Samsung isn’t changing its traditional branding with the Galaxy S10

When the iPhone X came out, people all over the world started calling it exactly what it reads as, only to be told that the X is the roman numeral for the number 10. But the X looks cooler, so that’s what Apple has been sticking to as far as branding and marketing is concerned. And while Samsung’s mobile chief had suggested it could go for a name change with the Galaxy S10, it doesn’t look like it’s happening if we go by the official Galaxy S10 teaser the company posted earlier today.

It’s a minute detail but an interesting one nonetheless. Of course, with Samsung already using the letter S, it wouldn’t make sense to go the iPhone X route, and the company would have to come up with a completely new naming scheme to make a difference. And branding is not the only thing for which Samsung isn’t taking inspiration from its arch-rival. The Korean giant has also decided to opt for a corner cutout instead of a central notch for its next flagship. While a cutout is still going to get in the way of the so-called all-screen experience manufacturers have been talking about, it will differentiate Samsung’s 2019 flagship from the competition.

However, it’s not like Samsung won’t be bringing anything new in terms of branding. The Galaxy S10 Lite will reportedly be sold as the Galaxy S10 E, which might be what DJ Koh had been referring to. Even the Lite moniker would have been a notable departure, as Samsung has simply been sticking the Edge or Plus moniker to the larger model ever since it started releasing two versions of its Galaxy S flagships, and the reason it’s changing things now is no doubt the fact that the Galaxy S10 will come in three variants (and a fourth one with 5G support and a ginormous battery for some markets).

What do you think about Samsung keeping the traditional branding for the Galaxy S10?

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Samsung may have accidentally leaked the Galaxy S10 design

Samsung may have accidentally given away the Galaxy S10 design. The company recently published an article explaining its OneUI Android Pie overhaul. It seems they got too enthusiastic in the process and ended up creeping the Galaxy S10 design in one of the images.

Samsung has since removed all the images from the post and replaced them with more generic ones. So, where there’s smoke, there’s got to be fire, right?

Could have been a clever marketing ploy

Reddit user qgtx initially spotted the images in the post on the Samsung Newsroom, one of which had the punch-hole selfie camera cutout. The image matches with most of the previously seen renders and leaks of the device. It looked like a glaring error by Samsung but could have been a clever marketing ploy to begin with. Who doesn’t love a little attention after all.

In either case, Samsung has now removed the images. The replacement, obviously, doesn’t have the camera cutout and the bezels got thicker too. The original image had much thinner top and bottom bezels. Kudos to Samsung for trying to disguise the bezel again. Here are the two images side by side:

 

Earlier today, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy S10 launch date. The upcoming Samsung flagship will be unveiled at a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 20, 2019 in San Francisco, California. It’s not like there’s much to be surprised by in this image. The camera cutout in the front right corner is a done deal and so are the smaller bezels. It seems business as usual otherwise.

What do you think, though? An honest mistake or a marketing ploy? Let us know in the comments section below.

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SamMobile Daily Recap, January 10, 2019: Galaxy S10 battery size and more

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what we covered today.

Phones

Battery sizes of the 5G Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Fold revealed

Galaxy S10 launch event may not take place at MWC 2019

Prototype 5G Samsung phone was on display at CES 2019

Samsung may showcase its foldable smartphone at Galaxy S10 launch event

Firmware News

Pro mode video recording is missing on Android Pie for the Galaxy S9/Note 9

General

Join us tomorrow for our first YouTube livestream of 2019!

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BREAKING: Galaxy S10 launch date is February 20

The wait is finally over. Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy S10 launch date today. The reports about the event not being conducted in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress 2019 were accurate.

Samsung has confirmed that it will be conducting a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 20, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The teaser that it has sent out leaves no doubt that the Galaxy S10 will be the star of the show. The proceedings begin at 11:00 AM Pacific (7 PM London, 12:30 AM Feb 21 Delhi).

Galaxy S10 launch date confirmed by Samsung

Samsung has used the Mobile World Congress stage in Barcelona to launch new Galaxy S flagships over the past few years. It’s not going to do that in 2019. Samsung is holding a special Galaxy Unpacked event just for the Galaxy S10. Since the event is a week before MWC 2019, it will allow the Galaxy S10 to dominate the news cycle before some of its rivals launch new phones in Barcelona.

The upcoming flagship is the company’s 10th anniversary Galaxy S device so it’s understandably getting special treatment. A total of three models will be released – the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10 (E or Lite), the 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 and the 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+. A separate 5G variant of the Galaxy S10+ will also be launched with a 5,000mAh battery.

There will be many firsts for the Galaxy S10. It’s the first flagship with the Infinity-O display, the first with an in-display fingerprint sensor and the first with 5G. Camera setups will vary across the lineups but expect both triple and quad rear cameras in addition to a dual front camera on the Galaxy S10+. You’ll find the Exynos 9820 chip under the hood with at least 6GB of RAM. Samsung will use the Snapdragon 855 SoC for select markets like the US.

No word on the pricing as yet but you can expect the high-end models to command high-end prices. Earlier reports have suggested that Samsung will release the device by mid-March. We’ll be on the ground in San Francisco on February 20 to bring you all of the latest updates from the launch event. Just like you, we can hardly wait.

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Pro mode video recording is missing on Android Pie for the Galaxy S9/Note 9

In an attempt to get the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie update out there as quickly as possible, Samsung may have forgotten to include the option to record videos in Pro mode. On Android Pie, video recording gets a dedicated mode in the camera app. It’s a change many haven’t taken kindly to, and it seems Samsung didn’t take into account that this would require an important change in Pro mode as well.

Before Pie, video recording had a dedicated button next to the regular camera shutter button, so one could simply switch to Pro mode and hit that button to start recording videos with manual camera settings. But Pie has a separate Video mode, so switching to Pro mode only allows you to take photos. And, funnily enough, if you go into the camera settings and try to modify what camera modes you see in the camera interface, the description for Pro mode says that it lets you “take control of your videos.”

It’s clearly a major oversight on Samsung’s part, and the company seems to have rushed to make the camera app more iPhone-like without thinking things through. And it also raises questions about how final these official updates really are. While the Galaxy Note 9 has received the final update in only one country, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been updated in quite a few markets. The problem exists even on the newer Pie build a couple of countries have received.

Whether the worldwide rollout will fix this remains to be seen, but as it stands, you might want to hold off from updating to Pie if you like taking videos with custom camera settings.

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Samsung may showcase its foldable smartphone at Galaxy S10 launch event

Earlier today, a report from Korea said that Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy S10 lineup at a special event in San Francisco a week before MWC 2019. The company apparently decided to skip the traditional MWC unveiling and moved the launch a week earlier as Huawei reportedly plans to showcase its foldable smartphone at MWC in Barcelona.

A report from The Wall Street Journal is now confirming this news as well. More interestingly, WSJ says that the Korean company will also showcase its foldable smartphone at the same event. Again, Huawei’s plans to unveil its foldable smartphones is cited as the reason behind this move. Launching the Galaxy S10 and the foldable smartphone a week before Huawei will help Samsung steal the limelight.

April release on the cards

The device is still being referred to as the Galaxy F, Galaxy Fold, and Fold internally, says the report. Though not finalized, it appears Samsung is still on track to release the Galaxy Fold in April this year as reported previously. If the device indeed hits the market n April, it will be a crowded Samsung flagship lineup with three Galaxy S10 variants, a special 5G variant, and the very expensive foldable smartphone.

Samsung gave a sneak peek of its prototype foldable smartphone at the Samsung Developer Conference in November last year. However, since the design wasn’t finalized, the company dimmed the lights while revealing the device and was unwilling to fully showcase or let the media play with it. It was reported that the foldable smartphone also made an appearance behind closed doors for select partners at the ongoing CES 2019.

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Join us tomorrow for our first YouTube livestream of 2019!

We’re back after our Christmas special YouTube livestream in which some of our lucky viewers won a Galaxy Watch. Do join us tomorrow for our first biweekly YouTube livestream of 2019. We certainly have quite a few things to discuss during the proceedings.

The agenda includes discussions on all of the Samsung news from the past two weeks. We’ll also be talking about the Galaxy S10 and what you can look forward to from the device. You can reach out with your questions which we will be more than happy to answer.

Be sure to tune in at 12:30 Amsterdam time (5 pm Delhi, 11:30 am London) tomorrow. This is as good a time as any to remind you to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Prototype 5G Samsung phone was on display at CES 2019

The prototype Samsung 5G phone made its second public appearance at the CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Samsung had the phone on display somewhere in the midst of its gigantic booth at the event. It’s the same device that Samsung and Verizon used to show off 5G capabilities back in December, during Qualcomm’s Tech Summit in Hawaii.

An operational prototype Samsung 5G phone

The phone on display at the CES 2019 was caged in a glass enclosure, with the display cycling through a canned demo which showed off some of its functions. The demos did not appear to show its 5G capabilities. Its design was obscured with a dark case.

The prototype 5G phone that Samsung displayed at the two events was, indeed, just a prototype. It carries an odd corner notch, which is something the final unit almost certainly will not have. The 5G Galaxy S10, and other S10 variants, will come with a punch-hole display.

Samsung will reportedly unveil the Galaxy S10 in San Francisco next month, a week ahead of the MWC in Barcelona. A teaser for the launch is already doing rounds online. The 5G Galaxy S10, however, is not expected to hit the market alongside the other three variants. It may arrive later when 5G networks go live in the US and South Korea.

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Galaxy S10 launch event may not take place at MWC 2019

If history is any indication, the Galaxy S10 launch event should take place at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona next month. Samsung has been using the MWC stage to unveil new Galaxy S flagships for the past few years. So why should 2019 be any different?

However, a Korean news outlet is now reporting that Samsung is not going to launch the Galaxy S10 at MWC 2019. It may actually launch it earlier. Many of Samsung’s fans will certainly not mind that they get to see the device earlier if this is true.

Galaxy S10 launch event reportedly taking place in San Francisco

Citing industry sources, The Korea Herald reports that Samsung is going to hold the Galaxy S10 launch event one week ahead of MWC 2019 in San Francisco next month. The Mobile World Congress 2019 begins February 28th in Barcelona so you can do the math.

The report mentions that there had been a discussion at Samsung about changing the place and timing of the Galaxy S10 launch. It’s presumed that Samsung decided to launch the Galaxy S10 early to undercut Huawei’s possible launch of its first foldable smartphone at MWC. Samsung’s foldable phone is due to arrive in the first half of this year but it’s unclear if it will be shown at MWC.

Even if Huawei doesn’t launch a foldable smartphone at MWC, an early launch would work in Samsung’s favor. Many of its rivals will be unveiling new devices at the trade show. Moving up the Galaxy S10 launch event will ensure that Samsung gets at least a few days’ news cycle all to its 10th anniversary flagship.

There hasn’t been an official confirmation of this as yet, though. Samsung hasn’t confirmed the date for the Galaxy S10 launch event. Nevertheless, time to get excited. February can’t come fast enough.

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