The Samsung Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon & Exynos Review: Almost Perfect, Yet So Flawed
by Andrei Frumusanu on March 29, 2019 9:00 AM ESTCamera - Low Light Evaluation
Low-light capture improvements is something that Samsung has been very mum about for the Galaxy S10. Fundamentally on the hardware side of things nothing has really improved compared to the Galaxy S9/Note9. So in practise, any difference we would be seeing should be solely based on the processing improvements of the Galaxy S10.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
In the first shot, we’re seeing again very different results between the Snapdragon and Exynos, but in a twist compared to the daylight shots, this time around it’s an advantage on the side of the Exynos model. Here the latter models is able to bring out a lot more shadows in the scene and is significantly sharper than the Snapdragon variant. The Snapdragon does a bit better on the bright highlights of the signage, however I don’t think this was worth it as it gives up too much in other parts of the shot.
I feel as if the Snapdragon has quite a bit of sharpening going on, which makes very little sense to use in a scenario like this.
The Galaxy S10’s are both beat by the Mate 20 Pro’s large sensor which just has much better native dynamic range, retaining more texture details on the gas station floor and roof.
Using the wide-angle lens in such a scenario doesn’t result in very good picture. The Snapdragon achieves better dynamic range and able to show the signage correctly without overblowing it, however the Exynos beats it in terms of detail. Noise on the latter is a lore more coarse and pronounced which can result in some ugly regions on even surfaces.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
Big advantages in sharpness on the bright parts of the picture for the Snapdragon with stronger contrast for this phone. The Exynos doesn’t do well on the bright parts, blurring them, but on the other hand it has better details in the shadows than the Snapdrgon, with overall less pronounced light noise.
In terms of light capture, the Mate 20 Pro is far ahead and Night Sight on the Pixel 3 also sweeps the floor with the competition.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
The Snapdragon here is heavier processed with darker shadows and noise reduction, however this makes little sense in a low-light show and the Exynos is more natural with better shadow detail even if it has more natural sensor noise.
Although Samsung at least beats the newest iPhones, it’s no match for Huawei and the Pixel’s Night sight.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
In the last generic low light shot we see the Snapdragon again favour evening out highlights and sacrificing shadows. The Exynos does the opposite with more blown out highlights but with better shadow detail retention in the foreground.
On the wide angle, the Exynos produces a much more useable shot even though the noise is quite terrible.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ]
[ OnePlus 6T ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
Going into extreme low light scenarios, we’re venturing into shots that usually in the past we didn’t expect phones to be able to capture.
This is the first scene in which Samsung’s new Bright Night mode triggers. The new extreme ultra low light mode functions similarly to Huawei’s Night mode or Google’s Night sight, although the results here aren’t quite the same. The result here heavily favour the Snapdragon chip as it’s able to produce much less noise. It’s not competing with Huawei or Google, however it is able to showcase a result that is much better than some other traditional shooters.
[ Galaxy S10+ Snapdragon ] - [ Galaxy S10+ Exynos ]
[ Galaxy Note9 (E) ] - [ Galaxy S9+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S8 ]
[ iPhone XS ] - [ iPhone X ] - [ LG V40 ] - [ OnePlus 6T ]
[ Pixel 3 ] - [ View20 ] - [ Mate 20Pro ]
A second example of the new Bright Night mode, we again see that it does help the S10 over its auto mode and it lands the phone in third place after Huawei’s flagship and Google’s Night Sight.
Low-light Conclusion
Overall, the low-light capture ability of the Galaxy S10 isn’t very exciting. Fundamentally Samsung needed to innovate more in this regard and I would have wanted to see some more innovation to the likes of Huawei and Google.
Low-light is again a scenario where the Snapdragon and Exynos variants of the S10 differ quite a bit. The latter tends to produce more natural noise in most shots and retains more shadow detail, while the Snapdragon does better in brighter parts. Overall, I’d say it’s a toss-up between the two and it’ll depend on the given scene.
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Liquidalloy - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
That's why you should buy the unlocked variant. Right now I have the Verizon version of the s10 plus and there's very little bloatware. The phone is lightning fast btw.Jedi2155 - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
As the bloatware typically doesn't impact my daily usage of the device nor consume a significant portion of the RAM/storage, I don't mind it. I actually find myself using much of the "extra" bloat they provide with the option to disable the ones I don't.When I use a stock AOSP build, I'm always searching for a feature or function that comes standard on Samsung....
0ldman79 - Saturday, March 30, 2019 - link
Go in and disable it.If you're really serious, root it, kill it and be done with it.
The Galaxy line have good hardware. Software can be dealt with.
I didn't buy my laptop for Windows 10, nor can I control what Dell puts on it, but I can certainly take it off.
SetiroN - Saturday, March 30, 2019 - link
Yeah, good luck formatting and installing a stock OS from an iso like you can with your dell laptop.What an asinine comment.
Shekels - Tuesday, April 2, 2019 - link
Dude have you ever rooted a phone? That's literally what you can do. Not an ISO but flash a Zip file and completely change your OS. The S10 is new and is pretty locked down, but some devs have already managed to root the thing and in the next couple months custom ROMs will emerge. It was like that for many Samsung phones on the past. The devs over at XDA have always manage to get root and custom ROMs on Samsung phones despite their attempts and totally locking down the phone.What an ignorant comment.
luisxfx - Monday, April 1, 2019 - link
I used to think the same thing, still kinda do, but I just hide or disable their icons, doesn't really make a difference, Galaxy S9 still runs smooth and quick.nathanddrews - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
I upgraded from my S5 to the S10e at launch (T-Mobile, S855, 6GB/128GB). To be really honest, I was disappointed out of the box. The higher power button, locked bixby button, bloatware, default camera/video settings.The first real improvement I noticed was that all my apps opened instantly as opposed to waiting several seconds on my S5 (it was old and slower than when new, despite resetting the OS and trying difference ROMs).
The second improvement was the ridiculous battery life. I'm not a "power user" when it comes to cell phones. Text/email, pictures, videos, podcasts/music, and some web browsing. But still, 60% battery life at the end of every day (15hrs without charging) amazes me.
Now after a month of tweaking everything to my liking, I'm really happy with the phone overall. The speaker quality is really impressive - it's super loud without distorting much. The screen auto-brightness has adapted to my settings per app and depending on ambient light. The camera is only slightly disappointing. I must not hold the camera still enough, because a lot of my shots end up blurry/smeary when zooming in. I still need to work on dialing in those settings and trying some other camera mods.
nathanddrews - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
I forgot to add that it felt a lot smaller in my hand (that's what she said) than my S5 due to the smaller overall bezel width. Now it's a lot more comfortable to use.Targon - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
I also made the jump from the S5 to the S10, though I went with the regular S10, not the e. Not a single issue for me in any way(Snapdragon version, AT&T version). While there is still a fair amount of pre-installed apps, it doesn't feel as bloated as the S5 did with true garbage that I would never use but could not be uninstalled.liteon163 - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link
Part of your battery life issue could be due to an old battery in the S5. But manufacturers and Google certainly seem to plan obsolescence - ever higher specs are needed to keep up with the OS and bloatware.