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If you want a flagship Samsung phone, the Galaxy S10 Plus is now a no-brainer
Today, Samsung officially revealed the family of Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones, including the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. The entry-level version of the Galaxy S20 starts at $999, officially putting the cost-of-entry for a Galaxy S at $1,000 for the first time.
Simultaneously, though, Samsung did something we didn’t expect: it announced that it will keep the 2019 Galaxy S10 series active and drop all pricing by $150, including the high-end Galaxy S10 Plus. With that new Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount, the top-of-the-line 4G flagship from 2019 now becomes one of the best 2020 deals you can get.
Sure, the starting retail price now officially becomes $850 rather than $1,000 for the Galaxy S10 Plus, which still might seem like a lot of money. But the specs and features of the S10 Plus could still go head-to-head with pretty much any device, so the discount is fairly significant.
If you were one of those people who wanted a Galaxy S10 Plus but couldn’t stomach spending $1,000 on one, this article might convince you to skip the 2020 flagships and give the S10 Plus another look.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus: Still a terrific flagship
When it comes to raw specs and features, there weren’t too many phones in 2019 (or even 2020 so far) that can hold a candle to the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. Triple-lens camera? Check. Flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor? Check. High-resolution OLED display? Check. Headphone jack and microSD slot? Check and check. I could keep going on and on.
Just as a refresher, here is the full specs table for the Galaxy S10 Plus:
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus | |
|---|---|
Display | 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3,040 x 1,440 resolution (~522ppi) 19:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 6 HDR 10+ |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 (in some regions) |
RAM | 8GB or 12GB |
Storage | 128GB, 512GB, or 1TB microSD slot supports up to 512GB extra |
Power | 4,100mAh battery 15W wired charging 15W wireless charging 9W reverse wireless charging |
Cameras | Rear (triple): 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video Front (dual): 10 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 22mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm, depth sensor |
Audio | Stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack 32-bit/384kHz audio tuned by AKG |
Security/Safety | In-display fingerprint sensor (ultrasonic) IP68 rated against water and dust |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual band Bluetooth 5.0 (A2DP, LE, aptX) NFC support FM Radio (USA and Canada only) |
Operating System | Launch: Android 9 Pie with OneUI Current: Android 10 with OneUI 2.0 |
Dimensions | 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8mm |
Weight | 175g or 198g (Ceramic versions) |
Colors/Style | Global glass: Prism White, Prism Black, Prism Blue, Flamingo Pink Global ceramic: Black, White Region-specific glass: Cardinal Red, Smoke Blue |
From where I’m standing there are very few complaints to make here. The 4,100mAh battery is great, but a 4,500mAh capacity would have been nicer. Likewise, the 15W wired charging leaves a bit to be desired as at least 30W is fast becoming the norm. Honestly, though, that’s about it, the rest of these specs are top-notch.
Really, the only major drawback to taking advantage of the 2020 Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount is the fact that the device is 4G-only. The phones in the Galaxy S20 series are all 5G-capable, so the devices are ready for the future rollout of wide-scale 5G networks.
But let’s be real: widespread, easily accessible mmWave 5G isn’t coming in 2020. It might start becoming more of a thing in 2021, but even then it will likely be 2022 before we see mmWave 5G anywhere close to being as accessible as 4G LTE. In other words, a Galaxy S10 Plus won’t likely feel aged out for another two years, so a 2020 purchase is a safe bet.
Finally, you might be concerned that the Galaxy S10 Plus “only” has a Snapdragon 855 processor, which isn’t as good as the Snapdragon 865. Honestly, don’t sweat it. Benchmark scores will prove that the 865 is statistically better than the 855, but in real-world usage, you will likely not notice much of a difference at all. A Snapdragon 855 combined with a minimum of 8GB of RAM will feel snappy and smooth regardless of what you throw at it.
The new Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount is just the beginning
If you’re a bargain hunter, the 2020 Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount might not seem like enough. After all, $850 is still a lot of cash, especially when you consider there are other phones out there with almost-as-good specs and features that come in for much less.
Keep in mind, though, that $850 is now the starting price for the Galaxy S10 Plus. That means any future sales or discounts offered by Samsung, third-party retailers, or carriers will start at $850 and go down from there. We see sales on Galaxy S phones pretty often here at Android Authority, so you likely wouldn’t need to wait that long to see the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount price go from $850 to $750 or lower.
Additionally, Samsung and plenty of other retailers consistently offer trade-in discounts. Samsung, specifically, currently starts its trade-in at a $160 minimum for 2018 devices. That means that as long as you have an eligible 2018 smartphone, you’re going to save at least $160 off the current price of the Galaxy S10 Plus, bringing that $850 down to $690. If you have a high-end flagship to trade in such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or a recent iPhone, you’ll save even more.
Now, imagine combining a discounted price with a trade-in and there’s a good chance you could knock the price of one of 2019’s best phones to under $500. Now we’re talking!
What do you think? Are you going to take advantage of the new Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus discount? Or are you still too leery about buying a 2019 phone in 2020? Sound off in the comments below!