Samsung Galaxy S10 isn't launching this year after all

Samsung is changing up the names of its devices for 2019

Samsung Galaxy S10

Samsung will not launch a new smartphone under the brand name "Galaxy S10", according to a new leak around the hotly-anticipated flagship. While earlier leaks had suggested the three flavours of the upcoming handset would be named Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10 Plus – that is purportedly incorrect.

Instead, protective cases for the forthcoming three phones posted to accessory retailer MobileFun suggest Samsung is looking to revive the "Edge" branding for the middle child in its new line-up.

The "Edge" moniker was last used with the Samsung Galaxy S7 range to differentiate between the model with the dual-curved Infinity Display design, and the cheaper flat screen variant.

However, Samsung dropped the branding with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 lines, which moved entirely to the dual-curved screen design (not counting the rugged Galaxy S8 Active that launched in the US with a flat screen for improved durability).

If the cases available to buy on MobileFun for the as-yet unannounced flagship Samsung handsets are accurate, we can expect to see the new phones to be branded Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10 Edge, and Galaxy S10 Plus.

These brand names do make a certain amount of sense. Without the "Edge" affixed to the end, the plain old Samsung Galaxy S10 runs the risk of sounding like the cheaper, entry-level model. However, the inclusion of "Edge" could lead to some confusion as its not immediately obvious from the names alone whether the top-end Galaxy S10 Plus includes the same dual-curved Infinity Display design.

Another point of note is the choice of colours available in the new cases. Options like Berry Pink, Yellow and Green suggest that Samsung might have some fun, vibrant new colour options when the devices debut in early 2019.

Finally, based on the information provided in the MobileFun listings, it looks like all three Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones will ship with a screen protector pre-installed for the first time – something that rival manufacturers, like Huawei, have adopted as standard practice for some time now.

The news comes a few weeks after US mobile network Verizon announced plans to launch the first Samsung-branded 5G-compatible handset early this year. While it was unclear whether this 5G handset would be the long-rumoured Samsung Galaxy S10, the latest report from reliable tipster @IceUniverse suggests the unnamed 5G-touting handset will be the Galaxy S10.

This contradicts earlier reports which suggested Samsung has abandoned plans to include 5G with its next-generation flagship handset after news that it had reduced the separate skews of the Galaxy S10 range from four to three.

If the latest information from Ice Universe is accurate, the 5G-touting Galaxy S10 will have a larger display than the Galaxy S10 Edge and Galaxy S10 Plus, which are widely-tipped to have a 6.1-inch and 6.44-inch display, respectively.

An earlier report from GF Securities claimed the maxed-out Galaxy S10 Plus will ship with a staggering 12GB of RAM and gargantuan 1TB of internal storage. That is more than most laptops even offer. This mammoth jump up in RAM will make for superfast image and video editing, still and video shooting, and gaming like never before.

Main Image Credit: Twitter / @VenyaGeskin1

Aaron Brown

As a former Staff Writer for T3, Aaron writes about almost anything shiny and techie. When he’s not barking orders at Alexa-powered microwaves or gawping at 5G speed tests, Aaron covers everything from smartphones, tablets and laptops, to speakers, TVs and smart home gadgets. Prior to joining T3, Aaron worked at the Daily Express and and MailOnline.