The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus (SM-N975) is the latest evolution of the Samsung Galaxy Note line of premium smartphones designed for those who want or need a stylus.
We finally got our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and here is our in-depth review!
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus (SM-N975) Smartphone
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (SM-N975) is the latest evolution of the Samsung Galaxy Note line of premium smartphones designed for those who want or need a stylus.
Powered by the latest Samsung and Qualcomm mobile platforms, it comes with a very large 6.8-inch Infinity-O display, 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.
The iconic S Pen now supports Air Gestures, and Samsung introduced both Video Bokeh and Audio Zoom capabilities. However, it drops the 3.5 mm audio port and iris scanner. Samsung giveth, and Samsung taketh away.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Colour Options
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) is available only in these FOUR colours, with Aura Blue as an exclusive option.
Again, only two or three will be offered in most countries. Here in Malaysia, Samsung is only offering the Galaxy Note 10+ in Aura Glow, Aura Black and Aura White, at least initially…
We got our hands on all three colours, so we can compare them in real-life :
Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | Note 10+ Colour Comparisons!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Price Comparison
Here are its official launch prices in four countries :
| Model | US | UK | Australia | Malaysia |
| Galaxy Note 10+ (256 GB) | $1099.99 | £999 | A$1,699 | RM 4,199 |
| Galaxy Note 10+ (512 GB) | $1199.99 | – | – | RM 4,799 |
| Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (256 GB) | $1299.99 | £1099 | – | – |
| Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (512 GB) | $1399.99 | £1199 | A$1,999 | – |
And here are the online purchase options in various countries :
- United States : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- United Kingdom : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- Australia : Aura Glow | Aura Black
- Malaysia : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- Singapore : Aura Glow | Aura Pink | Aura Black
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Specifications Compared
We compare the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) against last year’s Galaxy Note9, but do note that it is a larger version of the standard Note 10 model.
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ | Samsung Galaxy Note 9 |
| Display | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display – 1440 x 3440 pixels (498 ppi) – HDR10+ support |
6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display – 1440 x 2960 pixels (516 ppi) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| IP Rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| System Platform | Samsung Exynos 8925 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
Samsung Exynos 8910 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
| RAM | 12 GB LPDDR4x | 6 GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB eUFS 3.0 storage microSD hybrid slot (up to 1 TB) |
256 GB / 512 GB UFS 2.1 storage microSD hybrid slot (up to 1 TB) |
| Front Camera | 10 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/2.2) | 8 MP camera (f/1.7) |
| Rear Cameras | 12 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/1.5 + f/2.4, OIS) 12 MP telephoto camera (f/2.1, OIS) 16 MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2) 3D VGA ToF sensor |
12 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/1.5 + f/2.4, OIS) 12 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS) |
| Dual SIM Capability | Dual SIM, dual active capable – SIM 2 + microSD shared slot |
Dual SIM, dual active capable – SIM 2 + microSD shared slot |
| Connectivity | 4G : LTE Cat 20 Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth : BT 5.0 USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C |
4G : LTE Cat 18 Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth : BT 5.0 USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C |
| Iris Scanner | No | Yes |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, In Display | Yes, In Display |
| Other Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor | |
| Bixby | Yes | Yes |
| S Pen | Yes, Bluetooth LE | Yes, Bluetooth LE |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh 45 W wired charging 15 W wireless charging |
4,000 mAh 18 W wired charging 10 W wireless charging |
| Dimensions | 77.2 mm wide 162.3 mm tall 7.9 mm thick |
76.4 mm wide 161.9 mm tall 8.8 mm thick |
| Weight | 196 g | 201 g |
Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) comes in a premium black cardboard box. Let’s take a quick look at the box, before we take a look inside!
Once you fully unbox it, you will find the following items :
[adrotate group=”2″]- One Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus smartphone with S Pen
- One Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Quick Start Guide
- One Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus bumper case (not shown here)
- One 25 watt Samsung fast adaptive charger
- One USB Type C power and data cable
- One USB Type A to USB Type C adaptor
- One micro-USB to USB Type C adaptor
- One pair of AKG-tuned USB-C earphones
- One SIM tray extractor pin
- One S Pen nib extractor with two spare nibs
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Hands On + Performance!
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Hands On!
We were amongst the few to get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) here in Malaysia.
And we managed to get three of them in the Aura Glow, Aura Black and Aura White colours!
Let’s start with our hands-on videos of the three Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ models :
Samsung removed the Bixby button, and replaced it with the Power button. So you will find the Volume buttons and Power button now located on the left side.
You may recall that in the Galaxy Note9, the Power button was on the right side. Now, the right side is completely devoid of any buttons, which can be confusing initially for those upgrading from the Note9.
At the top, you will find the SIM tray, a microphone port and a speaker port.
The slightly larger hole is not an IR emitter, or the third microphone, as some sites have claimed. It is actually an extra speaker port for the top speaker.
At the bottom, you will find the S Pen port, a speaker port, a second microphone port and the USB Type C port.
Faster Exynos / Snapdragon Platforms!
Globally, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) will run on the new Samsung Exynos 9825 mobile SoC..
It is a refreshed version of the Exynos 9820 that powers the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones, fabricated on the smaller 7 nm process.
Here is a comparison of the Exynos 9825’s performance against other devices.
| Geekbench | Samsung Galaxy Note10 |
Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
Apple iPhone XS |
HUAWEI P30 Pro |
| Single Core | 4495 | 3443 | 4821 | 3317 |
| Multi-Core | 10223 | 8778 | 11610 | 9819 |
In the United States, it will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 instead.
This puts it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones, or the Xiaomi Mi 9.
Here is a comparison table we created of the two mobile platforms :
| Features | Samsung Exynos 9825 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
| Process | 7 nm | 7 nm |
| Design | Tri-Cluster (2+2+4) | Tri-Cluster (1+3+4) |
| Processor | 2 x Mongoose 4 cores (2.7 GHz) 2 x Cortex-A75 cores (2.4 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A55 cores (1.9 GHz) |
1 x Kryo 485 Gold core (2.84 GHz) 3 x Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz) 4 x Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz) |
| GPU | ARM Mali-G76 MP12 | Qualcomm Adreno 640 |
| Memory | LPDDR4x-3600 | LPDDR4x-4266 |
| 5G Modem | Separate Exynos 5100 | Integrated Snapdragon X50 |
| LTE Modem | DL : Cat.20 8CA (2 Gbps) UL : Cat.20 3CA (316 Mbps) |
DL : Cat.20 7CA (2 Gbps) UL : Cat.13 3CA (316 Mbps) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Whichever mobile platform your Note 10+ comes with, Samsung promises that it will have a 33% faster CPU and a 42% faster GPU than last year’s Galaxy Note 9.
More Memory + Faster Storage In Galaxy Note 10 Plus!
Along with a faster mobile platform, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) comes with 12 GB of LPDDR4x memory, of which a full 8 GB (67%) is available for use!
This is a crazy amount of memory, most of which will not be used. After all, even high-end mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 use less than 1.2 GB of RAM!
You can literally run 6 different copies of PUBG Mobile simultaneously and have 800 MB of free memory left! In other words, you will never have to worry about running out of memory.
Right out of the box, you will have 224.4 GB of available storage space. This should be more than enough to store 50,000 photos, or 27 hours of 1080p videos, or 10.5 hours of 4K videos.
256 GB of internal storage is definitely more than enough for the vast majority of users. If you need more space, you can add a microSD card for up to 1 TB of additional storage.
Unlike the smaller Galaxy Note 10, the Note 10+ comes with a hybrid SIM tray, where the second SIM slot can support a microSD card of up to 1 TB in capacity. If you don’t need the extra storage, you can use two nano SIM cards at the same time.
While some phones come with a dedicated microSD card tray, a hybrid SIM tray is generally good enough for most people. But if you need to use two SIM cards, you better opt for higher internal storage, because there is no way to add a microSD card.
Now, the internal storage should be more than enough for most users. But we personally prefer to use a microSD card to store our media for data safety reasons. In case anything happens to the phone, we can still retrieve the media stored on the microSD card.
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus : Other Key Features!
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Infinity-O Display
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) comes with a 6.8-inch Infinity-O display, with a WQHD+ resolution and a punch hole for the front camera.
This would make it quite a bit larger than the 6.4-inch display of the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy Note9, with a slightly higher display resolution but a slightly lower pixel density.
Its smaller brother, the Galaxy Note 10 has a smaller 6.3-inch display with Full HD+ display resolution.
The Infinity-O design, which was first introduced in the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones, allows Samsung to deliver a screen-to-body ratio in excess of 95%.
Instead of Galaxy Note9‘s thicker bezel, the Galaxy Note 10+ uses a round, central hole to accommodate its front camera. Functionally, it works like a waterdrop display, with the area adjacent to the punch hole reserved for notifications.
Including the notification area, the display has a WQHD+ resolution of 1440 x 3440. However, the Galaxy Note 10+ defaults to a Full HD+ resolution to reduce power consumption and extend battery life.
Dynamic AMOLED Panel
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) uses the latest HDR10+ certified Dynamic AMOLED panel that was first introduced in the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones.
This is literally the best smartphone display in the industry right now, capable of producing 100% of the DCI-P3 colour range, with a maximum brightness of 1200 nits.
This Dynamic AMOLED panel was also engineered to reduce blue light by 42% without changing how colours appear. This would make for more comfortable viewing with less eyestrain, especially at night.
Gorilla Glass 6 Protection, Front + Back
Samsung started introducing Gorilla Glass 6 in the Galaxy S10 Plus (US | UK | MY), but even then, it was only in the front.
That changes with the Galaxy Note 10 Plus – both its front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass 6.
In case you are wondering, Gorilla Glass 6 is about twice as tough as Gorilla Glass 5. It will withstand over 15 drops from a height of 1 meter on a rough surface.
Ultrasonic In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) borrows yet another Galaxy S10 Plus feature – the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
In-display fingerprint sensors have already been introduced in smartphones like the OPPO R17 Pro, but these use optical sensors that basically take pictures for a 2D profile.
This in-display fingerprint sensor uses ultrasonic pulses to take 3D profiles of the user’s fingerprints. This allows it to be more accurate and secure.
In our tests, it proved to be surprisingly good. You just need to learn to press a little harder for the sensor to detect your fingerprint.
The bad news is – Samsung dropped the pressure sensor and haptic feedback for the virtual Home button. So you will need to tap twice on the Home button to activate it.
Iris Scanner + Intelligent Scan Removed
With the introduction of the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Samsung removed the iris scanner. It was also removed to minimise the size of the punch hole in the display.
And with the iris scanner gone, there was no need for Intelligent Scan, which was first introduced in the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.
Intelligent Scan, as you may recall, combines the iris scanner with facial recognition for faster identification in both bright and dark conditions.
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Improved S Pen With Air Gestures
The groundbreaking S Pen has been upgraded again, with the new version supporting Air Gestures.
It retains the single button, but comes with a built-in battery for about 10 hours of battery life, instead of a capacitor that powered the Note9 S Pen.
Now, Air Gestures is an interesting concept. However, after using it for 2 weeks, we have to be honest – it’s more gimmicky than useful.
For one thing – app support for Air Gestures is limited to a few built-in Samsung apps, like Camera, Gallery and Samsung Internet.
Secondly, control is pretty limited in certain instances – for example, it zooms in and out the camera in 0.1X increments. It’s much faster and more accurate to just pinch to zoom on the display!
Finally, it requires a fair bit of practice to get right. Otherwise, you will end up taking a photo, or flip the camera into selfie mode, when you want to just zoom in or out.
Overall, Air Gestures seem to be a solution looking for a problem. In our opinion, ignore it and use the S Pen for what it’s really meant to be – a stylus for writing and drawing!
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note10 Plus Cameras | Video Bokeh | Audio Zoom!
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Single Front Camera
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has a single 10 MP Dual Pixel camera in the front, like the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones
However, they reduced the aperture from f/1.9 to f/2.2, which would slightly reduce the amount of light and its low-light performance.
And as many critics have noted, a 10 MP front camera is puny in the Megapixel Wars, especially compared to the 48 MP front shooters in Samsung’s own Galaxy A70, or HUAWEI nova 4e and the HONOR 20 Lite.
However, this 10 MP front camera is arguably a superior shooter for two reasons :
- it uses a Samsung S5K3J1 Dual Pixel sensor, which allows for faster and more accurate autofocus
- that image sensor also has much larger 1.22 µm pixels, for lower noise levels and better low-light performance
Still, we wished Samsung stuck with the f/1.9 aperture from the S10 series, or even reused the f/1.7 aperture from the Galaxy Note9.
Triple Rear Cameras
In the back, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has a quad camera system, that is made up of :
- 12 MP Dual Aperture Camera (f/1.5 and f/2.4) : 77°, Dual Pixel, OIS
- 16 MP Ultra-Wide Angle Camera (f/2.2) : 123°, 0.5X optical zoom
- 12 MP Telephoto Camera (f/2.4) : 45°, 2X optical zoom, OIS
- 3D DepthVision Camera : ToF emitter and sensor with VGA (320 x 240 pixels) resolution
The 3D DepthVision camera is actually a pair of ToF (Time of Flight) emitter and sensor that provide 3D data to the main camera for features like Video Bokeh and 3D scanning. It doesn’t take any photos.
Look at how useful the three cameras are in aiding your creative composition :
Note that only the main dual-aperture camera, and the telephoto camera (both with 12 MP sensors) support optical image stabilisation (OIS). The 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera does NOT support optical image stabilisation.
This is important when you take videos, because you will lose optical image stabilisation if you switch to the ultra-wide camera. Your video will still be stabilised by electronic image stabilisation though.
The Galaxy Note 10 Plus Camera vs The Competition
The 12 MP Samsung SAK2L4 image sensor used in the main and telephoto cameras is the fourth iteration of the S5K2L1 sensor from the Galaxy S7. It is still a great image sensor, but it is getting a little long in the tooth.
HUAWEI specifically pointed out how their recently-launched Mate 30 Pro uses far better image sensors. Not only do they have much higher resolutions, they are also much larger in size.
We should also point out that the 2X telephoto camera is also getting rather dated. The HUAWEI P30 Pro boasts a 5X optical zoom, and the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro comes with 3X optical zoom.
Now, megapixels are not important. Even 48 MP shooters used in the Xiaomi Mi 9 and the Samsung Galaxy A80 default to 12 MP, combining four pixels into one to reduce noise and improve low-light performance.
However, Samsung definitely needs to increase the sensor size and the zoom range in their next flagship smartphone, or they will get left behind in the photographic department…
Video Bokeh
This is a really exciting feature for those who record videos. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) with its DepthVision camera can blur out the background of your videos using the Video Bokeh feature.
This will give your videos a real cinematic flair with adjustable depth-of-field effects. You can also add special effects in real-time!
Later in this review, we will share with you a video sample to show you just how easy or difficult it is to get the Video Bokeh effect, and how the effect looks like in real life.
Audio Zoom Capability!
This is an incredibly important new feature, at least for those who do a lot of video recording without using external microphones.
In addition to the usual two microphones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) comes with a third microphone, which is hidden in the edge of the rear camera bump.
When you turn on Audio Zoom, the Galaxy Note 10+ will use the other two microphones to cancel out noise recorded by this third microphone.
The effect is adjusted on the fly, so it will change the range of sound captured as you “zoom” into the action, letting you “focus” on the subject that you are recording, and reducing ambient noise.
This is probably its most important video recording improvement over the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones. But we will share with you later in this review, how well Audio Zoom works in real life.
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus : Audio Jack | DeX | Battery | IP68 | Ergonomics
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Time To Hit The Road, Jack…
Even as Xiaomi resurrected the 3.5 mm audio port in the new Mi A3 smartphone, Samsung removed the 3.5 mm headphone jack in the Galaxy Note 10 series.
Unfortunately, they did not include the dongle for free. Instead, you are going to have to cough up $14.99 / £10 / ~A$ 21.99 / ~RM 62.99 for the dongle.
And if you are thinking of buying a third-party USB-C dongle, make sure you get one with a DAC. Otherwise, they won’t work. Here are some options to consider :
- USB-C Adaptors with DAC : United States | United Kingdom | Australia | Malaysia
There is some good news though – the box includes a pair of AKG-tuned USB Type C active earphones. At the very least, you can listen to music right out of the box!
But again, if you intend to use another pair of USB-C earphones, you MUST make sure it has a built-in DAC, like these options :
- USB-C Earphones with DAC : United States | United Kingdom | Australia | Malaysia
Recommended : Warning : Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Does Not Have A DAC!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Has Built-In DeX!
While not mentioned at all by Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has built-in DeX capability, that was first introduced in the Galaxy Note9.
This mean it does not require a separate DeX Station or DeX Pad accessory. All it requires is a simple USB-C to HDMI adaptor or cable!
It does not even require a Samsung-branded adaptor (looking at you and your MFi bullshit, Apple!) – ANY USB-C to HDMI adaptor or cable will do.
Best of all – you can continue to use your Galaxy Note 10+ while Samsung DeX is running!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) comes with a 4,300 mAh battery – 300 mAh or 7.5% larger than its predecessor, the Galaxy Note9.
What’s new though is its improved 45 watt Fast Charging capability, which brings it close to OPPO’s 50 watt SuperVOOC charging technology after years of sticking with a 15 watt fast adaptive charger.
The downside – you will need to purchase a separate 45W Samsung EP-TA845 fast charger (US | UK). Samsung only bundles a 25 W fast charger with the Note 10+.
Samsung also improved its wireless charging capability, boosting it by 50% from 10 watts to 15 watts.
Wireless PowerShare is also supported, which allows the Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) to can function as a wireless charger for any Qi-certified device!
However, its recharging speed is still rather slow, so it’s really only useful to recharge the Galaxy Buds or the Galaxy Watch on a regular basis; and other smartphones in an emergency.
IP68 Dust & Water Resistance
It was rumoured that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) would boast improved IP69 water-resistance.
That would have been able to withstand high-pressure water (80-100 bar) for at least 3 minutes at a distance of 10 to 15 cm.
In the end, Samsung stuck with IP68, which is good enough to withstand complete immersion in water up to 1.5 m in depth, for up to 30 minutes.
This means you can take it for jogs in the rain, or reading in the bathtub. However, because it’s not designed to withstand water pressure, we do not recommend you take it into the shower or while you swim.
In fact, it is specifically in their IP68 guidelines that it should NOT be exposed to “water moving with force“.
Swimming or placing them under running water from a tap or a waterfall could result in water leaking into the chassis, and leaving you with a very expensive brick.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Ergonomics
Even though the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has a larger display and battery than the Galaxy Note9, it is actually about the same size and amazingly – thinner and lighter.
However, it is still a large phablet that requires two hands to use effectively. However, it comes with a One-handed assistance mode, if you prefer to use only one hand.
The Dynamic AMOLED display is just fabulous. Not only is it incredibly bright at up to 1200 nits, the display is HDR10+ certified with Dynamic Tone Mapping and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
To see how much better it is, you need to compare it side-by-side with the already impressive Super AMOLED display used in the Galaxy S9 Plus and the Galaxy Note9. In particular, compare them in bright sunlight.
The display has been stretched taller though, giving you a 21.5:9 aspect ratio. While the extra-wide view is great for games, it will result in significant pillar boxing – a black bar on each side of a video.
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Setting Up The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5-7 minutes to finish the setup process.
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Camera Performance
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Camera Performance
Samsung continued to use the excellent 12 MP dual-aperture camera from the Galaxy S9 Plus, and the Galaxy Note9, which automatically or manually switches between the f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures.
Its sensor, however, has been slightly upgraded to the 12 MP Samsung ISOCELL Fast SAK2L4, which should offer some improvements in image quality.
The maximum 12 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio, with 4032 x 3024 pixels, and a file size of between 3 MB and 5 MB.
Here are 10 high-resolution unedited samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
There is no doubt that this is still one of the better smartphone cameras in the market, even though it was introduced 1.5 years ago.
You can see the intricate detail of the cloves, the flower pollen, and even the individual buds of the broccoli florets.
[adrotate group=”2″]It also did a great job of bringing out the colour of the subject matter. Every colour is accurately rendered and automatically “amped up” by AI algorithms.
The f/1.5 aperture naturally creates a very narrow depth of field, with a nicer bokeh effect. But if that’s not enough, you can use its Live Focus feature which allows you to create really awesome bokeh for the background.
No doubt, the Live Focus bokeh is artificially created, but the dual camera design allow for precise separation of the subject from the background. Live Focus also allows you to adjust the amount of bokeh for the background.
Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ : Senado Square At Night!
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Recording Performance
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Recording Performance
Like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) is capable of recording 4K videos from both front and back cameras.
Samsung no longer limits the 4K recording time to just 10 minutes. So you can take 4K videos for as long as you wish.
However, there is still the 4 GB limit – if your video grows beyond 4 GB, the Note 10+ will cut it to 4 GB chunks with a slight delay between the chunks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #1 : Piano (1080p)
You can see the amount of detail the sensor captures, even at just 1080p. There was good control of the exposure, although the foreground was darker than we like.
You can also see how well its OIS capability worked, even when we switched between the main camera and the telephoto camera. Its ultra-wide camera does not support OIS, but still has good EIS capability.
Samsung appeared to have mostly eliminated the lag in switching between cameras that we saw in the Galaxy S10 Plus. But you can still see it sometimes, like at 0:15 when we switched from the wide-angle camera to the main camera.
The Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) still does not support Hi-Res Audio recording, but its new Audio Zoom capability helps to reduce background noise… a little. The effect could have been stronger IMHO, but it’s better than the Galaxy Note9 which lacks this feature.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #2 : Piano (4K)
The resolution at 4K is incredible. You can clearly read the notice outside the store, way behind Mr. Yang.
There is a slight lag and artifact issue at the 4K resolution when we switched cameras. You can see that at these points in the video :
- 0:14, 0:40 and 1:33, when we switched from the main camera to the telephoto camera
- 0:27, 1:16 and 2:16 when we switched from the main camera to the wide-angle camera
When we zoom right in, you can hear a drop in ambient noise. But again, it was milder than we would have liked. Perhaps Samsung can add the ability to adjust the Audio Zoom effect.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #3 : Video Bokeh
The new Video Bokeh feature uses its DepthVision ToF camera to judge the distance to the subject, and artificially apply a bokeh effect to the background.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) will automatically apply the effect when it is able to isolate the subject from the background.
However, the DepthVision ToF camera has a range of 150 cm – you must move in until the subject is closer than 1.5 m for Video Bokeh to work. And it is also limited to the 1080p resolution.
Notice how the effect is automatically turned off when the subject moves beyond range.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #4 : Street Market (1080p)
The main camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has great image stabilisation capability, minimising handshake to deliver a silky-smooth video.
We also did not notice any wind noise, which is still a problem for some smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #5 : Street Market (4K)
Its image stabilisation capabilities were not diminished with the higher resolution. Overall – very good OIS and EIS performance.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Video Sample #6 : Super Steady
Samsung introduced the Super Steady mode in the Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e smartphones, which promises to deliver even better image stabilisation.
It does deliver better image stabilisation, but at the expense of resolution – you are limited to 1080p video recording with Super Steady turned on.
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Performance, Battery Life + Recharging Speed
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Work Performance
We tested the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus’ performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
| Work 2.0 | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ |
Samsung Galaxy S10+ |
Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
| Mobile Platform | Snapdragon 855 | Exynos 9825 | Exynos 9820 | Exynos 9810 |
| Performance Score (Average) |
9471 | 8981 | 7846 | 5557 |
| Web Browsing | 7792 | 8293 | 8583 | 5763 |
| Video Editing | 6038 | 9166 | 5524 | 5410 |
| Writing | 10919 | 9579 | 9076 | 5421 |
| Photo Editing | 20161 | 19376 | 10710 | 5898 |
| Data Manipulation | 7356 | 6155 | 6450 | 5316 |
| Review Links | Xiaomi Mi 9 Review | Galaxy S10+ Review | Galaxy Note9 Review | |
| Price Check | US | UK | MY | US | UK | AU | SG | MY | US | UK | MY | MY | US | UK |
The Samsung Exynos 9825 is much faster than the Exynos 9820 used in the Galaxy S10+. However, it is still not as fast as the Snapdragon 855 used in the US version of the Galaxy Note 10+ and of course, the Xiaomi Mi 9.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Gaming Performance
We tested the Galaxy Note 10 Plus’ gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
| Ice Storm Unlimited | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Samsung Galaxy S10+ |
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ |
Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
| Mobile Platform | Snapdragon 855 | Exynos 8920 | Exynos 8925 | Exynos 8910 |
| Gaming Score | 65518 | 56808 | 52693 | 42598 |
| Graphics | 106388 | 73362 | 63521 | 51199 |
| Physics | 27945 | 31741 | 33003 | 26825 |
| Graphics Test 1 | 585.4 fps | 397.5 fps | 345.3 fps | 330.2 fps |
| Graphics Test 2 | 382.3 fps | 266.3 fps | 230.1 fps | 167.9 fps |
| Physics Test | 88.7 fps | 100.8 fps | 104.8 fps | 85.2 fps |
| Review Links | Xiaomi Mi 9 Review | Galaxy S10+ Review | Galaxy Note9 Review | |
| Price Check | US | UK | MY | US | UK | MY | US | UK | AU | SG | MY | MY | US | UK |
The Samsung Exynos 8925 was not only slower than the Snapdragon 855 in gaming performance, it was actually slightly slower than the Exynos 8920!
Samsung really needs to work harder on improving the gaming performance of their Exynos platforms.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Battery Life
We then tested the Galaxy Note 10 Plus’ battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
| Work 2.0 | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ |
Samsung Galaxy S10+ |
Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
| Battery Capacity | 3,300 mAh | 4,300 mAh | 4,100 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Battery Life | 12 hours 12 mins | 10 hours 32 mins | 10 hours 17 mins | 10 hours 15 mins |
| Battery Utilisation | 3.61 mAh / min. | 5.44 mAh / min. | 5.32 mAh / min. | 5.20 mAh / min. |
| Review Links | Xiaomi Mi 9 Review | Galaxy S10+ Review | Galaxy Note9 Review | |
| Price Check | US | UK | MY | US | UK | AU | SG | MY | US | UK | MY | MY | US | UK |
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) uses slightly more power than the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy Note9 smartphones, but its larger battery lets it last a bit longer.
10.5 hours of battery life is nothing to scoff at, but we should note that the Xiaomi Mi 9 lasts over 12 hours on a much smaller 3,300 mAh battery.
Battery Recharging Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus comes with a new adaptive fast charger with a power output of 25 W. Take a look at how fast it recharged its 4,300 mAh battery.
| Recharging Speed | Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ |
Samsung Galaxy S10+ |
Xiaomi Mi 9 | Samsung Galaxy Note9 |
| Battery Capacity | 4,300 mAh | 4,100 mAh | 3,300 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Charger Output | 25 Watts | 15 Watts | 18 Watts | 15 Watts |
| Recharging Time | 63 minutes | 91.6 minutes | 84.5 Minutes | 107 mins |
| Recharging Speed | 54.6 mAh / minute | 35.8 mAh / minute | 31.2 mAh / minute | 29.9 mAh/ / minute |
| Review Links | Galaxy S10+ Review | Xiaomi Mi 9 Review | Galaxy Note9 Review | |
| Price Check | US | UK | AU | SG | MY | US | UK | MY | US | UK | MY | MY | US | UK |
Thanks to its new 25 watt fast charger, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) has significantly better battery charging performance.
It fully recharged its battery from 20% to 100% in just 63 minutes. That is 52.5% faster than the Galaxy S10+, and 82.6% faster than the Galaxy Note9.
That also gives it a much improved battery life : recharging ratio of 10:1. A rule of thumb – for one hour of battery life, just charge it for 6 minutes.
The fastest recharging happened up to the 80% level. This took just 34 minutes. Then the recharging speed slowed down, and it took a further 29 minutes to top up the last 20%.
Next Page > Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Verdict + Award, Price,+ Specifications
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus – Our Verdict + Award
Samsung continues to refine and improve the Galaxy Note phablet, and the Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) is really quite impressive.
Adopting the punch hole design of the Galaxy S10 series, Samsung packed a larger 6.8-inch display and a larger 4,300 mAh battery into a thinner and lighter device!
Its Dynamic AMOLED display deserves special mention. It is incredibly bright at 1200 nits, with a wide colour gamut – 100% of DCI-P3 – and is HDR10+ certified! This is hands-down, the industry’s best display.
Credit also goes to Samsung for taking their time to perfect and introduce an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. This is definitely more secure and accurate than optical in-display fingerprint sensors. In our tests, it even works with damp fingers!
Samsung chose to reuse and enhance the triple camera system of the Galaxy S10+ with a ToF (Time of Flight) camera.
That gives you the Video Bokeh ability, as well as 3D scanning ability and a Quick Measure AR capability. However, that’s not as useful as the 5X or 3X telephoto camera in the HUAWEI P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro.
The addition of an ultra-wide angle camera, however, is a nice upgrade from the Galaxy Note9. It’s not something you would appreciate until you actually start using it.
Its new Audio Zoom capability is a nice touch, although it’s much milder than what we would prefer. We hope Samsung will add the option to adjust the Audio Zoom strength.
One of the biggest upgrade is actually the greatly-improved fast charging capability. It now comes with a 25 watt wired charging capability, and a 15 watt wireless charging capability.
Unfortunately, the new S Pen Air Gestures feature is not practical… yet. We can see its potential, but its implementation still leaves much to be desired. Samsung needs to greatly improve its usability, and expand its support.
We should also point out the lack of a 3.5 mm audio jack. This will greatly reduce its appeal to those who rely on 3.5 mm earphones or external microphones. Even more so since the required USB-C dongle is not included in the package.
More critically – the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (US | UK | AU | SG | MY) lacks a DAC. This means passive USB-C dongle or earphones that do not have a built-in DAC will fail to work. For more information on what you should buy, read our special article on this subject.
Now, if you are already using the excellent Samsung Galaxy Note9, it will be hard to justify upgrading to the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. But that’s only because the Note9 continues to be an excellent phablet with a great S Pen.
We recommend upgrading to the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, if you are using the Galaxy Note 7 or older. Or if you want to switch to a smartphone with a stylus.
Again, Samsung has a winning combination in the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and we have no qualms awarding it our Editor’s Choice Award. Great job, Samsung!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ : Where To Buy?
Here are the online purchase options in various countries :
- United States : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- United Kingdom : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- Australia : Aura Glow | Aura Black
- Malaysia : Aura Glow | Aura White | Aura Black
- Singapore : Aura Glow | Aura Pink | Aura Black
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus vs. Galaxy Note 9
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ | Samsung Galaxy Note 9 |
| Display | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display – 1440 x 3440 pixels (498 ppi) – HDR10+ support |
6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display – 1440 x 2960 pixels (516 ppi) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| IP Rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| System Platform | Samsung Exynos 8925 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
Samsung Exynos 8910 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
| RAM | 12 GB LPDDR4x | 6 GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB eUFS 3.0 storage microSD hybrid slot (up to 1 TB) |
256 GB / 512 GB UFS 2.1 storage microSD hybrid slot (up to 1 TB) |
| Front Camera | 10 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/2.2) | 8 MP camera (f/1.7) |
| Rear Cameras | 12 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/1.5 + f/2.4, OIS) 12 MP telephoto camera (f/2.1, OIS) 16 MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2) 3D VGA ToF sensor |
12 MP Dual Pixel camera (f/1.5 + f/2.4, OIS) 12 MP telephoto camera (f/2.4, OIS) |
| Dual SIM Capability | Dual SIM, dual active capable – SIM 2 + microSD shared slot |
Dual SIM, dual active capable – SIM 2 + microSD shared slot |
| Connectivity | 4G : LTE Cat 20 Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth : BT 5.0 USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C |
4G : LTE Cat 18 Wi-Fi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth : BT 5.0 USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C |
| Iris Scanner | No | Yes |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, In Display | Yes, In Display |
| Other Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor | |
| Bixby | Yes | Yes |
| S Pen | Yes, Bluetooth LE | Yes, Bluetooth LE |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh 45 W wired charging 15 W wireless charging |
4,000 mAh 18 W wired charging 10 W wireless charging |
| Dimensions | 77.2 mm wide 162.3 mm tall 7.9 mm thick |
76.4 mm wide 161.9 mm tall 8.8 mm thick |
| Weight | 196 g | 201 g |
Recommended Reading
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ : Senado Square At Night!
- The Samsung IP68 Water-Resistance Technology Guide!
- Warning : Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Does Not Have A DAC!
- Samsung Galaxy A50s | A30s | A20s For Gen Z Revealed!
- Samsung Exynos 980 – Samsung’s First 5G Mobile Platform!
- Samsung Galaxy A10s (SM-A107) : What You Need To Know!
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – Everything You Need To Know!
- Galaxy Note 10 PRE-ORDER Promo + Details For Malaysia!
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Price + Promotion For Malaysia!
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 S Pen Gets Air Gestures + More!
- Samsung Galaxy S10e (SM-G970) Review – Editor’s Choice!
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 – Everything You Need To Know!
- Samsung Galaxy A80 | Watch Active | Buds BLACKPINK Edition Is Here!
- Samsung Galaxy S10 (SM-G973) Review – Editor’s Choice!
- Samsung Galaxy A80 BLACKPINK Special Edition Confirmed!
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2019 8.0″ LTE Tablet Revealed!
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