Samsung just announced the Galaxy S10 Lite would be available in the US tomorrow — April 17 — for $650, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. The international variant has been available for some time, but the US version’s release follows a series of unfortunate events.
First of all, the current COVID-19 pandemic has already led to a 10-year smartphone sales slump. Samsung’s latest and greatest Galaxy S20 lineup has reportedly taken a hit, and despite the new handset’s Lite moniker, $650 is not cheap.
Then compare the Galaxy S10 Lite to the recently announced OnePlus 8, and it won’t be very appealing to a lot of folks. For $700, you can pick up the much more premium OnePlus 8.
Now, the Galaxy S10 Lite is no slouch in terms of specs. It features a decent 6.7-inch FHD display, a triple camera setup, the Snapdragon 855 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, a 4,500mAh battery, and a plastic chassis. But the OnePlus 8 features the updated Snapdragon 865, a 90Hz high refresh rate panel, and significantly better build quality. Overall, the OnePlus 8 makes that extra $50 worth the upgrade.
Read also: iPhone SE: The right phone at the right time, and that’s bad news for Android
To make matters worse, Apple just announced the latest iPhone SE the other day. This entry-level iOS device undercuts the Galaxy S10 Lite’s price by a whopping $250. Plus, it features Apple’s latest A13 Bionic chipset, an IP67 rating, wireless charging, and an aluminum and glass chassis.
Don’t get me wrong. The Galaxy S10 Lite is the perfect device for some people right now, but overall, we expect the handset’s US sales to take a hit, given the circumstances. When the Galaxy S10 goes live tomorrow, you’ll be able to pick it up on Samsung’s official website, Best Buy, and Amazon.
