We’ve seen a lot of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series in the past few months thanks to rumours all over the internet. Everything we thought and wanted got confirmed at Wednesday’s Samsung Unpacked event in New York.
“From the very beginning, the Galaxy Note has stood for the best-of-the-best technologies and features. The Galaxy Note 10 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 endeavours at a moment’s notice,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “Every element of Galaxy Note 10 was designed to help users achieve more. Whether they’re finishing a big project for work, capturing and editing a video, or playing their favourite mobile game, the Galaxy Note 10 will help them do it faster and better.”
This year users don’t just get one Note 10. They get two devices. The smaller Note 10 and large Note 10+.
Design
For those wanting a compact form factor, the smaller Galaxy Note 10 comes with a 6.3-inch 2280 x 1080 FHD+ Cinematic Infinity Display. The larger Galaxy Note 10+ boasts the biggest Note display ever with a 6.8-inch 3040 x 1440 QHD+ Cinematic Infinity Display.
Both the smartphones share Dynamic AMOLED displays with HDR10+ certification and Samsung’s Infinity-O display design. Due to the edge-to-edge design, the display is nearly bezel-less for a seamless experience when it comes to viewing and creating.
S-Pen
Now the most important reason someone gets a Note is the S-Pen. The re-designed S-Pen comes with unibody construction, new technologies and enhanced capabilities. A new handwriting to text feature allows users to instantly convert their handwriting to digital text in Samsung Notes. This can then be exported to different formats including Microsoft Word.
Last year, Samsung brought about ‘air actions’ on the S-Pen. Building on those capabilities, developers can create customised controls. By doing so, users will be able to play games or use their favourite applications using gestures.
Samsung has already updated the ‘air actions’ on the new Note devices. For example, on the camera you can open the app, zoom in or out or even click the picture using the S-Pen or while watching a video you can play, pause, fast-forward or rewind using the S-Pen.
Dex
Samsung Dex also stays with the new Note 10s. The ability to connect your Note to a desktop, keyboard and mouse remains, enabling you to interact with your phone and its applications in a PC-styled atmosphere.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Note10 has a triple camera set-up with a 16MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide-angle and 12MP telephoto lens. On the Note10+, you get an additional VGA DepthVision sensor along with the other three cameras. In combination, both phones allow you to capture pro-grade video without any extra gear.
A new Live Focus Video adds depth-of-field adjustments allowing for background blur. In addition, the Zoom-In Mic feature amplifies the audio in frame and pushes background noise. The phones also come with a new Super steady video feature that is now available in Hyperlapse mode.
To fully utilise the camera’s capabilities, they integrate bleeding-edge AR and 3D capabilities. The Note10+ 3D scanner allows you to take a scan of an object and instantly turn it into a movable 3D rendering. For streamers and vloggers, the screen recorder is a great way to capture your screen. Footage can then be edited easily via Adobe Rush using the S-Pen.
On the front, both Note variants share a centred 10MP AF shooter. With this, you can capture selfies in any condition with its new night mode.
Power
Although different in size, both phones pack formidable specifications. The Exynos 9825 octa-core processor clocked at 2.8GHz powers the Note 10 and 10+ with 12GB RAM. On-board storage starts at 256GB on both devices but there is an option for a variant with 512GB of storage on the larger one. This is aside from support for micro-SD expansion.
With such hardware, gaming on the Galaxy Note10 is said to pose no issue. In fact, the phone sports the world’s slimmest vapour chamber cooling system for optimal performance. Its AI-based game booster also optimises performance and power consumption when gaming.
Owing to the difference in size, the Note10 sports a smaller 3,500mAh battery whereas the Note10+ a 4,300mAh cell. Both of these support Super Fast 45W wired charging delivering a day’s worth of power in just 30 minutes of charge, although this charger is not included in the box.
The phones also come with wireless charging and recharging capabilities using Wireless PowerShare enabling you to charge other Qi-enabled devices with the Galaxy Note10.
Pricing
Pre-orders for the Note devices are now live in all major retail outlets stores as well as online. The Note 10 is available with a 8GB/256GB specification for Dh3,499 and the Note 10+ is available with two size options, 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB, for Dh3,999 and Dh4,499 respectively.
Pre-ordering the device will save you more than Dh1,000 since you’ll get 2 years warranty and accidental damage protection, a pair of free Galaxy Buds and 50 per cent off Note 10 accessories. The devices will also be available on Samsung.com with 0 per cent instalment plans and will ship from August 23.
