Science

Samsung Galaxy S10: UNPACKED Date, Livestream, and Expected Product Drops

The time has almost come.

Samsung could host its biggest smartphone extravaganza in recent history this week. The Korean tech giant’s February 20 Unpacked event is the Galaxy S series’ tenth anniversary, and all of the lead-up coverage has signaled that 2019 will could be a turning point for the company’s mobile products.

As many as five phones are expected to take the stage. At least three of those models will be part of the new Galaxy S10 series. But some rumors have also indicated that the much-hyped Galaxy F foldable phone could also be launched, as well as a 5G-enabled device that’s yet-to-be-named. To top it all off, Samsung may also roll out an alternative to Apple’s AirPods with its own pair of wireless earbuds.

Expectations are high, especially because the company explicitly decided to announce its new flagships at its own event and not during the February 25 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, as it has in the past. Analysts, journalists, and tech enthusiasts will all be waiting to see which of the circulating leaks, predictions, and rumors about the launch prove to be true.

It’s S10 devices are already available to be reserved and will be released on March 8, according to the company’s website. All that’s left is to see what else will be up for grabs in the coming months.

With only a couple of days remaining, all of the signs are pointing to an absolute banger of a smartphone roster. Here’s what to expect:

Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy F

Samsung’s foldable phone is by far the most-hyped handset of 2019 so far. It was teased during the company’s developer’s conference last year, and now technophiles might finally get to feast their eyes on a finished product.

The company already posted a teaser video on February 11 confirming the Unpacked event would feature foldable phone news. But there’s still a bit of mystery regarding whether or it’ll be a full-fledged launch.

In January, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Galaxy F would hit shelves as early as April. This could mean that Samsung will unveil its foldable phone on February 20 and give interested customers a lengthy pre-order window for purchase.

The device is expected to be a tablet-phone hybrid built specifically for multitasking, but accessing its features will cost a pretty penny. It’s price tag is expected to be somewhere in the ballpark of $1,900 to $2,500, according to anonymous sources interviewed by Gizmodo UK

Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy S10 X

Out all of the launches expected at Unpacked, the 5G-enabled S10 X is the most speculative. The rumored handset has been absent in many of the S10 leaks, which doesn’t bode well as far as its chances of appearing on February 20. But Samsung might still shock the room.

It’s expected to tout a 6.7-inch display, 5,000 mAh battery, 10GB of RAM, four rear cameras, and two front lenses, according to Korean tech news site Electronic News. This would be a beastly addition to the already beefy roster of smartphones Samsung has planned, so chances are looking slim.

Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy S10

On the other end of the spectrum, the baseline S10 will definitely make a debut on Wednesday, along with a larger counterpart and potentially a budget-friendly variant. It’s been leaked as coming with a 6.1-inch OLED, the same size as last year’s S9, but it’ll reinvent the S-Series completely.

The first of the S10 series is predicted to have three cameras, a pinhole display cutout, in-screen fingerprint scanner, its take on a Face ID system, and the headphone jack.

For its specs, all of the S10 models are expected to be rocking the Snapdragon 855 for lightning-fast performance. Similarly, all of the Samsung’s flagships are expected to start with with at least 128GB of memory and offer as much as 1TB with a microSD card.

A December report leaked the alleged prices of three of the models in the U.K., revealing that the standard S10 would start at £799, roughly $1,028.

Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy S10 Plus

91Mobiles S10 Plus leaks strongly back up the other glimpses of the phablet that have emerged.

91Mobiles

The 6.4-inch display of the S10 Plus will be slightly smaller than the iPhone XS Max. But it will actually boast more screen overall thanks to its hole punch display that will make it seem more spacious. But its camera features are expected to be its biggest highlight.

The phablet is expected to come with two-front facing cameras and as many as four rear cameras. That would put Samsung at the head of the muli-lens race, at least for now, by upping the ante on the LG V40 ThinQ by one camera. That could be complemented by a beefy 4000 mAh battery, according to mobile leaker Ice Universe, but it won’t come cheap.

The S10 Plus is expected to start at £899 (about $1,158) potentially reaching an eye-watering £1,399 ($1,802) for 1TB of storage.

Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy S10e

The leaked screenshot revealing the S10e's name.

Sam Mobile

Once thought to be named the S10 Lite, Samsung France accidentally leaked the names of the budget-friendly S10e on Wednesday with a banner ad. It’s since been taken down, but tech site Sammobile captured a screen shot of the site before the company could react.

The S10e will act as Samsung’s version of Apple’s iPhone XR, and offer many of the features found in the pricier models but for a reduced, £699 ($900) price tag.

It will still feature a hole-punch display, but the screen is thought to be 5.8-inches and the Lite might also skip on the behind-the-screen fingerprint scanner. There’s nothing suggesting that the phone will miss out on any other of the S10’s features, so it could be the move if you want to save some cash but still get your hands on Samsung’s flashy new flagships.

You can tune in to the action by catching the livestream on Samsung’s site. It’s expected to kick off at 11:00 a.m. PST.