Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite release date, news and leaks

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is a phone that for a long time we weren’t at all sure existed – at least under that name. It’s a name that - given the existence of the Samsung Galaxy S10e and the proximity of the Samsung Galaxy S11 - remains strange, but it’s seemingly accurate.

And while so far all Samsung has confirmed is the name, plenty of leaks and rumors have filled in the gaps, telling us almost everything there is to know about the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite.

You’ll find all of that below, including specs, possible pricing, and release date details, though given that the information isn’t official you should of course take it all with a pinch of salt.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A lower-end S10 model
• When is it out? Possibly December or January
• What will it cost? Maybe €669 (around $740/£565/AU$1,090)

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite release date and price

The latest Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite release date rumor suggests it will land within a few days of December 20. That means it could be about to launch.

It’s a rumor that lines up with earlier ones: one suggested an announcement sometime in December, while another pointed specifically to December 27. Though elsewhere we’ve heard that the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite won’t launch until mid-January – at least in India. So we’re not really sure what’s accurate right now, but all the rumors suggest it’s landing fairly soon.

As for its price, multiple sources have now suggested the Galaxy S10 Lite will retail for €669 (around $740/£565/AU$1,090). That’s a price that could put it roughly in line with what the standard Samsung Galaxy S10 currently sells for.

The S10 Lite might cost as much as the S10, above

Design and display

We’ve seen leaked renders supposedly showing the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite, and in them it looks a lot more like the rumored Samsung Galaxy S11 than the Samsung Galaxy S10.

That’s largely because it has a punch-hole camera in the top center of the screen, rather than the top right, and there’s a large camera block in the top left corner of the rear.

The frame is metal, the back is likely glass, and there’s no headphone port. Note that while the phone is referred to as the Samsung Galaxy A91 in the image below, this is believed to simply be another name for the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite.

That’s probably what the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite looks like, but it’s worth noting that Samsung has also patented a design that’s a closer match for the rest of the S10 range, including more centered rear cameras, and a dual-lens punch-hole camera in the top right corner of the screen. This patent doesn’t mention the S10 Lite by name though, so it’s probably for another phone.

As for the screen, almost all rumors so far put that at 6.7 inches, though one source ever so slightly disagrees, suggesting that it will actually be 6.69 inches. It’s said to be a Full HD+ Super AMOLED display.

Some of these rumors have been backed up by a leaked manual for the device that has found its way online – you can see the stylings of the front and the back of the handset, even if it's just as a couple of black and white sketches.

Camera

We’ve heard several times now that the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite will have a triple-lens camera, consisting of a 48MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide one, and a 5MP one that might either be a depth sensor or a macro one, depending on who you believe. In any case, it sounds like the phone won’t have a telephoto lens.

Though such a lens does remain a possibility, as the renders above show a square lens, and where square lenses are used on phones they’re typically for zoom cameras.

In any case, sources all seem to agree that the Galaxy S10 Lite will have a 32MP front-facing camera.

The S10 Lite is rumored to have more lenses than the S10e, above

Battery and specs

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite will reportedly have a 4,500mAh battery. That’s a leak we’ve heard multiple times, so it’s likely accurate. It would also be one of the largest batteries Samsung has put in an S-series handset, matching the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. It’s a battery that also apparently supports 45W fast charging.

As for the other specs, sources suggest that the Galaxy S10 Lite will have a Snapdragon 855 chipset (the same as you’ll find in US models of the rest of the Samsung Galaxy S10 range), along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It’s also thought to run Android 10.

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