It's hard to believe that just weeks after Samsung released its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, we're already talking about the Galaxy S10. But such is the technology world we live in.
In truth, the Galaxy S10 and, presumably, the S10+ promise to be the most important Samsung releases in years. The handsets will go up against three new iPhones from Apple that are expected to debut this fall, and the new Galaxies could be the first from Samsung to offer 3D face scanners.
Of course, things very well could change dramatically in the coming months. Regardless, here's what we've heard about the Galaxy S10 so far.
A 3D face scanner
Samsung has been criticized for not having a 3D face scanner to compete with the Face ID in Apple's iPhone X. But a report from The Investor says that Samsung has partnered with 3D camera firm Mantis Vision to finally get a 3D scanner into the Galaxy S10.
Not much is known about the feature yet, but it's believed that the Mantis Vision technology will be able to compete on the same level as the Face ID feature on the iPhone X.
True bezel-free design, in-screen fingerprint reader
Samsung is clearly a believer in a bezel-less design and will likely remain so in 2019. In fact, according to a report in The Indian Express, the World Intellectual Property Organization recently published a Samsung patent filing that describes a new smartphone design featuring a completely bezel-less design.
Better yet, the patent shows a fingerprint scanner under the display, suggesting that this feature could also make its way to a Galaxy handset. While it's unclear whether the patent design will appear in the Galaxy S10, there's a good chance we'll see some sort of design overhaul in 2019.
Sticking with Qualcomm
In a move that could inform what happens in the Galaxy S10, Samsung in February announced that it had invested $5.6 billion in a new factory to build 7-nanometer chipsets. Not only would that allow for a smaller chip, but it would also pave the way for the company to make a variety of design changes with the extra room it'll have inside the handset.
According to a report from Phone Arena, Samsung will begin testing the chip later this year and get it ready for mass production in early 2019 — perfect timing for the Galaxy S10.
We should also note that Samsung will work on the chip technology with Qualcomm, which the phone maker has done with the last few Snapdragon processors. The Snapdragon 855, then, should be coming to the Galaxy S10, at least for U.S.-bound versions of the phone.
Name change on the way?
Samsung is said to be working on a foldable smartphone that could be known as the Galaxy X. And although that won't infringe on the company's Galaxy S schedule, it could cause a naming problem. After all, if one smartphone is called the Galaxy X, naming another phone the Galaxy S10 might cause confusion.
A report in February from The Investor cited an interview with Samsung mobile chief Dongjin Koh, who hinted that Samsung might move away from the numbered branding on the Galaxy S line. So, rather than calling its next smartphone the Galaxy S10, Samsung might opt for an alternative name. It might also choose, simply, the Galaxy S.
"Although Samsung will stick to Galaxy, we have been thinking about whether we need to maintain the S moniker or the numbering system," Koh said in that interview.
Release date
It's too soon to predict the exact release date for the Galaxy S10, but if history is any guide, Samsung will likely stick to a similar timetable in 2019 as in other years. That means you should expect to see the new handset announced at next year's Mobile World Congress show, which gets underway Feb. 25. If Samsung follows a similar pattern for the S10 as did for the S9, the new phone would hit shelves by mid-March 2019.
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