Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Lite has nothing to do with the S10 series smartphones . The term “lite” might make us think of a small and handy device. On the contrary, this smartphone is very bulky and difficult to use with one hand. The measurements make it even bigger than an S10 Plus and taller than a Note 10 Plus .
Its features are more reminiscent of those of the Galaxy A 2020 range. There is therefore the same polycarbonate shell as in the Galaxy A51, reviewed a few weeks ago , and the fingerprint recognition sensor is optical type as on the A71 . The interesting thing though is that it is a European Samsung device with one of the most powerful Snapdragon processors. So let’s see how he behaved and if he proved to be up to the counterparts with Exynos.
DIMENSIONS AND USABILITY
Usability in everyday life is slightly compromised by the bulky dimensions. The S10 Lite must be used with two hands, especially when typing. The body is, however, quite comfortable to hold: it has a not so high thickness, it is light and the plastic shell offers a good grip – less good is the resistance to fingerprints and the sensation to the touch, which is very different from that returned by glass. of the S10. Galaxy S10 Lite is well built, but is not IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
The front houses the large 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels . This is a Super AMOLED panel made by Samsung. The quality is very high, with excellent color reproduction and a peak brightness of over 700 nits. It is therefore clearly visible outdoors and in direct sunlight. I also appreciated the absence of curved edges and the implementation of the hole for the front camera. The first element helps in daily use and avoids involuntary touches created by the palm of the hand, while the second is more linked to an aesthetic evaluation.
Unlike the latest Galaxy S20, the fingerprint sensor is optical and not ultrasonic . The quality of this component is good, but it certainly does not come close to that of other top of the range. The technology used seems very similar to that seen in the A51 and A71: recognition is correct, but not very fast. On the A series we could have been satisfied, but with the S10 Lite the price goes up and this sensor is no longer adequate. Facial recognition via the anterior chamber also comes in handy, but even this isn’t perfect, especially when we have a light source behind our head.
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GREAT SNAPDRAGON
Finally a Samsung smartphone arrives in Italy with a Qualcomm SoC performing in every area. The Snapdragon 855 was used , a chip with octa-core CPU and Adreno GPU. If we exclude its plus variant, it is the most powerful Qualcomm SoC without 5G. The company probably wanted to keep costs low, without sacrificing performance. Thanks to this solution we have a fast and optimized smartphone in every area. S10 Lite proves to be responsive both in everyday life made of web browsing, social and messaging, and during gaming.
In the A71 we had encountered a bit of slowness during the processing of the photos , with the S10 lite this problem does not exist and is probably linked to the higher performance of the processor. The remaining components are of a high standard: 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage stand out – it can still be expanded via microSD, but the trolley has only two slots (one only nano sim and one hybrid sim card or sd).
Over the years we have always looked with desire at Samsung smartphones destined for the US market which, instead of Exynos SoCs, used those of Qualcomm. We have always fantasized about their performance and energy optimizations. Now that we have this S10 Lite in our hands we can confirm our hypotheses, with the exception of those concerning consumption. The Galaxy is equipped with a 4,500 mAh battery, but during our live battery test it arrived at 11.30pm with only 5% remaining. These are excellent results, but I would have expected something more. I believe that the problem is related to excessive consumption related to the first software releases. We will check in the future with the next updates.
GOOD PHOTOS BUT OIS IS NOT AMAZING
Galaxy S10 Lite boasts a very good photographic sector, even if I did not understand some choices. The main camera uses a 48 MP sensor, the secondary one is an ultra wide 12 MP and finally there is a small 5 MP sensor for taking macro photos. Everything is enclosed in a black plate that recalls the design of the S20 and will certainly be the distinctive feature of the next Samsung terminals of 2020.
The shots of the first and second cameras offer very similar color reproduction. The photos are natural, without excessive saturation and exaggerated contrasts. Same considerations also for the 32 MP front camera. Thanks to the live focus effects it is possible to cut out the subject well both in photos and in video. On the other hand, I did not really appreciate the macro camera, this has a fixed focus, therefore difficult to use and a telephoto lens would have been more appreciated.
During the launch phase, Samsung has focused a lot on the performance of the new OIS and underlines its presence with a writing on the rear module. I tested the potential, but it did not surprise me particularly. The result is good, but it is not that far from that offered by other smartphones.
SAMSUNG ONE UI
In recent months we have enjoyed the new version of the One Ui, from the first betas on the S10 Plus , to its stable version recently released also for the S9 . Samsung has lightened its customization a lot, but this is still far from the speed of stock-like roms. In S10 Lite we have the system based on the latest release of Android 10 and the security patches are updated in January.
If we are to be precise, this is not the most complete Samsung software ever. The functionality of DEX is missing, but I think this absence is linked to the fact that the Type-C uses only the USB 2.0 protocol and therefore the video output is absent.
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AUDIO AND RECEPTION
During the test days I noticed an excellent reception. I travel daily by train, crossing sections that often put other smartphones in crisis. With the S10 Lite I was on the 4G network for most of the journey and I was able to take advantage of excellent connection speeds. As for the audio department, there is no 3.5mm jack for connecting headphones and there is only one speaker. The ear capsule is not used for the stereo effect. The audio reproduced by the single speaker does not offer very high quality and is poor in bass.
CONCLUSIONS
The list price of the S10 Lite is set at 679 dollars. That’s a lot if we compare it with the street prices , the real prices of other smartphones from last year. For example, both the S10 and the Plus offer superior hardware features, better construction, waterproofness but a price very close to that of the Lite. When the price drops in the coming months, it will then become an excellent alternative among the cheaper top of the range. Especially if you are looking for the Samsung experience with a Qualcomm Soc.
