The Samsung Galaxy S10 models were some of the top contenders for the “Best Smartphone” title for most Android users last year. And the Samsung Galaxy S10e is just a smaller and cheaper phone from that lineup. Also, there’s so little compromise here compared to the flagship Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus (other than the size) that it could be one of the best small phones available on the market. Even down to the IP68 rating is included, making it another fantastic contender for the best waterproof phone crown.
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Why We Like It – Samsung Galaxy S10e
Flagship smartphones from Samsung or pretty much any other brands nowadays are usually so large that they are pretty much unusable with one hand. But the Samsung Galaxy S10e proves that flagship smartphones can also be scaled down in order to make a more budget-friendly smartphone with smaller screen size.
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- Excellent dynamic AMOLED Infinity display (HDR 10+)
- Fast wireless charging and reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare) supported
- Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back
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- Night mode is pretty lackluster
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Overall Performance
On the S10e Samsung put in pretty much the same hardware as its bigger brothers. It also features the flagship (at the time) Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, which actually still performs better than any other mid-range Snapdragon (e.g., the Snapdragon 765G inside Google Pixel 5) chip to this date.
Battery Life
Even a new Galaxy S10e unit won’t be able to give you a whole day of battery life, which is slightly disappointing. This is partly due to the somewhat smaller 3100 mAH battery and poorly optimized One UI. Even the Apple iPhone 12 Mini, which comes with a much smaller battery, will be able to provide a much better battery life overall, simply because of Apple’s tight integration and optimization with iOS and the A14 Bionic chip.
Display
The Galaxy S10e sports a fantastic AMOLED Infinity display with rounded corners and a punch hole cut out for the selfie camera. Straight up, the punch hole cut out is much less noticeable than the prominent notch on something like the Apple iPhone 11 Pro. It’s still not entirely “full-screen” per se, but it’s a lot closer. And even in 2021, we still haven’t seen perfect under-screen camera tech from big brands on a consumer product. The screen size clocks in at just 5.8 inches, which should be perfect for one hand use, even for people with smaller fingers.
Durability
In typical Samsung fashion, this phone comes with an incredibly durable glass sandwich body with Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back. There are no durability concerns that you should be worried about, but applying a case would always be recommended, just because of the glass back. And you get four different color choices on top of that, Flamingo Pink, Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue. If you have any durability concerns then you can get a rugged smartphone like the BLU Zoey Flex.
Value
Currently, at just $328, the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S10e is pretty much a steal. And it’s not like you’re getting an outdated phone either. Other than 5G, the chip has modem for pretty much all the next-gen network connectivity options you’ll get to see in the near future (e.g., Wi Fi 6).
Samsung Galaxy S10e Wrap Up
Overall, Samsung Galaxy S10e still is a fantastic value for money phone. Just make sure to pick up the Snapdragon variant, not the Exynos one.
