What is the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and S10e?

Samsung announced the Galaxy S10 Lite at CES 2020 as the fifth member within the S10 moniker. 

As the 'Lite' member of the S10 family, it led many to question the positioning of Samsung's Galaxy S10e. So what exactly are the differences between the two?

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | From £590.99 inc-VAT

Samsung Galaxy S10e | From £540 inc-VAT

Display & Design

Samsung’s displays have long wowed us and with the S10 Lite and S10e, that wow factor undeniably continues.

The greatest difference of note lies within the size of these, with the Super AMOLED Infinity-O display of the S10 Lite measuring a whopping 6.7-inches in comparison to the 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display of the S10e. Indeed, the display of the S10 Lite is actually the largest of the full S10 range.

In terms of quality though, you can expect a pretty similar experience with both. Both are HDR10+ certified, with pixel resolutions of 2400 x 1080 at 392ppi (S10 Lite) and 2280 x 1080 at 438ppi (S10e) which are all but impossible to separate.

As such, your decision primarily comes down to size, with the display of the S10 Lite measuring a whole inch bigger. With this is inevitably a bigger overall device, as the Samsung S10 Lite boasts dimensions of 162.5 x 75.6 x 8.1mm in comparison to the smaller 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9mm. It’s also 36g heavier at 186g and so wasn’t crafted to be a pocket companion.

Camera  

As we’ve come to expect, Samsung’s camera technology is equally as impressive, offering flexible capabilities for perfect images in every situation. But there are noticeable differences between the S10e and S10 Lite.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite boasts a triple-lens rear set-up consisting of the following:

• 48MP main sensor, f/2.0, OIS, autofocus, 4K video recording
• 12MP super-wide, 123-degree FOV, f/2.2
• 5MP macro, f/2.4

In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10e has a dual-lens setup that looks as below:

• 12MP main sensor, f/1.5-f/2.4, OIS, PDAF, 4K video recording
• 16MP super-wide, 123-degree FOV, f/2.2

Whilst the main sensor of the S10 Lite is 48MP, the primary rear lens is arguably not as good as Samsung’s 12MP Dual Aperture lens as on the S10e. This technology works to automatically adjust the aperture size according to available light. As such, on a sunny day the S10e will shift to f/2.4, then in a dimly lit room or at night, the lens opens much wider to f/1.5 to bring in as much available light as it can.

It seemed surprising that Samsung concluded the S10 Lite’s triple lens setup with a macro lens rather than a telephoto lens, meaning that you will have to move closer to an object in order to shoot it, rather than zooming in. But this is still a valuable addition and trumps the capabilities of the S10e.

When it comes to selfies, the S10 Lite has a 32MP front shooter with an f/2.2 aperture, whilst the S10e has a 10MP sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. You can all but guarantee a brilliant final shot with both, so the choice is between higher megapixels or a wider aperture for better low light photography.

Performance

When it comes to performance, both the S10 Lite and S10e are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor coupled with either 6 or 8GB of RAM.

Being released almost a year after the S10e, the S10 Lite has the benefit of Android 10 and Samsung’s OneUI 2.0 out of the box. Meanwhile, an update to Android 10 for the S10e is imminent, but there is that slightly longer wait.

The Samsung S10 Lite also triumphs in terms of battery size, boasting a 4,500mAh battery which is notably bigger than the 3,100mAh battery of the S10e. This is similarly boosted by 25W Super-Fast Charging in comparison to 15W of the S10e, so, you’ll be lasting longer with the S10 Lite.

That said, the Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with an IP68 certification which is a deal-breaker for many; giving certified protection against water, jet sprays and dust.

The S10 Lite comes with 128GB internal storage with support for a microSD card up to 1TB, whilst the S10e has either 128GB/256GB with support for a microSD card up to 512GB.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite | From £590.99 inc-VAT

Samsung Galaxy S10e | From £540 inc-VAT