Samsung had introduced its new flagship smartphones today, the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10. This is the first time since 2014 that the company opted to introduce two “Galaxy Note” phones at the same time.
These two smartphones are quite similar in many ways, they look extremely similar, their specifications are different, but only to a degree, while they also share most of software features as well.
Having said that, we’ll do our best to highlight five Galaxy Note 10 series features (and by that we mean anything about the two phones that is compelling) that would make you buy the Galaxy Note 10 or the Galaxy Note 10+.
These two phones are quite pricey, and represent the very best Samsung is capable to offer at the moment, so they have plenty to offer in pretty much every way.
The design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ look basically the same, the only difference from the design standpoint can be seen on their backs, as the Galaxy Note 10+ comes with an extra sensor back there. The Galaxy Note 10+ is also larger than the Galaxy Note 10, by the way.
These two phones do look quite sleek, their bezels are almost non-existent, even though that design is somewhat tainted by a display camera hole. If you are not bothered by that hole, though, there’s much to like when it comes to this design.
These two phones are extremely slippery, which is to be expected considering they’re made out of glass and metal, and if you don’t prefer curved displays, the two phones may not be for you. If you don’t mind them, or even prefer them, these two phones are quite sleek, and the best of all, you have two sizes to choose from. If you’re into smaller phones, the Galaxy Note 10 is here for you, if you prefer large ones, the Galaxy Note 10+ is huge.
New and improved S Pen stylus
Along with the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+, Samsung had introduced a brand new S Pen stylus. This new stylus is not much to look at, there’s only so much Samsung can do from a design perspective when it comes to styluses, but it does bring some new features to the table.
The S Pen comes with motion gestures this time around, and those motion gestures can be used to control the Galaxy Note 10 camera’s zoom functions, while they also allow you to swap between the phone’s front-facing and rear-facing cameras.
In order to make this possible, Samsung has included both an accelerometer and a gyrometer in the all-new S Pen. These are new additions to the S Pen, but on top of that, you get a ton of other functionality that Samsung introduced over the years, that really make the Galaxy Note 10 a productivity beast.
The S Pen is one of the main reasons some people buy Samsung’s Galaxy Note series devices, and that will probably be the case this time around as well, as it should be. The S Pen brings a ton of functionality to the Galaxy Note series smartphones.
Charging is faster than ever, on the Galaxy Note 10+
One of the main shortcomings of the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S10 series is charging speed. Both the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S10 series offer 15W wired and wireless charging, in addition to 9W reverse wireless charging.
The thing is, most other manufacturers have extremely fast wired charging to offer, and even faster wireless charging than Samsung. Well, you’ll be glad to know that Samsung listened, and finally decided to bring one of its flagships up to speed.
The Galaxy Note Note 10+ offers 45W wired charging, though a 45W charger is not included in the box, you’ll need to buy a charger separately, and that will set you back around $50 / €50, to get one directly from Samsung.
This wired charging speed upgrade essentially means that you will be able to charge up your Galaxy Note 10+ phone from 0 to 100 in less than an hour, which is a huge improvement over the Galaxy Note 9, as it took that phone over 1 hour and 40 minutes to fully charge, from 0 to 100-percent.
Both phones offer wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. Wireless charging has not been improved compared to the previous generation, we’re not sure about reverse wireless charging just yet. The Galaxy Note 10 supports 12W wireless charging, which is a downgrade from the Galaxy Note 9 and S10. The Galaxy Note 10+, on the other hand, retained the same 15W wireless charging.
Cameras look promising
Many would say that the Galaxy Note 10 series does not bring huge improvements in the camera department, as Samsung did not bring anything groundbreaking to the table here, but the company has improved the camera experience across the board. We’re still not sure it will be in the top three cameras in the market, but at first glance, the samples look quite promising.
The best thing is, this applies to both smartphones. True, the Galaxy Note 10+ does include a DepthVision Camera on the back, while the Galaxy Note 10 does not, but that’s not a huge difference. You will get better bokeh effect in some instances, but overall, the two phones will offer an almost identical camera experience.
No 3.5mm audio port, but audio is great nonetheless
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are completely identical in the audio department. You will be glad to hear that both devices are able to provide great audio experience, despite the fact a 3.5mm headphone jack is not a part of the picture anymore.
Unfortunately, the Galaxy Note 10 series represents the death of a 3.5mm audio jack on Samsung’s flagship smartphones, but both wired and wireless audio is on par. Plug in a decent pair of headphones in the phone’s Type-C port, and you’ll get great output. The phone supports Dolby Atmos audio, while its speakers are tuned by AKG.
Speaking of speakers, the Galaxy Note 10 series smartphones come with a set of stereo speakers, which was to be expected, and those speakers are really good. The Galaxy Note series was always able to deliver good audio, and the Galaxy Note 10 series is no different.
UPDATE: Wireless charging info has been corrected.