For years Samsung Galaxy phones have been the phones I'd recommend to anyone looking for a phone that wasn't an iPhone, but not one I wanted myself. Most of the reason was software related (I detested TouchWiz), some was aesthetic, some fueled by what was available on my carrier. I rocked my Xperia Z3 with pride when I switched to #Team Magenta some years ago (and still one of my top 3 favorite phones I ever owned). Hell, I went so far as to get a G5 because I simply didn't want to deal with a Samsung phone myself (even though that Note 7 was looking so very tempting)

But now? There aren't really that many reasons for me not to get the S10e, which checks just about every spec box needed, still keeps a headphone jack, isn't a huge slab of phablet, and has a (supposedly) updated UI that doesn't suck donkey balls. G8? No reason to exist. HTC? Bought by Google, and I don't think they have a phone. One+? While T-Mo does carry them now, the latest one doesn't compete with the S10 spec.

Now, before anyone suggests the Pixel or any Huawei handset, I tend to go through a carrier to get my phone. First, I rarely have the funds to buy the phone up front in cash. Second, I'm too lazy to find and financing or, more importantly, insurance from a 3rd party provider for my phone (sure, you can argue Insurion or whomever is the 3rd party through the phone carrier, but that's usually taken care of at that point, not a separate thing to deal with). Considering I once ran my brand new phone under a lawn tractor, insurance isn't an option for me....

So yeah. In a few weeks the G5 is finally getting retired and I become a lemming. Not thrilled, but can't really rationalize doing much better with fewer compromises or frustrations. This One UI better work...

i have the s8, had the s7 before it. the interface isnt really bad at all on these. i think the earlier versions were more heavy handed. the s8 is going strong so im not looking to upgrade anytime soon.

i wish it took better low light pictures or really concert pics. so from a distance. other than that im pretty good with it.

when i do upgrade i might look for one of the phones with the sliding front camera so i can get a full screen instead of the punch out holes. hopefully theres some better options out there in about a year.

i think the real issue with samsung phones is that they keep getting more expensive, but if you can afford them they are worth it. the s10e looks like a pretty good deal.

it's going to be notches or punch holes, or at best you have to make big compromises elsewhere

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

I'm not willing to sacrifice smaller bezels for a piece of hardware that could render my camera useless.

The F(x)tec Pro 1 is more proof of concept than phone. Even considering what was shown at MWC wasn't final build, there's so many things that, at least on paper, the S10e (or a slew of other phones) does better that having a keyboard isn't enough to make up for the other deficiencies. And this is coming from someone that still has their old Photon Q, HTC Shift, and OG Palm Pre

As an aside, damn I miss my Pre and WebOS....

i probably would be good with no camera in the front and some front facing stereo speakers. maybe one of those phones with 2 screens for the rare times i need to take a selfie.

so for one generation it'll be there.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

Just about every respected review I saw seems to agree that it's the phone for me. One UI doesn't seem to suck, but I'll put it through my own paces. Part of me hates having a Samsung phone be the only phone with the least compromises for what I want (as mentioned, I recommended the S series to anyone that needed an Android device), the rest of me can accept it's time to move on (much like leaving behind a physical keyboard). I won't be a Samsung fanboy as many I know are, but will respect what they brought to the table. This should be fun...

Apparently the S10e is within a mm of the size of the S7. Wild to see how far tech goes in a few years

at least not the unlocked one, but I've used One UI on another Sammy phone and I thought it was cool. Like its gesture mode more than Google's, but also like that you can switch it back to "classic Android" (which Google doesn't let you do anymore).

But then again, I really like Oreo on Note 8, too. Except for one little nitpick it's pretty much as functional as it gets for me.

they'll probably have App Pair from the Edge screen like they do the Note 8, as well... that's a life saver in the car for me when I need to run Waze... and something else

I went from an iPhone 5s to a Nexus 5 because I got tired of waiting for the next jailbreak. I switched back to the iPhone 6s because every Android at the time was a phablet. Kept that up until about year and some change ago when I got a Pixel 2.

I wanted to make sure I always had the latest version of Android so I stayed away from everything that wasn't from Google.

But I'm starting to get tired of these big ass bezels. I'm looking at the 10e too. I don't really care about the camera like that. It's good enough for me. I'm thinking about getting it on AT&T.

>But I'm starting to get tired of these big ass bezels. I'm
>looking at the 10e too. I don't really care about the camera
>like that. It's good enough for me. I'm thinking about getting
>it on AT&T.

OnePlus 6 (or 6T) or Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, if you want a manageable-sized phone.

those are very close to "regular Google" but w/less Bezel.

is just disappointed by the fingerprint scanner



www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

the way it was on the old 6 was better

Hardware-wise it;s super refined. Everything feels buffed and polished to a fine edge, even on this 'lesser' member of the S10 range. That being said, it feels... I dunno. It's miles ahead of my G5 (which, honestly, isn't hard to do), but I don't like the feel in hand as much as my old Z3. Even though the S10e design is much less fussy without the flaps and pointless magnetic connector the Z3 had, that Xperia felt nicer to hold, and much less slippery to boot. It could be down to how the glass panels meet the aluminum frame. The Sony was almost a flat slab with the aluminum wrapping around it, giving you a more defined edge. Both glass panels on the S10e curve more noticeably to meet those rails (though not curved as with the main S10 brethren). I doubt anybody else will notice or care though. Definitely want a skin or case on this one.

Ergonomic-wise, it's pretty decent. I do need to get used to the power/fingerprint button being on the side instead of on the back, but 3 years of muscle memory won't be undone in a day. It reads the fingerprint extremely quickly, so much so that having an in screen reader almost seems like doing something just because you can, not necessarily because it's better. It could stand to be a little lower on the body, but it's not a dealbreaker or as big an issue as reviewers make it. I do hate the placement of the Bixby button and will probably figure out the best program to use to remap it.

Software-wise, I'm still sorting out. There's a crapton of options buried in the settings, which will take some getting used to. Per usual, Samsung has their own version of every program Google already has, which is annoying. Some can be removed, some disabled, others have to exist. I'd hate to see what this phone looks like on Verizon. There's a lot tied either to a Samsung account or a Bixby account, which I don't care for. For instance, I schedule my phone to go to Do Not Disturb while I'm in weekly meetings. It was pretty straightforward in Oreo (I think that's what was running last on that G5), but going to those settings in OneUI, they only have one time you can set for DND. You have to set individual days up with Bixby Actions, which prompted me to sign into that account (which I hadn't set up). This kind of thing was one of my biggest reasons for not really wanting to go the Samsung route. To their credit, it doesn't feel as heavy handed as TouchWiz (yet), and it does look nicer. And yes, if I really wanted something closer to stock, a Pixel or OnePlus would have been better (though I haven't spent time with OxygenOS to know it's quirks). I'm sure I'll get it sorted out and get on with things, and again, this is something most people won't notice or care about.

Overall I'm happy with the purchase and look forward to putting the phone though the paces of daily life. I still need to take some pictures with the phone, and I have to move my SD card over from the G5 (will likely offload the pics to PC, format the card, then move the media back over). It's hard to think of a $750 phone as a 'value' proposition or as a true 'flagship', considering phones priced above and below this one. But somehow, here we are. As I said before, for me this phone seems like it has the fewest compromises for the current gen phone specs. Considering the phone is about a mm either direction of the S7 it's impressive how much is packed into this phone.

i saw on XDA that you can root it an remove all of the bloatware so I might go that route when I finally decide to buy one.

DND is a double tap with the screen off for me thanks to it

In daily use, the phone is really hard to fault. Form factor this is JUST slightly bigger than I'd like, but as close as I can get with all the specs I want. The fingerprint reader took some time to get used to (coming from having one on the back), but once you retrain your muscle memory it's stupid fast. Better than in screen readers? Probably this gen, but that's not entirely fair.

The screen is really good. Anybody still fighting about 'hole punch' vs 'notch'... You get used to both. After that, unless you're looking for it, you won't be bothered. Admittedly some are better than others (not a fan of the G8 or Pixel implementation, but I'm fine with the One+ and Essential), and while none are ideal, you get used to it. All that being said, the hole punch wallpapers have been pretty fun to hide/accentuate that camera cutout. To be 100% honest, if they had used the 10e approach to the S9 (shrink the bezels as much as you can and drop the curved edges) that would have been perfectly fine.

Software-wise I think I'm still scratching the surface, but I've found more good than bad. Even with a ton being baked into the skin, OneUI is worlds better than any version of TouchWiz. It still lets you know this is a Samsung skin, make no mistake, but it's a bit more cohesive and less ugly. I do like the notification panel drops down just about to where your fingers are, so you don't have to stretch your hand up the phone to access things. There hasn't been a hiccup or stutter so far, and I highly doubt I'll get close to filling the on-board storage. But, considering people are keeping their phones longer, going with a 128GB base is a smart idea. I"ve got no problem getting through a full day on a charge. Little more if it's a light day, little less on a heavy day. But I have a charger handy at work, car and home (where I am 90% of the time) so a quick top off is never far. Wireless charging is great at night at home. Not as practical elsewhere though. I think I'll invest in a good charging pad (the one I have is from my Nexus 7 days), but if it can't charge the phone while I sleep (which it can) I was messed up from the jump, I suppose.

Dislikes? The phone is stupid slippery. I always feel like it's going to drop and shatter into a million pieces. I think that brushed aluminium sides and (possibly) a frosted glass back would have made a world of difference, but it would likely not sell as well as something super shiny. I've got it in a case for not, but will likely skin it. I have a glass screen protector on it, but I'm not entirely fond of it. In the settings window I can either choose to have the phone reject 70% of my touches or amplify everything to 125%. Neither is ideal, so the glass may go in favor of a dBrand skin and a film for the screen. There is an option to use the fingerprint reader to pull down the notification slide. It works really well in practice, but sometimes TOO well, and anything that touches it, registered finger or not, activates it. I still get the accidental activation of Bixby, which sucks, as I will never use that. I will get to using an app to remap that button, but having it there just sucks (but, Samsung).

I have yet to set up mobile payments through Google Pay/Samsung Pay, so that may be a personal pain point which I will document. Other than that, I have more positives than negatives, even coming from an anti-Samsung frame of mind. While I never had a problem recommending a S-Series phone (like they needed help), I can now add personal experience to the recommendation. If you don't want a too big phone, or don't like curved screens, but need the latest gen spec, the 10e is probably the phone you want. It kinda hurts saying that as a Xperia fan, but game recognize game. And the 10e got game.

Also, don't sleep on Samsung Pay. I rarely carry my wallet chocked full of cards anymore. Just my DL & Debit card juuuust in case.
90% of purchases I make are done via the Samsung Pay app now. Gas Stations where you can pay at the pump are rather hit or miss...


"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

I used Google Pay where I could with my G5 and loved it. But I know they were set up for NFC payments, and not every pay terminal had that. If memory serves, Samsung Pay (also?) uses MST, so if the terminal has a swipe your card slot, it should still work? If you have both payment systems set up on your phone, what happens?

strip compatibility so it works virtually every/anywhere a regular credit card will work.

On the 10e i'm just now trying out Google Pay simply because either work blocks samsung pay or you can't use samsung pay on more than one phone...not sure.

I think you do have to choose one or the other per phone though. I think when i'd tried to set up Google Pay on my Note 8 it ended up disabling Samsung Pay.

Samsung pay is SO easy to start up though, so I wish I could use it on my 10E too.....

The few times i've used Google Pay on the 10E it's rather cumbersome the number of steps required to use it"
Open Google Pay App
Go to Payment Icon
Select Payment source.

vs.

Samsung Pay which is simply swipe up from lock screen and hold my finger over the finger print reader on the back of the phone...

>I used Google Pay where I could with my G5 and loved it. But
>I know they were set up for NFC payments, and not every pay
>terminal had that. If memory serves, Samsung Pay (also?) uses
>MST, so if the terminal has a swipe your card slot, it should
>still work? If you have both payment systems set up on your
>phone, what happens?


"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

With my old Z3, I just tapped, entered my PIN, and kept moving. With the G5, if the phone were unlocked by my fingerprint, tap and go. If not, tap, fingerprint, go.

I wonder whether Samsung is making things not as straightforward for Google Pay to encourage Samsung Pay use

Guess I'll have to set them up and see. Worst case I could do Samsung Pay for contactless payments, and keep my Google Pay for online purchases. I dunno. I don't want to get too hooked into Samsung's ecosystem if I don't have to, but NFC + MST is S-tier

That I see how to use it...
Literally unlock phone and don't bother opening an app... Wow! I been missing out!

Basically I had to remove Samsung pay as my default app for payments. I been using Samsung pay for years and I guess I just didn't know Google pay had been improved immensely! I was trying to use it like Samsung pay thinking I had to physically open the app.... Dummy me.

I got along without MST so far, so I may just stick with Google Pay for now

my s8 updated last week. all the changes ive noticed have been for the worse.

dismissing notifications cant be done from lock screen??
secure folder requires password/fingerprint when switching between apps??

not really feeling the time being on the left either.

its not horrible but im not seeing anything being better.

>dismissing notifications cant be done from lock screen??

You should be able to do this by clicking on the small icons first, then they'll pop up where you can dismiss them.

as for the rest... let me check with you on that

not as good as before but it is better than unlocking. i might have tried that but just thought it did unlock the phone the way the notification window comes down.

good looking out.

on the secure folder thing i changed the setting to lock only when i turn the screen off. works for my needs.

i will say this, since this update android auto connects quickly to my car. its not instant but its a big improvement.

since they decided that they were gonna ride with that dumb-ass notch for no functional reason, everyone had to have the time on the left. Samsung even further moved with it because they added the hole punch screen on the S10 line.

>i will say this, since this update android auto connects
>quickly to my car. its not instant but its a big improvement.

I initially had some issues, then I think they were related to my "cheat code" for AA, so I changed some settings. The ONLY thing that I dislike about OneUI and AA, is that the dark mode that used to engage when the headlights were turned on is now locked to Samsung's "dark mode". I have the Dark Mode come on due to system sunrise/sunset settings, so that's kind of a workaround.

just got a trial and im used to google play showing the song name and artist on the always on display. im just seeing the tidal icon. didnt find anything on a quick google search. this has to be adjustable right??

regarding the time, yeah i figured it was because of the notch. probably read it somewhere to but just seeing it was not cool. i think im over it though.

bright af maps last night i need to figure this out

My take is that they sacrificed some of the UI in favor of speed.
I have the Xs Max for personal and the Pixel3 XL for work and I'm not motivated to make the Pixel my main phone because the UI is nonsensical.

Say what you will about functionality but it's just not designed as well as iOS.

That's the eternal iOS vs Android debate, regardless of what skin is on it. I have my iPhone for work and iPad because Android tablets kinda suck, but prefer Android for my phone.