The Galaxy S9+ pictured at the top of this post was one of the sleekest and most powerful smartphones that was released in 2018. It was also one of the most disappointing smartphones that was released in 2018, and that’s why it’s rumored to be Samsung’s worst-selling Galaxy S phone since 2012. It’s a great flagship phone, of that there is no question. But it also features the same design as the Galaxy S8 series from the prior year, and it didn’t introduce a single new feature that might be compelling enough to get people to upgrade. It was a disappointment in every sense of the word, and that is perhaps why expectations are so high for this year’s new Galaxy S10 series flagship phones. Luckily, judging by all the leaks and rumors we’ve seen so far, it appears as though Samsung’s upcoming new Galaxy S10 will actually manage to deliver on our lofty expectations.
Samsung clearly phoned it in last year and as a result, the company’s earnings have taken massive hits over the past few quarters. But 2019 is shaping up to be an entirely different story, with not one or two but three different flagship phone launches that are all shaping up to be hugely exciting. It all starts later this month with the Galaxy S10E, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ that are set to be unveiled during Samsung’s first big Unpacked press conference of 2019. And now, thanks to a big leak from a source with a superb track record, we get to take yet another look at an actual photo of Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ ahead of launch.
We’ve seen real-world photos of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S10 series phones leak on a few different occasions, but the photos are typically blurry or partially obscured. The most recent example was just a few weeks ago when a leaked Galaxy S10+ photo surfaced from China. The photo did show some important details like the dual front-facing selfie cameras placed in an oblong hole cut out of the phone’s display, but not much else could be ascertained.
This time around, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that the freshly leaked Galaxy S10+ photo posted by well-known gadget leaker @evleaks is crystal clear. There’s absolutely nothing obstructing our view of the handset. But the bad news is that only the top corner of the back of the phone is visible in the frame.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 4, 2019
Here’s a closer look at @evleaks’ photo:
While most of the Galaxy S10+ cannot be seen in the frame, there are a couple of key takeaways here. First, we can see a large camera bump with three different lenses, an LED flash, and Samsung’s heart rate sensor on the far right. The Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 are both expected to feature a brand new triple-lens rear camera system that offers huge improvements over the camera on last year’s Galaxy S series phones.
Beyond that, we ca pictured here. In line with earlier rumors, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 phones won’t feature a boring flat white finish. Instead, this appears to be a pearl finish that will show different colors when it reflects light at different angles. The world’s top Samsung insider said that the Galaxy S10 series will feature several “gorgeous” new finishes, so this certainly checks out.
Samsung is set to announce the new Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and entry-level Galaxy S10E smartphones at its Unpacked press conference in San Francisco on February 20th, which is now just over two weeks away. All three phones are expected to be released about two weeks after that in early March, and then a fourth new Galaxy S10 model with an even bigger OLED screen and 5G connectivity should be released sometime later.
