CES 2020: Samsung launches two new “Lite” galaxy phones
The phones deliver the features of last year's Galaxy devices to people at an "accessible" price-point.
At CES 2020, Samsung has added two new phones to its already-sizable line-up of Galaxy devices. The new "Lite" variants of the Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy S10 are an attempt to bring the brand's flagship features, like the S Pen, to more customers.
The S10 Lite and Note10 Lite both come sporting 6.7-inch "Infinity-O" displays. Samsung's Infinity-O display tech offers an "edge-to-edge" screen with a small O-shaped cut-out in the middle of the screen for the front-facing camera. It's the same style that's found on the Note10.
Both phones come with a triple camera set-up on the back, but the camera features differ greatly. The S10 Lite has a 5-megapixel macro camera for close-ups, a 48-megapixel wide-angle main shooter and 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera to capture more of what's around it.
The Note10 Lite, on the other hand, only shares the Ultra Wide lens with the S10 Lite. The phone does also come with a wide-angle camera, but it offers fewer megapixels than its counterpart. It also has a telephoto lens for longer-range shots.
Both devices have the same 32-megapixel front-facing camera.
As you would expect from a Samsung device, the phones come pre-packaged with a selection of apps and features, including Samsung's smart assistant Bixby, Samsung Health and Samsung Pay.
The new devices pull ahead of their older siblings in one area: battery. The S10 Lite and Note10 Lite both come with a 4,500mAh battery, which is anywhere from 200mAh more than the Note10+ and a whole 1,500mAh more than the S10e. Paired with a lower-resolution screen, they might be able to last longer than any of the full-fat Galaxy devices. Here are the complete specs:
| Galaxy S10 Lite | Galaxy Note10 Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.7-inch Full HD+ Infinity-O Display (2,400 x 1,080) | 6.7-inch Full HD+ Infinity-O Display (2,400 x 1,080) |
| Rear camera | 5MP F2.4 Macro, 48MP F2.0 wide-angle, 12MP F2.2 Ultra Wide | 12MP F2.2 Ultra Wide, 12MP F1.7 wide-angle, 12MP F2.4 telephoto |
| Front camera | Single 32MP F2.2 camera | Single 32MP F2.2 camera |
| Processor | 7nm Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.7GHz) | 10nm Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad 1.7GHz) |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB |
| RAM | 6/8GB | 6/8GB |
| Battery | 4,500mAh | 4,500mAh |
| Operating system | Android 10 | Android 10 |
Despite putting a lot of emphasis on the tech, Samsung doesn't mention support for 5G on the new handsets. That probably won't surprise most, as 5G-equipped devices usually fall at the expensive end of the price spectrum.
The S10 Lite and Note10 Lite both have three colour variants, though they don't share any with each other. The S10 Lite comes in Prism White, Prism Black and Prism Blue. The Note10 Lite will sport either Aura Glow, Aura Black or Aura Red.
Despite Samsung saying the devices will be available at an "accessible price point", it's yet to announce what that actually means. We'll update you as we find out about Australian pricing and availability.
