Here’s Everything New and Cool About Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10

Samsung just announced the Galaxy Note 10, its newest beast-of-a-smartphone and for the first time it’s two smartphones: there’s the Note 10 and the Note 10+. This means that just like the company’s flagship Galaxy S line, you can decide if you want a big or a small smartphone. Oddly enough, the bigger of the two, the Note 10+, is actually similar in size to last year’s Note 9.

The two Note 10 smartphones have the typical spec bumps over last year’s Note 9. They have newer processors, brighter displays and better camera systems. Maybe the biggest difference, however, is the look and feel of the two Note 10s: they’re thinner, narrower and lighter – Samsung says the new design makes the new smartphones easier to wield one-handed.

The Note 10 admittedly borrows some of the best new features from its Galaxy S10, which was released this past March. But there are a bunch of new things that power users and Note lovers will like. Here are the cliff notes on what’s new and cool about the Note 10, as well as how it stacks up to Samsung’s past smartphones.

Henry Phillips

What the Note 10 Borrowed from the Galaxy S10

• Hole-Punch Display: The Note 10 has essentially the same edge-to-edge Cinematic Infinity Display as the S10. And compared to last year’s Note 9, the front-facing camera on the Note 10 is now central and in the display, giving you that “hole punch” look.

• Ultrasonic Fingerprint Reader: Like the S10, there’s no rear-fingerprint sensor on the Note 10. It’s also HDR10+ Certified. Instead, there’s an ultrasonic fingerprint reader built into the front display.

• A Triple-Camera System: The Note 10 has a similar rear-camera system as the S10, consisting of three lenses: 12MP wide-angle, 12MP telephoto and 16MP ultra-wide. The difference is the Note 10’s rear cameras are vertically configured.

• Wireless Power Share: Wireless power share was a feature that Samsung first brought to the S10, and it allows you to essentially turn your smartphone into a Qi-wireless charging pad so it can charge your other devices. Now, the Note 10 also has this feature.

What’s New with the Note 10?

• Thinner, Narrower, Lighter: As mentioned before, the Note 10’s is an easier device to use with one hand. It’s considerably thinner, narrower and lighter than the Note 9.

• No Headphone Jack: Some compromises had to be made in order to achieve the Note 10’s thinness. One of those was the headphone jack. The Note 9 had one. The S10 had one. The Note 10 does not.

• New S Pen Colors: No matter what color Note 9 you bought last year, it came with a yellow S Pen. Not with the Note 10. The stylus will now match the color of the smartphone’s body: Aura Glow, Aura White and Aura Black.

• Way More S Pen Functionality: The S Pen (aka the stylus) is a defining feature of Samsung’s Note line and last year, with the Note 9, Samsung gave it a pretty neat trick. Thanks to a button on the S Pen, you could use it as a remote for your phone’s cameras (to take better selfies). The S Pen on the Note 10 can do the same thing and more. With new “Air Actions,” you use the S Pen like a wand and do things like switch between front and rear camera, or zoom in on a subject from afar.

• Works with Macs: DeX is a feature that lets you connect your Samsung smartphone to an external monitor or PC, and share files between the two devices. It also allows you to use your smartphone as a computer. While previous Samsung smartphones have been able to do this, the Note 10 introduces something called “Samsung DeX for PC.” It enables the Note 10 to plug into any PC or Mac computer using just a standard USB cable, and drag and drop photos or other files between the two devices. Other Samsung smartphones required an HDMI cable and dongle to do this, and they weren’t compatible with Mac. The Note 10 makes things nice and simple.

Better Video: Samsung likes to target filmmakers and other video creators with its Galaxy Note line and so Samsung is making it easier to shoot better videos and also edit those videos on the Note 10. It now has Live Focus Video, which allows users to background blur to videos so their subject stands out more (the S10 had this). The Zoom-In Mic amplifies the sound from the in-frame subjects while blocking out background noise. And a new and improved Super Steady stabilizes video footage, and it works with hyperlapse videos, too. There’s an improved Video editor feature that lets Note 10 users edit videos right from their phones; the S Pen works as an editing tool, helping users “choose the precise moment they want to trim.”

• Fast Charging: The Note 10 can charge fast. Real fast. Each smartphone comes with 25-watt adapter but can accept up to 45-watts (you have to purchase a 25-watt adapter separately). This means that at max, a 30-minute charge can get you a full day’s worth of power.

Henry Phillips

Note 10 versus Note 10+: What’s the Difference?

The Size: The Note 10+ has a 6.8-inch display while the Note 10 has a 6.3-inch. For comparison, the Note 9 has a 6.4-inch display, making it slightly larger than the Note 10; however, the Note 10 has considerably smaller bezels.

DepthVision Camera: The Note 10+ technically has a fourth camera that enables some slightly better video shooting capabilities. The “DepthVision” camera enables the Note 10+ to, according to Samsung, “take a scan of an object, and instantly turn it into a movable 3D rendering.” This will enable to Note 10+ to better pull off things like AR and 3D capabilities.

Expandable Storage: Both Note 10 smartphones can be purchased with either 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. However, only the larger Note 10+ comes with a microSD card slot in case you need extra storage.

5G, If You Want: Like the S10+, Samsung is also launching a 5G-compatible model of the Galaxy Note 10. However, you can only purchase a 5G model of the larger model, the Note 10+. That said, it’s probably too early to buy a 5G smartphone anyway.

Henry Phillips

Pricing and Availability

What About colors? Both Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 smartphones will be available in several colors, including Aura Glow, Aura White and Aura Black in carrier and Unlocked models.

Let’s Talk Price: Pricing starts at $950 for Galaxy Note 10 and $1,100 for the Galaxy Note 10+.

When Can I Buy? The Galaxy Note10, Galaxy Note10+ and Galaxy Note10+ 5G all can be preorder starting on August 8, 2019. Between then and August 22, consumers can get a $150 Samsung credit with a Galaxy Note 10+ or Galaxy Note10+ 5G and a $100 Samsung credit with a Galaxy Note10. Preorder customers can create their own Galaxy kit by choosing from select mobile accessory bundles or smartwatches like the Wireless Charging Duo pad or Galaxy Watch Active.

Key specs

Display: 6.3-inch AMOLED Infinity-O Display (10); 6.3-inch AMOLED Infinity-O Display (10+)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Rear Camera: 16MP Ultra Wide; 12MP Wide-angle; 12MP Telephoto (10+ has an DepthVision Camera)
Front Camera: 10MP Front
Battery: 3,500mAh (10); 4,300mAh(10+)
RAM: 8GB with 256GB storage; 12GB with 512GB storage
Storage: up to 512GB (expandable microSD on 10+)

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