Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite to Reportedly Launch as Galaxy S10 E, Skips In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

As Samsung's flagship Galaxy S10 series inches closer to an official announcement, the torrent of leaks has also intensified. The Galaxy S10 Lite, which is claimed to be the Galaxy S10 series' entry-level offering, has been making rounds of the rumour mill lately. According to a new report however, it will be launched under a different name. As per new information which allegedly comes straight from suppliers in China, the Galaxy S10 Lite will be launched as the Galaxy S10 E. The report adds that it will miss out on the in-display fingerprint sensor present on the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+, something that has been rumoured before.

Mobile Fun, a UK-based smartphone accessories seller which has leaked details about the Galaxy S10 series in the past too, has obtained the information about the Galaxy S10 E moniker from suppliers in China. Mobile Fun's source also revealed that the Galaxy S10 E, previously known as the Galaxy S10 Lite, will skip on the in-display fingerprint sensor present on the other two smartphones in the Galaxy S10 series. Additionally, the source pointed out that Samsung chose to skip on an in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S10 E in order to keep the price "within the budget bracket". A recent leak revealed that the Galaxy S10 E's 128GB storage variant will be priced at GBP 669 (around Rs. 60,500), while the S10's 128GB and 512GB variants will carry a price tag of GBP 799 (roughly Rs. 72,200) and GBP 999 (roughly Rs. 90,300) respectively. 

Samsung Galaxy S10 E will sport a flat Infinity-O display and will have support for wireless charging

While the Galaxy S10 E moniker is something we've come across for the first time, the absence of an in-display fingerprint sensor on the entry-level Galaxy S10 smartphone has been reported earlier too. SlashLeaks recently leaked images of protective cases for the Galaxy S10 E which had a prominent cut-out on the right edge for the side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Mobile Fun also mentioned that the Galaxy S10 and S10+ will command a much higher price tag than the Galaxy S10 E, which is a bit obvious primarily due to the presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor and their supposedly superior imaging hardware. 

The Galaxy S10 E  aka Galaxy S10 Lite was recently spotted on Geekbench which revealed that the upcoming smartphone will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. Although, Samsung is also expected to launch a different version of the smartphone powered by the company's in-house Exynos 9820 SoC for certain markets. The Galaxy S10 E will reportedly sport a 5.8-inch (1080x2280 pixels) display with a hole akin to the Galaxy A8s, a design Samsung calls the Infinity-O display which was showcased last year. But unlike the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+, the Galaxy S10 E's display will be flat, while its higher-end siblings will flaunt a curved panel. The new leaks suggest that the Galaxy S10 E will mimic the marketing strategy implemented by Apple for the iPhone XR. We'll get to know more when the Galaxy S10 series is launched at a Galaxy Unpacked event that will reportedly take place on February 20 ahead of MWC 2019.