New year, new Samsung mobile phone - and a new look?

Wednesday, 16 January 2019

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and stylus. But what will the Galaxy 10 bring? (File photo)

OPINION: The first high-end smartphone of the year is due to be released next month when Samsung announces the Galaxy S10.

The Galaxy range has been a big seller for the company, but the new device arrives at a time when the smartphone market is stagnating and consumers are holding on to their phones for longer.

Samsung is expected to announce its new phone at the end of February with the devices going on sale in early March.

So what can you expect?

* 9 things about the Samsung Galaxy S9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 shown in New York in 2018. (File photo)

* Smartphone trends for 2018**

First, the S10 will probably have a new look. The S9 looked just like the S8 but the latest model is tipped to have an Infinity-O display, which means the screen will cover the whole front of the phone except for a hole in the corner for a camera. This is being called the “punch hole”, and is an alternative to the “notch” which is used by Apple.

The S10 is also expected to come in three models, the entry-level 5.8-inch S10 Lite, the 6.1-inch S10, and the 6.4-inch S10 Plus.

There could also be a 5G model, which would allow data downloads of up to 20 times faster than 4G phones.

The other “exclusive” feature may be a headphone port, a piece of tech that’s getting harder to find on smartphones. Most companies are dropping the ports but Samsung may keep them as a way to set them apart.

Expect there to be a lot of cameras on each phone. Some top models may feature as many as six - two on the front and four on the rear. Cameras and photography are one feature companies use to differentiate their devices from previous models.

The extra cameras will have a telephoto and ultra-wide angle lenses and Samsung will no doubt have a new AI-based photography feature to promote.

One new piece of tech expected on the S10 is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor which sits under the display and read your fingerprint for security.

Unfortunately, there’s also likely to be a price rise as has been typical for most phones recently.

However, if you do want a new phone but want something a bit different, you may want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy F, its foldable phone.

There is a chance the new-look device may be announced at the same time as the S10 and it would feature the company’s first foldable screen, which opens clamshell-style and flattens out for a tablet-sized display.