Galaxy Note 10: Best Big Phone Even Now

In Shorts:

• The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is a powerful and portable phablet from Samsung.
• Despite losing the headphone jack and microSD card, the Note 10 offers a tremendous big-screen experience in a small package.
• Photo enthusiasts choosing between the Note 10 and Note 10+ will find similar camera hardware. We’ll analyze the triple camera array and compare it to other flagships.

Samsung made the Note 10 one of the smallest big-screen phones ever at 6.3 inches. Because of the practically bezel-free Infinity-O display, less room is wasted! The little front camera cutout is discreet. The Note 10 is pleasant to operate one-handed at 2.83 inches wide. The Note 10 weighs 5.93 ounces and measures 5.94 x 2.83 x 0.31 inches. The mirrored Glow colour makes the glass and metal build look sleek, but it attracts fingerprints.

Galaxy Note 10 Specifications

What Made Galaxy Note 10 Popular?

• Brilliant AMOLED Display

The 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen is outstanding. Images, movies, and games are razor-sharp at 2280 x 1080. The display is 674 nits, making it viewable in direct sunlight. Colours are accurate, covering 125.1% of the sRGB spectrum in Natural mode. The vivid option boosts saturation for pop fans.

• Excellent Work

The Note 10’s Snapdragon 855 processor and 8GB RAM make it fast at any task.—the lower 1080p resolution allowed benchmark gaming frame rates of 39fps. Interface navigation is smooth, and every app opens instantly.—The UFS 3.0 storage speeds up file transfers and app loading. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 provide excellent connectivity.

• Greater S Pen functionality

Longtime Note users love the S Pen, which Samsung keeps improving. New gestures let you wave the S Pen to control apps. Convert notes to text instantly for exporting. Converting handwriting to text boosts productivity. Air Commands simplify S Pen screenshots, camera modes, and more.

• Great Triple Camera System

The S10 series cameras are versatile and take great photos. The standard 12MP lens captures well-balanced, dynamic shots. The 123-degree ultra-wide camera captures more. A 12MP telephoto lens captures portraits with adjustable background blur. In dim scenes, the low-light performance brings out the detail. SNew software added the single-take mode for multiple shots to the S20 camera.

Galaxy Note 10 Camera Review

• 12MP f/1.5-2.4 wide-angle

This is your primary auto-mode shooter for general photography. The 12MP resolution and Dual Pixel AF sensor produce sharp, detailed photos in any light. For optimal sharpness, the standard aperture lens automatically switches between f/1.5 at night and f/2.4 during the day. In low light, the optically stabilized lens captures accurate colours. Excellent dynamic range balances shadows and highlights.

• Ultra-Wide: 16MP f/2.2

This 123-degree lens lets you get close to vast landscapes and tall buildings. The unique perspective options make it fun to shoot differently. Edge distortion is well-controlled. It has a lower resolution than the primary camera, but 16MP is fine for social media. It’s sharp in daylight but blurry indoors.

• Telephoto: 12MP f/2.1

The 2x optical zoom brings you closer to action and portraits. This lens allows customizable background blur for bokeh Live Focus shots. Sharp zoomed-in shots require adequate lighting due to the narrower aperture. WThe2x zoom is clear in good light, with minimal noise and artefacts. Without bright ambient light, low-light zoomed shots are grainy.

• Front: 10MP f/2.2

The front camera takes detailed selfies and portraits. A dedicated screen flash illuminates faces evenly in dark conditions. The wide-angle lens captures more people and background. The S Pen can remotely take rear camera photos. Overall, front-facing camera photos are good. The selfie mode has robust smoothing and skin tone adjustments. The only drawback

• Video Capture

Note 10’s stabilized 4K 60fps camera is of excellent quality with accurate colours and detail. Cinematic shots are possible with the ultra-wide lens. LNew software added a Focus video, Night Hyperlapse, Single Take mode, and pro-level controls.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Pen Review

• Design

The S Pen remains physically unchanged. It feels solid but not thick at 5.8 inches long and 0.7 inches wide; pressing the clicky top button is simple. Despite being plastic, the S Pen shines. The Samsung box includes replacement tips. It securely fits into the phone’s bottom when not in use.

• Latency

One of the S Pen’s best features is its 9ms latency. Ink flows instantly as the tip moves across the screen, creating a paper-like writing feel. Artists and note-takers gain precision. Samsung has perfected S Pen responsiveness over the years, while competitors still lag.

• Air Commands

The significant new S Pen software feature is Air Actions, which has the stylus in the air. It works well with practice. You can zoom, change camera modes, and more by holding the button. This is useful for selfies and hands-free slide presentations. Air Actions was novel at first, but tapping buttons was faster. The movements are uncoordinated.

• Handwriting Conversion

A nice new feature is fast converting notes to editable text. With one tap, you can now export stylus writing as a Word, PDF, picture, or more. Retyping meeting notes saves time. Good, but not perfect accuracy. Bullet points don’t translate. Samsung Notes might simplify and integrate the feature.

• Functions remotely

Classic features like utilizing the S Pen as a camera shutter button remain helpful. Taking group photos without sprinting is easy with the S Pen. Holding the button highlights and annotates screenshots effortlessly.—apps like the camera launch when double-tapped.

• Precision & Drawing

The S Pen is great for painting, note-taking, and editing due to its pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. Even complicated tapering stroke designs render well. Lag-free reaction feels like stylus-direct ink. The detail is superb, but the Note 10’s smaller canvas limits it more than the Note.

Note: While not groundbreaking, the Note 10’s three rear cameras and powerful new video features perform well. Like other flagships, photos have great dynamic range, colour accuracy, and clarity. The Note 10’s low-light performance makes it a versatile camera phone.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Design

• Front Design

The 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen dominates the front. Compared to the Note 9, the bottom bezels are much smaller. The Note 10 has a contemporary, all-display appearance with a screen-to-body ratio of ~91%. Samsung employs a tiny camera cutout in the top centre instead of a notch. The S10’s hole punch protrudes more than the front camera. Content dominates with small, consistent bezels.

• Back Design

The glossy, color-shifting, prismatic rear glass back is beautiful. Lighting changes our Aura Glow review unit from silvery white to pink to blue. The triple camera module protrudes slightly from the rear glass. Mirrored glass is gorgeous but fingerprint-prone. The in-screen fingerprint sensor replaces the back scanner.

• Buttons, Ports

The right-edge power button is simple to reach. S Pen slot, USB-C charging connector, and primary speaker are on the bottom. Samsung eliminated the 3.5mm headphone jack. High-quality USB-C earphones are provided.

• Durability

Even though the metal frame is strong, the Note 10’s front and rear glass can fracture if dropped. An IP68 certification protects against dust and 1.5-meter water immersion for 30 minutes. The pen and charging port are watertight. Drop protection is advised with a case.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Design Evaluation

• Galaxy Note 10 Review: Performance

With a Snapdragon 855 processor and UFS 3.0 storage, the Note 10 is fast and responsive. I’ll explain benchmarks and real-world performance.

• Processor, RAM

Most 2019 Android flagships use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, which powers the Note 10. The octa-core CPU has 2.84GHz cores for intense work and 1.78GHz for routine chores. The powerful Adreno 640 GPU handles graphics. 8GB RAM allows multitasking. The Note 10 delivers desktop-level performance in a pocket.

• Storage, UFS 3.0

New UFS 3.0 technology improves onboard storage. This universal flash storage transfers data 2x quicker than before. This speeds app loading, file transfers, and efficiency. Out of the box, 223GB of the 256GB is useable.—noexpansion microSD card slot. A 512GB Note 10+ is available.

• Everyday Speed & Interface

The Note 10’s everyday responsiveness is impressive. Though many apps are active, they launch promptly.—smooth scrolling and animations. Heavy games like PUBG load quickly and run at high graphics. The 120Hz touch sampling rate makes the interface quick and smooth. Speed is comparable to the OnePlus 7 Pro and other Snapdragon 855 phones.

• Benchmarks

The Note 10 benchmarks like other Snapdragon 855 flagships. PCMark Work 2.0 was 10,848, and 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme OpenGL ES 3.1 9,654—Geekbench 5fivescores 2417 for single core and 7,781 for multicore. In general, these results beat other 2019 Android flagships. Speed is well-optimized on the Note 10.

• Connectivity

Note 10 supports super-fast WiFi 6 and all carrier networks, including T-Mobile’s 600MHz band. It has excellent call quality, loudness, and noise cancellation. Bluetooth 5.0 transmits data quickly to peripherals. FM radio and NFC for mobile payments are on the phone. Our tests showed gigabit LTE and WiFi speeds.

Galaxy Note 10 Battery Review

Due to improved software and 1080p display, the Note 10’s 2,900 mAh battery lasts well.—Take a detailed look at charging speeds and battery life.

• Battery Size

Most 2019 flagships have 4,000 mAh or more excellent batteries than the Note 10’s 2,900 mAh.—the thinner, lighter design trades capacity for portability. Eamsung’s software manages power usage well. Despite the average battery capacity

• Longevity

We tested the Note 10 for 10 hours and 8 minutes surfing the web via WiFi at 150 nits. Battery drains quicker with gaming, streaming, cameras, and full brightness. The phone should last a day unless they’re using it aggressively. Durability is countered by fast charging.

• Charger Speeds

Samsung claims the Note 10 can be charged entirely in an hour with 25W rapid charging. We tested it and found 100% in 1 hour and 5 minutes. On the provided 25W charger, it charged from 0% to 55% in 30 minutes. Quick charging makes daily battery topping easy.

• Charge wirelessly

Qi wireless chargers can charge the Note 10. Up to 15W rapid wireless charging is supported. On a 15W pad, the phone cset30% in 30 minutes and 65% in an hour, comparable to plugged-in charging. With the glass back, a secure charging coil connection for fast wireless charging is possible.

Should I Buy Galaxy Note 10?

The Galaxy Note 10 packs all the Note features into a small, portable form. We think the Galaxy Note 10’s compact and portable body is worth the compromises. Despite missing features, the S Pen, high performance, great cameras, and stunning display make the Note line unique. If you want Samsung’s best smartphone, get the Note 10+. For an affordable big phone that works well one-handed, the Galaxy Note 10 is a winner.

FAQs

Q: Does the Note 10 have a headphone jack?

 No, the Note 10 does not have a headphone jack. You’ll need to use the USB-C port or wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Q: How is the S Pen different from older Note phones?

 The S Pen now supports air gestures to control apps and take pictures remotely. It also adds handwriting-to-text conversion and export features.

Q: What version of Android does it run?

 It launched with Android 9 Pie but can be upgraded to Android 10.

Q: Does it support wireless charging?

Yes, the Note 10 supports 15W fast wireless charging.

Q: How much internal storage does it have?

 It comes with 256GB of internal storage. There is no microSD card slot for expansion.

Q: Does it have dual SIM support?

 The Note 10 has a hybrid dual SIM slot, so you can use either two SIMs or one SIM and a microSD card.