Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite announced

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite have officially been announced by Samsung. 

Described as providing "the key premium features for those who want to experience the best of Samsung Galaxy", the two latest, long-rumoured phones in the S10 lineup are sporting several impressive bits of hardware, despite the "Lite" suffix implying otherwise. 

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First, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite has a 6.7" Super AMOLED Infinity-O screen, with a total weight of 186g, almost 30g heavier than the standard S10 despite its "Lite" name. The device has three rear cameras including a macro, ultra-wide and 48MP wide-angle lens, and a 32MP selfie cam which keeps the punch-hole design. 

The cameras contain advanced Optical Image Stabilisation tech, which has been used in dedicated compact cameras and SLRs for decades to remove blur effects on static images and reducing shakiness effects during video footage. It's been used in other smartphone cameras too, but we're promised an advanced version of the technology here. Expect, smooth, seamless vlogs of hikes and crisp, clear pictures. 

A 4,500mAh battery, bigger than its S10 contemporary, and a 7nm 64-bit octa-core processor (essentially, the current model's Snapdragon 855) round out the device. The handset will arrive with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, all pretty standard for one of last year's flagships. 

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite's screen is the same size as the S10, with a similar display and a camera setup that swaps the macro for a 12MP telephoto lens. The same battery and only 6GB RAM, @GB less than the S10 Lite, puts the Note 10 Lite on the back foot. However, a 10nm processor ensures the Note 10 Lite is more powerful than its S10 contemporary. 

All the key Note 10 functionalities are still here, such as handwriting-to-text and navigation with the included S Pen, and both devices carry the potential for dual SIMcards, or one SIMcard and one micro SD. There's no denying that, on paper, the Lite specs look remarkably similar to one another. 

We still don't have a price or release date for the Lite models, but releasing them now seems an odd move, on the eve of Samsung launching its next-generation flagship – the Samsung Galaxy S11. It could mean cannibalisation, with sales of the new Lite handsets overlapping into its flagship launch, causing lacklustre initial sales figures for the S11.

As exciting as new Samsungs are, could they spell doom for the next-generation handset, allowing rivals like the Huawei P40 to gain an early lead? We'll know more as they drop. 

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