Galaxy S10 Guides

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Galaxy S10 wireless charging guide

Everything you need to know about wireless charging for Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G

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Galaxy S10 wireless chargingGalaxy S10 wireless charging allows you to charge Galaxy S10 battery without using a cable on the phone.

But some Galaxy S10 owners still have some questions or concerns on using wireless charging on Galaxy S10 and therefore may haven’t tried this nice feature yet.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide first explains the confusing terms of wireless charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0, and why they are relevant when you charge Galaxy S10 wirelessly.   Then I show you how to disable fast wireless charging and answer some questions related to wireless charging on Galaxy S10.

What is wireless charging? What is fast wireless charging? and what is fast charging 2.0?

All smartphones support cable charging.  Normally, you can connect the phone to the charger (adapter) through a USB cable (or a proprietary cable) to charge the phone.

The other way to charge a phone battery is wireless charging without using any cables on the phone.

Wireless charging used in the smartphone industry now is all inductive charging, which transfers energy from the charging station to the phone through induction coils.

On the charging station (charging stand, charging base), the induction coil inside the station uses the current from the adapter to create an electromagnetic field. The induction coil in the phone, once paired with the coil in the station,  takes power from the electromagnetic field and convert it into charging current for the phone battery.

Wireless charging usually is less efficient than cable charging because energy has to be converted twice: current –> electromagnetic field in the charging station, and electromagnetic field –> current on the phone.  So, traditionally, the wireless charging speed is slow. The normal wireless charging can only output charging power up to 5W.  Galaxy S6 is the first Samsung phone with wireless charging.

To improve the charging speed, Samsung announced fast wireless charging with Galaxy S7.  The maximum charging power output is about 7.5W.

With Galaxy S10, Samsung announced fast wireless charging 2.0, which supports up to a 12W output.

As explained in this guide:

Fast wireless charging 2.0 is based on Qi wireless charging standard set by Wireless Power Consortium. The 2.0 was coined by Samsung to differentiate its implementation from previous fast wireless charging.

So, fast wireless charging 2.0, one of the top 10 new features of Galaxy S10, is not a new industry standard.

The major difference among wireless charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0 is the charging power (5W vs 7.5W vs 12W). And therefore, they are backward compatible.

What do you need to use wireless charging for Galaxy S10 battery?

You need 3 components to use wireless charging:

  1. A phone supports wireless charging.
  2. A wireless charging station.
  3. An adapter supplying power to the charging station.

Whether you are using normal wireless charging, fast wireless charging, or fast wireless charging 2.0, is determined by the lowerest one among the 3 components.

For example, since Galaxy S10 (S10, S10+, … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 clear view cover (S-View flip cover)?

The definite guide for Galaxy S10 clear view cover (S-View flip cover)

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Galaxy S10 clear view cover (aka Galaxy S10 S-View flip cover) is one of the flagship accessories from Samsung for S10, S10e,  S10+, and S10 5G.

The unique S-View features make the cover stand out, although some original S View features were removed or redesigned.

This Galaxy S10 accessories guide explains the changes, special features, pros and cons of the Galaxy S10 clear view cover. It also shows you how to customize and use the cover, and how to use the always-on display on the clear view cover.

The S View cover is available for all Galaxy S10 models (S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G). The only difference is the cutout and size of the case. In this guide, S10 refers to all of the four S1o models.

What’s new in the Galaxy S10 clear view cover (S-View flip cover)?

Samsung always releases some “official” accessories for its Galaxy phones.

Galaxy S10 clear view cover, aka Galaxy S10 S-View flip cover in some regions, is an evolution of the “S View” cover.

But compared to the Galaxy S9 clear view cover and Galaxy S8 clear view cover, there are some changes:

  • No kickstand. The kickstand in S-View serials covers for S8, S9, Note 8 and Note 9 was removed in S10.
  • Glossy back. The glossy plastic replaces the texture-rich back. It is a fingerprint magnet.
  • Some textures “inside” the front panel. The translucent front panel looks similar to that in S9. But if you stare at it at 90 degrees, you may notice there are some textures. Of course, the texture is inside, not outside of the panel.
  • Lighter and thinner. Because the kickstand was removed, the cover is lighter and thinner compared to that for S9.

On the software side, there are almost no changes.

What are the special features of the clear view cover (S-View flip cover)?

Galaxy S10 clear view cover shares the similar S-View features as in S9 and S8:

  • Respond to calls, alarms, and events without flipping the cover.
  • Control music on the cover.
  • Read important information including time, date, and battery level on the cover.
  • Auto lock and unlock.
  • Use faceWidgets on the cover.

Please note, there is no separate S-View window as in Galaxy S7 S-View cover.  Since S8, the full front panel is translucent.  The actual display is always on the phone screen.

How to apply and remove the Galaxy S10 S View cover?

When you apply the Galaxy S10 clear view cover to Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G, you should fix the top part first. Then finish the bottom part.

When you want to remove the cover (to take out the phone), you should start from the bottom. Once the bottom part of Galaxy S10 is taken out of the cover, you can easily take the phone out.

Do NOT try to start from the top if you want to remove the cover. You may damage the … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare to charge other devices?

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You can use Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare to charge other devices wirelessly using Galaxy S10’s battery.

Galaxy S10 (including Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G) can be used as a wireless charger to share Galaxy S10 battery with other devices.

This Galaxy S10 new feature guide explains the details of Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare feature, how to use it to charge other devices, and answers some questions you may have when using the wireless PowerShare.

What is Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare?

Wireless charging is not new. Samsung added it as a standard feature since Galaxy S6.

But using the phone as a wireless charger to share the phone battery with other devices is still new.

Huawei named this feature as wireless reverse charging and introduced it in Mate 20 Pro (in 2018) and P30 Pro. Samsung introduced this feature in Galaxy S10 (all 4 models) and named it as wireless PowerShare.

Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare lets you share the battery juice of Galaxy S1o with other devices that support Qi wireless charging.

Technically, you can still use Galaxy S10 as usual when you share the battery with other devices.

You can even use wireless PowerShare when you are charging Galaxy S10 battery through a USB cable.  For example, you may have only one charger, but you need to charge both the phone and a Galaxy Watch.  In this case, you can connect the wall charger to charge the Galaxy S10 battery. At the same time,  you can use wireless PowerShare to charge the watch.

In a nutshell, Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare adds a Qi wireless charger on the back of Galaxy S10. And the charger can use Galaxy S10 battery to charge other devices wirelessly.

Limitations of Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare

Wireless PowerShare is very convenient, and it works with any devices that support Qi wireless charging.

FYI, most recent mobile devices including iPhone support Qi wireless charging. All Samsung gadgets with wireless charging support Qi wireless.

But wireless PowerShare has some limitations including:

  • Charging speed is slow. There is no fast charging. The maximum charging capacity is 5W. The actual charging speed is substantially lower than this. So, Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare is mainly designed for accessories like Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch. It may be a temporal solution of sharing the battery with other phones. If the other phone also has a USB C port,  you can charge it faster by directly connecting Galaxy S10 to that phone with a USB-C to USB-C cable.
  • You may have to remove the covers or cases for Galaxy S10.  When you charge Galaxy S10 with a wireless charging pad, normally it is not necessary to remove the cover unless the cover is exceptionally thick (or is made of metal). At least, for all Samsung Galaxy S10 official cases (for example, Galaxy S10 LED back cover, Galaxy S10 LED view cover, and Galaxy S10 clear view cover).
… Read the rest

Meaning of Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons

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Meaning of Galaxy S10 status icons and notification iconsYou need to understand the meaning of the Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons to get some quick information on the system status and health.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the differences between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons, how to customize the notifications in the status bar,  and the meaning of Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons in Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

Please note, in some regions or carriers, the status icon on Galaxy S10 may be slightly different.

If you want to customize or disable notification icons in Galaxy S10 status bar, you may check this guide.

What is the difference between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons?

Like other Android phones, Galaxy S10 uses the top part of the screen as a status bar to display status icons and notification icons. These icons tell you something about the system or inform you about unread or on-going notifications.

The status bar appears on all screens in Galaxy S10, including Galaxy S10 Home screen, apps screes,  lock screen, and all apps.

The icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar are usually classified as notification icons and status icons.

As shown in the screenshot below, the Galaxy S10 notification icons are in the left side of the status bar. The Galaxy S10 status icons are on the right side of the status bar.

Please note, due to camera cutout on Galaxy S10, the status icon are aligned to the left side of the cutout, not to the right edge of the screen. If you use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout, the status icons will be aligned to the right side.

The differences between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons are

  • Galaxy S10 status icons are always related to the system; while Galaxy S10 notification icons are usually linked to specific apps (including a few system apps and third-party apps).
  • Galaxy S10 status icons are normally shown on the right side of the status bar; while Galaxy S10 notification icons always appear on the left side of the status bar.
  • Galaxy S10 status icons are more or less universal in all regions; while Galaxy S10 notification icons depend on individual apps, whose developers can use whatever they want.
  • Galaxy S10 status icons normally do not have any corresponding notifications in the notification panel; while Galaxy S10 notification icons usually have one or more corresponding notifications in the notification panel.
  • You can customize the number of Galaxy S10 notification icons shown on the Galaxy S10 status bar.  But you cannot customize the number of status icons.

Please note, when an app is in the immersive full-screen mode, the status bar will be hidden temporally. You can swipe down from the top of the screen to bring up the Galaxy S10 status bar (and Galaxy S10 navigation bar if you are using Galaxy S10 navigation buttons).

Also, when you are in … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 LED cover (Galaxy S10 LED back cover)?

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Samsung introduced a new back cover for Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e: Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover).

The LED cover is a back cover with some unique LED features including mood lighting, LED emoticons, Picture cue, and camera timer. The old LED wallet cover is now renamed as Galaxy S10 LED View cover in most regions.

This Galaxy S10 accessories guide explains how to set up and use Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover) on Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e, the unique features of this cover and a review of this LED cover.

Unique features of Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover)?

Galaxy S10 LED cover is a new type of official accessories. It is a back cover with some unique LED features.

Compared to other back covers, the LED back cover has the following special features:

  • Mood lighting.  When Galaxy S10 is facing downwards, a light show is presented with the LEDs.  You can only enable or disable the show, not customize the show.
  • LED notification icons. You will get notification icons on the back when a notification comes. But the LED notification icon only works with some Samsung apps, and you cannot customize the LED icons. Please note, in Galaxy S10 LED View cover, you can customize the LED notification icons.
  • Camera timer. If the timer for the rear camera is turned on, the countdown will be shown on both the screen and the cover.
  • Emoticons for the rear cameras. When you open the camera app, and the rear cameras are active, a LED icon you chose will be shown on the back cover.

Unlike the fabric-like material used in Galaxy S10 LED view cover, the exterior of the Galaxy S10 LED back cover is glossy plastic. Therefore it is a fingerprint magnet.

The LED cover provides moderate protection for the glass back of the phone. The raised edges on the top and bottom (over the screen) offers marginal protection for the screen,  The two side edges of the Galaxy S10 LED back cover for Galaxy S10, and S10+ are lower than the screen due to the curved screen in these two models.

How to set up and customize the LED cover (LED back cover)?

Once you snap the LED back cover on to the phone, you will get a notification asking you to set up the cover if you use it the first time.

Actually, Galaxy S10 will automatically add:

  • The LED cover app in the Apps screen, as shown below.
  • An entry in Settings — Advanced features —Accessories — LED cover.

These two items are identical: both are shortcuts for the Galaxy S10 LED cover settings.

For example, in Galaxy S10 Settings, you can tap Advanced features as shown below.

S10 settings S10 accessories settings

In the Advanced Features page, tap Accessories as shown above.

You should be able to find the LED cover entry in the Accessories page as shown below.

If you cannot find … Read the rest

How to charge Galaxy S10 battery?

Battery Guide for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e

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charge Galaxy S10 battery

You need to charge Galaxy S10 battery properly to maximize the battery life without sacrificing your usage.

There are many so-called expert recommendations and rules on how to charge Galaxy S10 battery. Some of them are outdated (e.g., you need to drain Galaxy S10 battery completely every a few weeks). Some are ridiculously wrong (e.g., you should not charge Galaxy S10 battery to full).

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the proper way to charge Galaxy S10 battery with a wall charger (USB charging) or a wireless charger (wireless charging). Quick charge 2.0 and fast wireless charging 2.0 are also discussed.

How long should I charge Galaxy S10 battery the first time?

The old textbook may tell you that you should charge the new battery for at least 6-8 hours for the first time.

This is outdated. It does not apply to the Galaxy S10 battery.

When you charge Galaxy S10 battery the first time, you just need to charge it to “charged.” Then you can disconnect it from the charger (wall charger or wireless charger) and start to use it.

In fact, when Galaxy S10 leaves the factory, the battery was charged to about 60%. You can immediately use the phone when you get it. It is unnecessary to charge a new Galaxy S10 for 6 hours.

In some regions, Samsung does not offer a 1-to-1 exchange for hardware defects. You have to check the phone in the store.

Anyway, there are no special requirements when you charge the Galaxy S10 battery the first time.

Please note, there is no notification LED in Galaxy S10 (including S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G) as discussed in this page, you have to wake up the screen to check whether the battery is fully charged or not.

What are the two ways to charge the Galaxy S10 battery?

Galaxy S10 supports charging through the USB-C port and the wireless charging coil. You may refer to Galaxy S10 layout to check the location of the USB-C port and wireless charging coils.

So, you can charge Galaxy S10 battery in two ways:

  • Through a USB cable (USB charging). Normally, you will use a wall charger. But you can also charge Galaxy S10 battery with a power bank, PC, or another mobile device with USB-C port.
  • Wireless charging.

In Galaxy S10 box, a wall charger is included.

The wireless charging pad is not included in Galaxy S10 box. You may have to buy one.

What are fast charging and fast wireless charging for Galaxy S10, S10+, and s10e?

Galaxy S10, S10+, and 10e support quick charge 2.0 when charging through the USB-C port (USB charging). Of course, this requires a wall charger with quick charge support.

In the Galaxy S10 box, you can find the included 15W wall charger, which is a quick charge 2.0 compliant charger.

Samsung named the fast charge technology as adaptive fast charging. As mentioned in the top 10 disappointing and missing features of Galaxy … Read the rest

Galaxy S10 layout (layout of Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e)

Understand the layout of Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e

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Galaxy S10 layout (layout of Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e)You need to understand the Galaxy S10 layout to properly use your Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10e.

The 4 models of Galaxy S10: S10, S10+ (S10 Plus), S10e, and S10 5G, share similar, but not identical design. The layout of these 4 Galaxy S10 phones is slightly different.

Because S10 5G has not been released yet, this Galaxy S10 guide will explain the layout of Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

Why do you need to know about Galaxy S10 layout?

Galaxy S10 is not a revolutionary product. So, you can find some similarity between the Galaxy S10 layout and Galaxy S9 layout.

But the difference is also obvious.

Exploring the Galaxy S10 layout allows you to:

  • Locate the buttons: Power button, Bixby button, and volume buttons.
  • Locate the ports including multifunction (USB Type C) port and headphone jack.
  • Locate the SIM card tray.
  • Locate the antennas.
  • Locate the cameras and sensors.
  • Locate the wireless charging coil.
  • Locate the speaker and microphones.
  • Locate the fingerprint sensor.

Anyway, you should spend a few mins on understanding the Galaxy S10 layout. It will pay off immediately when you avoid some mistakes (e.g., piercing the microphone on the top with the SIM card ejection pin) or learn to use some special features or tricks.

The major differences among Galaxy S10 layout, Galaxy S10+ layout, and Galaxy S10e layout

The differences in specifications of Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e are reflected in the device layout.

Here is the list of major differences among Galaxy S10 layout, Galaxy S10+ layout, and Galaxy S10e layout:

  • Size.  Galaxy S10+ is the largest and Galaxy S10e is the smallest. Galaxy S10 lies in between.
  • The front camera and the hole.   Galaxy S10+ has two front-facing cameras. The hole in the infinity O display is elongated and larger than that in the other two siblings.  Galaxy S10 and S10e only have one front-facing camera. If you want, you can use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout as explained in this guide.
  • Rear cameras. Both Galaxy s10 and S10+ have 3 rear cameras. Galaxy S10e only gets one.
  • Fingerprint scanner. Both Galaxy S10 and S10+ have an in-display fingerprint ultrasonic scanner. The fingerprint scanner in Galaxy S10e is mounted on the power button.

The relative locations of the buttons, sensors, antennas, ports, speaker and microphones, SIM card tray are almost identical.

The layout of Galaxy s10+ (Galaxy S10+ layout)

The front view of Samsung Galaxy S10+ layout is shown below.

In the front, you can find:

  • Touch screen in Galaxy S10+ layout

The touch screen occupies about 90% of the front side of Galaxy S10+.

You can use various Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures to interact with the phone.

By default, in the bottom part of the screen, Galaxy S10 navigation bar with 3 navigation buttons can be found. Of course, you can also use navigation gestures, instead of navigation buttons.

On the top of the screen, you … Read the rest

Top 10 new features of Galaxy S10

The top 10 exciting new features of Galaxy S10

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top 10 new features of Galaxy S10As Samsung’s flagship smartphones in 2019, Galaxy S10 (include Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10 5G) packs the latest technology Samsung has or can access. So, you can expect some exciting new features of the Galaxy S10.

It is impractical to discuss all new features of Galaxy S10 in one post because of the long list of the new features of Galaxy S10. For the hardware specifications, you may check this post. For Galaxy S10 layout, you may check this guide.

In this post, we will explain the top 10 most exciting new features of Galaxy S10 most owners will enjoy: Dynamic AMOLED with HDR 10+, Infinity O display, ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Bixby Routine, ultrawide camera, wireless PowerShare, Android Pie and One UI, Digital wellbeing, recording 4K UHD video with HDR 10+, and fast wireless charging 2.0.

Of course, Galaxy S10 is far from perfect. There are also some disappointing and missing features of Galaxy S10 as discussed here.

The most exciting new feature of Galaxy S10: Dynamic AMOLED with HDR10+

Samsung flagship phones traditionally have the best display.  No other smartphone makers can match Samsung when the display is discussed.

In Galaxy S10, Samsung updates its Super AMOLED to Dynamic AMOLED.

So, All four Galaxy S10 devices (Galaxy s10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy s10+, and Galaxy S1o 5G) all have a Dynamic AMOLED screen.

This AMOLED is somewhat different (and better) from the screen in Galaxy S9 and other Galaxy phones.

In a nutshell, the Dynamic AMOLED on Galaxy S10 supports:

  • Higher brightness (up to 1200 nits peak luminance). You can use the screen even directly under the sunlight.
  • Larger dynamic range.  From black to white, you can see more “colors”.
  • HDR10+.  In addition to static dynamic metadata, HDR10+ also supports dynamic metadata. Therefore the brightness boundaries can be set and changed on a frame-by-frame basis. Galaxy S10 (all models) is the only smartphone certified with HDR10+ up to now (February 2019).
  • Lower blue light emission.  You will feel more comfortable to use the screen in all lighting conditions. Galaxy S10 screen (all models) was certified by TÜV Rheinland.

Dynamic AMOLED is probably the most exciting new features of Galaxy S10. It is available in all four models: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10 5G.

The most innovative workaround of Galaxy S10: Infinity O display

All smartphone manufacturers are working hard to reducing the bezels.

But there is a limit because of the front-facing cameras.

So far, to solve this problem, other smartphone manufacturers follow iPhone X: using a notch, which can be quite ugly (subjective).

Samsung finds an innovative workaround for this issue: punch a hole for the front-facing cameras.  It looks far better than the notches.

And in Galaxy S10, Samsung calls it infinity O display. All 4 Galaxy s10 models use infinity O display. Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 5G get a bigger (and elongated) “hole”.

If you are not a fan of the punched hole, … Read the rest

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, S10e, and S10 5G

Get to know Galaxy S10 specs (and Galaxy S10+ specs, Galaxy S10e specs, and Galaxy S10 5G specs)

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pecifications of Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus and S10eAlthough software plays a more and more important role in today’s smartphones,  many potential Galaxy S10 buyers are still eager to know what are the specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10.

Based on early leaks and rumors, specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10 are almost certain in most aspects.

This post summarizes the key specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, S10e, and S10 5G.

How many models of Galaxy S10 will be?

Almost certain, tThere will be 3 are 4 Galaxy S10 models with slightly different specifications:

  • Galaxy S10.
  • Galaxy S10+ (Plus).
  • Galaxy S10e.
  • Galaxy S10 5G (in selected markets only).

Galaxy S10 is targeting mainstream users. S10+ (S1o Plus) is targeting hardware enthusiasts, who want to get everything available. Galaxy S10e is targeting buyers who want a smaller phone.  All these 3 Galaxy S10 models will be available globally on March 8, 2019.

Galaxy S10 5G is the only 5G capable phone in the market now. It will be available in Q2 2019. Because the 5G network is only available in very limited regions and carriers, Galaxy S10 5G will be available in selected regions.

The specifications of Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G  are slightly different.

Of course, Galaxy S10+ will be the most expensive one among the three (the pricing of S10 5G is still not available now). S10e will be the cheapest.

Key features in specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e

Samsung Galaxy 10 is the 1oth generation of Galaxy S series phones.  Samsung needs to use this historical device to showcase its leadership in the oversaturated smartphone market.

In addition to the annual upgrade of CPU, there are some interesting and major changes in Galaxy S10 specifications.

The infinity display will be pushed to the limit: the top bezel is not enough for the camera lens and a hole in the display has to be punched.  So, Samsung just named it infinity O display. You may hide the hole (cutout) using a black bar (Galaxy S10 virtual bezel) if you do not like the hole. But this will reduce the usable screen area.

So, instead of a notch, you will see the punched area for the front cameras as shown below.

Key features in specifications of Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e

The fingerprint scanner will now be embedded under the screen in Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10 5G. And it uses ultrasonic 3D scanning technique.  There is no button or cutout for the fingerprint scanner.  Please check this guide on how to use Galaxy S1o in-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader.

On Galaxy S10e, the fingerprint scanner will be embedded in the power button on the right side of the phone.

Wireless charging has been a standard feature since Galaxy S6. Now, Samsung will add the wireless PowerShare (reverse wireless charging) into Galaxy S10.  You can use your phone as a wireless charger to charge other devices as explained in this guide.

Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G will be powered by Android Pie with the … Read the rest