The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus: A Hands-On Review

As I held the phone in my hand, I was struck by its sleek design. The device is slightly larger than previous models, with a six point eight inch screen that's almost as large as the S 10 5g's six point seven inch display. However, despite its size, the resolution is still the same, which might result in only a couple of pixels being gained due to the unique Infinity-O display with a single cutout.

One thing that sets the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus apart from their predecessors is their design. The vertical cameras on the back are a notable feature, and the device's shape gives it a distinctive look. However, this design also means that adding a case might be tricky, as it would need to fit snugly around the phone's curves.

I've only had a few minutes with the Galaxy Note 10, and it's already making me question my decision to stick with the Note 8 for so long. The device has some really cool features, but there are also some things that might make me regret my choice. One of the biggest drawbacks is the lack of a microSD card slot in the standard model. As someone who uses up space quickly, this is a major issue for me. I'm not sure why Samsung decided to remove this feature, especially since it was present in previous models.

Another thing that's changed with the Note 10 is the absence of a headphone jack. Now, I'm not a huge fan of using wired headphones on my phone - most of my devices use Bluetooth, and I've got plenty of wireless earbuds to keep me company. However, having to carry around a dongle might be a bit inconvenient for some people. On the other hand, the device does come with wireless audio capabilities, which is nice.

The software features on the Note 10 are definitely impressive. Samsung has added some new gestures and animations that make it easy to use the device. However, one thing that's not entirely clear is how these features will be supported in older devices like my Note 8. Will I ever be able to take advantage of the gesture support and other new features? Only time will tell.

One feature that does seem to be included in both the standard and Plus models is Air Actions. This allows me to use gestures to interact with the device - for example, I can zoom in or switch between cameras by making a specific motion on the screen. It's a nice touch, but I'm not entirely sure how it will work in practice.

In terms of battery life, both devices seem to perform well. However, one thing that might be worth considering is the network compatibility issues that some users have reported with the 5G model. If you're planning on switching from an older device or carrier, this might be something to keep in mind.

Overall, I'm still not entirely won over by the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus. While it has a lot of cool features and a sleek design, there are also some things that make me question its value. Whether or not you'll want one of these devices depends on your specific needs and preferences - for me, I think I need to spend more time with the phone before making a decision.

If you're interested in learning more about the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus, check out our video review with Jess Tomlinson. We've got a link to that right here.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome to a special episode of Alphabet City on my exact turn here with the note 10 and the note 10 plus that's right we're at the Samsung event you want to know about all the specs check out our deep dive we'll have the link in the description this is all going to be about the perspective of a note user that's me I use a note 8 every single day we receive the note 10 or the plus makes a believer out of me one of the first things I notice about the brand new note is how small it is Samsung has cut off the bezels off the top and the bottom they're really really tiny in fact this note 10 is on top of eighth notes 9 you can see that there's a very similar screen size in note 9 as a six point four inch screen the note 10 has a six point three inch screen they're running the same resolution what's even more insane is the note 10 plus which is underneath the note 9 they're about the same size Samsung crammed is six point eight inch screen and essentially the same form factor as the note 9 and I'm telling you it looks spectacular the distinguishing feature of any note is the S Pen and of course there is an S Pen in the note 10 this is a 10 plus right here their support for air gesture so you can switch cameras and things I don't think that's gonna make me want to buy it they added these kinds of new features of the S Pen again note 9 the button became a remote that didn't get me to go from an 8 to a 9 I don't think I knew this air gesture stuff's going to work either's oh that's the reason you get a note 10 but this it still feels like the note I was playing around in the drawing apps it feels right and the weird thing is Samsung is positioned the no tenth as this work play device a very different kind of look compared to the old days of the productivity machine I'm going to keep playing around with the stylus to see how prepares for the older ones Triana the stylist we're going to open up a new note there's a new Notes app which is supposed to be a lot smarter than the older one talking to Sam Simon see if those features are coming to older devices they could not speak to that now in theory I'm supposed to be able to take my handwritten text and turn it into text in a word document so I mean it's save on this I'm gonna go to my view all notes see my shopping list now in theory to be able to make it a Microsoft Word file there it is shopping list monkey chatter and shoes now that's pretty important because that is a weird list Samsung did not try to figure out what did you mean by that it said hey look I know that you wanted monthly cheddar and shoes on your shopping list they converted my handwriting which I didn't have to like learn it's hand running it learned my handwriting so my handwritten notes become editable text okay this hand right into actual editable text that's a huge deal for someone like me I take tons and tons of notes which are not searchable on my note 8 and it drives me nuts so this kind of feature would actually get me interested in a note 10 I did ask Samsung hey is this new Notes app with this new feature coming to older notes they could not tell me and if I had to guess I would say no because they want me to buy this thing and it's pretty cool three generations of s-pen now maybe in this job you can't really tell what the differences are between them but since I write a lot with my s-pen the note eights we've got a very thin kind of plasticky almost bendy kind of feel to it the note 9 is a bit sturdier but a little bit more flat and we'll see the note tents and s-pen you get a nice mix of the both wears a big rounded and a little bit more flat but it's definitely sturdy in the hand could be a function being brand-new but it is a slight improvement when it comes to the actual feel of the s-pen all right guys in my hand right now the largest screened note that's ever existed this is the note 10 plus with a six point eight inch screen which is just enormous it's actually the biggest thing you get on a Samsung device right now because it just toppled the S 10 5g which had a six point seven inch screen the here's a weird thing though they both have the same screen resolution so if you think of a bigger phone bigger screen yeah technically it's larger but the resolution is the same now you might gain a couple of pixels because this infinity o display only has this one cutout versus the pill-shaped that's on the 5g things are a bit hectic in here you won't believe it I've got another phone with them no 10 Plus this is the Huawei p30 proed you can see when it comes to styling they're kind of similar you get the vertical cameras on the back you've got these really funky looking designs they move with the lights now will you ever see that when you put a case on this beat oval phone I don't know maybe you want a clear case but this definitely gives it a distinguishing feature that wasn't on the older notes all right I've only had a few minutes with the Galaxy Note 2 10 and 10 plus it's gonna get me to change up from the notes 8 that I've had for such a long time well you know look it's definitely pretty it's got some really cool points to it but there's a lot of reason why we look at the 10 plus over the 10 itself there's a micro SD card slot in this and I definitely need that I use up space like a monster I'm not sure exactly why lots of movies 4k videos all that kind of stuff is on my know days if I went with a 10 there's no expansion I'm not a big fan of that now all the new notes don't have the headphone jack compared to my old note 8 now in this reality how often do I use wired headphones with my phone not very often I have lots of wireless headphones at this point I have backup pairs because there's so many devices that use bluetooth so am I willing to let it go maybe if I have to keep the dongle on me that's something else there are some really cool features when it comes to the note 10 with its software the question is whether Samson will take those software features and bring them to older notes now as mine is the note 8 it probably won't get updates does that means you buy the note 9 at a discount maybe that could be something you want to do when the note 10 comes out you're looking at discounts on the note 9 so definitely take a look at our full reviews on the note 9 and see why it could still be a good deal for you Samsung added some gee-whiz features with the note 10 and it's actual stylists you have gestures air gestures so if I want to zoom in I can make a little swirly if I want to switch cameras I can do that too is that going to run against the pixel for yes that's gonna have gesture support for their totally different animals pixel four is using radar to track your movements the note ten and ten plus is using this device you lose this device you lose your gesture support do you like that because I don't really care for then again will I ever use gesture support on a note ten probably not I'm not really sure who that's for all of that being said somebody under note eight or a nine switch to the 10 maybe I say it's easy to go eight to ten if you're going to get a 10 for 5g I suggest not doing it at least in the US and network is a kind of a mess you don't know if the device is going to war from carrier to carrier so if you want to switch you might not actually be able to use your phone wouldn't that be fun now look I'm not gonna go with the note 10 I need to spend a lot more time with this device all the bells all the whistles even this shiny that's awesome but it didn't win me over on its face I need to know more about the phone if you want to know more about the notes 10 and a note 10 plus check out Jess tell courts video we've got a link to that I Maya as act are gonna spend more time with my note 10thwelcome to a special episode of Alphabet City on my exact turn here with the note 10 and the note 10 plus that's right we're at the Samsung event you want to know about all the specs check out our deep dive we'll have the link in the description this is all going to be about the perspective of a note user that's me I use a note 8 every single day we receive the note 10 or the plus makes a believer out of me one of the first things I notice about the brand new note is how small it is Samsung has cut off the bezels off the top and the bottom they're really really tiny in fact this note 10 is on top of eighth notes 9 you can see that there's a very similar screen size in note 9 as a six point four inch screen the note 10 has a six point three inch screen they're running the same resolution what's even more insane is the note 10 plus which is underneath the note 9 they're about the same size Samsung crammed is six point eight inch screen and essentially the same form factor as the note 9 and I'm telling you it looks spectacular the distinguishing feature of any note is the S Pen and of course there is an S Pen in the note 10 this is a 10 plus right here their support for air gesture so you can switch cameras and things I don't think that's gonna make me want to buy it they added these kinds of new features of the S Pen again note 9 the button became a remote that didn't get me to go from an 8 to a 9 I don't think I knew this air gesture stuff's going to work either's oh that's the reason you get a note 10 but this it still feels like the note I was playing around in the drawing apps it feels right and the weird thing is Samsung is positioned the no tenth as this work play device a very different kind of look compared to the old days of the productivity machine I'm going to keep playing around with the stylus to see how prepares for the older ones Triana the stylist we're going to open up a new note there's a new Notes app which is supposed to be a lot smarter than the older one talking to Sam Simon see if those features are coming to older devices they could not speak to that now in theory I'm supposed to be able to take my handwritten text and turn it into text in a word document so I mean it's save on this I'm gonna go to my view all notes see my shopping list now in theory to be able to make it a Microsoft Word file there it is shopping list monkey chatter and shoes now that's pretty important because that is a weird list Samsung did not try to figure out what did you mean by that it said hey look I know that you wanted monthly cheddar and shoes on your shopping list they converted my handwriting which I didn't have to like learn it's hand running it learned my handwriting so my handwritten notes become editable text okay this hand right into actual editable text that's a huge deal for someone like me I take tons and tons of notes which are not searchable on my note 8 and it drives me nuts so this kind of feature would actually get me interested in a note 10 I did ask Samsung hey is this new Notes app with this new feature coming to older notes they could not tell me and if I had to guess I would say no because they want me to buy this thing and it's pretty cool three generations of s-pen now maybe in this job you can't really tell what the differences are between them but since I write a lot with my s-pen the note eights we've got a very thin kind of plasticky almost bendy kind of feel to it the note 9 is a bit sturdier but a little bit more flat and we'll see the note tents and s-pen you get a nice mix of the both wears a big rounded and a little bit more flat but it's definitely sturdy in the hand could be a function being brand-new but it is a slight improvement when it comes to the actual feel of the s-pen all right guys in my hand right now the largest screened note that's ever existed this is the note 10 plus with a six point eight inch screen which is just enormous it's actually the biggest thing you get on a Samsung device right now because it just toppled the S 10 5g which had a six point seven inch screen the here's a weird thing though they both have the same screen resolution so if you think of a bigger phone bigger screen yeah technically it's larger but the resolution is the same now you might gain a couple of pixels because this infinity o display only has this one cutout versus the pill-shaped that's on the 5g things are a bit hectic in here you won't believe it I've got another phone with them no 10 Plus this is the Huawei p30 proed you can see when it comes to styling they're kind of similar you get the vertical cameras on the back you've got these really funky looking designs they move with the lights now will you ever see that when you put a case on this beat oval phone I don't know maybe you want a clear case but this definitely gives it a distinguishing feature that wasn't on the older notes all right I've only had a few minutes with the Galaxy Note 2 10 and 10 plus it's gonna get me to change up from the notes 8 that I've had for such a long time well you know look it's definitely pretty it's got some really cool points to it but there's a lot of reason why we look at the 10 plus over the 10 itself there's a micro SD card slot in this and I definitely need that I use up space like a monster I'm not sure exactly why lots of movies 4k videos all that kind of stuff is on my know days if I went with a 10 there's no expansion I'm not a big fan of that now all the new notes don't have the headphone jack compared to my old note 8 now in this reality how often do I use wired headphones with my phone not very often I have lots of wireless headphones at this point I have backup pairs because there's so many devices that use bluetooth so am I willing to let it go maybe if I have to keep the dongle on me that's something else there are some really cool features when it comes to the note 10 with its software the question is whether Samson will take those software features and bring them to older notes now as mine is the note 8 it probably won't get updates does that means you buy the note 9 at a discount maybe that could be something you want to do when the note 10 comes out you're looking at discounts on the note 9 so definitely take a look at our full reviews on the note 9 and see why it could still be a good deal for you Samsung added some gee-whiz features with the note 10 and it's actual stylists you have gestures air gestures so if I want to zoom in I can make a little swirly if I want to switch cameras I can do that too is that going to run against the pixel for yes that's gonna have gesture support for their totally different animals pixel four is using radar to track your movements the note ten and ten plus is using this device you lose this device you lose your gesture support do you like that because I don't really care for then again will I ever use gesture support on a note ten probably not I'm not really sure who that's for all of that being said somebody under note eight or a nine switch to the 10 maybe I say it's easy to go eight to ten if you're going to get a 10 for 5g I suggest not doing it at least in the US and network is a kind of a mess you don't know if the device is going to war from carrier to carrier so if you want to switch you might not actually be able to use your phone wouldn't that be fun now look I'm not gonna go with the note 10 I need to spend a lot more time with this device all the bells all the whistles even this shiny that's awesome but it didn't win me over on its face I need to know more about the phone if you want to know more about the notes 10 and a note 10 plus check out Jess tell courts video we've got a link to that I Maya as act are gonna spend more time with my note 10th\n"