- The Samsung S10 Lite features a triple-rear camera setup of 48MP + 12 MP + 5MP with Super Steady Mode recording.
- Priced at RM2,699 / SGD$899, available on February 7.
Let me ask you a quick question.
If I line up a series of phones and label them—Lite, Regular, and Plus, which would you think is a better phone?
Without much thought, I’m sure most people would say the Plus is most likely the better phone. That was what I previously thought as well, until I met the Samsung S10 Lite.
The S10 Lite is one of the latest phones from the brand and it fits perfectly within the S10 series.
However, it has a larger battery, a larger screen, and an improved camera setup compared to the S10 Plus which was released back in March 2019.
I do believe the phone acts as a stop-gap before they officially make the S20 available to the masses, but it does have a few good points on its own, at least specs-wise.
Not Really That Lite
| Specifications | |
| Display | 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display |
| Dimensions | 75.6 x 162.5 x 8.1 mm |
| Camera | 5MP (Macro) + 48MP (Wide) + 12MP (Ultra-Wide) – Rear 23MP – Front |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
| Memory | 8GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB storage |
| Battery | 4,500mAh |
From the list above, it would seem that the phone does indeed come with flagship-like specs, so it was weird to see that this phone wasn’t called the ‘S10 Plus Pro’, or something like that.
As someone who doesn’t leave their phone charging overnight, I still managed to take the phone through to the next charge.
Tackling daily tasks such as Netflix on-the-go, gaming, browsing the net, and digging through social media was nothing too taxing.
I’ll have to admit though, one thing that’s ‘lite’ about the phone is with its weight. It’s not too bulky nor heavy, so it won’t drag your pants down.
Keeping Things Steady
The phone is packed with a Super Steady OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) camera module that allows you to shoot pictures and videos in Super Steady Mode.
When turned on, videos recorded through that mode will be stabilised, as if you’re recording on a gimbal.
I decided to test it out while walking around Gardens, and even to my untrained eyes, I could see the difference between the modes.
With the Super Steady Mode on, recording felt like it dropped in FPS for a smoother and less shaky recording compared to the normal mode.
But of course, if you’re running in full sprint and shaking, videos will still look like you’re shooting a B horror movie.
If you’re someone that loves to record videos of your fur-babies, actual babies, and much more, this addition will make things easier for you.
While it’ll never replace an actual gimbal, you can travel light and not worry about shaky-cam recording.
What’s Better Than Two? Three.
Coming with the new rectangular triple-camera setup, the S10 Lite does fairly well when it comes to pictures.
Sadly, when you’re shooting with the massive 123-degree ultra-wide angle lens, the colours are slightly diluted when compared to the main camera.
Instead of a regular telephoto lens, Samsung opted for a macro lens on the S10 Lite. This means that you can take clearer pictures with subjects that are closer to you.
Trying it with far subjects, however, won’t net you better results compared to a normal telephoto lens.
Another nifty feature I found with the phone was the ability to ‘Scan’ a picture. When taking a picture of a document, sometimes (it’s still kind of wonky) a Scan button will pop up.
Hitting the scan button will scan the document and straighten it as if you’ve scanned it. It’s not perfect, but I believe it’s something that I’ll find handy someday.
I also personally prefer the colours of a Samsung camera, with its bright reds, but I’m sure others will think otherwise.
Either way, it is a good camera that’ll perform quite well in different situations.
Much to my disappointment, the phone does have a camera bump, which luckily can be ignored by equipping the phone with a case.
But, if you’re someone that likes a phone naked, you’ll have to bear with a wobbly phone when placed on a flat surface.
As for the front camera, it does its job and beautifies your face a little too, as per most phones nowadays.
What Is It Missing?
If you paid attention to the previous pictures, you might’ve noticed that the S10 Lite does not have a physical fingerprint scanner.
Instead, to unlock the phone you can use the in-display scanner or through facial recognition. I personally prefer the facial scanner as it is faster and I can unlock the phone without touching it with my sweaty fingers.
Sadly, the phone does not come with wireless charging capabilities, nor a headphone jack. To me, this means that Samsung has completely ditched the jack.
As a fan of cabled headphones, it’s just a transition I have to live with and have already begun living in.
Verdict
The Samsung S10 Lite is a perfectly capable phone with decent specs, a fairly large battery to last you more than a day, and a Super Steady mode that’s super handy to record videos with.
If you’re looking for a phone sub RM3k, then this will surely should be on top of your list.
But with Samsung S20 coming out fairly soon, it might be worth to wait and see if it’s a phone that you can afford. Otherwise, you can easily settle with this one.
| Pros | Cons |
| Super Steady Mode for videos | No wireless charging |
| Fairly powerful device | Camera bump |
- Find out more about the Samsung S10 Lite here.
VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.
