Our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 lineup

1/5

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 has long been one of my favorite phones, not only for its superpowered specs, but for its sleek and gorgeous design. But there was always one problem: It was too big for my tiny fingers. The 6.4-inch Note 9 was about the upper limit of what I could comfortably use, even with both hands.

Galaxy Note models have been steadily growing since the original launched, and Samsung hasn't bucked that trend; the 6.8-inch Note 10 Plus is slated to be one of the largest phones on the market, beating out the 6.6-inch OnePlus 7 Pro and 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max.

But the company also seems to have an eye on smaller-handed shoppers. For the first time, we've got an additional Note model: The 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 10. I loved holding this thing. I want it.

If you've ever seen a Galaxy Note before, you'll recognize the Note 10. Samsung hasn't drastically altered its flagship's design: You've got your edge-to-edge curved sides and a small camera notch that fans of the Galaxy S10 lineup will recognize.

If you own an older Samsung phone, you'll see two major design differences here. First: The headphone jack is gone. I know, I know, but most other flagship phones have dropped the jack as well, and the best headphones are wireless now. Also, dongles.

Second: The dedicated Bixby button is no more. And let's be honest: Nobody wanted that button anyway.

With those blemishes eliminated, you've got Samsung's smoothest, sleekest phone yet.

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Nothing's revolutionary, but everything's better

2/5

If you own an older Note model, none of the Note 10's features will blow your mind. Still, Samsung has made a number of incremental upgrades that will result in faster performance and a better experience.

While the Note 9's 2,960 x 1,440-pixel resolution was nothing to sneeze at, the Note 10 Plus's 3,040 x 1,440 screen is clearer and brighter. (The Note 10's 2280 x 1080 display isn't quite as sharp, but I didn't notice a difference). Both models have an AMOLED, HDR10+ certified panel, which, in layman's terms means they look very good.

The Note 10 Plus gets you extra battery life; the Note 9 sported a 4,000mAh battery, while the Note 10 packs in 3,500mAh battery, and the Note 10 Plus has a whopping 4,300mAh battery. For perspective, the Note 9 lasted around 11.5 hours. You can expect the Note 10 to last a bit less, and the Note 10 Plus to last a bit more. Both phones have much greater battery capacity than most other flagship phones on the market — the iPhone XS Max has just over 3,000 mAh, and lasts around 10.5 hours.

Performance-wise, the Note 10 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 chipset, which is an upgrade from the Note 9's 845. That's likely to enable faster browsing and app usage, as well as gaming — a feature Samsung was quite excited about at the Note 10's launch event.

If the Note 9's 128GB of storage wasn't enough for you, you'll also have better luck with the Note 10, which has 256GB. The Note 10 Plus, meanwhile, offers 512GB and also has a MicroSD card slot, so you can add additional storage. If you stick a 512GB MicroSD card in there, for example, you'll have a whopping terabyte of storage. That's more storage than I can ever imagine someone needing on a phone, but if there's one shopper the Note 10 Plus is for, it's the power user.

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The S Pen gets new tricks

3/5

Arguably, the most exciting new features of the Galaxy Note 10 come with the S Pen.

This year's S Pen looks and feels quite similar to last year's model: It's pressure-sensitive, Bluetooth-enabled, and sports a button that's very fun to click. But Samsung has added a gyroscope and accelerometer, which enable a slew of new gesture controls. You can use these in some native apps, including the camera, but Samsung is allowing third-party developers to incorporate them into their apps as well.

Using the Note 9's pen felt like using a remote: You pressed the button to make things happen. In contrast, the Note 10's pen feels more like a magic wand. For example, from about a foot away from the Note 10, I was able to swap between its front and rear cameras but flicking the S Pen upwards in the air. I made the camera zoom in by drawing an arc in front of me.

The feature worked pretty well and, more importantly, felt very cool. There's a bit of a learning curve — the phone didn't pick up my first few swipes — but after about a minute of practice, I had basically gotten the hang of it.

Another fun feature: AR doodle. When you focus the Note 10's camera on a subject, you can then use the S Pen to draw doodles on their face. The camera then pins those doodles to the subject's face, and they follow the subject as she moves. It's basically like drawing your own Snapchat filter.

I tried this out, and it was very cool to see. It's not particularly useful, but it demonstrates the sheer power of the AI that's in this phone.

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Should you buy it?

5/5

I only had a brief amount of time with the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus, so I haven't been able to fully test all the new features. But I can say that you will notice a difference. The screen, performance, storage, and battery in the Note 10 and the Plus are subtly but significantly better, and the new features are stunning to see.

Sure, you're sacrificing a few things as well. If you were a particular fan of the headphone jack or the Bixby button, you'll need to weigh those losses against the Note 10's new benefits. But whether you fancy the fully upgraded Note 10 Plus, or the smaller and cheaper Note 10, you're unlikely to be disappointed in your purchase.

Preorder the Galaxy Note lineup at Samsung, Best Buy, Microsoft, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Xfinity Mobile

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 phone lineup is officially up for preorder - you can save up to $600 when you trade in your old phone