Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

The Good -This story brings the Galaxy Note 10 Plus to a 6.8-inch screen and the best camera device outside of all-day battery life.

The Bad -The bad price is Note 10 Plus more expensive. There's Jack underneath, who will be disappointed by longtime Marines fans. The depth detection chamber is very limited.

The Bottom Line -Is to close the camera footprint along the margins and create a top-notch phone for those who want to offer the best of Android.

Samsung makes great phones that tick almost every box of what you want on a device - a bright, clear display. Great cameras Strong battery life. But years have passed since all the individual parts have come together in a way that makes me sit down and say, "Wow." The Galaxy Note 10 Plus does it in a way that has eluded Samsung phones since the tragic Galaxy Note 7.

This is not just a phone that has it all, it is a phone that I really want to use. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the total package and the best phone that Samsung has made in years.

The prismatic Aura Glow color I tested is completely amazing, the features are almost all the best and Samsung has even worked to bridge the gap between its camera tools and camera-focused rivals like the Huawei P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3. The Note 10 Plus also solves my two main complaints about Spring's Galaxy S10 Plus (which is still a great phone): the on-screen fingerprint reader is much more accurate this time, and the camera's dedicated night mode improves quality. of low light photography.

Even the biggest drawbacks of the Note 10 Plus are fairly easy to swallow. There is no headphone jack (Samsung was one of the last big holdouts). You may need to relearn how you use the power button to turn off your phone and take screenshots. The depth detection camera does not do much. And it's expensive: starting at $ 1,100 (£ 999, AU $ 1,699) with a 5G version that costs $ 1,300 (£ 1,099 or AU $ 1,999).

Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus look amazing

Please note that Note 10 Plus is not a conventional phone. It is still intended for advanced users who want a large device and will actually use the included S Pen stylus. It is overkill for people who want a smaller phone or aren't interested in the stylus.

Samsung also introduced a smaller version of the Note 10, which has a 6.3-inch screen and costs $ 150 less than the Plus, coming in at $ 949. Samsung is also withdrawing the specs (eg less RAM, no storage on the microSD card. ), but you can still do 90% of what the Plus model can do. I will start reviewing that soon. Scroll to the bottom for a full spec comparison.

If it's close, remember that the iPhone 11 (probably in September), Google Pixel 4, and Huawei Mate 30 Pro (probably in October) are just around the corner. But for the first time in a long time, I can tell advanced users: Why wait? The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is exceptional and worth buying.


What is in this review? Read on for the best and worst of the Note 10 Plus, then stick around for how good the new camera features are, lifespan without the headphone jack, gesture controls, battery life throughout the day and how it compares to other rival phones.

The best features of Note 10 Plus

• Sophisticated, square design with Gorilla Glass 6 on both sides.
• Prismatic Aura Glow and Aura Blue (the US only).
• The symmetrical placement of the front camera (these wallpapers put it to good use).
• Fast and accurate on-screen fingerprint reader.
• Agile performance with the Snapdragon 855 chipset.
• Great photos, with a pretty good independent night mode (below).
• Camera software, such as the built-in video editor and portrait mode video, is well executed.
• The S Pen stylus is comfortable and easy to use; Fewer accidental button presses.
• Gesture navigation with the S Pen makes sense.
• Fast wired and wireless charging (25 and 15 watts, respectively).
• The new screen recording app is a nice touch: it can also capture audio.
• Samsung DeX is easy to configure on Windows and Mac.
• Link to Windows works as advertised to reflect select Note 10 content on Windows 10 PCs.

Worst Note 10 Plus Features

• There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.
• The AR camera only works with an underdeveloped app (upcoming 3D scanner).
• The Power / Lock / Bixby button on the left makes turning off and taking screenshots tricky at first.
• Yes, you are going to want a case.
• It's a smear magnet - you will need to constantly clean your phone.

Photo quality, night mode, portrait video, video editing

Cameras:

• 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens
• 12-megapixel wide-angle lens (dual-aperture main camera)
• 12-megapixel telephoto lens
• Camera with depth sensor
• 10-megapixel front camera

The Note 10 Plus has the same main cameras as the Galaxy S10 Plus (adds that depth-sensing lens), but Samsung went to great lengths to improve the phone's software, and that makes it much easier to use. to take pictures

Daytime photography is great, but dedicated night mode is where Samsung really steps it up. This mode, found in the camera app, takes a few seconds to process a photo, actually drawing colors and details from a dark scene. I wish Samsung would add a countdown clock, so you know how long to keep the phone still, but photos taken in this mode can make a big difference.

Samsung's color rendering can be brightened in some night mode scenarios, where auto mode really produces a nicer, higher-contrast image, so don't plan on using it every time.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus also does cool things with the video. Live Focus video mode adds a depth effect to the video, and you can choose from four filters for your front and rear cameras. The jaws and limbs may blur, and some of my curly hair extends to the bottom, but the focus on the face is reasonably good.

Another new feature turns up the volume of the music source when you get closer. I tried this on four different musical acts and ... John Travolta doing the spin. Called zoom-in-audio, it works as advertised, but some scenarios are more effective than others. It is difficult to reposition the focus as you zoom, and the image quality is affected when you get too close.

Clap for the built-in video editor that lets you add music tracks, trim, and add text. It's great to be able to quickly produce a simple video on your device and share it right away.

AR Doodle is a feature that got a lot of press when it was first released because it is unique and highlights the power of the S Pen. Enter video mode and you can record a short video of yourself, another person or a scene in the world around you (it seems like a minute goes by). For example, I had fun hugging my punk side (watch the video if you're curious) and writing about the San Francisco skyline.

As fun and silly as AR Doodle is, he still needs work and doesn't have a clear sense of purpose. It is difficult to write a few pencil tips, the strokes disappeared over time, and there is no clear way to take a still photo of your finished artwork. Side note: AR Doodle does not use the depth detection camera.

No headphone jack and coded buttons

The Note 10 Plus closes the headphone jack, which is going to shake some feathers. It was also inevitable: all phone manufacturers are switching only to the USB-C port, so they require USB-C or wireless headphones. But for people who invested in really good headphones or other accessories, this will be a colossal pain.

There's no dongle in the box, something Samsung could easily have included as a gesture of goodwill. The pair of Samsung AKG USB-C headphones in the box works well. As with the 2012 built-in battery kerfuffle, we'll complain about the loss of the headphone jack, and then get over it and move on.

Another early headache is button placement. Lefties will love that the power/lock button is now on the left under the volume control, but if you are used to this button on the right it will change the way you unlock and power off the phone. It's also confusing at first pressing it twice to quickly launch the camera app. But I got used to it in a couple of days.

This button also houses Bixby Voice, which is started by pressing and holding. If you keep Bixby on, it means you take screenshots by quickly pressing the volume down and the power key. A long press allows you to access the shutdown screen. There are other ways to turn off the phone, too, and you can reprogram this side key to open any app or turn off the phone the old-fashioned way, just by pressing the lock button. I suggest a trip to the side key settings.

Battery life really lasts all-day

He was really impressed with the Note 10 Plus' battery life on its 4,300 mAh battery. It took me from 6 a.m. At 1 a.m., I had a bit of life left, and the phone constantly turned on from 0 to 100% in about 65 minutes. That's in the 25-watt charger that comes in the box.

You can also buy a 45-watt charger from Samsung for $ 50, which promises to give you approximately 70% charge from scratch in half an hour. Samsung notes that this charger is less effective for people who like to recharge their batteries in the high brand; You will see greater speed gains if you load from empty.

Note that these results were obtained on a new phone that was used for one week. Battery capacity generally degrades over time. The battery life of your phone may also vary depending on how you use it. I usually use access point phones twice a day during my trip, which is a resource drain, along with movie streaming and map navigation.

On a performance note, Note 10 Plus was as fast as any other phone running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, both in real-world tests and benchmarking results.

Attitude control is not just a gimmick

The S Pen needs a new task with remote control. You can press the stylus button and flick your wrist to do things remotely. The best-case scenario is when you have a phone in your tripod and use the S Pen to switch your camera and shooting mode. They are perfect for selfies and group shots. Press the button once to take a photo or start/stop the video. You can zoom in too, but you can't focus anymore.

On Spotify, I can control the volume, play / pause and skip or re-track songs using the S Pen. It works great if you use your phone to control music from multiple Bluetooth speakers at the party, and you don't want to cross the space every time you adjust the volume or song. The S Pen gesture control will work with native Samsung applications and select apps like Spotify - hopefully more developers will jump on board.

Note 10 Add to Competition

Note 9 or Galaxy S10 Plus: There's nothing wrong with the updates from either of these phones, but the little improvements and improvements I still have to wait a year, especially if you like 5G. The network will be more stable and it's a good bet that the Note 11 will be 5G by default. Also, the camera in Note 10 Plus is almost the same as the S10 Plus.

Galaxy Note 10: You can save $ 150 on your own and get a newer version (6.3-inch screen instead of 6.8). There is no AR camera (not a loss), and it has a smaller battery (3,500 mAh), less RAM (8GB versus 12GB) and no microSD card slot (it still has 256GB of storage). This can be a compact purchase. Stay updated for comparison reviews.

iPhone 11, Pixel 4, Huawei Mate 10: The phone is still a week away, but if you want to see the phone close to the top 10 Note 10, it'll be one of three. The iPhone has an edge, and Apple is constantly introducing exciting new camera features. (This is how we think the Note 10 and iPhone 11 will compare.)

Google and Huawei are particularly strong in photography frequently and for the first time, Pixel 4 will have several rear cameras. Huawei optical zoom is also the best in its class.