Samsung’s getting into the Lite game — here’s what we’re expecting.
Every year for the past few years, Samsung’s smartphone release pattern has been pretty predictable. We get the new Galaxy S lineup in the first part of the year, and then around August/September, the latest Galaxy Note is released.
We’re still expecting new Galaxy S and Note hardware as we usually do, but before any of that happens, Samsung’s going to kick off the new year with something we haven’t seen before — Lite variants of existing flagships.
At CES 2020, it’s rumored that Samsung will formally unveil the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite. From the phones’ design, specs, features, and more, here’s everything we know about them so far.
- Let’s talk about the phones’ design
- The specs have us interested
- Are these replacing the Galaxy S11?
- An announcement is coming soon
- Here’s what we know about pricing
- The Galaxy S10e is still a great buy
Not done yet
Samsung Galaxy S10e
$600 at Amazon
Lots of power in a compact package
Can’t wait for the Galaxy S10 Lite or Note 10 Lite? Samsung’s Galaxy S10e from 2019 is absolutely still worth picking up. It has a wonderfully compact body, a stunning AMOLED display, and blazing-fast performance. Add that together with dual rear cameras, lots of storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and you end up getting a lot of phone for not much money.
Here’s what the two phones look like
Galaxy S10 Lite
First thing’s first, let’s take a look at the design of both phones.
Starting with the Galaxy S10 Lite, it looks a lot like leaked renders we’ve seen for the Galaxy S11. There’s a 6.7-inch display with a centered hole punch cutout, with the back being home to a large camera housing.
The S10 Lite’s display is notable for the fact that it appears to have flat edges rather than rounded ones like most of Samsung’s phones, and the large hump on the back should house a total of three cameras.
Unfortunately, just like the Note 10 from late last year, the Galaxy S10 Lite appears to be getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Galaxy Note 10 Lite
As for the Galaxy Note 10 Lite, it looks very similar. The display has a centered hole punch for the selfie camera with, the edges of the display are flat, and there’s a square rear camera bump for three sensors.
The Note 10 Lite will offer the iconic S Pen just like every Note before it, with it also being rumored that the Note 10 Lite will have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The specs are quite interesting
That’s what the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite look like, but what’s going on inside of the two handsets?
Despite having “lite” in their names, Samsung appears to be loading the phones with flagship-tier specs. Based on the current rumor mill and latest reports, here’s what we’re anticipating.
| Operating System | Android 10 One UI 2.0 | Android 10 One UI 2.0 |
| Display | 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED | 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Samsung Exynos 9810 |
| Storage | 128GB Expandable up to 1TB | 128GB Expandable up to 1TB |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB |
| Rear Camera 1 | 48MP primary camera | 48MP primary camera |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP ultra-wide camera | 12MP ultra-wide camera |
| Rear Camera 3 | 5MP telephoto camera | 5MP telephoto camera |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
There are a lot of similarities between the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite, with the biggest difference being that the S10 Lite is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 whereas the Note 10 Lite gets Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 chip.
The 4,500 mAh battery expected in both phones is also pretty impressive, especially when you consider that it’s bigger than the battery found in 2019’s Note 10 and Note 10+.
How does this affect the Galaxy S11?
Galaxy S11
If you’re worried that the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are being released instead of the expected Galaxy S11, don’t be.
The S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are being released as kind-of-successors to the S10 and Note 10, respectively, but they’re being added as additions to Samsung’s lineup rather than replacements.
Furthermore, with rumors hinting at Samsung not releasing an “e” variant of the Galaxy S11 and instead choosing to offer the Galaxy S11, S11 Plus, and S11 Ultra, the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite will be in a good position to fill that missing space for people that want a flagship Samsung handset without spending a heap of money.
We’re expecting an announcement during CES 2020
When rumors first started coming out about the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite, it was originally thought that they’d be announced and released in December 2019. However, that obviously didn’t happen.
Now, it’s looking like Samsung will unveil the two phones during CES 2020 in January.
Per a report from The Korea Herald:
Instead, the Korean tech titan is projected to introduce a new lineup of mid-range Galaxy phones bound for emerging markets at CES 2020, according to industry sources.
The relatively affordable Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite models, with lower-end specs to square off against Apple’s iPhone XR and iPhone 11, are likely to be presented at CES 2020. The Lite lineup is expected to be launched initially in India in January.
CES is always home to a heap of announcements, and with Samsung regularly having a large presence at the annual trade show, this sounds legit.
What’s pricing going to look like?
As the “lite” moniker suggests, the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite should have lower prices compared to their non-Lite siblings.
A report from December suggested that the S10 Lite will cost €680, or about $760 in USD. Interestingly enough, the Note 10 Lite is thought to be even cheaper at €630 ($700 USD).
While those aren’t necessarily “cheap” price points, they do hit that “lite flagship” pricing that’s become rather popular over the last couple of years.
Don’t forget about the Galaxy S10e
We don’t blame you one bit for getting excited about the Galaxy S10 Lite or Note 10 Lite, but if you’re shopping for a new phone right now and want a quality Samsung device that won’t break the bank, the Galaxy S10e is still one heck of a device.
Marketed as a “lite” version of the Galaxy S10, the S10e has a gorgeous 5.8-inch AMOLED display, dual rear cameras, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor, and your choice of 128GB or 256GB of internal storage.
It may not be the newest phone in Samsung’s lineup these days, especially with the S10 Lite right around the corner, but it’s also something we can still wholeheartedly recommend.
Not done yet
Samsung Galaxy S10e
$600 at Amazon
Lots of power in a compact package
Can’t wait for the Galaxy S10 Lite or Note 10 Lite? Samsung’s Galaxy S10e from 2019 is absolutely still worth picking up. It has a wonderfully compact body, a stunning AMOLED display, and blazing-fast performance. Add that together with dual rear cameras, lots of storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and you end up getting a lot of phone for not much money.
