Samsung Galaxy Note10+ review

The competition

Right now, the Galaxy Note10+ is in a very favorable position. Most of its direct rivals are a month or two away from being released so it has very few big-screen alternatives out there. The new iPhone XS Max successor should be out in a month, the Pixel 4 XL and the Mate 30 Pro are expected in October and the Huawei P30 Pro isn't in the same price range nor does it have a screen as big as the Note10+'s.

So if you are strictly looking for a Samsung device but the S-Pen isn't of great importance, the Galaxy S10+ appears to be a pretty good alternative. Of course, the screen is smaller and has a larger off-centered cutout but you'd get pretty similar experience. The camera experience is virtually the same, the chipset's raw performance matches the Note10+'s Exynos 9825 and if the Snapdragon versions are available in your area, there won't be any difference at all. And you stand to gain the trusty old 3.5mm audio jack that was eliminated on the Note10+. So it all boils down to screen size, the S-Pen, marginally better battery life and that sweet fast charging. Those are the main key selling points of Samsung's newest flagship. Otherwise, you'd be spending less for the Galaxy S10+ even if memory configurations are matched.

Oppo's Reno 10x zoom has roughly the same feature set and are quite close size-wise. You'd be getting less screen on the Reno but it comes in real full-screen design. The obvious drawback of the Reno is the camera performance (despite the 5x optical zoom) - Oppo's contender just can't match the Note10+'s camera quality. Otherwise, if you don't mind trying out Oppo's ColorOS UI, you'd be rewarded with the same battery life, fast charging, and performance. The shark fin pop-up mechanism is a cool novelty too.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ • Oppo Reno 10x zoom • Sony Xperia 1 • OnePlus 7 Pro

Sony's Xperia 1 deserves a mention here despite its bizarre screen aspect ratio. Sure, the screen is smaller but makes up with higher pixel density and arguably better multimedia capabilities due to its cinematic 21:9 aspect. For the first time in generations, we can finally compare the Xperia's camera quality to the Note10+'s. However, the former falls short in fast charging and battery life. The Xperia 1 is a very niche device, just like the Note10+ so it makes it harder for us to recommend one over the other universally. Each has specialty features that might swing the scales in a particular direction regardless of the overall feature mix.

Finally, the runner-up, the OnePlus 7 Pro. It's actually the only big-screen alternative to the Note10+ right now and it makes a strong case as a competent rival. It does a lot of things as good as the Note10+ or better - it has great battery life, fast charging, an excellent screen with a 90Hz refresh rate (something the Note10+ lacks), a full-screen design without cutouts (again lacking in the Note10+) and to our surprise, the 7 Pro's main camera takes better night shots. Daytime both cameras are pretty much neck and neck. The biggest selling point here is the almost pure Android experience and the price. The former is strongly a subjective matter but even if we match memory configurations on the two devices, the 7 Pro is considerably cheaper. Then again, you might be able to snatch a good carrier deal on the Note10+ and if you are willing to wait a couple of months, the price difference between the two devices will be negligible.

Verdict

As we've already pointed out, the Note10+ is in favorable market position as it doesn't have to deal with a lot of direct rivals for the time being. Things are bound to change in two- or three-months time, of course.

But enough about the competition. Let's reflect on how the Note-series has grown compared to the previous generations. Some die-hard Note fans are unhappy with some of the changes like the punch-hole camera and the lack of 3.5mm audio jack. The Note family used to be the embodiment of zero-compromise enthusiast's phone which has everything and the kitchen sink. The new Note10-series is a departure from that and it's introducing more than one trade-off. And after spending enough time with the handset, we have a couple of small complaints too. The ultra wide-angle camera still needs autofocus, the fingerprint scanner, although better than most under-screen solutions out there still needs some tweaking. And we think it's mostly due to the unlocking animation Samsung is using. The small fingerprint area isn't helping with accuracy and consistency either. Most of the issues we had with the fingerprint are software-related and Samsung could potentially tackle them with future updates.

Additionally, the ergonomics of the device aren't stellar. The sharp edges and corners make it harder to use with one hand and had us constantly fear dropping the device. And don't get us started on the controversial power button placement.

As you may have gathered by now, most of our complaints are of the nitpicking kind. Otherwise, the Note10+ introduces a handful of improvements over its predecessor - better camera experience, more camera and S-Pen features, better screen, more screen in the same size, thinner bezels for that 2019 look, better battery life, more convenient fingerprint reader placement and more importantly - fast charging that can go head-to-head with the best in the industry.

The high price makes it hard to sell, however, but if you get a good carrier-subsidized deal or wait a couple of months, you might get it at the price of a 7 Pro, for example. In the end, as always, it all boils down to the S-Pen and its unique features. If you are a fan of the stylus, that's pretty much your only option on the market.

Pros

• S-Pen is more versatile than ever.
• Bright OLED screen with small hole and razor-thin bezels.
• Excellent battery life.
• Great-sounding stereo loudspeakers.
• Fast battery charging, supports even faster speeds with another wall charger.
• Nice camera experience all-around, with small exceptions.
• S-Pen with tons of unique features.
• Surprisingly compact and slim body given the hardware and screen size.
• Retains the microSD card support and adopts fast UFS 3.0 storage.
• Base model has a generous 256GB/12GB storage and memory configuration.

Cons

• No 3.5mm audio jack.
• Controversial power button placement.
• The in-display fingerprint needs more optimization (mostly software-wise).
• A high-refresh rate screen would have made it a lot more competitive.
• Telephoto lacks a longer reach than 2x.
• The Night mode needs more work.
• The ultra-wide angle camera lacks autofocus.