Samsung Galaxy is a series of computing and mobile computing devices that are designed, manufactured, and marketed by Samsung Electronics in South Korea.
Here are some of the differences between S10 and S10e. It is worth noting that, the letter “e” in S10e stands for “essential”
What is the difference between Galaxy S10 and S10e?
1. Size
Galaxy S10 has a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED+, 19:9 aspect ratio, 1440 x 3040 pixels (550 ppi), 1200 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 6 (front screen), Gorilla Glass 5 (rear)
Galaxy S10e -has a 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED+, 19:9 aspect ratio, 1080 x 2280 pixels (438 ppi), 1200 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 5 (front and back)
You get a smaller display on Galaxy S10e and it is also flat but curved edges divide opinion and smartphone displays have become so large some will prefer the budget option. Especially since both sport the same bezel-trimming ‘punch-hole’ displays.
Where the Galaxy S10 stands out is its higher resolution display and toughened Gorilla Glass 6 front panel. But not so fast. These phones run lower resolutions by default and the human eye struggles to see a difference above 300ppi anyway. As for the glass, most people put their phones in a protective case.
2. Camera quality
- Galaxy S10e Rear: Primary – 12MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Secondary – 16MP, f/2.2, 12mm (123-degree ultrawide) lens
- Galaxy S10 Rear – as above, plus Tertiary – 12MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
So the Galaxy S10e misses out on the Galaxy S10’s 2x optical zoom, but I don’t think this matters greatly. While the ultrawide lens is ideal for panoramas and shooting indoors, in most scenarios the loss of optical zoom can be mitigated by simply walking close to your subject.
3. Performance
- Both models: EMEA – Exynos 9820 Octa (8 nm), CPU: Octa-core (2×2.7 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A55), GPU: Mali-G76
- Both models: US, China – Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm), CPU: Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.4 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 485), GPU: Adreno 640
While identical, it’s worth noting the improvements the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e get from their new hardware. Samsung claims 29% and 37% CPU and GPU boosts respectively over the Galaxy S9 while they also run cooler thanks to their die shrink.
Where there is a difference in RAM. The Galaxy S10 has a sizeable 8GB, regardless of which option you buy (128/512GB), while storage determines what you get in the Galaxy S10e: 128GB gives you 6GB, 256GB bumps you to 8GB, there is no 512GB model.
4. Battery life
- Galaxy S10 – 3400 mAh
- Galaxy S10e – 3100 mAh
While the Galaxy S10’s battery is almost 10% larger than the Galaxy S10e, the real-world differences are minor due to its larger screen and higher resolution. Both also represent improvements from the Galaxy S9 (3000 mAh) and Samsung promises almost 24-hours of battery life from a single charge.
5. Price and storage
- Galaxy S10 – $899 (128GB / 8GB RAM), $999 (512GB / 8GB RAM)
- Galaxy S10e – $749 (128GB / 6GB RAM), $849 (256GB / 8GB RAM)
For my money, given its support of microSD, the 128GB Galaxy S10e is the best value option but – conversely – microSD also means the 128GB Galaxy S10 is worth its $50 premium over the 256GB Galaxy S10e.