The Galaxy S20 series represents Samsung's best ‘candy bar' smartphone solution to date, which is something you'd expect from a brand new flagship. But if you're wondering if the Galaxy S10 series has any place on the market after the new model's release, the answer is ‘yes,' if you're aware of the implications.
There's no denying that the Galaxy S20 lineup is more powerful on paper than its predecessor in virtually every way, but that's not to say the Galaxy S10 is obsolete. And with the Galaxy S20 now stealing all the hype, you may be able to find attractive discounts on the Galaxy S10 series. You may have thought how much is the Galaxy S10 these days if you've been slightly discouraged by the pricing for the Galaxy S20. The good news is that one of Samsung's most robust lineups is now within reach of more customers than ever before.
Is the Galaxy S10 worth it in 2020?
Samsung's 2019 flagships remain quite powerful by today's standards. Granted, you will see a difference in synthetic benchmark scores when comparing the Snapdragon 855 and 865 SoCs side-by-side (or their Exynos equivalents in different markets), but you can expect Qualcomm's 2019 flagship chipset solution to be very competent in handling day-to-day tasks in 2020.
You will get more RAM with the Galaxy S20 5G variants in the US, but that's mainly because 5G requires more RAM in general. The LTE models, which are not available in the US, come with 8GB and 12GB of RAM instead.
You won't lose anything in terms of storage, either. Much like the Galaxy S10 series before it, the Galaxy S20 base models have 128GB of built-in storage, even though the Galaxy Note 10 had 256GB as standard.
Another thing to consider is that the Galaxy S10e, in particular, remains Samsung's most compact high-end phone on the market. It does have a weaker camera setup even compared to the Galaxy S10, but if you're willing to give up on the telephoto sensor in favor of a smaller footprint, it's probably your best choice.
And finally, if you're not ready to move on to USB-C or wireless headphones, and the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack is important to you then the Galaxy S10 lineup is the only way to go.
The Galaxy S20 series is more futureproof and a better 5G choice
Since it's a newer flagship, it should be obvious that the Galaxy S20 is more future proof than last year's model. One UI 2.1 is now a part of the Galaxy S10 experience following a recent update, but keep in mind that the S20 lineup will receive one additional major Android OS update and it will be supported with security patches for the next four years.
Furthermore, the entire Galaxy S20 series in the United States has 5G capabilities, so if this is an important factor for you then you're probably better off buying the newer model than the Galaxy S10 5G, which continues to sell for $1,299, or $1,199 if you activate it with Verizon on the day of your purchase. Therefore, the Galaxy S20 is a cheaper way to get into the growing 5G scene.
You'll also miss out on the new Space Zoom camera feature on the Galaxy S20, should you decide to buy one of the S10 models instead. Likewise, the S10 lineup has 15W fast charging, while the Galaxy S20/S20+, and S20 Ultra benefit from 25W and 45W super-fast charging, respectively.
Last but not least, the Galaxy S20 lineup is the company's first to boast a display with a refresh rate higher than 60Hz. But while the 120Hz display is impressive, sticking with 60Hz won't hurt your user experience, and you might end up using the 60Hz display mode even on the Galaxy S20. It's up to you to decide if the 120Hz panel is worth it (and you can check our poll on the matter, by the way), but one thing to keep in mind is that the transition from 120Hz back to 60Hz is more noticeable than when switching the other way around.
We live in the real world, and pricing is a factor, after all
Unless you have a spare flagship lying around and you're willing to take advantage of the ongoing trade-in deal for the Galaxy S20 series in the US, you're not going to be able to buy the new flagship for an equal or lower price than that of the S10.
Wondering how much is the Galaxy S10 series available for nowadays? The Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+ are now available in the US at a discount. Oddly enough, you can get either the Galaxy S10e or Galaxy S10 for $599, while the Galaxy S10+ will set you back $699. There's quite a difference between them and the Galaxy S20's $999 starting price, so this is obviously a great time to take advantage of these Samsung Galaxy S10 deals.
In closing, there are reasons to want to buy the new flagship series, as detailed above. But if you don't want to spend $1,000 or more, you can live without certain features, and/or you want a 3.5mm headphone jack (or a very compact device with a flat screen, in the case of the S10e model), the 2019 lineup remains a good choice. Especially if you can buy one at a discount. And if you don't reside in the USA, make sure you check Samsung's portal for your market and you might find similar Galaxy S10 deals. You now know how much is a Galaxy S10 and that it still represents a great value despite not being the latest flagship. The only question is, are you going to buy one?
Galaxy S10e Review | Galaxy S10/10+ Review
- Buy the Galaxy S10e from Samsung USA / Best Buy / Walmart
- Buy the Galaxy S10 from Samsung USA / Best Buy / Walmart
- Buy the Galaxy S10+ from Samsung USA / Best Buy / Walmart
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