Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+ announced: Two different screen sizes, improved S Pen and all-day battery

Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ on Wednesday during the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event in New York. The Galaxy Note 10 is a part of the company’s latest efforts of making the Galaxy Note series accessible to more users with two different screen sizes.

The South Korean powerhouse, which is also the world’s largest smartphone maker, hopes its latest top-of-the-line Android flagship will be accepted beyond the enterprise and business users, who have been the core audience of Galaxy Note family of devices since the beginning.

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ come with a new “asymmetric” design language that includes a punch hole positioned in the centre for a 10MP selfie camera. The phone boasts upgraded “Infinity-O” display for the Note 10 and Note 10+ that supports HDR10+ for better contrasts and colours. The Galaxy Note 10 has a smaller 6.3-inch FHD+ display, while the Note 10+ sports a larger 6.8-inch quad HD+ display.

The two high-end models use ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that promises more security. On the Galaxy Note 9, the fingerprint scanner was built on the back of the device. Having an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner allowed Samsung to cut down on display bezels, thus allowing for a higher screen to body aspect ratio.

Not surprisingly, the camera hardware on the Galaxy Note series is identical to the Galaxy S10 series. On the Note 10+, which offer five cameras in total, you will get a 16MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP telephoto lens and a 3D depth lens to handle things like augmented reality. The Galaxy Note 10 feature nearly the same set of camera, barring the 3D depth lens on the back. Samsung has also added a new number of new camera features including a new “Zoom-in-Mic”, which focuses on audio recording to where you’re recording in a video, as well as a built-in video editor for editing clips on the go.

Also read: Galaxy Note 10 is Samsung’s secret weapon to disrupt the premium smartphone market

The new Galaxy Note 10 lineup comes with an improved uni-body S Pen, which slides into a lower right corner. Besides allowing you to jot down notes and sign documents, the S Pen doubles as a remote control that can perform thinks like snapping selfies or use the button to transition through presentations. In addition, there’s something called Air Actions that allows you to use the S Pen for controlling the camera and playing music. Open the camera app, then press the button and hover your hand left or right to switch camera modes, or up and down to switch to the selfie camera. Samsung says you can customize these “air gestures” for first-party, and some third-party, apps.

Of course, the new Galaxy Note 10 lineup of devices pack the latest and greatest specifications. Both phones are running either Samsung’s 7nm Exynos 9825 or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor. The Galaxy Note 10 comes with either 8GB or 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. There’s only 12GB RAM option for the Galaxy Note 10+, along with either 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. The latter phone also gets a microSD card slot for expandable storage (up to 1TB) which the standard model lacks.

Samsung said the Note 10+ should last all-day with a 4300mAh battery, while the Note 10 will also give a full day of juice with a 3500mAh cell. The Note 10 will support charging at up to 25W, and the larger Note 10+ will support up to 45W of charging. However, phones will comes bundled with a 25W of fast charger.

Other features of both new devices is Wireless PowerShare, which is designed to charge other devices that support wireless charging when they’re placed on the backs of the Note 10 and Note 10+. The Galaxy S10 and S10+ also support reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy Note 10 lineup runs Samsung’s One UI, which is based on Android Pie. Both devices support the new WiFi 6 standard.

Both the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ also support lightning-fast 5G networks. Samsung already sells a 5G-ready variant of the Galaxy S10 in select markets. The move to launch the new Galaxy Note 10 5G models would give Samsung a lead over the competition in developed markets like the US and Korea. Apple isn’t ready to unveil a 5G iPhone before 2020.

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ will go on pre-order starting August 8, and will go on full retail sale on August 23 in the US. As far as pricing is concerned, the Galaxy Note 10 starts at $949 for the LTE variant and $1049 for the 5G model. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note 10+ starts at $1099 with LTE and $1299 with 5G connectivity.

Disclaimer: The author is in New York at the invite of Samsung India