We expected more evolution considering that 2018 was for Samsung a year of transition, where its S9 fulfilled correctly, but without surprise. However, the S10 family has once again left in the inkwell that  WOW effect  that we have so hard to find lately in a smartphone. Despite that,  we wanted to test the Samsung Galaxy S10 + to see if it really is a bet to value within the market of the top of the range of 2019.  And without a doubt it is. As Rosalía would say, the  Samsung Galaxy S10 + is a smartphone “with height” that is not surprising, but that puts in your hands a device with which you will not miss practically anything. 

What do we find in the box of the Samsung Galaxy S10 +?: Samsung Galaxy S10 +, is it up to what we expected?

We are facing a very elegant box, both inside and out. On the outside, the color black predominates, interrupted only by the letters S10 + with iridescent reflections.

We open the cashier and find the terminal first. When removing it, we have another layer with the manuals and the SIM extractor spike and under it, perfectly placed, the wall charger, the USB C cable, the AKG headphones and a USB C to USB adapter. A more than correct content in which we miss the classic provisional silicone cover that helps us get through the first days until we buy a more definitive cover.

Samsung Galaxy S10 + design: Samsung Galaxy S10 +, is it up to what we expected?

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is a very beautiful  and above all  very comfortable smartphone  . Despite its large screen diagonal,  the excellent use of the frames  is noticeable when picking it up. The first impressions in hand is of being a smartphone that adapts quite well to them and it is a perception that does not happen when we use it for longer.

It has a minimal frame at the top of the display to house the speaker and another, also discreet, at the bottom. The screen is Infinity type with curvature on the sides, something that, although it gives an impression of immersion that we like, sometimes causes us to accidentally press in this place when we really do not want to. Samsung Galaxy S10 +, is it up to what we expected?

We really liked the treatment of the  hole on the screen . A trend in mobile phones of 2019 that, however, are not taking advantage of the rest of the competition too well. However, when we flip the terminal, we find a frequent design problem:  fingerprints . I still do not understand at this point in the game the care that most manufacturers put into designing beautiful smartphones, with spectacular colors, and yet we still do not have an  oleophobic treatment  completely fingerprint-free . It is true that in the end we always end up carrying them with a cover to avoid accidents, but be clear that the moment you take it off, you will have a  beautiful glass back full of traces. Of course, a point that we found very interesting is that this glass on the back has Gorilla Glass 5 protection . We have not tested it with bumps or falls, but a priori it should withstand something better, perhaps this is why the glass is thicker at first glance than other smartphones that have the back with this material. It also includes  IP68 protection , which makes it resistant to drops and immersion in fresh water for 30 minutes at 1.5 meters.

As for the distribution of physical elements, we have on the right side the power button, on the left side the Bixby button and volume keys, on the top the SIM card slot and on the bottom the speaker, microphone , headphone jack and USB C port.

Samsung Galaxy S10 + screen

Samsung’s top range is reputed to have one of the best screens on the market and in this case it is also the case, however, it has surprised us a bit that comparing it directly with a P30 Pro, the whites are much whiter on the terminal of Huawei, while Samsung’s, despite having very good color and contrast representation, the white color tends to yellow.

Nothing worrisome,  the quality of the S10 + screen is unquestionable , thanks to that panel with 1440 x 3040 pixel resolution  , Dynamic AMOLED technology and 534 ppi. 

The brightness level gives us good results both indoors and outdoors , although we recommend activating the blue light filter if you are going to enjoy your smartphone in an area with a high incidence of sun rays (beach, countryside …). You will notice the difference.

As we said, the screen includes a small perforation in the upper right part of it, something that allows us to make better use of the 6.4-inch display and does not negatively influence the use of apps. All are perfectly adapted to the dimensions of the device.

The tactile response is good and it does not seem to be sensitive to scratches, after a few weeks of use, it continues to be pristine using it with the protector that it was wearing, thanks also to the Gorilla Glass 6 protection  that includes the glass.

Performance worthy of a flagship

When we spend a thousand euros on a smartphone, the first thing we expect from it is that it meets the needs of a demanding user. Nothing to reproach the Samsung Galaxy S10 + in the performance section. We are facing a  fluid smartphone, with the ability to solve any situation in multitasking.

We have not experienced heating on the device after viewing multimedia content, loading it or playing PUBG or racing games.

Although there are different variants available,  the unit that we are testing is the 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage , with the  Exynos 9820 8nm processor  ,

As we know that you like benchmarks, we have passed AnTuTu to it so that you can see the result.

The photographic section fully complies, although with some buts

The Samsung Galaxy S10 + camera is one of the best that you will find on the market today , however, it is not as versatile as other options and we did notice an excellent result in some situations to the detriment of others. You can click on the images that we leave you below to see them in more detail. All are uploaded without any type of filter or processing, although keep in mind that our editor compresses the images so they may lose a bit of quality.

The best results are obtained during the day , in good lighting conditions the color representation and the level of detail is exceptional. Samsung Galaxy S10 +, is it up to what we expected?

The competition has made the zoom in smartphones fashionable and here is one of the moments in which we see this terminal falter the most. Up to 3x works quite well, however the maximum we can get is 10x.

Another point in which it is not the best option at the moment is the night mode . In the time we have taken to edit this review, we have received the update with this mode and without a doubt the improvement is substantial. The first image corresponds to the S10 + without night mode and the second and third with night mode. The capture of light has improved a lot, however, it gives a washed effect that does not get the outstanding one. Samsung Galaxy S10 +, is it up to what we expected?

Another of the tests that we like to do with the cameras of the phones that pass through our hands is to get very close to the object we want to photograph to capture the detail. At this point, the only mode that gives us flawless results is Huawei’s Super Macro. Any other option, like this S10 +, leaves us a blurry image.

Finally, the  portrait mode does give us quite top results , both in the definition of the image and in the blur. The crop is tight and well defined and the back blur is quite natural but well worked. The first image is taken with the rear camera and the second and third with the front one, with and without blur. From the  front camera we can see that it tends to yellow a bit , although compared to the phones we have tested so far it seems to us to be one  of the best options in this section.

Sound, its great point in favor

One of the points that has conquered us the most about the Samsung Galaxy S10 + is the sound. It has a  double stereo speaker,  something that you will notice both when playing videos, music, games or even in the call itself. The speaker is located at the bottom and the sound also comes out through the earpiece. What do we gain from this? If you are one of those who takes the mobile horizontally to watch videos or play games, inevitably the speaker is covered, so we would lose quality. With this system of the S10 Plus we obtain  a fairly clean, crisp and powerful sound . Probably the best sound I’ve ever had on a smartphone.

In addition, we keep the  headphone jack , something that is increasingly difficult to find in a high-end smartphone.

Connectivity, security, software and battery, the almost perfect tandem

Good screen, excellent camera, and outstanding sound. So far, it is obvious that the S10 Plus is a smartphone that convinces, but the user experience would not be complete if any of the four points that we are going to review below were to fail: connectivity, security, software and battery.

We start with  connectivity , where details are not lacking:  dual-band ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, NFC, Radio and USB C 3.1 . The connections with both mobile data and WiFi have given us very good results in daily practice and the positioning if we use tools such as Google Maps is fast and accurate. In addition, it includes Radio, another point that, along with the 3.5 mm jack, is being lost.

Another point where Samsung stands out is in  security . Includes  Samsung Knox ,  on-screen fingerprint sensor and facial recognition. The position of the footprint is quite comfortable, under the screen and in a lower location. Unlocking is fast and gives a fairly high hit rate, without the need to exert a lot of force or make several attempts to detect it. The same goes for easy unlocking. We have tried to unlock with a photo and we have not obtained a result. With the face, unlocking is fast.

The  software has left us somewhat bittersweet sensations. We have not experienced problems with apps and the stability is very good, but although a priori it is a very visual system, in certain aspects it is not as intuitive as we would have liked. It does not convince us, although this point is something quite subjective.

Finally, the  battery is another of the points that has left us most satisfied. It has a capacity of 4,100 mAh very well optimized thanks to that Android 9 with One UI. The battery life is the best that has passed through my hands,  reaching 10 hours of screen most days  . 

However,  the wired charging time leaves us a bittersweet taste. These are the figures we have obtained:

• 30 minutes: 27%
• 80 minutes: 75%
• 112 minutes: 100%

Around 2 hours to fully charge the battery, from 0% to 100% is a compelling reason to subtract score from the battery section.

One detail that we did like a lot is that  when we activate the reversible wireless charging, the flash is activated as an LED . Blinks blue when active and turns red when in use.

Technical characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus