Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite smartphone

2 May 2020

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite Smartphone

In the new year, even before the announcements of the Galaxy S20 series, the Korean company Samsung released two completely new smartphone models that joined the flagship families of Galaxy S and Note. The smartphones received the "Lite" suffix in their names, thus positioning themselves as "younger models of the flagships." However, even when formally placed alongside the flagships, the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite smartphones did not become closer to them. They are not simplified flagships, but rather "premium mid-range" devices, meaning their place is somewhere in the upper tiers of the Galaxy A series. The Galaxy S10 Lite is priced higher, and we have already examined it in detail, confirming that the manufacturer has clearly overestimated its capabilities. The Galaxy Note10 Lite is cheaper but offers no less interesting—rather, even a broader experience, making it look much more attractive.

Main characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite (model SM-N770F)

SoC Exynos 9810, 8 cores: 4×Mongoose M3 @ 2.7 GHz + 4× Cortex-A55 @ 1.7 GHz
GPU Mali-G72 MP18
Operating system Android 10.0; One UI 2
Touchscreen Super AMOLED 6.7", 2400×1080, 20:9, 394 ppi
RAM 6/8 GB, internal storage 128 GB
Support for microSD, combined slot
Support for Nano-SIM (2 pcs)
Networks GSM/WCDMA/WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/LTE-A
GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
NFC
USB 2.0 Type-C, USB OTG
Main camera 12 MP (f/1.7) + 12 MP (f/2.4) + 12 MP (f/2.2), video 4K @ 30/60 fps
Front camera 32 MP (f/2.2)
Proximity and light sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope
Fingerprint scanner (optical under the screen)
Battery 4500 mAh, fast charging 25 W
Dimensions 164×76×8.7 mm
Weight 199 g

Appearance and usability

The design for the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite was chosen to be quite familiar, only instead of glass on the back, a cheaper panel made of glossy plastic is installed. There is nothing wrong with plastic as such; it is even more practical and reliable than glass. But in this case, the plastic is smudgy and quickly gets covered with fingerprints.

The frame forming the side perimeter of the body is made of real polished metal; it is massive, well-polished—and very slippery. Overall, the device looks and feels just as expensive and just as impractical as its older family members.

The wide, almost square camera block and flash barely protrude beyond the body; the smartphone lying on the table does not wobble when working with the screen and lies steadily. The cameras are located not in the center but in the corner, where they belong.

The side buttons are also installed on one edge—it's good that they weren't spread out on different sides. The buttons are large, smooth, and tactilely indistinguishable from each other.

The front camera is a solitary eye, beautifully set in a round cutout made directly in the screen matrix. There are no additional cameras or iris scanners here, so the face unlock option on the smartphone is not the most secure.

The fingerprint scanner is under the screen; it works more or less quickly and accurately, but you have to place and hold your finger; a simple short touch does not work. There is, of course, no LED notification indicator above the screen—the calculation is made for the Always On Display function.