Is the S10 better than the S10e? Which Samsung phone is better?

Not sure which phone you’d rather buy between the refurbished S10 or S10e? This really isn’t that hard of a comparison since both of these phones are similar in many ways.

The S10 has a slightly larger display at 6.1” diagonally vs the 5.8” screen on the S10e. This makes the S10e easier to hold compared to the S10, but I’d personally rather watch videos on the S10 because of the extra screen real estate.

And since the S10 is a larger device, you can expect it to have a slightly bigger battery and therefore better battery life.

What does the “e” stand for in S10e?

Samsung has revealed that the “e” stands for “essential.” The S10e was meant to be the budget phone in the S10 line that only comes with the essential features, with fewer frills than the S10.

Does the Galaxy S10e have a fingerprint sensor? S10?

One feature that distinguishes the S10 vs S10e is how each phone equips the fingerprint unlock.

The S10 has an in-screen fingerprint scanner. In our tests, it's a bit more sluggish than the one found on the side of the S10e, and I think most people prefer the feeling of a physical sensor.

The S10e has a physical fingerprint sensor, but it's on the side of the device. It isn't our preferred placement for a fingerprint sensor, but it does feel faster than the S10 at least.

Comparing screens and speed on the S10 vs S10e

These devices have a lot of interesting differences, but it’s important for us to stress that these are both great phones and have similar performance since they were released in 2019 and equipped with Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 855 chip.

The S10e has a slightly flatter display, while the display in the S10 has a strong “waterfall” curve on the edges of the device.

Some people like curved displays because they make the phone look super cool, while others avoid them because it’s easy to accidentally touch the side of the screen while holding the device which can result in unintentionally clicking on a lot of random stuff and can result in a frustrating browsing experience. This can easily be remedied by putting a case on the device to prevent the user from accidentally touching the edges with their fingers.

The S10 also comes with an additional camera on the rear of the device for close-up portrait shots. Other photography features should feel pretty similar though.

So there is no clear winner in our S10 vs S10e comparison. We instead just want to stress that we like both of these Galaxy phones as long as they're refurbished :)