Samsung is expected to release a cheaper version of the Galaxy Note 10 soon - here's what it may look like, according to a new leak

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10

• Photos claiming to show the Galaxy Note 10 Lite have recently leaked on Twitter, providing more evidence that Samsung could be working on a cheaper version of its Note 10 smartphone.
• The photos, which were published by Twitter account TechTalkTV, suggest that the phone will have a rectangular camera sensor and a flat screen.
• If Samsung does release a less expensive Note 10, it would provide another indication that major smartphone makers are altering their product lines to make their high-end smartphones more accessible to consumers.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Samsung launched two versions of its Galaxy Note 10 last year, and now it looks like a third less-expensive version could be on the way.

Photos claiming to show the phone, which is expected to be called the Galaxy Note 10 Lite, recently leaked on Twitter via the account TechTalkTV. If the newly surfaced photos are legitimate, we can expect the Galaxy Note 10 Lite to have a rectangular-shaped camera module with three cameras and a screen that's flat instead of curved. Those appear to be the major design differences between the rumored "Lite" version of the phone and the current Note 10, which features a camera module with vertically stacked lenses and a curved display.

The new leak doesn't provide much information about the hardware aside from its design, indicating that it'll otherwise closely resemble the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus. Like those phones, the leaked Note 10 Lite appears to have a nearly borderless screen, Samsung's hole punch-like cutout for the selfie camera, and the S Pen stylus.

Samsung did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

It's not the first time leaks have surfaced indicating that Samsung is planning to release a cheaper version of its latest Note smartphone. Back in December, product renderings surfaced on the German tech blog WinFuture claiming to show the Note 10 Lite in black, red, and silver colors.

If Samsung does release a less expensive Note 10, it would provide another indication that major smartphone makers are altering their product lines to make their high-end smartphones more accessible to consumers. Doing so could potentially be an attempt to prevent global smartphone sales from declining again.

The worldwide smartphone market only just started to recover in the third quarter of 2019 after facing several quarters of declines, according to the International Data Corporation - a trend that occurred as smartphone prices have climbed higher in recent years. In 2019, Google launched a cheaper edition of 2018's Pixel 3 called the Pixel 3a, while Apple lowered the price of its most affordable new iPhone to $700, a $50 price decrease compared to 2018's iPhone XR.

Samsung, which already sells less expensive alternatives to its flagship smartphones through its Galaxy A and Galaxy J lines, is one of several major smartphone makers that are expected to release cheaper phones this year. Google is rumored to be working on the Pixel 4a, a less costly alternative to its $800 Pixel 4, while Apple is expected to launch a successor to the $400 iPhone SE it released in 2016.

Live images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite pic.twitter.com/GVU2uHblZF

- TechTalkTV (@Mr_TechTalkTV) December 31, 2019

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