NOTICE: We’ve created an archive of all major developments related to the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup. We are continuously updating that page with latest S10e/S10/S10+ news so that you don’t need to search for information related to the device on daily basis. Head here to access that page.

The speculations and guessing games about the much-anticipated Galaxy S10 were started even before the release of the Galaxy S9. Besides the typical theorising about the internal specifications, early leaks talked a lot about the in-display fingerprint scanner.

According to the rumors, Samsung designers ditched the iris scanner as well as the optical fingerprint sensor, as their performances did not meet the standard they wanted to achieve.

However, the Qualcomm made ultrasonic fingerprint scanner was allegedly incompatible with a number of third party screen protectors – as mentioned by accessories makers.

The situation became more convoluted when a leaked video shown a Galaxy S10 Plus with perforated screen protector installed.

Many Samsung fans were devastated after seeing this poor design choice. Nevertheless, it was confirmed that the shown screen protector was merely a prototype. Official screen protectors would be full screen without any hole in them.

Skip to the present day, we now know that the Korean smartphone OEM decided to include a free copy of pre-applied screen protector with every Galaxy S10/S10+.

Regarding the S10/S10+ factory pre-installed screen protector

Samsung’s upcoming new flagship Galaxy S10 will be shipped with factory pre-installed screen protector manufactured by Samsung. This is applicable for all global subsidiaries and for all variants of Galaxy S10. This decision was made to increase overall customer experiences with the improved screen durability and full functionality of the Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor on Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+.

galaxy_s10_factory_screen_protector

Samsung later edited the notice and changed the “90 days warranty” part with the following:

The factory pre-installed screen protector will not be covered under warranty…

The official notice is not available anymore, however buyers can find the following card bundled with the official packaging.

s10_preinstalled_screen_protector_notice

Samsung also sells these official vinyl film protectors for $19.99. For example, you can buy them in the US by visiting the following links:

s10_official_screen_protector

Interestingly, a number of users have reportedly received a deformed variant of the screen protector as a replacement. The deformity is located at the top right corner, where the camera hole(s) is located.

s10_screen_protector_deformed
Image source: reddit

As readers can notice, instead of the camera holes, the new screen protector has an uncanny notch at the top right side.

look at the top right of the screen protector, it has a cut out notch instead of this a camera hole. I dont think Im going to install the replacement one they sent me because of that.

(Source)

To make things more complicated, the replacement protectors may look like complete normal with proper camera holes before applying.

s10_screen_protector_replacement_us
Image source: reddit

However, they will reveal their true selves after you peel them off.

s10_screen_protector_deformed_reddit
Source (Click/Tap to zoom)

In some cases, Samsung sent two of the replacements. One of them is perfectly normal with the holes for the camera, while the other one is featuring the square cut at the top.

Not yet – the phone with screen protector issues was actually exchanged since it was restarting. But now I have two!

Here’s a picture of both. The one in the retail box came in a cardboard box for shipping (way oversized), whereas the one on the right came as-is, simply in it’s plastic sleeve, in a UPS envelope.

s10_screen_protector_replacement_us_2
Source

Some users have come up with a plausible conclusion: it may be possible that Samsung is maintaining two separate sets of screen protectors.

Looks like the one on the left, much like OP received, has the cut-out. The one on the right that I got directly from Samsung before the retail versions started shipping has a hole cut-out. Again, interesting note on that protector… the plastic is curved much like the screen, hence the piece of foam underneath it. Really interesting.

The original pre-installed one as well as the retail variant are listed under the ET-FG973CTEGWW SKU. We don’t know the part number of the replacement screen protectors at this moment.

Which screen protector do you use on your Galaxy S10? Let us know by commenting below.

PiunikaWeb is a unique initiative that mainly focuses on investigative journalism. This means we do a lot of hard work to come up with news stories that are either ‘exclusive,’ ‘breaking,’ or ‘curated’ in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason our work has been picked by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and more. Do take a tour of our website to get a feel of our work. And if you like what we do, stay connected with us on Twitter (@PiunikaWeb) and other social media channels to receive timely updates on stories we publish.

Tags

S10

Kingshuk De
896 Posts

I came from a mixed background of Statistics and Computer Science. My research domains included embedded computer systems, mobile computing and delay tolerant networks in post-disaster scenarios. Apart from tinkering with gadgets or building hackintosh, I like to hop on various subreddits and forums like MyDigitalLife and XDA.

Next article View Article

New Galaxy Buds update problems and issues; info on shipping delay in UK

NOTICE: We've created an archive of all major developments related to the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup. We are continuously updating that page with latest S10e/S10/S10+ news so...
Apr 18, 2019 0 Min Read