Continuing with its tradition of ‘Unpacking’ the Note Series of phones in the US, Samsung has finally revealed the much-anticipated Galaxy Note10 and the Note10+ smartphones at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. While the South Korean giant wasn’t chatty about the latest flagship series, the handsets were revealed in scores of leaks over the past few months, so much so that there was hardly anything left for the company to reveal. Don’t get us wrong here, there were certain key areas where the world needed clarity and confirmation.
When compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy Note10 boasts several notable design changes, including the rear camera alignment, the punch hole display, thinner bezels and a more productive S-Pen. Samsung says that the new Note device delivers powerful performance and productivity tools to help users manoeuvre between work and life easily.
“From the very beginning, the Galaxy Note has stood for the best-of-the-best technologies and features. The Galaxy Note10 re-imagines this promise for the modern Note fan who uses their smartphone to take their productivity and creativity to the next level, and who effortlessly flows between ideas and endeavors at a moment’s notice. Every element of the Galaxy Note10 was designed to help users achieve more. Whether they’re finishing a big project for work, capturing and editing a video, or playing their favorite mobile game, the Galaxy Note10 will help them do it faster and better,” DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT and Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.
Design and display
Both the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10+ sport an Infinity-O display with the hole punched right in the centre, just blow the top bezel. As mentioned, the Galaxy Note10 range of smartphones sport thinner bezels than it predecessor, and feature the iconic curved display design introduced by the company with the Galaxy S7 Edge. On the back, there is a vertically-aligned camera stack on the top-left corner. This is a major design change for the company as, until now, it went for the centrally-placed horizontally-aligned camera setup on its premium phones. Further, the back panel exhibits a colourful pattern when light falls on it from different angles.
For the first time ever, the Galaxy Note10 phones are launched in two sizes. The vanilla Galaxy Note10 packs a 6.3-inch FHD+ (2280x1080p; 401ppi) Cinematic Infinity Display, and the Galaxy Note10+ features the biggest Note display ever that measures a whooping 6.8-inch Quad HD+ (3040×1440 ;498ppi) diagonally. Samsung says that the Galaxy Note10’s display is it’s best yet, and it is designed to “immerse users in TV shows, movies and games.” The company is calling it a Dynamic AMOLED display, and says that the HDR10+ certification and Dynamic Tone Mapping help it deliver photos and videos that are brighter than previous Note devices.
Performance
The Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10+ are offered in two chipset options. In the US, the phones will ship with the 64-bit Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset (Max. 2.8 GHz + 2.4 GHz + 1.7 GHz), and with 64-bit Octa-core Exynos 9825 (Max. 2.7 GHz + 2.4 GHz + 1.9 GHz) processor in other regions. Both the SoCs are manufactured through a 7nm fabrication process. This will be the first time that Samsung will incorporate different SoCs in the Galaxy S-Series and Galaxy Note Series of phones launched in the same year. The Galaxy S-Series ships with the Exynos 9820 chipset.
Samsung claims that the Galaxy Note10 devices feature the world’s slimmest vapour chamber cooling system to keep the device temperature in check. The AI-based Game Booster is said to optimise performance and power consumption, depending on the game and app. There is a PlayGalaxy Link P2P streaming service in the phones with which users can pick up where they left off on any PC game and continue playing with no need for local storage. The vanilla Note10 is offered with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage (LTE model only), and with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage (5G model only). The Plus variant features 12GB RAM and two storage models (256GB and 512GB) which can be expanded up to 1TB.
As mentioned, the phones are offered in LTE and 5G-ready options. “The Galaxy Note10+ 5G harnesses the full power of the next generation network for streaming high resolution video, downloading content hyper fast, and streaming graphics-heavy games in real time,” Samsung said. While the LTE variants ship with dual-SIM support, the 5G variant are offered with just one single slot. Further, the regular Note10 houses a 3,500mAh battery, and a 4,300mAh pack powers the Galaxy Note10+. Both the phones have up to 45W wired charging and Wireless PowerShare support. With Wireless PowerShare, Note users can wirelessly recharge their Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Buds, or another Qi-enabled device with the Galaxy Note10.
Camera
Both the variants sport almost similar camera configurations. When it comes to the Galaxy Note10, there is a triple camera setup with a 16MP sensor, coupled with f/2.2 ultra wide lens (123 degree), a 12MP sensor with 2PD autofocus and a lens with variable aperture (f/1.5-f/2.4) and OIS, and a third telephoto lens that goes with the 12MP sensor. On the front is a 10MP sensor with 2PD autofocus. On the plus variant, Samsung has added a fourth DepthVision VGA camera as well.
The Galaxy Note10 range of phones will ship with Live focus video that adds depth-of-field adjustments to focus on the subject. The Zoom-In Mic amplifies the audio in frame and pushes background noise to capture clear audio. Samsung has added a Hyperlapse mode for steady time-lapse videos. Videos can be edited on the phone with the ‘Video Editor’ using the S Pen. The company has also added a Screen Recorder feature to capture what’s displayed on screen. The Galaxy Note10 integrates AR and 3D capabilities into the camera. With AR Doodle, people can use the S Pen to personalise photos with drawings, effects, and animations. The 3D Scanner can take a scan of an object, and instantly turn it into a movable 3D rendering. There is a dedicated night mode as well.
Other features
The Galaxy Note10 brings a re-designed, uni-body S Pen that instantly converts users’ handwriting to digital text in Samsung Notes, and exports it to a variety of different formats, including Microsoft Word. Users can now customise notes by shrinking, enlarging, or changing the colour of the text. The company has added Air Actions that allow developers to create customised controls that give users the ability to play games or use applications that work with gestures.
The Galaxy Note10 integrates a Link to Windows directly into the Quick Panel. With one click, users can connect to their Windows 10 PC. There, they can access notifications, send and receive messages, and review recent photos without pausing to look down at their phone. The phones also have Samsung Pay for payments, the Samsung Health app, Samsung Knox for safeguarding data with defense-grade security solutions and Bixby, Samsung’s AI-powered virtual assistant.
The Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ will be available in Aura Glow, Aura White and Aura Black starting from August 23. The Galaxy Note10 is priced at $949 (approx Rs 67,200) The 5G variant of the Note10 will be available starting at $1049 (approx Rs 74,300). The Galaxy Note10+ 256GB storage variant will cost users $1099 (approx Rs 77,900) and the 5G variant can be purchased starting $1299 (approx Rs 92,100). India prices will be revealed later.
Digit is in New York for the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Note10 Series. You can watch our Galaxy Note9 vs Galaxy Note10 comparison video below: