't cheap out with an inferior display. It's on par with its bigger and more expensive siblings in terms of overall picture quality. The only downgrade over the Galaxy S10 and S10+ is the resolution.
We've got a 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with a punch-hole camera in the upper right corner. The resolution is 1080 x 2280 pixels with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It supports the HDR10+ video standard so you can enjoy HDR10-compliant content on your phone.
We ran the usual screen tests and saw some impressive digits. The maximum brightness in manual mode is just 389 cd/m2 but can go up to 803 nits in Max Auto mode. That's one of the brightest screens we've seen on a smartphone along with the Galaxy S10 proper. Expect great visibility outdoors.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 820 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 803 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 793 | ∞ | |
| 0.425 | 700 | 1647 | |
| 0 | 660 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 620 | ∞ | |
| 0.314 | 461 | 1468 | |
| 0 | 428 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 426 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 396 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 389 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 385 | ∞ | |
Color accuracy isn't the best one around in the default Vivid mode, as expected - 4.8 average dE2000. Whites are a bit blue-ish, the reds and the greens are off the chart as well. But if you choose to go with the Natural mode, you will see some significant improvement in color accuracy. It will fix the whites and all other colors by bringing down the average dE2000 down to 1.7. A deviation so low that it's virtually impossible to spot with a naked eye.
Battery life
Since the Galaxy S10e is the smallest of the bunch, it's only natural to offer smaller battery. The 3,100 mAh unit inside may not sound much but it was able to squeeze out more than decent runtimes. The video playback time and the standby scores were the ones that boosted the overall endurance score to 83. That's a pretty good score given the capacity and it outperforms the vanilla Galaxy S10 in this regard. However, the Galaxy S10+ still comes out on top as the 4,100 mAh battery.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Samsung Galaxy S10e for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Unfortunately, just like the rest of the Galaxies, the charging speeds over the Adaptive Fast Charging protocol aren't all that impressive for a 2019 flagship. It took us 30 minutes to charge the phone to 36% with the included 15W charger in the box. Quite underwhelming.
Perhaps the additional battery charging features could make up for the lack of fast charging? For example, the phone supports wireless charging and can charge other devices wirelessly as long as they support the protocol. One more thing - the handset can charge other devices wirelessly while it's being charged using the cable. This way you can charge two devices at once on a single charging brick. That's pretty neat.
We've tested the feature, and it worked on other phones and couple of smartwatches here in the office. But to be honest, the reverse wireless charging feature would probably come in handy only when you are in dire need of charging your smart wearable. The charging method is ineffective. It drains the battery faster than it could charge the other device and it heats up quite a bit.
Loudspeaker
Just like the big boys, the Galaxy S10e uses stereo speakers - one hiding at the bottom side behind the grille next to the USB-C connector and the other one doubles as an earpiece. The sound coming from both of them is loud enough, and you will probably hear them ringing just fine in a loud environment.
Sound quality is also pretty impressive. Subjectively speaking, they sound full, clear and there's noticeable bass. You can even feel the back of the phone vibrating when listening to music, for example. Our only complaint would be the lack of balance. The bottom-firing speaker is noticeably louder than the one in the earpiece.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 67.9 | 71.6 | 73.7 | Good | |
| 70.0 | 73.9 | 80.4 | Very Good | |
| 70.1 | 74.2 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 71.2 | 76.8 | 80.6 | Excellent | |
| 77.5 | 71.7 | 81.1 | Excellent | |
| 76.9 | 74.8 | 79.3 | Excellent | |
| 74.4 | 74.2 | 83.6 | Excellent | |
| 72.8 | 74.7 | 86.6 | Excellent | |
| 82.2 | 74.9 | 85.5 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Samsung Galaxy S10e had the same excellently clean output as the two more expensive members of the S10 series. Its readings were perfect when hooked to an active external amplifier and headphones didn’t do any notable damage either.
The differences between the three Galaxy S10 phones come down to loudness - the plus version had super high volume, the vanilla S10 was well above average, and now, the S10e is the quietest of the three. It sits just above the 50 percentile, which means it’s going to work just as well as the other two for the vast majority of users, but may end up out of its depth if you have particularly high-impedance headphones and a taste for very loud music.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -92.9 | 92.7 | 0.0015 | 0.0074 | -89.4 | |
| +0.05, -0.05 | -92.7 | 92.5 | 0.0017 | 0.037 | -73.0 | |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -92.2 | 92.0 | 0.0015 | 0.0079 | -92.7 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -91.9 | 91.7 | 0.0020 | 0.037 | -77.0 | |
| +0.03, -0.05 | -93.0 | 92.8 | 0.0015 | 0.0070 | -94.3 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -92.7 | 92.5 | 0.0044 | 0.044 | -87.2 | |
| +0.02, -0.01 | -93.9 | 93.1 | 0.0015 | 0.0066 | -91.9 | |
| +0.05, -0.04 | -92.6 | 93.5 | 0.0026 | 0.072 | -58.7 | |
| +0.02, -0.16 | -92.1 | 92.0 | 0.0017 | 0.013 | -85.6 | |
| +0.07, -0.07 | -92.1 | 92.4 | 0.0021 | 0.106 | -66.5 |
Samsung Galaxy S10e frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Samsung's One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie
All three Galaxy S10s come with the brand new One UI based on Google's latest iteration of the Android OS. It's once again Samsung's take on the whole user experience with heavy customization and tons of old and new features.
If you've used Samsung UX over the past few years, you will probably work your way around easily. However, there are a couple of major revamps that may seem strange or even uncomfortable at first but we think it's for the best.
Aside from the colorful new icons that might not be to everyone's taste (luckily, you can swap the default ones with another icon pack), Samsung has implemented numerous changes towards more effective and comfortable one-handed use. Now all system menus, including the drop-down menu with all the quick toggles, are located on the bottom half of the screen, so they are within reach of your thumb. It takes some time getting used to, but we think it's a pretty smart solution.
Home screen, recent apps and app drawer
Speaking of one-handed use, there are still some small tidbits that Samsung forgot about. For example, the app folders still open in full-screen with the icons placed on the upper half of the display, which means you'll have to use your other hand to reach them.
Notification shade
Curious enough, even though the Galaxy S10e doesn't have curved edges of the display, the Edge panels remain. They are free to customize, re-arrange, add, remove or even disable the feature. The Edge lighting effect for notifications is here to stay too.
Display settings and Edge panels
And just like everyone else, Samsung has its own way of implementing Google's new gesture-based navigation. But to be honest, Samsung's gestures are just glorified swipes. They work as conventional buttons - swiping from the bottom-left brings out the recent apps menu by default and swiping from the bottom-right takes you a step back. You can swap them in the settings menu, but the home button remains as a single swipe from the bottom-center. If you swipe and hold, it will summon Google's Assistant.
In the end, Samsung saved a couple of pixels on the bottom, but the gestures still feel half-baked.
What doesn't feel half-baked, however, is the Always On Display feature. It gives you tons of options, and you can even set how bright it can get or set it to auto. It's especially useful when you are in a dark room. And if you don't care much about battery life and you are close to a plug almost all day, then maybe consider turning on the Always On wallpaper - it looks cool but kills the battery as more pixels on the screen need their juice.
Always On Display
In line with the rest of the UI changes, the general Settings menu has been revamped too. It's pretty compact, and some of the settings you might be looking for have ended up elsewhere. For example, the Device care sub-menu now accommodates the Battery settings and information, storage and memory management and the security features. Tapping on the Battery icon will open up the familiar battery menu full of settings and adjustments. Aside from the usual info and features which you'd find on pretty much every other Android handset, Samsung has added a couple of additional options.
You have three power modes - Optimized, Medium-power saving and Maximum power saving. Optimized is the default one with performance cranked up to the maximum. In the upper right corner of the battery menu sits another sub-menu giving you more granular control over your power consumption. For instance, you can disable notifications so the system won't keep background processes running while the rest of the settings involve putting apps into a deep sleep or even disabling depending on your usage. This is also the menu that lets you disable the fast charging feature on this phone, which is probably a good idea for prolonging the battery's lifespan if you are already charging your phone overnight and don't care about the time it takes the phone to charge.
Battery settings
Speaking of granularity, the Advanced menu gives you the option to set notifications to pop-up in a small view with which you can interact.
Google's push for the so-called Digital well-being has reached Samsung's One UС too. If you were ever wondering how much time you spend on your phone and which apps you mostly used, the Digital well-being sub-menu would give you the details. It's cool, but it will probably stay unused by most users.
Advanced settings and Digital Wellbeing
As before, Samsung's own take on the custom Android is full of features and pre-installed apps. We are overwhelmed, and it's hard to go over every one of them. And besides, there are plenty of carry-overs from the previous software versions. Some users may be annoyed with the heavy customization and set of pre-installed apps, especially if you are coming from a vanilla Android.
And although not perfect, we kind of like where Samsung is going with this. It's addressing an issue that's been overlooked for quite some time since the new wave of huge smartphone displays. One-handed operation on the One UI is much more pleasant and comfortable. Oh, and the inclusion of the Night mode was a long-awaited feature for more than just a few users. Only using the phone's UI as a daily driver will help establish a more objective opinion but we like what we see so far.
The most important thing is that we didn't feel any hangs, slow-downs or particularly annoying bugs. And when speaking of hangs and slow-downs, it's maybe time to say a few words about the heart of the Galaxy S10e - the Exynos 9820 chipset.
Performance and benchmarks
Like always, Samsung's flagship S10-series are all powered by the latest and greatest the industry can offer. Depending on your region, you will get Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 chipset or Samsung's in-house Exynos 9820 chip. As per tradition, we got the Exynos 9820 version.
It's based on Samsung's 8nm manufacturing process and accommodates an octa-core CPU featuring 2x custom Mongoose M4 cores clocked at 2.7 GHz, 2x Cortex-A75 cores running at 2.4 GHz and 4x Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.9 GHz for improved efficiency. The GPU onboard is Mali-G76 MP12. The chipset is paired with either 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage or 8GB/256GB.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XS
4823 - Apple iPhone XR
4818 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4543 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
4522 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
4518 - Xiaomi Mi 9
3503 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
2438 - Google Pixel 3
2377
Although from day-to-day tasks the performance difference between the Exynos 9820 and the Snapdragon 855 won't be noticeable, the single-core performance in synthetic benchmarks is far superior to the Snapdragon 855. It's almost as good as Apple's A12 Bionic. Of course, we blame the huge Mongoose M4 cores for this one.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XS
11472 - Apple iPhone XR
11437 - Xiaomi Mi 9
11181 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
10387 - Samsung Galaxy S10
10174 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
10081 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
9003 - Google Pixel 3
8146
But in multi-threaded operations, the Exynos 9820 is pretty much on par with the rest of the top-end chips, including the Snapdragon 855.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
372006 - Apple iPhone XS
346379 - Apple iPhone XR
341196 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
333736 - Samsung Galaxy S10
328366 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
325192 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
265314 - Google Pixel 3
233699
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XS
98 - Apple iPhone XR
97 - Xiaomi Mi 9
70 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
69 - Samsung Galaxy S10
68 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
67 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
60 - Google Pixel 3
57
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XR
60 - Apple iPhone XS
60 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
57 - Xiaomi Mi 9
56 - Google Pixel 3
55 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
53 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
37 - Samsung Galaxy S10
37
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XR
60 - Apple iPhone XS
60 - Samsung Galaxy S10
43 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
42 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
42 - Xiaomi Mi 9
42 - Google Pixel 3
35 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
35
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XR
58 - Apple iPhone XS
47
40
35
33
31
23
23
Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XR
60 - Apple iPhone XS
36 - Xiaomi Mi 9
23 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
20 - Google Pixel 3
17 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
13 - Samsung Galaxy S10
13
In graphically-intensive applications, the Mali-G76 MP12 GPU is just as good as the rest in the industry although it falls short a few frames against Apple and Qualcomm's chips. Also, on the onscreen tests, the Galaxy S10e manages to overtake its bigger siblings, the Galaxy S10 and S10+, due to the lower screen resolution. The GPU has fewer pixels to worry about so the FPS goes through the roof.
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone XS
6060 - Apple iPhone XR
5908 - Xiaomi Mi 9
5346 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
4568 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
4470 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4465 - Google Pixel 3
3909 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3713
The Exynos 9820 surely is a flagship SoC that can handle pretty much everything you throw at it. The battery tests confirmed that it's fairly efficient too. You can also consider it as a long-term investment as the chip is so powerful, it won't have any issues crunching numbers for the next few years.
It will be interesting to see how the Exynos 9820-powered variant compares to its Snapdragon 855 counterpart, and we will make sure to check that out once we have the chance.
Dual-camera setup, both of them useful
The Galaxy S10e still has the main 12MP (1/2.55") sensor with variable aperture f/1.5-2.4 and big 1.4µm pixels to capture more light. It's the same one used in the last generation Galaxy S9/S9+ and the Galaxy Note9. The variable aperture comes in handy in low-light situations by keeping it open at f/1.5 to capture more light. And when there's sufficient light, the software closes down the aperture to f/2.4 so the image turns out a bit sharper than it would be with an f/1.5 opening. The sensor is also stabilized.
The price has also affected the camera count on the Galaxy S10e. Missing the telephoto lens, the Galaxy S10e borrows only the ultra-wide lens from the other S10s. It's the same 16MP unit with f/2.2 aperture, which also means no autofocus.
The front camera is 10MP residing in the cutout and has f/1.9 aperture and more importantly, supports Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus. So you no longer need to mind how far you keep the phone from your face - it will always be in focus.
Camera menus and functions
The camera software is identical to the Galaxy S10 and S10+'s with some minor differences. Swiping left and right will switch between camera modes. And if you are a bit confused about the portrait mode, it's called Live focus here. The Pro and Food also get dedicated modes along with Hyperlapse, Slow motion and Super Slow-mo. But most of the settings you'd need are buried in the additional Settings menu. To access it, tap on the icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
Viewfinder menus
The viewfinder also accommodates a quick toggle between the ultra-wide lens and the normal one. The same goes for the front-facing camera. The two trees denote the normal lens and the three trees stand for the ultra-wide mode.
Additional camera settings
This menu lets you choose the video recording mode of the front and back camera as well as the aspect ratio of videos. EIS can be turned on and off and interestingly, the HDR (rich tone) mode is in that menu as well. We would have liked that one placed in the viewfinder instead of being buried deep in the menu. Anyway, you can set it on auto, off or on all the time.
The Scene optimizer is Samsung's way of saying machine learning algorithm without sticking AI to its name. Kudos for that. It works just the way you'd expect - when it recognizes a subject or scene, it will automatically adjust the settings for optimal results.
There's also the shot suggestion that gives you tips on composition. It helps you choose the right alignment of the subject and also straighten the image. And then there's the Flaw detection feature that warns you if someone closed their eyes in the photo or the image is blurry.
It took us some time but we also found the ultra-wide shape correction - it's deep in the Save options sub-menu. Since we are dealing with an extremely wide lens here, the barrel distortion is quite visible and the software correction helps a bunch. Of course, in this case, you'd be losing the dramatic effect.
With and without ultra-wide shape correction
And if a group selfie is your goal, you can shoot in wide mode, which is the default 10MP mode or you can narrow the field of view and go with a 6.5MP selfie.
Normal selfie vs wide selfie
The Save options also give you the option to save in RAW when shooting in the Pro mode and also offers face shape correction when shooting selfies.
Quite frankly, it's not the most intuitive camera app we've used but once you set your preferences and get used to the settings, it becomes usable.
Image quality
Expectedly, the camera performance is stellar. After all, the S10e uses the same sensors as the more expensive S10 and S10+ as well as the same software. When there's sufficient light, you can expect consistent performance - sharp and detailed images, excellent dynamic range and no trace of noise. We've noticed the HDR icon pop-up a few times when the scene required it.
Scene optimizer: Off • On
We've also tried the scene optimizer, which returned images with juicier colors and obviously, some image stacking is at hand. Just look at some of the clouds. Also, colors start to go a bit over the top. It will probably help you get a few extra Instagram likes.
Scene optimizer: Off • On
The ultra-wide photos also look pretty nice as far as ultra-wide photos go, of course. A bit more detail would have been appreciated and the lack of autofocus could potentially mess up your experience. But it boasts good dynamic range, no noise, and ideal color reproduction. As we've already mentioned, the software deals with the barrel distortion quite nicely.
Ultra-wide sample photos
Here are a couple of indoor shots as well.
Indoor samples
Low-light photography
The new galaxies don't have a dedicated night mode per se, but there's one setting under the Scene optimizer sub-menu. It can't be activated manually and it can be triggered only under extreme conditions where the light isn't sufficient. It will prompt you with a message to hold still until it does it's magic image stacking.
The rest of the shots will be taken in the normal auto mode. Dynamic range is impressive, the detail is preserved although noise isn't as visible. Here we observe the same "starburst" effect which we noticed with the regular Galaxy S10 and the S10+ when the Scene optimizer is at play. It looks a bit fake and if you don't want it, maybe disable the scene optimizer for the night shots. We didn't notice any major changes to the scenery with the Scene optimizer turned off.
Scene optimizer: Off • On
Expect less than stellar photos when using the ultra-wide lens, though. Most the lack of autofocus, OIS and narrow f/2.2 opening really did a number on our sample shots.
Ultra-wide night samples
Here's how the 12MP unit on the Galaxy S10e stacks against the rest of the competition in a more controlled environment.
Samsung Galaxy S10e against the Google Pixel 3 and Apple iPhone XS in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
This time around, Samsung used the main camera for taking photos and the ultra-wide to collect depth information. The result is crisp portraits with plenty of detail, natural-looking skin, and impressive edge separation. Of course, it all depends on the complexity of your subject. If it's a thing rather than a person, you can expect more consistent performance.
Portrait shots
Selfies
When enough light gets in the sensor, the photos turn out to be sharp and looking great. The dynamic range is quite impressive as well. The autofocus helps a lot with the detail but once it starts to get dark, the images become softer. The portrait mode is okay-ish given the fact that there's no secondary camera for collecting proper depth information like the Galaxy S10+.
Selfies: Normal • Portrait
Video recording
The 12MP main camera combined with the very capable Exynos 9820 chipset make a great team in this one. The Galaxy S10e can shoot 1080p and 2160p videos at 30 and 60fps easily. The HDR10+ capture is at hand as well. The Super slo-mo video recording is a carryover from last year's flagships and can do 720p videos at 960fps.
The EIS works in all modes except in the 2160@60fps mode but this year, Samsung brought one additional trick to S10 family - the Super Steady mode. It's only available in 1080p due to the image processing requirements. It uses the ultra-wide camera to crop out the extra pixels outside the 1080p range resulting in an impressively smooth video. That also means no autofocus, though.
But if the video quality is a priority, you can rely on the standard EIS during 2160p@30fps recording. And as far as quality goes - we didn't find any major issues or any at all. Color reproduction is accurate, the contrast is good.
Once you are done with the real-life scenarios, take a look at our video compare tool to see how it competes against the best in the industry.
2160p: Samsung Galaxy S10e against the Google Pixel 3 and Apple iPhone XS in our Video compare tool
You can download short untouched samples as well - 2160p/30fps (10s, 60MB), 1080p/30fps (10s, 18MB).
The competition
Competition in the mid-range might be tough, but the high-end segment has its difficulties too. And the Galaxy S10e doesn't make it easier for some as well. We can even say it's a rare beast to some extent - it's one of the few compact flagships and it doesn't break the bank too. To be honest, it was quite hard for us to think of adequate competitors, aside from the iPhone XR, which is the main rival here.
However, the Galaxy S10e fills a couple of niches - it's a decently-priced compact flagship with the essential high-end features at hand. Almost all of its competitors are more expensive but let's start with the most obvious one.
Samsung's answer to the "budget" iPhone XR is definitely the Galaxy S10e. Of course, the iPhone XR is a tad more expensive than the S10e in the US but asks considerably more in Europe or other parts of the world. But if you've reached a point where you have to decide between the iPhone XR and the Galaxy S10e, you probably don't have a single clue on how big your phone should be. Both handsets look similar, but once you hold them in your hand, the Galaxy S10e just feels tiny. Mostly because of the skinny bezels. It's just way easier to handle.
Battery life on the XR, however, is arguably better and raw performance is measurably higher, but that's all. The S10e impresses with one the best in class AMOLED displays, it has a pretty good ultra-wide camera, while the iPhone XR relies on one unit, and the Galaxy S10e still offers the option to unlock it with a fingerprint. And when you weigh in the factor of ever-declining Android prices, the gap between the Galaxy S10e and the iPhone XR will just grow bigger over time. One would argue that if the iPhone XR is in your price range, the Galaxy S10 is actually the better choice.
Apple iPhone XR • Samsung Galaxy S10
But if you are strictly in the Android camp, or more specifically, in Samsung's party tent, you should consider the Galaxy S10. The price difference is around €100 (or slightly more depending on your region), but you get the fancy in-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader, a third telephoto camera and a bigger and curvier display.
For a little less, Xiaomi has two offers that can go under the "affordable flagship" label - the recently released Xiaomi Mi 9 and last year's crowd favorite - the Pocophone F1. The Mi 9, despite being bigger in size and considerably less expensive, is closer to the Galaxy S10e than you'd think - a premium build, great AMOLED screen, long battery life, heavily-customized UI and powerful up to date hardware.
Xiaomi Mi 9 • Xiaomi Pocophone F1 • Google Pixel 3
And as for the Pocophone F1, it's the definition of "affordable flagship." Although still rocking a Snapdragon 845, it can do almost everything the S10e can but lacks the sharp AMOLED screen and the excellent camera experience. But for the less pretentious users, the Pocophone F1 will save you a couple of hundred dollars.
If you are one of the old-school users looking for something new, and compactness is on the top of your list, you should also consider the Pixel 3 - a powerful stock Android alternative to the Galaxy S10e and depending on the current Google promotions, it can be less expensive or slightly above the Galaxy S10e. There's also a big "if" with availability - Pixel availability is notoriously limited. But if all is good and you are willing to go with the Pixel, you should consider the bare bones Android experience and the single-camera module. That doesn't mean it can't do awesome shots, though.
Verdict
Surely, there are better value propositions from flagship phones, but the Galaxy S10e packs the latest and greatest and it's easy to handle with one hand. It has one of the best screens in the industry combined with a stellar camera experience, tons of cool software and hardware features and it's still rocking that beloved 3.5mm audio jack. It's one of the most feature-complete flagship devices out there, but there are a couple of things you'd have to deal with.
For example, the One UI might not be to everyone's taste - it's heavily-customized, and the navigation has changed a lot since the last Samsung UX iterations, and the high fingerprint reader placement requires too much of a thumb stretch. Even for a phone with this size, unlocking the handset using the side-mounted scanner feels like a chore.
Speaking of displacement, the punch-hole camera is an OCD-inducing design choice. Also, we still think that the hole is better off in the left corner, like the Honor View 20. We are still unsure how screen cutouts are any better than a notch, but we guess we are a step closer to full-screen design with sensors and cameras under the display.
And what's with the ancient fast charging Samsung? Every other phone maker offers a more advanced fast charging system, regardless of whether proprietary or not.
So this phone is not without its shortcomings. But do we recommend the Galaxy S10e? In a heartbeat. We see it becoming one of the best value high-end smartphones shortly, once the price starts to drop. As long as you don't care about those over-the-top fancy features like the in-display fingerprint reader, the Galaxy S10e could be your trusty sidekick for years ahead.
Pros
- One of the few compact flagships out there.
- Impeccable build quality, premium materials, great colors.
- Outstanding display.
- Stellar camera experience with a few minor exceptions.
- Decent battery life, better than the Galaxy S10
Cons
- Fingerprint reader is placed inconveniently high.
- The ultra-wide angle camera needs autofocus.
- The camera Night mode is lackluster.
- Samsung's fast charging tech is not competitive in speed.
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