Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Review: Best big smartphone of 2019

Samsung recently launched their ‘second flagship’ phone of the year and to be honest, it got mixed responses from all the tech gurus. People have been complaining about how similar it is to the S10, or it is just an incremental upgrade with an S pen. But that is not a bad thing in any way, the S10/S10+ are amazing phones and continue to be one of the best phones of 2019. Improving on that can only be a fantastic upgrade.

Before we get into an in-depth (sort of) review of the phone. Here is a basic overview of the phone.

1) Display: Similar size, but a much larger screen.

Source: Trusted Reviews

There is no way that anyone in the world, Note fan or not, will tell that the display is not gorgeous on this phone. It is everything that you should expect from a flagship Samsung phone. The phone has an amazing 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 3040×1440 pixels resolution. I used it on QuadHd initially and absolutely loved it. The colours, saturation made it a gorgeous screen, and you can put anything on this remarkable screen, and it’ll look fabulous. However, I changed the settings to FullHd to save battery and watching videos on YouTube or streaming on Netflix was still an absolute joy as the screen has sort of an immersive effect to it. Ever since the S8 series, Samsung always did a great job in taking its screens right to the edge, and it pushed the limits even further this time with the Note 10 series having a staggering 92% screen to body ratio. The build quality is as expected (or even better), it does feel great in hand and has a premium luxury finish to the phone.

That being said, the only thing I would’ve wanted is 90 Hz refresh rate, especially considering that the OnePlus 7 Pro screen was technically made by Samsung. Samsung definitely has the best displays in the world and having the best specs for its Note series is expected by the customers.

Samsung moved the infinity O camera cutout from the top right corner in the S10 to the centre in the Note series this year. I actually thought this might be a little annoying, but I didn’t notice it even once in my daily use. The main reason for this is that the camera cutout is significantly smaller compared to the S10 series that makes the notification panel significantly smaller. This camera cutout is way less distracting and intrusive than a notch or teardrop cutout.

Overall, Samsung’s display will continue to be the best in the market in 2019. Apart from not having the 90 Hz display, the display is magnificent as the colours are vibrant and the screen is possibly the most perfect dynamic AMOLED in the market this year.

Display score: 9.7/10

2) Battery: Fast charging is an understatement.

Source: CNET/ Angela Lang

The phone comes with an enormous 4300 mAh battery that easily capable of lasting an entire day for an average consumer. However, that is not the most exciting news in the battery department.

One of the most significant improvements from Samsung’s previous flagships phone is the charging speed. The phone comes with a 25 W USB C to C charger inside the box, and it is FAST. This is not even the fastest the phone can go as the Note 10+ is capable of 45 W fast charging. However, you have to buy the charger separately, and at the time of writing this article, it is not released in Australia.

In comparison, the Huawei p30 pro has a 40W charger, and the Oneplus 7 pro has a 30W warp charger. To give a better perspective, by comparing the phones by charging speed in minutes, the Note 10+ charges approximately 25% in 10 minutes (similar to Oneplus 7 pro and Huawei p30 pro) with the 25 W charger, and the iPhone XS Max Charges only 6% in 10 minutes. However, In 40 minutes there is a slight difference between the Note 10+, Oneplus 7 pro and p30 pro. The Note 10+ charges approximately 84% (25W charger), Huawei p30 pro goes to 88% and the Oneplus 7 pro charges to 79% (approximately).

The phone also has significantly faster wireless charging speeds at 15W on its own wireless charging dock which is thrice as much as iPhone XS Max wired charging (the one in the box) and the same as the Note 9 wired charging. This shows the massive advancement in Samsung’s wireless charging technology this year. Fast wireless charging makes it extremely convenient for people that prefer wireless charging over wired charging. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Samsung’s wireless charger doesn’t look great and looks like a less appealing replica of the Google pixel stand.

In the past, Samsung has been conservative on the battery department ever since the infamous Note 7 incident. However, they have been improving over the last year and have established themselves as the battery king this year. The battery and charging speed has been one of the best changes of the Note 10 series in 2019.

Battery score: 9.8/10

3) Performance: Everything you expect ‘+’ a lot more.

Samsung’s Note series has always been the no-compromise, spec enhanced phone, and it continues that way in its 10th (9th) edition. The phone has the Exynos 9825 chip in countries outside North America, which is a slight upgrade over the S10’s 9820 chip. The Exynos 9825 in the Note 10+ is a 7 nm chip compared to the 8nm chip in the S10. This basically means that the phone will be more efficient overall, but an average user will not really be able to make out the difference in the overall performance of the chip.

Let’s not forget that the phone also comes with 12GB RAM which might be overkill, but you are paying that much for the phone, so why not enjoy the boosted features? This makes multi-tasking extremely fluid, and the phone can handle all your workload or games without sweating a muscle. The phone also comes with UFS 3.0 storage that makes storage and transfers significantly faster than the previous version. I know it is an impossible dream, but I really wish that Samsung was stock android. That would be the best phone in the world in all aspects by getting timely updates, which is the only aspect that Samsung is falling behind.

Overall, it is a phenomenal phone in terms of speed and performance. The phone is extremely fluid and did not lag at all during my entire usage. The enormous 12 GB RAM and UFS 3.0 storage make the Note 10+ the fastest phone you can get at the moment.

Performance score: 9.5/10

4) Camera: Best for now. Not for long

Source: techradar

One of the most noticeable changes in the note series is a triple rear camera setup (with an additional Tof sensor). Definitely, the most welcomed additions is the ultra-wide-angle camera. The phone also comes with a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The ultra-wide camera helps capture a much wider image than any other major flagship phone at the moment.

Have a triple rear camera setup, along with the time-of-flight sensor(will discuss below) gives the Note users a lot of flexibility to adapt to various situations. The quality of the photos taken is excellent, and the colours are vivid, just like what you can expect from a typical Samsung camera. Note 10+ is at its best while shooting in bright light or if you want to capture a wide landscape (ultra-wide lens). The phone also has a night mode, but it definitely not as good as the Pixel 3 XL in low-light scenarios. However, it is a much-needed improvement over last years note 9.

The time-of-flight sensor is essentially used to improve the depth effects of the camera, which should fundamentally help you get better portrait mode shots. Another very useful feature to some or just another gimmick to the other is AR doodling. This works exactly how it sounds as it allows users to draw in the air. The camera will accurately capture the exact placements of the drawings, and that image will continue to be there during the entire video or even a photo. The time-of-flight sensor also enables 3D scanning of objects that lets you turn real objects into 3D images. You can then literally 3D print these 3D images or even use them as Augmented Reality images that replicate a person’s exact movements. For example, if a friend of yours is dancing, you can use this AR emoji to copy the exact steps of your friend. This is a cool party trick and definitely a gimmick, but I do see some useful advantages if you have a 3D printer.

One major drawback in the Note 10+ is the front-facing camera. Don’t get me wrong, it does a really good job in taking photos, and the image quality is great. However, by having only one front-facing camera as opposed to two on the S10+, Samsung did downgrade in this phone. Nevertheless, it does take excellent photos, and you will not have any issues in the colour or dynamic range, even on the front facing selfie camera.

Samsung unquestionably has improved a lot in its video department. They introduced video stabilisation to the Note series, and it is possibly the best in the industry. Even while running and shooting, the video manages to be extremely stable and captures everything with extreme precision. This is an amazing feature that can be used in a large number of situations. Another exciting feature that Samsung added is Zoom-in-mic. When you zoom into an object, zoom-in-mic focuses the sound or voice from that particular section and will block out the rest of the noise like traffic or construction noises. This feature can come in handy during concerts or even recording a street performance, for example. Samsung’s inbuilt technology now lets you combine and edit multiple videos immediately on the go. With the S pen, this features is much easier because of the much better precision with the stylus. You can record videos at 4K 30 fps or 1080p 60 fps that lets you actually make the best videos in a smartphone at the moment along with the iPhone XS. You can also use Live focus for videos as well that allows you to take Bokeh videos with different effects. In theory, it is a really cool feature that a lot of people will enjoy. However, it doesn’t seem to have the best edge detection yet but hopefully, Samsung fixes it with a few software updates.

Overall, the camera is impressive but in my opinion, will be surpassed by the upcoming iPhone 11 (or whatever they call it) and the Pixel 4. However, it is a great camera and definitely checks all the boxes in terms of image quality, wide-angle photos and videos. The camera of the Note 10+ is probably the least exciting aspect of the phone.

Camera score: 8.5/10

5) Special features: The reasons why the note is a note.

S Pen: This is easily the most iconic feature that makes the Note series standout from literally any other phone in the market. Some people use this stylus every single day whereas some use it in the first week and forget about it. Nevertheless, the S pen is there, and it does add a lot of additional functionality that the rest of the phones can’t bring to the table. This year’s S pen has all the features that the previous Note 9 had like Bluetooth functionality that helps in using the stylus to take photos or use it as a powerpoint clicker. However, this year, Samsung focused on something called ‘air actions’ which are essentially gesture navigation with the S pen that you can use in various apps like camera, powerpoint, etc. These air actions can be used to swipe between modes in the camera, or zoom in or out from a distance or simply take a photo by clicking the button. This may seem like a gimmick but can actually be very useful in taking group photos or placing the phone on a tripod and using only the S pen to control it. Since the Note 10+ has an enormous 6.8-inch screen, it makes it hard to reach the phone while taking a photo and this is another functional use of S pens air actions. Samsung also included handwriting recognition and the ability to convert handwriting to text. The handwriting recognition is really accurate and can be used to find notes just by searching for keywords that you remember.

Multi-tasking: In my opinion, multi-tasking has always been better on Samsung than any other mobile device. One of the most useful features is split-screen, which is there on most android phones, but Samsung takes it up a notch. You can make a pop-up of an app which essentially converts it into a window cutout (like in a laptop or PC) that is then placed over another app or a screen immediately. This feature or the split-screen are notably handy when you have to copy an email address from one app to other or look at the information on a browser and continue typing in notes or to do any of that multiple application work. Using the S pen, Samsung lets you minimise an app completely that comes back to its original size when you hover the S pen over that mini screen. This S pen feature is also beneficial when you are typing something in one app and have to look at information on another app continuously.

Other features: A very useful feature that Samsung has in its phones is one-handed mode that allows users to use their massive screens easily with one hand. You can also pin an app to the screen in Samsung phones that allow you to give the phone to your friends or colleagues without having a fear of them going to other personal apps. Samsung is known to have lots of customisation features, and that tradition continues in the Note 10+ as well. It lets you make the phone just the way you like it from choosing different themes/app icons to changing home screen settings to the always-on display. Samsung gives you a choice, and that is one of the most unique features of the brand and the Note 10+. You can also remap the power key to launch any app or even the dreadful Bixby. Another very unique feature exclusive to Samsung flagships is Dex that lets you convert your mobile phone into a desktop experience by merely connecting the Note 10+ to a Mac or PC via the USB C cable. This can be useful if you want to access some mobile apps on a big screen or even transfer data from one device to the other. It does seem like work in progress but does show a lot of potential in future updates. Samsung also collaborated with Microsoft to let you connect your Note 10+ to a Windows PC wirelessly. This enables you to receive notifications and reply using to your conversations through the actual computer. This definitely is useful for people at work or university that want to just to use one device and don’t want to keep checking their phone.

Special features score: 9.5/10

Overall, the latest Samsung flagship has definitely met its expectations if not crossed them. It is definitely worth purchasing the Note 10+ if you are upgrading from anything before the note 9 (which was definitely the best overall phone of 2018). But that being said, if you have the S10 or S10+ it is not worth spending 1099 USD (1699 AUD) for the note 10+. The Note 10+ has the best of everything and checks all the boxes required to be a great smartphone in 2019 with a beautiful display, extremely fast wired and wireless charging, massive battery, mindblowing specs and an excellent camera.

Overall Score: 9.4/10