Focus on “Beyond X” Galaxy S10 anniversary smartphone

Of course, early in the Year 2019 – first quarter, that is, – is when the Galaxy S line of Samsung smartphone products turns ten (10) years of age. To commemorate this event, the rumors go that Samsung will unveil 4 Galaxy S10 phones: The first of the four is a new flat-screen budget Galaxy […]

Of course, early in the Year 2019 – first quarter, that is, – is when the Galaxy S line of Samsung smartphone products turns ten (10) years of age. To commemorate this event, the rumors go that Samsung will unveil 4 Galaxy S10 phones: The first of the four is a new flat-screen budget Galaxy S10 phone, with 128GB of storage, which will retail for $845 in the UK. The next model is the standard Galaxy S10, having between 128GB and 512GB storage options and costing $1,009 and $1,260, respectively. The larger Galaxy S10 Plus will retail for $1,135 for the 128GB storage option; and $1,390 and $1,750, respectively for the 512GB and one terabyte (1TB) storage options. (Imagine what you can do with a terabyte of disk space in your phone!)

However, the “Beyond X” (actual release name yet unknown) Galaxy S10 anniversary phone coming out in spring of 2019 is the one that is getting all the attention. This is because Beyond X has several firsts for a Samsung smartphone: true – as opposed to pretend – 5G network, up to 1 TB storage, 6 cameras (4 rear-facing, 2 front-facing for selfie), and a whopping 6.7 in. display.

The 3 December 2018 article in this column speculates on the probable names that Samsung would give to the anniversary phones, reminding us that when iPhone turned 10, the model became iPhone X, with the “X” standing for “ten.” Speculated names for the Galaxy phones at ten include Galaxy X, Galaxy SX, Galaxy X Plus, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10 Plus. A few of these names might just make it. The Beyond X-designation, with the “X” standing for “ten” as in the case of iPhone, came to my knowledge after the 3 December 2018 article in this column. However, the actual release names, as it were, are still a guessing game for now.

The first three S10 models are rumored to range in size from 5.8 inches (the size of S9) to 6.4 inches (which is slightly larger than the size of the S9 Plus). Depending on the model, they will have between three and five cameras between the front and back. The models will reportedly enable a reverse wireless charging feature that could allow the sharing of battery life with other devices, such as another phone or a pair of headphones. This feature is supported in Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro smartphone.

Regarding the unveiling date, all four phones could be announced at an event in mid-February 2019. The three cheaper models will arrive first, while Beyond X is expected to hit the shelf whenever carriers – AT&T and Verizon in the US – have true 5G network service to support the phone. Rumors suggest this might happen by May 2019 at the latest.

Samsung is really very busy, making phones. I addition to the four planned anniversary releases, recollect from the article on 12 November 2018 in this column that Samsung’s version of foldable phones is expected to be available sometimes next year, as many device manufacturers hedge their bets on flexible phones being the next big thing. Samsung revealed details of its foldable phone – which rumors say will have the name “Galaxy Flex” – on 7 November 2018 at a conference in San Francisco for technology developers from around the world. At the event, Samsung unveiled a foldable smartphone prototype featuring the company’s Infinity Flex Display.

The Beyond X model notwithstanding, two features in the heralded Galaxy S10 phones will be scrapped, which may upset many customers. Before now, it was rumored that Galaxy S10 would provide a matching face recognition capability to iPhone’s flagship Face ID. However, it seems that Samsung has abandoned the idea. Also, the headphone jack may not make it into the anniversary phones.

In place of face recognition, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus will use ultrasonic display-based sensors, while the entry-level (budget) model will have an optical sensor. The ultrasonic sensor is a cutting-edge technology that uses an ultrasonic pulse and its reverberations (reflections) to generate a complex and highly secure 3D map of your fingerprint. On the hand, optical sensors merely take photos of your fingerprint. The Galaxy S10 will be the first phone with an ultrasonic sensor. On the other hand, optical sensors, which are also quite reliable, are more commonplace.

Note that based on the exclusion of Beyond X in several certification filings by Samsung, such as in China and Russia, there have been speculations that Beyond X might just be vaporware! That is, the device may not exist. Perhaps, to some, the phone’s rumored capabilities are too good to be true. Moreover, concern is building that Samsung might be biting off more than it can chew. We hope not!