The dedicated Bixby button is gone, on the Galaxy Note 10. This time around, it is part of the Power Button. Allowing customers to press and hold the power button to open up Bixby. That is going to annoy some users, since it changes a core feature of Android. But, Samsung does allow you to disable that Bixby button, right out of the box.
Luckily, users can go into the Settings app and go to the settings for the “Side Key” to change this. You can switch the press and hold functionality from waking Bixby, to opening the power menu. On top of that, you can set any app to open when you double tap the power button. Most will likely use that to open the camera, since that shortcut is available on most other smartphones.
This is actually a pretty big deal. In the past, Samsung has not allowed users to customize the Bixby button at launch. There has been an update that would come along about a month later, that would then allow you to disable that button, or use it to open another app. So there’s progress here with the Galaxy Note 10.
Allowing users to switch the press and hold functionality back to the power menu, is a good idea. That’s a core function that has been part of Android, basically since the beginning. And without that feature being there, users are going to have to retrain themselves on how to power off or restart their phone. While it can be done, it’s going to take a while to get used to it. Seeing as many have been powering off their phones that way for years – some, as long as a decade now.
The Galaxy Note 10 comes without a dedicated Bixby button, which made some jump to the conclusion that Bixby was gone. But that’s not the case. It simply combined the power and Bixby buttons into one button. The power button is also on the left side now, in what appears to be the first phone to ever really use it on the left. That alone is going to be a bit of a learning curve for those that do pick up the Galaxy Note 10.
Samsung launched Bixby in 2017. Since launching, Bixby has gotten some rather mixed reactions. Some really like it, while others think that it is not all that useful. Having that dedicated Bixby button on the side, was not something that many customers were excited about. Many were pressing that button by mistake, thinking that it was part of the volume rocker, when it obviously was not. Which resulted in some people pressing the Bixby button by mistake, many, many times.
The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are both available for pre-order right now. You can pick them up for $949 or $1099 respectively. These will be shipping around August 23, which is the official release date for both smartphones. Those interested in picking one up for launch day, you can find some pretty good deals from Sam’s Club and Samsung.com. With Sam’s Club offering up to $350 off of the Galaxy Note 10 series. This is thanks to credits and gift cards, so there’s no need to trade in a smartphone for this deal.