Samsung isn't spilling all the beans just yet, but there's not much left to the imagination. On launch, there should be three versions: a standard S10, a lower-cost (think iPhone XR) S10e and a range-topping S10 Plus. There are also reports of a special 5G variant, although it might not be ready at the same time. They're all poised to use the Snapdragon 855 (or its Exynos counterpart in some markets), hole-punch displays, in-screen fingerprint readers and WiFi 6. At least some models will have multiple rear cameras and reverse wireless charging, and there's even talk of a limited edition with a ceramic back, 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

There's a good reason for the campaign. Like other phone makers, its sales are hurting due to rough economic conditions and a heavily saturated market that isn't in a rush to upgrade. It needs the S10 to be a big hit, and reservations could help lock in some early sales.