Samsung kicked off the month by officially announcing the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite. Despite what you may think by the names, these two phones are actually very similar. Samsung is aiming to take on the OnePlus 7 and Xiaomi Mi 9s of the world with these more affordable, yet still respectable, phones. We were able to get our hands on both phones at CES 2020.

Galaxy Note 10 Lite XDA Forum | Galaxy S10 Lite XDA Forum

Like we said, the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are much more similar than their non-Lite counterparts. Even the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 have more differences. Before we dive into what sets the devices apart, let's talk about the commonalities.

Both the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite feature 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED displays with center hole punch cameras. That hole punch is for a 32MP camera on both models, whereas the back houses three cameras that are different on each phone. Meanwhile, they both have 6/8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 4,500mAh batteries. Android 10 with One UI 2 comes on both out of the box.

Now, for the differences. The Galaxy S10 Lite is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, while the Galaxy Note 10 Lite features the Exynos 9810 chip. As mentioned, both phones have triple rear cameras, but the functions are different. The S10 Lite has a 48MP main camera with Super Steady OIS (as shown below), 12MP wide-angle camera, and 5MP macro camera. The Note 10 Lite, on the other hand, has a 12MP main camera, 12MP wide-angle camera, and 12MP telephoto camera.

Super Steady OIS is something we specifically tried out at the Samsung booth. While OIS on most devices can only move left, right, up, and down, Super Steady OIS can move forward and backward as well. This really helps if you have shaky hands. In our brief testing, it seemed to work better in portrait mode than landscape mode, but we'll have to try it out more.

One last difference to mention is the color options and price. The Galaxy S10 is available in the Prism White (shown in video), Prism Black, and Prism Blue. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is available in Aura Glow, Aura Black, and Aura Red (shown in video). Pricing for the phones breaks down as €599 for the Note 10 Lite and the Galaxy S10 Lite will be €649.

These devices may not have all the high-end features and build materials as their non-Lite counterparts, but they feel great in the hand. This is something that OnePlus and Xiaomi have excelled at for a long time. Samsung certainly has had no shortage of phones in this segment, but they've never tacked on big brand names like the S line or Note line. Calling these devices the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite signifies that Samsung thinks they're good enough to be compared to those heavy hitters.

Devices

Galaxy S10 Lite

Galaxy Note 10 Lite

Display

6.7-inch Full HD+Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display2400×1080 (394ppi)

6.7-inch Full HD+Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display2400×1080 (394ppi)

* Super AMOLED Plus display creates ergonomic design with thin and light display panel by adopting flexible OLED technology.* Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.

Camera

Rear

Triple Camera– Macro: 5MP, F2.4– Wide-angle: 48MP, Super Steady OIS AF F2.0– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2

Triple Camera– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2– Wide-angle: 12MP, Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS– Telephoto: 12MP, AF F2.4 OIS

Front

32MP, F2.2

32MP, F2.2

Body

75.6 x 162.5 x 8.1mm, 186g

76.1 x 163.7 x 8.7mm, 199g

AP

7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.7GHz) – Snapdragon 855

10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad 1.7GHz) – Exynos 9810

Memory

6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage

6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage

* May differ by model, color, market and mobile operator.* User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed.

Battery*

4,500mAh (typical)

4,500mAh (typical)

* Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,370mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.

OS

Android 10.0