“Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S smartphone line is back with the Galaxy S10 and S10+,” Ron Amadeo writes for Ars Technica. “The Galaxy S10 firmly fits into the Galaxy S8 family tree, but with new display and fingerprint technology, the S10 represents the biggest design upgrade since that release in 2017.”
“As usual, Samsung is gunning for the title of ‘spec-sheet champion’ with the Galaxy S10, and the company is turning in devices with bigger displays, bigger batteries, faster SoCs, more RAM, and more storage. This is one of the first devices that gives us a look at the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC,” Amadeo writes. “The Galaxy S10+ can hit even more stratospherically high configurations — and prices — that would rival some laptops, topping out at 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for a whopping $1,600.”
“Since this is a Samsung phone, let’s talk crapware! This is an unlocked phone direct from Samsung, so with no carrier involvement, this is as good as it gets. Despite being a premium, $1,000 smartphone, the Galaxy S10 comes loaded with ads, even my unlocked version,” Amadeo writes. “There are apps from Flipboard and Spotify as well as a unremovable version of Facebook. McAfee Anti-virus is baked into the operating system as ‘security,’ and the Samsung Gallery app wants to share my location with Foursquare. The storage management settings, which is just a simple file-cleanup app, is ‘Powered by Qihoo 360,’ a Chinese security company. A caller-ID feature built into the phone app is provided by a company called ‘Hiya.’ … [Samsung’s One UI is] a messy pile of apps from Google, apps from Samsung, and apps that basically boil down to Samsung selling space for rent on your $1,000 smartphone. There is a clear priority here: Samsung’s interests are valued over the interests of the user.”
“I think when you are charging $900-$1,000 for an Android phone, you ought to be able to offer the whole smartphone package. But Samsung’s cluttered software and its historic inability to deliver the latest functionality and security improvements in Android make the Galaxy S10 a tough sell at this ultra-premium price point,” Amadeo writes. “High prices come with high expectations. You’ll have to accept a lot of compromises with the Galaxy S10, and I just don’t see a reason to.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Gimmicky junk loaded with junkware that simply cannot compete with Apple’s clean iPhone XS Max with its unparalleled Apple A12 SoC and pristine, unified, coherent ecosystem.
It’s not just a collection of hardware bullet points, although Apple does very well on that front, too – it’s the full experience. And, the more you add to it – Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Music, iCloud storage, HomePod, AirPods, etc. – the better it gets!
Android settlers cannot even come anywhere near to the experience that’s delivered by the Apple ecosystem. The best that those who settle for Android phones can manage to cobble together is downright pitiful in comparison to what any Apple iPhone user has by default. — MacDailyNews, April 10, 2019
SEE ALSO:
Three simple reasons why I won’t downgrade to an Android phone – April 10, 2019
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
You know what! You’re absolutely right Mr. Amadeo.
I should now abandon my devout love for my Sammy in exchange for contempt. Fine! Screw this Samsung Fanboy behavior! (Psssttt… there’s no such thing)
My choice remains the same because:
-I can use ANY file manager, and these are real file manager’s, down to root!
-I can use any other Security Suite available and anyone can develop one without Google’s approval.
-I can use any number of stores, or no stores at all.
-No Curation is a FEATURE!
-I can uninstall Facebook.
-Samsung Gallery sharing location, Apple leases default search to Google. Both changeable.
-SD Card
In all Mr. Amadeo my contemptible Samsung gives me something much more valuable than the even more contemptible iPhone. Choices! Android in general , even more so. Too bad iOS is so monolithic with no internal competition.
should be called Samsung Galaxy BS-10
And no one get’s offended. See we can live without curation (censorship).
AppleCynic, leave this site you abhorrent troll. Your arguments, thin and frail, have no bearing on Apple users. No curation is a feature! They are curating, you dummy, they’re giving you several unwanted apps that are there for the sole purpose of advertisement. Sure you can delete them, but the hoops exist the same way banners adorn content you actually want. iPhone IS a choice. A choice Apple’s users make emphatically and repeatedly. If we want root access file system enough, we’ll leave. But we don’t. Not enough to deal with your disgusting and odious “platform” that’s a jumping ground for google to offer “free” services to a malleable and ignorant public that isn’t aware of the origin of google’s actual profits.
We choose Apple because your platform is a death bed of scams and schemes and ‘me too’ tricks. Apple goes to their wits end to provide us with services and features we want so we stay. Enjoy your root access file security (or whatever that means) because I clearly don’t need it to have a phone that will bounce yours back to the Stone Age in side by side comparisons.
But after all that I guess you can at least have the best mobile camera for the next five months or so.
You would seriously leave iOS if another user had legitimate access to the filesystem? Not you, though you could have that choice too? C’mon, speak your own bumper stickers and “Think Different!”
Now, I will give you some points on unwanted Apps, but what I favor FAR more are there are no FORBIDDEN Apps, and no way to make it so.
And did I mention that I’m not a fan? I also criticized Apple, not you. Why so personal?
PS- You don’t speak for all Apple users, existing or possible….
Your comments seem to suggest that everyone is like you. Fortunately, there are more non-applecynic customers who don’t want to bother with what you want to do. There are over 1,000,000,000 iOS devices that are active. How of those devices are in the hands of the likes of you?
My comments are from the PC era where users had control, and can be tailored to encompass everyone’s needs and wants. Don’t want it, don’t use it. Simple.
So when you buy an iPhone there are no apps preinstalled? Not apple works SUITE? no apple maps or Google maps? Wierd I recall there being apps on my phone when I bought it
Most people don’t want to spend time undoing all that stuff.
PS: I’ll bet most people who really DO know what they are doing and spend the time undoing all that stuff, AREN’T REALLY ==>SURE<== THEY HAVE UNDONE THAT STUFF. And, I’ll bet if you talk to them for about 2 minutes they’ll SAY THAT. 🙂