Samsung Galaxy Note 10: All That We Know

[Update of the 05/08/2019]The blog post has been updated to include the following:

• The Note 10's camera may not be able to beat Huawei's upcoming Mate 30 Pro according to some rumors.
• New fast-charge technology has been accidentally confirmed by Samsung and will equip its Note 10 and Note 10+.

---

It is to Samsung’s habitude to release various iterations of its smartphone ranges each year. After the Galaxy S10 series, it is the turn of the brand’s most prestigious range to receive an update. However this year, we are not expecting one Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Just like Samsung did with its Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e,   two to three models of the Note 10 are expected if we believe the leaks: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, and the Note 10+ 5G. Rumors, leaks, renders, confirmed or not, here is all that we know of the Samsung Galaxy S10.

Code-named “Da Vinci”, we can guess a serious upgrade on the all-time companion of the Note Series, the S Pen. Da Vinci was a good painter, but not only. He was talented in many ways so we can expect the Note 10 to be very versatile. According to a video teaser posted on the Twitter account of its Indonesian branch (now deleted), the Note 10 is shown accomplishing a series of productive tasks. Hence, Samsung is intending to make you replace your PCs with a single device: the Note 10. We can, therefore, expect the DeX and the S Pen to occupy a central place.

Device

Design-wise, nothing but slight changes, which will still mark a noticeable difference. According to some renders (where everything always starts), we can see the Note 10 will adopt the same form factor of its predecessor, which is a larger device with sharper angles than others, and a stylus in the chassis. This form factor, therefore, gives place to huge curved screens of 6.4” on the Note 10, and 6.8” on the Note 10+, under which will probably be housed the in-display fingerprint scanner. Samsung conserves the hole-punch display introduced with the S10, but this time, the camera will be placed at the center. Gone the days when Samsung stood out from the crowd with its horizontally arranged multiple cameras set-ups. This time, the triple/quadruple-camera of the Note 10 will be aligned vertically just like its competitors.

Other notable design changes include the seeming removal of the jack port. This is funny taken into account Samsung always made fun of its competitor for the omission of this port. They probably shouldn’t have...Also, interestingly Android Police noted the absence of physical buttons on the Note 10. Instead, the Note 10 is rumored to feature tactical buttons, mark by changes in relief that could be mistaken for physical buttons on the renders. But rumors also have it that Samsung abandoned the idea, due to unsatisfactory tests, so nothing is yet sure. But tactical buttons or not, the Note 10 appears to have one less button than the Note 9, probably the Bixby button (the company's proprietary virtual assistant). Lastly, if you look closely at the renders, you will see that the top bezel is very small, too small to contain a front speaker. That’s probably because Samsung replaced it with Sound-on-Display technology, that is the screen vibrates to create sound. This technology is already featured in the Huawei P30 Pro and the LG G8 ThinQ but remains impressive.


Camera
Not much information has filtered in this case, but what we are sure of is a triple camera set-up on the Note 10, and a quadruple set-up on the Note 10+: primary (12MP), telephoto (12MP), and ultra-wide (16MP) sensors are concerned, plus an additional time-of-flight sensor for the Note 10+ 5G. A fancy feature rumored to come with the Note 10’s cameras is the triple aperture configuration of its main camera of f/1.5, f/1.8 and f/2.4, instead of the common one aperture. This would make the Note‘s camera to be very versatile in different lighting conditions, and for different fields of view.

[Update of the 05/08/2019] According to Ice Universe, the Galaxy Note 10's 12 megapixels 1 /2.55-inch sensor has no chance to beat the upcoming Mate 30 Pro in terms of embedded hardware. Therefore, don't expect photography to be the main selling point of the flagship Samsung will present this week.

Screen
The Note 10’s screen is rumored to be the best in the second half of 2019 as one source claims. It will feature a Full HD+ resolution (1440 x 3040) for all models, while the Note 10+ will come with HDR10+ support.


Performance
This is much more of a confirmation than a rumor. All models will eventually be powered by a Snapdragon 855+, and an Exynos 9820 chipset depending on the region.


Battery
A battery of 4171 mAh may equip the Note 10, and one of 4500 mAh will equip the Note 10+, hence incredible battery life in perspective. But charging a 4500 mAh battery is not an easy thing to do. It surely takes time, a lot of it. Hence to reduce this time, the Note 10 will be equipped with brand new USB-C controllers: a PD SE8A and MM1. I’ll make things simple, the only thing you need to know here is that the Note 10 will be capable of 45W fast charge and 20W wireless charging, which will be among the fastest on the market if the rumors come true.

[Update of the 05/08/2019]Samsung accidentally confirmed the presence of a new fast-charge technology named "Super Fastcharge" on its official website, for a US exclusive hand-on session of the Galaxy Note 10. This, therefore, will replace its current Adaptive Fast-charge (15W) technology.


Storage
Nothing much innovative here for now. The Note 10 will have 128GB of internal storage space and 256GB for the Note 10+. Only the Note 10+ is rumored to accept microSD cards to boost your storage space up to 1TB. As for the RAM, nothing is sure, but models will feature between 6-12GB of RAM.


Price
Since some times now, Android device manufacturers, notably Samsung have followed Apple’s trend in selling overpriced smartphones. The latter itself has evolved the price of its devices. Hence, don’t expect the Note 10+ to come cheap. Precisely, don’t expect the Note 10 to come at less than $999 and $1149 for the Note 10+, and even higher for the 5G variant.

However, if you are interested in owning the next Galaxy Note, Samsung has a very interesting offer. If you are an owner of the Galaxy S7 to S10, Galaxy Note 9, all the Google Pixels (except the 3a, and 3a XL), and iPhone users, then Samsung proposes you to exchange your phone for a considerable discount on the “Next Galaxy”. The Note 10 is not mentioned, but it obvious it is. For example, exchanging an iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max will make you eligible for a $600 reduction on the next Note 10/10+, thus making the Note a fearsome competitor.

Launch

The Galaxy Note 10 and 10+ will be presented in New York at the Barclay Center on August 7 at the usual Unpacked event by Samsung. Pre-orders are now available, while in-store purchases can be expected shortly after by August 19. A live stream will also be available at this address at 8 PM Douala time (or 4 PM EST).

Other Products We Can Expect At The Unpacked

Among others, we can expect more to be said on the Galaxy Fold, Samsung's first foldable smartphone.  Also, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 which has recently been confirmed by the FCC can be expected. As of now, all that we know about it is that it will be compatible Bluetooth 5.0, will feature 4 GB of RAM, and will exist in two sizes, with a 4G variant. Last but not least, Samsung may announce USB-C earpieces to accompany its Note 10 which are void of jack port. What will make them particular is their noise cancellation feature, a first for a USB-C earpiece.