Digicel has launched the Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone line, becoming the first of two telecommunications service providers in Jamaica to stock the devices locally.

Public Relations and Communications Manager at Digicel, Elon Parkinson, at the launch event held at the company’s headquarters in downtown Kingston last Thursday, said his company has a history of firsts, noting that it was the first to roll out an LTE network in Jamaica, and now it is first to launch the perfect device to work on that network — the Samsung Galaxy S10.

Parkinson, in his presentation, announced that the smartphone series is being sold at select Digicel stores islandwide, in three product ranges: the S10 E, which is the entry-level device, the S10 at the mid-level and the S10 Plus for high-end customers.

The S10E starts at $84,000, the S10 is estimated at $104,000, and the S10 Plus should cost about $140,000.

The launch, done in collaboration with Samsung, saw an audience from a wide cross section of the telecoms giant’s customer base. It had a mixture of technology enthusiasts, prepaid and postpaid customers, small, medium and large corporate customers, as well as leaders of Jamaica’s business community.

According to Parkinson, this audience effectively reflects the appeal of the Samsung Galaxy S10 series.

“When it comes on to new technology, the desire for it is not limited to one demographic. Everybody wants to get their hands on brand new technology that caters to their digital life, and so we’re all about making sure we put these devices into the hands of our customers at affordable prices,” he said.

The Galaxy S10 launch event gave Digicel’s customers an up-close look at the new devices, how they work, and how beneficial they could be.

A number of Samsung representatives were also on hand, giving guests guided tours of the new smartphones and allowing them to touch, feel and experience their power.

Faun Fuller of Breakthrough Communications Limited told DigIT that her favourite feature of the Galaxy S10 was the camera.

“I’m a very big fan of camera quality and based on what I’ve seen here tonight, it definitely is something that’s very impressive. I can’t wait to get my hands on the actual phone so I can try it out for myself and take some fantastic shots for my clients,” she said.

Samsung has taken the Galaxy S10 camera to another level, providing three different lenses — the ultra wide, wide angle and a telephoto lens — that can be changed like that of professional digital cameras.

The S10 is the first five-camera device featuring an ultra wide lens with a 123-degree field of view similar to that of the human eye. This means that this camera can see and capture almost as much as you can see. It also comes with a sensor that creates a live focus effect that resembles professional photo-shoot effects, which are available for both the front and back cameras, so taking selfies should be more fun with the Galaxy S10.

While Javion Nelson, executive director of Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (JFLAG), enjoyed the sleek new look of the device in comparison to the previous series, he too was impressed with the camera.

He said: “The device looks very cool, it’s very sleek, seems very light as well and quite nice. My favourite thing really is the camera, I mean, in this day and age everyone wants to get a good camera, so you know, being able to take a picture like a professional, having so many lenses in one phone really is attractive, so I’m already thinking about getting one.

“As much as I’m an iPhone user, I really like Samsung as well, so the camera really stands out for me and of course the other features are really good, like the memory and stuff like that but really, I think the thing for me is the camera, the front and back facing cameras.”

For communications professional Klao Bell-Lewis, it was all about functionality. She said: “The sleek, easy to hold, easy to handle nature of the phone is attractive, but most importantly it’s about what it enables you to do, as a very busy person.

“It’s really sleek and handy, and it’s good that we’re able to keep abreast and have new options as the technology changes and as the style changes, because some people buy for that, but of course functionality is most important.”

Parkinson, in a brief interview with DigIT, said the Samsung S10 series comes at a time when Digicel is expanding its LTE network across Jamaica to maintain leadership as the largest such network in the country and by extension, the Caribbean.

He believes that this is significant for Digicel because “it means that not only are we providing the technology by way of the smartphones, and the latest now being the Samsung S10, but we’re also providing the backbone for those smartphones to run on.

“The S10s work best on the Digicel Network, so we’re very excited about this partnership with Samsung. We’re very excited about the possibilities it brings for our customers.”