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Samsung Galaxy S10 line to feature wireless reverse charging

By Alan Friedman

Updated: Jan 26, 2019, 10:08 PM

24comments

Samsung Android

You might recall the feature on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro that allowed users to use the phone as a wireless charging pad (click on the video at the top of the article). Put another phone on the back of the Mate 20 Pro, and part of the power in the latter's battery will be wirelessly transferred to the other phone. We tested this feature using the Mate 20 Pro to charge a Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and found that the battery on the Samsung unit was charged up only 1% in 10 minutes. While this technology is new, and could come in handy, right now it is painfully slow.

What brings up wireless reverse charging is a photo revealing that the feature will be offered on the Samsung Galaxy S10 line. A picture on the Samsung Members community site (via Techtastic-translated) shows buttons on a controller that visitors to a Samsung demo booth will press in order to view certain videos related to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10. Pushing the button on top plays an introductory video about the phone. The second button shows off the handset's cinematic display, while the next one plays a clip showing off the in-display fingerprint scanner to be found on most of the Galaxy S10 models (the entry level Galaxy S10E will have a side mounted fingerprint scanner). The fourth button starts a video focused on the triple camera setup to be found on some Galaxy S10 models, and the fifth and final button starts a video related to the wireless reverse charging function on the phone.

Demo booth controller shows reverse wireless charging option

The new feature is expected to be called Powershare, and is not expected to be any faster than the wireless reverse charging found on the Mate 20 Pro. As a result, its usefulness is questionable, and many call it nothing but a gimmick. In addition, there is concern about the size of the batteries on the Galaxy S10 range, since any battery life added to a another phone using reverse wireless charging is subtracted from the battery on the Galaxy S10 unit providing the juice. The most recent rumors call for the Galaxy S10E, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ to be equipped with a 3100mAh battery, 3500mAh battery and a 4100mAh battery, respectively. The 5G enabled version of the Galaxy S10 will reportedly carry a 5000mAh battery. The battery inside the Mate 20 Pro has a capacity of 4200mAh.

The wireless reverse charging feature on the Galaxy S10 line could be what Samsung was trying to promote in a video teaser for the company's Unpacked event, which will take place on February 20th. The teaser showed the image of a fully charged battery icon that could have hinted at the new phones' ability to charge up devices that support wireless charging.

Samsung's new flagships will be introduced next month

At next month's event, we should see Samsung introduce the Galaxy S10E (5.8-inch display, single cameras in front and back), Galaxy S10 (6.1-inch curved edge display, punch-hole camera in front, two sensors in back), and the Galaxy S10+ (6.4-inch display, two punch hole cameras in front and a triple-camera setup in back). Also expected to be unwrapped during the same event is the foldable Galaxy F.

The Galaxy S10 line is expected to launch on March 8th with a March 29th launch in South Korea rumored for the 5G version of the Galaxy S10. Said to be called the Samsung Galaxy S10X, according to rumored specs this unit will be equipped with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, 10/12GB RAM and 512GB/1TB of internal storage. It is expected to carry the Exynos 5100 5G modem, and feature two cameras in front and four in back. After its release in South Korea, the S10X is expected to make its way to the U.S. (possibly as a Verizon exclusive at first) and other markets.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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Samsung Galaxy S10 line to feature wireless reverse charging

Samsung's new flagships will be introduced next month

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