Samsung has been wowing people with the Note series for a very long time. The Note 10 is exceptionally great. Let’s take a look at the beauty below.
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How do you feel about rectangular phones? The Note 10 is a ‘boxy’ device and doesn’t have the smoothest of edges. This is something we’ve seen in the Note series time and time again.
Costing an arm and a leg, it’s not surprising that the phone’s built well. You’re getting a Gorilla Glass 6 body and an aluminum frame. The durability of the Gorilla Glass is appreciated, but we aren’t too big on it being a fingerprint magnet.
If you’re not a fan of heavy phones, the Note 10 is right up your alley. It’s only 168 grams.
You can pick it up in a range of colours. You’ll notice that not only are they glossy, but they also have a rainbow effect too. This is especially true for the Aura Glow version.
Being a Note device, you’re purchasing a big phone. It’s 6.3 inches, to be precise. When compared to its predecessor, the Note 9, it’s a bit smaller.
Who doesn’t love a thin phone? The Note 10 is an impressive 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm device.
You’ll notice that its buttons are easy to reach. You’ll unfortunately also notice the absence of a headphone jack. You’ll be using its USB-C port and adapter to listen to music.
More premium devices don’t usually come with MicroSD cards. This is true for the Note 10 as well.
No surprise, its fingerprint sensor is on its display. The Samsung device has an ultra-sonic one that’s incredibly fast. You get face unlock too. It’s equally as fast.
How could we not talk about its s-pen? Samsung’s always made them well. The one on the Note 10 is ergonomic.
A Dynamic AMOLED display is by your side. Dynamic AMOLEDs provide deeper contrasts than regular AMOLEDs. Samsung only places the panel in its very best phones.
Although it’s pretty rectangular, you’ll notice that its screen barely comes with any bezels. Wait till you hear what its screen to body ratio is – it’s a jaw-dropping90.9%.
One of the reasons it has such a great screen to body ratio is due to the absence of a notch. There’s a punch-hole where it should be instead.
Its display is durable too. The same Gorilla Glass 6 on its back is on the front.
If you’re a fan of streaming HDR content, Note 10 is the phone for you. It’s an HDR10+ device.
Although its screen is pin-sharp, we’re kind of iffy about it. It’s only 1080 x 2280 pixels, while the cheaper S10 has a 1440 x 3040-pixel screen. What gives?
Seriously, its screen is bright. The phone rocks an amazing 1308 maximum nit display. Over 500 nits is the gold standard, which it easily outdoes.
Samsung is stingy with their batteries. The Note 10 only comes with a 3500 mAh unit. The phone lasts about a day, sometimes less. Some users have reported that its battery drains in a matter of hours– yikes.
25 W fast charging capabilities are present. The Note device takes around an hour and a half to go from 0-100%.
Its ability to reverse and wirelessly charge is nice too. The phone can handle 12 W wireless charging and 9 W reverse charging.
Ever heard of the Exynos 9825 before? It’s one of the fastest processors on the market, and we’re glad to say it’s on the phone. Some variants of the Note 10 come with the Snapdragon 855, just so you know.
Out of the box, Android 9 is on the device. No surprise, it’s getting the Android 10 update.
Its memory variants aren’t the most impressive. There’s just 1 option to choose from. It’s the 256 GB storage space and 8 GB RAM variants. Remember how we said it doesn’t come with a MicroSD slot? You’re stuck with 256 gigs.
We have to say, gaming on the phone is buttery, smooth, and delicious. Its godly CPU makes the most extensive games a breeze.
Samsung loves updating their stylus’ features. With the Note 10, you get a couple of cool new tricks up your sleeve. For starters, AR Doodle. You can draw on a live subject, which is neat. There are better air gestures too – you can change camera modes by just swiping the stylus in the air, pressing its button any distance away.
The Note’s stylus is super-sensitive. It’s an artist’s dream as it comes with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
A triple camera set-up is by your side. The device’s primary sensor is a 12 MP wide lens, its secondary sensor is a 12 MP telephoto lens and its tertiary sensor is a 16 MP ultrawide lens.
If you look at the more expensive Note 10 Plus, you’d see that both phones have the same camera. The only difference is that the Plus has a depth sensor. The Note 10’s camera takes impeccable shots, identical to its more expensive counterpart. The absence of the depth sensor isn’t that big of a deal. It’s only useful for bokeh pics.
Like what you see? Let’s compare the phone with a couple of alternatives below.
The S10 Plus is a pretty rectangular phone too. However, its edges are smoother than the Note 10’s.
The phone is sturdier than its counterpart. It weighs 178 grams. It's built well too, coming with a Gorilla Glass 5 body. There’s a variant with a ceramic back. It’s stunning but is kind of a brick in your hand. It weighs 198 grams.
What did you think about the Note 10’s Dynamic AMOLED display? We’re glad to say it’s on the S10 Plus too.
If you’re not a fan of notches, know that the phone doesn’t come with one. There’s a punch-hole on the upper left corner instead.
When compared to the Note 10, you’re getting a screen-to-body ratio that’s a bit smaller. However, its screen is sharper. A 1440 x 3040-pixel display is by your side.
Although there is Gorilla Glass 5 on its back, you’re getting the more durable Gorilla Glass 6 on its front.
Of course, the device is HDR10+ as well.
Chip-wise, the Exynos 9820 is on the phone. It gives the Note 10’s processor a run for its money but doesn’t perform as well.
The S10 Plus’ storage variants are way more impressive. You’re getting 128, 512 and 1 TB of space along with 8 or 12 GB of RAM. Even though you get so much space, the phone still comes with a MicroSD card. We feel spoilt.
We’re impressed by its battery. It’s 600 mAhs larger than the Note 10’s. It can last well over a day. Like its brother, it reverses and wirelessly charges.
Remember how the Note 10 came with a 25 W fast charger? The S10 Plus pales in comparison. You’re only getting a 15 W fast charger. Get comfy, the Samsung device will take an hour and a half to fully charge.
Camera-wise, a triple camera set up is by your side. The primary sensor is 12 MPs. The secondary sensor is a 12 MP telephoto lens and the tertiary sensor is a 16 MP ultrawide lens. What about its selfie camera? You’ll always be Instagram-ready with its dual camera set up. They’re 10 and 8 MPs.
Apple’s known to build their phones well. The XS is impeccably built. It feels great in your hands, and is 177 grams.
Yes, you’re getting an OLED screen, but the Note 10’s is better. Its Dynamic AMOLED isn’t ”dynamic” for no reason. The Note 10 comes with a superior screen to body ratio too. It annihilates the iPhone’s 82.9% ratio.
It’s capable of playing HDR content. The iPhone’s HDR10 but unfortunately not HDR10+.
If you take a look at the XS, you’ll notice a huge notch. We’re not too fond of it.
The phone’s smaller than the Samsung device. The Note 10 towers over the 5.8 inch XS.
In terms of its sharpness, the iPhone pales in comparison. How does an 1125 x 2436 pixel screen sound to you? If it’s any consolation, the XS’ display comes with an oleophobic layer.
Whether you’re eating murukku or archaru, you’ll never have to worry about its screen getting oily.
Apple devices aren’t known to be the brightest. Up against its Note counterpart, the Samsung device’s screen is a torch. The XS only has a 625 nit display.
Before we move onto processors, we have to say that the iPhone’s true-tone display is very handy. It adjusts the screen brightness perfectly, to all sorts of settings.
The A12 bionic chip is no joke. It’s a great processor but is beat by Samsung’s 9825 chip.
iPhones don’t have expandable storages. You can only get the XS in 64, 256, and 512 GB of space. RAM wise, just 4 gigs is by your side.
Of course, the latest IOS 12 in on the phone. It’s upgradable to IOS 13.5.
Like Samsung, Apple’s not a fan of larger batteries. The XS comes with a measly 2658 mAh unit. It struggles to last a day. Half a day is usually when it dies.
Wireless charging is present but not reverse charging.
Like the S10 Plus, there’s a 15 W fast charger. The iPhone will take an hour and a half to fully charge. Unfortunately for you, you’re not getting a fast charger in the box.
Camera-wise, there’s a dual-camera set up on the phone. iPhones are notorious for their soft shots. This is a stark contrast to how dynamic the Note 10’s pictures are. Its primary sensor is a 12 MP wide lens, and its secondary sensor is a 12 MP telephoto lens.
Its front camera is a dual set up as well. There’s a 7 MP shooter along with a superior SL 3D depth sensor.
Samsung’s flagships are out-standing. The Note 10 is no different. To this day, it’s one of their best phones on the market. When compared with alternatives, it does equally well. If you’re thinking of making the purchase, we say go for it.
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