JANUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 135This is why all of the stock wallpapers Samsung
created for the S10+ have a clever bit of black
in the corner to cover up the hole. It’s the same
trickery Apple uses to cover up the notch on the iPhone
XS, and it speaks to the inherent compromises of so-
called all-screen phones.
I prefer a notch to the uncentred hole because
I dislike the indented status bar, but neither of the
solutions are very elegant. (Although some of the
wallpapers available are pretty darn creative.) Maybe
the future is in slide-out cameras or the complete
elimination of the selfie cam like Chinese companies
Xiaomi and Vivo are proposing. But for now, holes
and notches are just a fact of life. And the S10+ will
remind you of that every time you pick it up.
Hole complaints aside, the display on the Galaxy
S10+ is stunning. Samsung has always excelled at
displays, but out of the box the colours have always
been a bit too oversaturated for my taste. Well,
that’s not the case with the Dynamic AMOLED here.
Samsung’s colour gamut is clear, crisp, and remarkably
bright without requiring any adjustments, and colours
are realistic without looking too dull or muted.
The display also hides one of the S10+’s tricks: an
ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which uses sound waves
rather than light to read the whirls and loops on your
skin. Samsung’s fingerprint sensor has been a bone of
contention ever since it moved to the rear of the phone
precariously close to the cameras, and it’s no less of
an issue here. In the age of Face ID and time-of-flight
cameras, fingerprint scanning tech feels antiquated,
and the hit-or-miss nature of the S10+’s sensor doesn’tJANUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 135This is why all of the stock wallpapers Samsung
createdfortheS10+havea cleverbitofblack
in thecornertocoverupthehole.It’sthesame
trickeryAppleusestocoverupthenotchontheiPhone
XS,andit speakstotheinherentcompromisesofso-
calledall-screen phones.
I prefer a notch to the uncentred hole because
I dislike the indented status bar, but neither of the
solutions are very elegant. (Although some of the
wallpapers available are pretty darn creative.) Maybe
the future is in slide-out cameras or the complete
elimination of the selfie cam like Chinese companies
XiaomiandVivoareproposing.Butfornow,holes
andnotchesarejusta factoflife.AndtheS10+will
remindyouofthateverytimeyoupickitup.
Hole complaints aside, the display on the Galaxy
S10+ is stunning. Samsung has always excelled at
displays, but out of the box the colours have always
been a bit too oversaturated for my taste. Well,
that’s not the case with the Dynamic AMOLED here.
Samsung’s colour gamut is clear, crisp, and remarkably
bright without requiring any adjustments, and colours
are realistic without looking too dull or muted.
The display also hides one of the S10+’s tricks: an
ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which uses sound waves
rather than light to read the whirls and loops on your
skin. Samsung’s fingerprint sensor has been a bone of
contention ever since it moved to the rear of the phone
precariously close to the cameras, and it’s no less of
anissuehere.IntheageofFaceIDandtime-of-flight
cameras,fingerprintscanningtechfeelsantiquated,
and the hit-or-miss nature of the S10+’s sensor doesn’t