S10: is it worth it?

[IForgetMyPasswords]

With the new S20 out, is an S10 worth it? 

Everyone now needs an S20, because it's out and everyone has been waiting for a long time. Is it worth it?

[seobro]

If you don't mind me asking I have just a couple of questions:

1. How old is your phone/what is your current phone?
2. How comfortable are you with your budget in terms of spending on new technology?
3. How important are the new features of the S20 to you?

[IForgetMyPasswords]

1. 3 years, Samasung Galaxy S7 Edge Black Onyx SM-G935W8
2. Not much
3. The thing that's pretty important is the camera.
by the way, this is a post for people to discuss on and get ideas.

[seobro]

Galaxy S7 Edge... wow. Absolute trooper, and good for you for holding onto such an old phone for so long.

The reason I ask is because it would help to get a better understanding of whether or not it's worth dropping your hard earned money on the newest gadget. Most of the time, it's always incredibly difficult to recommend anyone getting the newest phone at launch, and instead opting for last year's model or the "cheaper" model of the newest series. We've all seen the Galaxy S20 Ultra by now- it's a beautiful, gorgeous and specification monster but it's not the Galaxy S20 that most people will buy. 

How good the camera is  is personally quite subjective among smartphone cameras. Smartphone camera technology is getting so excellent these days that the difference between the top 5 cameras is very minute, and even then the performance isn't always a reliable metric: some people prefer the way photos on Galaxies look, others will prefer iPhones. And between the Galaxy S10 and S20, yeah, the megapixel count is higher and other things are better on the S20, but the Galaxy S10 was also the gold standard for Samsung phones just a year ago and it's absolutely a fantastic performer. Of course, the S20 is better but is it worth $300 more better?

So! Enough of the fluff, here's what I'll recommend.

If you:

• Want the best camera possible to perform high-end mobile photography because you're serious about it, are passionate about it or have the hobby for it
• And/Or want to use your phone for as long as possible before having to spend money on your next upgrade, with the most up-to-date specs available

My recommendation for you would be to go for the Galaxy S20 series.

Contrarily, if you:

• Want a good performing camera but aren't incredibly invested into mobile photography and are more of a casual user
• And/or want to save a little money when buying your technology and don't necessarily need the greatest but still want a darn good performer 

My recommendation for you would be to go for the Galaxy S10 series.

Personally, I love my technology. And if I had a phone as old as the Galaxy S7 Edge I'd be pushing myself to go all-out and buy the Galaxy S20. If I can buy the newest phone now and not have to worry about upgrading things (at least on the hardware end) for about 3-4 years, I'll instead take that route to have the peace of mind. Realistically, the way that I use my phone is not much different to others; I do my casual photo-taking and casual Instagramming here and there and the extra new features on the Galaxy S20 are merely an added bonus for me.

[gokongming]

for me, the announcement of the s20 series, doesn't make the s10 series old or primitive... still good in 2 - 3 years i guess.. that software features in s20 series might show up on s10, it might just take time..

[Geico]

They will show up, in the next couple months, features will slowly pop up in security updates. Cause S10 series will still get monthly updates on time.

[seobro]

You also said earlier that you wanted to create some other discussion too so I'll mention one of my own perspectives here.

The real reason why I asked those questions is because it becomes increasingly difficult every year to recommend the newest product/phone to someone who's looking to upgrade. Smartphone technology is very quickly beginning to reach a steady plateau, and the truly "new" features that are being integrated into smartphones, while very cool, are not as practical and necessary as most people need.

This is further accentuated by the fact that smartphones are also just increasingly becoming so much more expensive. For my own personal interest, the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is absolutely the phone that I'd rock because I always prefer the bigger screen, battery, and features. But at $1849.99 before taxes, logic pushes me away from splurging on features that I know aren't necessarily useful to me/ones that I need. And frankly, even with the Galaxy S20 starting at a base price of $1349.99(?) alone, the rationale in me again tries to reason out that I don't need it.

The facts are pretty clear; people are not upgrading from their phones because the hardware is getting so good to the point where we don't need to; it's the software that forces us to move on. And with phones that may be considered "obsolete" even though they are only a year old, in most consumer's experience the phone will outlive their expected usage of two years because we've reached that high level of manufacturing standards.

I absolutely love my technology; but I am not made of money. I am a normal, regular person who has their own financial responsibilities and things to pay. And although it would bring me a lot of happiness to own the newest and greatest tech, when that asking price breaks a certain point, it becomes really difficult to justify that I'm getting the same value proposition for its usage.

[IForgetMyPasswords]

Thank you for those two suggestions, they actually are things that are not considered in this world, this made me realize that the newest models are just penny for metal. By that I mean the prices are not lowering, like the Xbox Series X
(at least people think they are), and just tricking into buying.

The biggest two things I see here are the cameras and the refresh rate. But I'm not even sure where you would need that, since 60hz is enough, even for online FPS's. And for the cameras... They pretty much explain themselves.

People like the zoom and the quality, and I respect that. It's just... If you're showcasing the battery and 120hz of your cool new phone, then people are gonna buy it for that (I'm not saying everyone), but for the performance. Like, really, when are you gonna take 8K pictures other than trips? Like, road trip, mountain climb, or just photography? A phone is for calling, and that's what every phone should have. If you need to do something, there are computers for that. But you have solid points there, and thank you for that.

I am also not made of money. "Why buy new stuff every day? It's just gonna get newer."

[seobro · Accepted solution]

I agree with your points, though the last point where it says "it's just going to get newer so why buy new stuff?" is one that I see often and is actually one that I disagree with. If you continuously put yourself in a mindset where you delay yourself from buying the new gadget because a newer one is coming out, chances are you'll probably never end up buying anything. Let me explain.

I guess the point that I really want to make here is that as useful and beneficial to our lives technology is, it's still a financial investment to everyone. Depending on other people's financial situations, the newest gadget could be just another way of flexing your cash flow lifestyle, or it could be the difference between cutting down on certain habits (e.g. being able to buy certain groceries, going out) in exchange for purchasing the gadget. 

While my intention is absolutely not to deter anyone from buying the new Galaxy S20 (I myself am still amazed by the idea of the Galaxy S20 Ultra), my intention is to help you make a purchase by helping bring into perspective the idea of what is important and what is unimportant, so that you can make a more deliberate choice in your purchase and feel less buyer's remorse. I've had many moments where I chose the newest model simply for the sake of it "being new," and have walked away with major remorse because the value proposition for the gadget was not equal. Similarly, I've also walked out with the slightly older model because "I don't need the new features" and sometimes found myself annoyed by the experience I was having because I chose the older model. 

If we consistently abstain ourselves from buying the newest model because "a newer model with better features" is going to come out, then we are adopting the wrong mindset and instead should be thinking "how much more can Device X offer me for Device Y by spending Z amount more of dollars?" 

But contrary to that, if you end up reaching the conclusion where you can't seem to justify spending a certain amount of more money for a newer model simply because it's "newer, has better features, or does something marginally better than the previous model," chances are, it's not worth it. And this problem is a major one in the smartphone industry today. As I previously mentioned, most people just don't care enough about the newest features to shell out the additional hundreds of dollars to that of the previous generation.

Regardless of the device you choose, be it the Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S20, you are going to have a fantastic experience. Your needs will almost absolutely be met and you will be plenty satisfied with the offerings that are being made to you through these devices. My hope is that you just take the time to consider what is best for your needs so that you don't regret later on. 

I apologize for being so convoluted in what should be a relatively simple question, so I'll make my final recommendation to you based on what we've discussed. 

Seriously, if you are okay with the budget, then just go for the Galaxy S20+. While it may be considered an iterative upgrade compared to the Galaxy S10+, the reason I recommend it to you is because:

• You still have the Galaxy S7 Edge. This indicates to me that you take very good care of your electronics and hold onto them for as long as possible with pristine care and condition. In this case, I would be able to justify the purchase on the slightly more expensive Galaxy S20 because if I'm able to retain my electronics for so long then I deserve a high quality product that I know will last me a long time. 
• You want a better camera. Yes, reviews are yet to come but just from specs on paper the Galaxy S20 is definitively the better performer when it comes to taking photos. Though it's not S20 Ultra level you will definitely notice some improvements in the S20+ and I think it will allow you to have a more enjoyable experience overall.

Good luck homie :smiling-face:

[IForgetMyPasswords]

I see your point. Buy what:
-Fits
-Is financially OK with you
-Does not interfere with anything
-You need.

Don't flex your money. And don't be pressured into it.