Samsung’s ‘budget flagship’ the Galaxy S10e starts at $750

Published February 20, 2019

Samsung just announced a lot of phones — four major variants of the Galaxy S10, as a matter of fact. The S10e is the most interesting of the bunch — or at least the most interesting one that doesn’t sport 5G.

The handset is the budget variant of the flagship. In other words, it’s sort of like Samsung’s take on the iPhone XR. At $750, it’s not cheap, cheap. The company’s got plenty of phones that fit that bill, if you’re on a budget. Instead, it’s a reasonably affordable alternative to the ever-escalating price of flagships — and a way to get a version of the S10 without breaking the bank.

Like the iPhone XR, the S10e is a tacit acknowledgement that flagship phones have been priced out of the reach of many users. It’s also an attempt to appeal to developing markets, while reacting to slowed upgrade cycles and increased pricing competitions from companies like Huawei, who have demonstrated that flagships don’t need to cost an arm and a leg.

The handset sports a 5.8-inch display and a 3,100mAh battery. It’s up for pre-order February 21 and goes on sale March 8.