Overview of the flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy Note10+
For the first time in Samsung's history, the company released another update to its Galaxy Note line not in one, but in two versions at once. This somewhat «breaks the mold» and raises doubts about the manufacturer's confidence in the direction of development of its flagship lines. The "Note" has always been distinguished from the "S" by size: they are "phablets," and compromises are inappropriate here. Moreover, the very concept of «phablet» and the widespread increase in smartphone screen sizes were triggered by the release of the first Galaxy Note, which had enormous dimensions by the standards of that time. And now, unexpectedly, a smaller model has been added to the large smartphone line, named Galaxy Note 10, while the main model suddenly became «premium,» with the «plus» suffix: Samsung Galaxy Note10+. Of course, we will primarily examine this model as we get acquainted with the updated legendary family of mobile devices, «sharpened» for working with a stylus.
Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy Note10+ (model SM-N975F)
SoC Exynos 9825, 8 cores (2×Mongoose M4 @ 2.73 GHz + 2×Cortex-A75 @ 2.4 GHz + 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.9 GHz), there is a version with SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
GPU Mali-G76 MP12 (Adreno 640 in the version with SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 855)
Operating system Android 9+One UI
Touchscreen Super AMOLED 6.8″, 3040×1440, 19:9, 498 ppi, HDR10+
RAM 12 GB, internal memory 256/512 GB
Support for microSD up to 1 TB
Support for Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
HSPA networks 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (7CA) Cat.20 2048/150 Mbps
GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (4×4 MU-MIMO, VHT80), dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
NFC
USB 3.1, USB Type-C, USB OTG
No 3.5mm audio output
Camera 12 MP, f/1.5 or f/2.4+12 MP, f/2.1+16 MP, f/2.2, video 4K@60 fps
Proximity and light sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer
Under-display fingerprint scanner
Battery 4300 mAh, fast charging 45 W, wireless charging
Dimensions 162×77×7.9 mm
Weight 196 g
Appearance and usability
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is a large mobile device for fans of smartphones with maximally large screens. It would seem that the developers should have maximally compensated for such an inconvenient size for holding in hand with practical materials and an ergonomic body shape — but no, here everything is the opposite.
The side edges, instead of being left wide for a comfortable grip, have been narrowed to a minimum. In these places, the width of the metal frame is reduced to literally one and a half millimeters, and then the rounded curves of the front and back glass begin.
There is also much to say about the glass panels themselves: they are maximally slippery and prone to fingerprints, and the damage from the curved edges also manifests in color tone distortions and inevitable glare.
But if we disregard ergonomics, the dimensions and weight of the body with such a huge screen area remain sleek — if, of course, such a word can be used regarding smartphones that were recently called «shovels». A phablet, which even has space for an electronic pen, weighs less than two hundred grams, and its body thickness does not exceed eight millimeters. The only controversial point is the overly sharp corners. They may look stricter and more solid, but for clothing pockets, given the already huge size of the body, this is a clear threat.
Overall, the design is pleasant, the smartphone looks expensive and solid. The design features a well-known metal side frame with a variable shape from the top and bottom edges to the sides and two glass panels made of Gorilla Glass. The display is protected by the latest generation - Gorilla Glass 6.
There is no retractable camera block (or only with the front camera) here, and thank God for that. They did not cut out a wide notch in the screen — they limited themselves to a small round cutout for the camera right in the screen, and this is probably the most elegant solution that takes up a minimal number of pixels on the display. It is also pleasing that the corners of the screen are rounded very little.
The earpiece is peculiar: it is very difficult to find the correct position with the ear right away, it is almost always poorly audible, and you have to constantly press the edge of the device to the ear to achieve better audibility. At the same time, it works in stereo mode with the main (bottom) speaker, and as a media device, the apparatus fully reveals itself, producing probably the most powerful and high-quality sound that can be found in smartphones.
The hardware side buttons have been inexplicably moved to the left edge, which is very strange: in most modern smartphones, the buttons are on the right, and people are used to this. Again, the same question to the developers from Korea: why complicate things?! It would have been better to keep the pulse oximeter, the sudden disappearance of which in the last generation of the manufacturer's smartphones was only criticized by the lazy.
The fingerprint scanner here is under the screen, it works slower than the "classic" one, but this apparently does not bother the developers. The side tray can hold two Nano-SIM cards simultaneously or replace one microSD memory card. Considering the built-in memory of 512 GB (in the older modification), which can thus be expanded by another 1 TB, the smartphone can outpace any modern laptop. Hot swapping of cards is supported.
On the bottom edge are the main speaker, microphone, USB Type-C port, and a slot for storing the stylus. However, there is no 3.5mm audio output for headphones in the smartphone.
Nevertheless, the smartphone comes with wired headphones, but they come with a USB Type-C connector instead of an adapter. An adapter for headphones with a 3.5mm mini jack was not included, so you won't be able to connect your favorite headphones right away. It is also surprising that the most expensive smartphone in Samsung's history did not come with wireless headphones, although at such a price, one would expect them.
However, we should note that the configuration of our test sample (most likely the international version) may differ from the Russian one. For example, the Russian configuration does not include USB Type-C – USB Type-A and USB Type-C – Micro-USB adapters.
On the positive side, we can note the included charging cable, which has a USB Type-C connector on both ends. Given the widespread adoption of this type of connector in modern laptops and other devices, such a cable will not only come in handy but will probably soon become the most popular. If only the iPhone had something like this...
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is available in our market in three colors: white, black, and a pearlescent option called Aura. The latter option shimmers in sunlight with all the colors of the rainbow, reflecting everything like a mirror, and can look completely different depending on the surrounding colors. The degree of dust and moisture protection of the body is IP68 (like last year's version).
Display
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is equipped with a Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 6.8 inches and a resolution of 3040×1440, covered with curved Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Its physical dimensions are 74×155 mm, the screen is simply enormous. The aspect ratio is 19:9, pixel density is 498 ppi. The width of the bezel around the screen is 1 mm on the sides, 2 mm on the top, and 3 mm on the bottom. With such a large display area without cutouts, it really seems that the bezel around the screen is absent.
