At a Glance
Our Verdict
While the Galaxy Note 10 models share many specs and design features it’s pretty clear who each one will appeal to. If you’ve been longing for a Note in a more manageable size, then the regular Note 10 is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. However, if you want the biggest screen possible along with some extra specs like more memory, storage, microSD card slot, extra sensors and a bigger battery then the Note 10+ is your best mate.
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Note 10
As the rumour mill predicted, there are two Samsung Galaxy Notes to choose from this year. Well there are actually three if you want 5G but we’ll explain that later. We spent some time with the phones ahead of Unpacked, so here we compare the Note 10 and Note 10+ to explain how the specs differ and which one you should buy.
Never has the Note range offered a choice like this, so those always finding the device too big will now have something more compact available. The Note 10+ is where all the best specs are found though.
Samsung has brought the phablet more in-line with the Galaxy S10 models .
Price
It’s probably no surprise to find out that both Note 10 phones are expensive. The regular Note 10 model will cost you £899/$949, and if you want to get the 10+ it jumps up to £999/$1,099. Throw in 5G and it jumps even higher to £1,099/$1,299 – with extra jumps if you want to up your storage.
Design & Build
Like so many smartphone line-ups, the Note 10 and Note 10+ are essentially the same phone when it comes to design. One, the plus model of course, is bigger than the other.
Some key things to point out, regardless of which one you choose, is that the Note 10 now has the power and volume buttons on the left of the phone. This makes it easier for left-handed users and right-handers can use their index finger.
There’s also no headphone jack so the only physical port is USB-C. Samsung this is due to slimming the phone down and will provide USB-C headphones. Both phones have the S Pen and offer an IP68 dust and waterproof rating.
Really what you’re choosing in the design area is how big you like a phone to be. The Note range has always been one of the biggest phones on the market but the regular model feels distinctly normal in size.
This is namely thanks to tiny bezels, and so even the Note 10+ with a 0.5in large display doesn’t feel crazy – it’s a very similar size to the Galaxy Note 9 .
You’ll be able to choose Aura Glow or Aura Black colours for either device, but the Aura Pink is limited to the regular Note 10 and Aura White is a Note 10+ exclusive colour.
Specs & Features
As we mentioned above, the Note 10s have different screen sizes. The regular is 6.3in and the Note 10+ is a fair amount larger at 6.8in. Those tiny bezels mean they feel much smaller than you might expect though.
Both uses a Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with HDR10+ support. However, the Note 10+ has a higher resolution so the pixel density is more impressive at 498ppi compared to 401ppi if this bothers you.
We’d argue that the size is much more important than a few pixels – both screens look stunning.
When it comes to the core internals, the Notes run on the same processor (Snapdragon or Exynos depending on market, with the UK getting the latter), but the regular model only has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The Note10+ has 12GB of Ram and the option for 512GB. It’s also the only one with a microSD card slot, which is an unusual move for Samsung.
Moving onto photography and the camera setup is almost identical with a triple rear array (regular, ultra-wide angle and telephoto) and a punch-hole camera at the front.
However, the Note 10+ has a couple of extra sensors which Samsung dubs ‘Depth Vision’ to help with Live Focus effects and the like. The regular Note 10 can do the same stuff, only with software.
Being a larger device, the plus model has more space for a battery so it’s 4300- compared to 3500mAh in the regular model. The Note 10+ also has faster charging at 15W wireless and up to 45W via cable (although that charger is sold separately). The regular Note 10 is limited to 12- and 25W respectively.
We mentioned at the beginning that there are actually three Note 10 models and that’s because although the Note 10+ supports 5G, it doesn’t come as standard. There is a 5G variant if you want to get on the latest network.
That covers the main differences between the two Note 10 phones. Here’s a specs table so you can see some more details:
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Specs
Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Specs
- Android 9 Pie with One UI
- 6.3in 2280×1080 Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display, 401ppi, HDR10+
- Qualcomm Snapdragon or Samsung Exynos processor
- 256GB storage
- 8GB RAM
- 12Mp camera, f/1.5-2.4 and OIS
- 16Mp ultra-wide 123 degrees, f/2.2
- 12Mp telephoto, f/2.1 and OIS
- 10Mp front facing camera, f/2.2
- 802.11ac/ax dual-band Wi-Fi 6
- 4G LTE Cat 20, 4×4 MIMO
- Bluetooth 5.0
- GPS
- NFC
- Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor (in-screen)
- S Pen with 6-axis sensor
- USB-C
- 3500mAh battery
- 25W charging
- 12W wireless charging with Wireless PowerShare
- IP68 waterproof
- 151 x 71.8 x 7.9mm
- 168g
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Note 10
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
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