It is always an exciting time when Samsung launches a new phone. Upon getting the invite to attend the launch of Samsung’s latest Note device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, I was excited to see what the device was all about. I first saw the device at the launch in Johannesburg but since then, I have spent a few weeks with the Galaxy Note 10 Plus and my excitement is still there. Let’s find out why:
Unboxing:
The most exciting part of a review is always the unboxing, so let’s get right into it:
When the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ arrives, you have to do an unboxing video. #GalaxyNote10Plus #GalaxyNote10 #SamsungGalaxy
Posted by Cape Town Guy on Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Design:
For starters, the Note 10 comes in two versions, the Note 10 and Note 10+. The Note 10 has a 6.3-inch display while the Note 10+ has a 6.8-inch display. I will be taking a look at the Note 10+.
The Note 10+ has evolved quite a bit since its older brother, the Note 9+. For starters, the Note 10+ has much sharper edges than the Note 9+ which had curved corners. Secondly, there is more screen space thanks to the bezels which are noticeably thinner. Then the front camera, which used to be housed in the top bezel of the display, is now positioned as a pinhole camera in the display. At the rear, the camera placement has changed. The Note 10+ has a vertical left positioned camera compared to the Note 9+ which had a central horizontal camera.
The Note 10+ has the power/Bixby button and volume rocker located on the left of the device with the right side completely empty. You will find that to power off the phone using the power/Bixby button, you need to set this first in the settings. Otherwise, you have to swipe down on the display and tap on the power symbol to turn off/restart the device. Lastly, you will not find a headphone jack. You will need to use USB Type C headphones or an adapter to convert AUX to Type C. Or simply use the Galaxy Buds like I do.
The Note 10+ has dual speakers, located at the top and bottom for crystal clear audio. The speakers have really good bass and a 3D sound experience, thanks to Dolby Atmos. Samsung has followed other manufacturers and removed the AUX port to save space, they say. This is the only change I am not happy with. While I do use Galaxy Buds, I still use headphones with an aux cable on occasion.
The Note 10+ is made of aluminium with durable Gorilla Glass 6 on the back and front. You have the choice of three colours (Aura Glow, Aura Black and Aura White) with Aura Glow being my favourite as the back changes colour as the light reflects on it. I received the Aura Black model to review.
Display:
The Note 10+ has a 6.8-inch infinity-o Dynamic AMOLED display which is the biggest display you can get on a Samsung phone at present, if you ignore the Galaxy Fold. The Dynamic AMOLED display is HDR10+ certified which means you see videos how they are meant to be seen. The display produces crisp and bright images which looks amazing even in bright conditions. Thanks to the thin bezels, the display really does take about most of the front of the device. The display lessens eye strain and sleeps disturbance by reducing harmful blue light at the pixel level, without compromising colour.
Processor/Ram:
The Note 10+ is powered by a 2.7 Ghz Octa-Core processor giving it super-fast speeds. The Note 10+ comes with 12GB of RAM making the Note 10+ perfect for working on the go, doing video editing, checking up on social and playing games! Seriously, there is nothing the Note 10+ can’t handle.
Camera:
Right, the camera, the most important feature of a phone to me. The Note 10+ comes with 4 cameras. That is 3 on the rear and 1 on the front. The rear camera consists of a 12MP Telephoto, 12MP Wide-Angle and a 16MP Ultra-Wide camera.
You get a 10MP Selfie Camera which captures your subjects with lots of focus and light. The live focus mode that you get for the rear camera is now available for use on the front camera as well. This is great for taking a selfie with a blurred background.
The cameras all take super sharp images, with the right saturation and colours. I love the ultra-wide lens for capturing more in the frame. The telephoto lens allows you to get super close to your subject. The standard lense (12MP Wide-angle) is perfect for everyday shooting. Thanks to the scene optimizer mode, the Note 10+ selects the best settings for each scene, producing amazing photos at a breeze. Thanks to the dual aperture of F2.4 and F1.5, you always get the right amount of light in the image, no matter how dark it may be. There is also a night mode for making low light photography a breeze. In most cases, I found the Night mode actually improves my images!
Using the telephoto lens, you can zoom in really far with little quality loss:
Here are some photos I took around Cape Town:
When it comes to shooting video, the Note 10+ has some really cool features and modes to make video on the Note 10+ epic. For starters, you can shoot in UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) @60fps, in Slow Motion @ 960fps in HD and in 240fps @FHD. Video quality is honestly really impressive. Just note that your clips may be large. I once had a 6-minute clip in 4K that was over 3GB! The Note 10+ now has Live focus video which allows you to record video with the subject in focus and apply effects to blur the background.
With live focus video on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, you can focus on the subject and blur the background! #GalaxyNote10Plus #GalaxyNote10 #SamsungGalaxy #WithGalaxy
Posted by Cape Town Guy on Friday, October 18, 2019
Something I have never seen before is the Zoom-in Mic feature which lets you zoom in on a subject and the mic will focus on the sound!
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ has a Zoom-in Mic feature which lets you record specific sounds as you zoom in!#GalaxyNote10Plus #GalaxyNote10 #SamsungGalaxy #WithGalaxy @SamsungMobileSA pic.twitter.com/hhhtGlEJ4e
— Cape Town Guy (@TheCapeTownGuy) December 6, 2019
You also have the option to shoot super steady video using the super steady mode. This allows you to record video that is smooth, even when you are running, as you will see in my test:
I love the Slow-Motion mode, which makes it super easy to capture fast objects and make them watchable:
The Note 10+ has a built-in editing suite, for editing on the go. You can combine videos, add transitions or titles, change the speed of clips and you can even draw in the video using the S Pen! For content creators, the Note 10+ makes editing on the go possible!
The Note 10+ uses its depth camera to capture images in 3D. By scanning an object, you can create a 3D model which you can turn into a GIF or insert it into your photos. I did make some models of people, which created some funny results. It does take some effort to capture an object/person correctly but I still think the mode is very cool!
With the AR Doodle mode in the camera app, you can add doodles in 3D in your videos. The doodles can track to your face and the space around you, allowing you to move around while the Doodle staying on your face!
Record videos with virtual handwriting and drawings using the AR Doodle mode on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+Look how fun it is 😁#GalaxyNote10Plus #GalaxyNote10 #SamsungGalaxy #ArDoodle
Posted by Cape Town Guy on Monday, September 16, 2019
The S Pen:
One of the main reasons people buy the Note range is because of the S Pen, and the Note 10+ comes with the most advanced S pen yet.
With the S Pen, you can take notes in your own handwriting and then simply convert your notes to text, and the Note 10+ does the converting really well, as you will see in this test I did:
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and the S Pen, taking notes has never been this easy! David agrees 😎 #GalaxyNote10Plus #GalaxyNote10 #SamsungGalaxy #WithGalaxy @SamsungMobileSA pic.twitter.com/GjMndfXJeZ
— Cape Town Guy (@TheCapeTownGuy) September 6, 2019
The S Pen also functions as a remote for the Note 10+. You can swipe left or right in the gallery to see your photos or use the S Pen as a clicker when doing a presentation. The S Pen also performs as a remote shutter for the camera. You can swipe to the left or right to change camera modes or double click to switch between the front and rear cameras. You can even zoom in and out when taking photos simply by waving the S Pen!
The S Pen can last for up to 10 hours out of the Note 10+ and charges to 100% in 6 minutes!
Other features worth noting:
The Note 10+ comes with 2 features which allow you to use the device in a new way. Firstly, you get the new and improved version of Samsung DeX which lets you view your phone as a window on your computer screen or TV. So basically you can have a window open on your computer which you can drag and drop files or open apps. To do this you simply connect the Note 10+ to your computer and install the DeX software. Your computer’s mouse and keyboard will work with the device as well. You can even use DeX to play games on a big screen and the Glap Play P1 Controller makes this even better!
Secondly, the Note 10+ has a new feature called Link to Windows. This allows you to sync your recent photos, messages and notifications from your Note to your Windows PC. Basically your phone is integrated into your pc, perfect for not being caught on your phone at work!
Storage:
You won’t have to worry about deleting any of your photos or videos thanks to the Note 10+ having 256 GB of internal storage. If that is not enough, the Note 10+ also supports a MicroSD card up to 1TB.
Software:
The Note 10+ comes loaded with Android 9 AKA Pie and makes use of One UI, which ensures that the OS is easy on the eye and simple to use. I personally love the look and feel of Samsung’s phones. The OS also performs really smoothly on the device.
Battery:
With such a large display, you are going to need a battery that can handle it all. The non-removable Li-Ion 4300 mAh battery does just that. I was able to get a day plus more of normal usage. For me, this involves taking photos, videos, sharing lots on social, responding to WhatsApps and emails as well as browsing social media. I often found I did not need to charge at night and could do a charge at work the next day.
The Note 10+ can charge from 0 to 50% using the Fast Charger, which comes in the box, in 30 minutes. A full charge will take about an hour. The Note 10+ is able to do this thanks to the charging adapter having a Type-C port, which allows charging speeds at 45 watts! Thanks to support of wireless charging 2.0, you can pick up a wireless charging pad and charge cable-free.
With Wireless PowerShare, you can charge your friends device (if they are Qi-compatible) or your Samsung accessories such as a smartwatch by simply placing the device on the back of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. You have to enable this mode each time, for safety reasons.
What’s in the box:
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ comes with everything you need to get going. You get a:
- USB Type-C charging adapter
- USB Type-C cable
- AKG Type-C earphones
- Sim ejector
- Spare S Pen tips
- Quick start guide, warranty card and Samsung Care+ info
- A see-through case
- and the Note 10+ of course!
Price:
The Note 10+ sells for R21,799.00 while the standard Note 10 sells for R19,999.00. While the Note 10+ comes in at a high price to spend on a phone, it is certainly well worth the money considering how much one can do on the phone. There isn’t any other phone on the market that comes with a smart Pen, so it is hard to do a comparison. The closest android device is the Galaxy S10+, which you can pick up for less since the Galaxy S11 is launching in 2020. My suggestion is if you are going to use the S Pen, then the Note 10 is certainly meant for you. If not, the Note 10+ is still a great phone!
Verdict:
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ has certainly made its mark this year. It comes with a large display which looks really good. It has a camera that produces sharp and rich images, no matter the situation. It comes with the most advanced S Pen I have seen. It has enough processing power to handle what you throw at it. It also has the perfect battery to keep you connected throughout the day. So for that, I highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+!
PS: Follow my Twitter review here!
