Oh, Samsung. It’s already the eve of the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 at the Unpacked press conference in Brooklyn, New York City, but we’re already coming into it like we’ve already known the thing for some time now.
This was made possible thanks to various leaks that have been plaguing the Internet for months now (much to our collective benefit, of course) — straight from the Korean tech giant’s own official images. We already know what it looks like, so this time out, we’re taking a look at what sorcery their new tablet phone is capable of.
First and foremost, the handy-dandy S Pen stylus will once again come with the Galaxy Note 10. A staple for all Galaxy Notes so far, this new iteration of the S Pen reportedly comes with significant upgrades, including the ability to perform air gestures to issue remote commands to the Galaxy Note 10, a remote shutter button for taking pictures, as well as “precision clipping” for all your editing needs.
Another interesting new addition will be what is called the “Superfast Charge”, which is essentially an upgraded version of fast-charging that is present within current AAA smartphones, clocking in at an impressive 65W. Apparently, this allows for minutes-long charging only, and when combined with the reported 4,500mAh battery on the Galaxy Note 10 (according to Techradar), we’re talking a virtually uninterrupted day of using it, with very little downtime needed to charge it.
It is also rumoured that the Galaxy Note 10 will come with not one, but two time-of-flight cameras. This allows you to take clearer photos than before, in virtually any light condition, due to the intelligent depth-sensing capabilities that the TOF cameras possess. We’re not sure exactly what the differences between these two TOF cameras are, but we’re thinking one is situated on the front, and another on the rear.
In terms of processing power, the Galaxy Note 10 is slated to pack a lot more punch, with a new Exynos 9825 SoC processor, that reportedly comes with a 7nm chip that can go up to 2.7GHz, which matches that of the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. Regardless of whether the Note 10 comes with the Exynos or the Qualcomm one, we’re definitely looking at arguably the most powerful Samsung smartphone to date.
Cool new features aside, arguably one of the most questionable “upgrades” (if you can even consider this an upgrade) that will be present on the Galaxy Note 10 will be the notable omission of a 3.5mm audio jack in favour of the sole USB-C input, as confirmed by The Verge.
The lack of audio jacks have been present in recent smartphone lines, with Apple being the pioneer among them and Huawei following suit. Many used to flock to Samsung for the sole purpose of it staunchly going against the grain and keeping that 3.5mm jack on. The Galaxy Note 10 will now be the first Samsung smartphone to come without one, and it may no doubt raise many eyebrows. And as a nail in the coffin, Samsung is reportedly releasing a 3.5mm dongle to pacify these consumers. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to include a 3.5mm jack in the first place now, would it?
In any case, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 comes in several variants. They are:
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (standard)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus (6.8” display, larger than the standard’s 6.3”)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 5G (potential, but shouldn’t come as a surprise since the Samsung Galaxy S10 came with a 5G version as well)
As for colours, the Galaxy Note 10 will come in several “aura” colours, including “Aura Glow” (basically a bluish aurora-like finish that apes that of the Huawei P30 Pro’s), “Aura White” and “Aura Black”. However, these might not be the only colours that will be launched, with leaked images of red and green — and even pink — variants circling the Internet as well. But of course, expect to see some of these colours to be exclusive to certain regions.
Green 
Pink
Of course, while we can harp on about what we’d like to see in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, we’re not more than half a day until the Unpacked press conference. But from what we’ve seen so far from the leaks, the Galaxy Note 10 is shaping up to be a marked improvement from its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 9, in virtually all aspects. Just maybe except for that lack of a 3.5mm jack.
Specifications (speculative)
| Models | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus |
| OS | Android 9 (Pie) | Android 9 (Pie) |
| Processor | Exynos 9825 Octa-core chipset / Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset | Exynos 9825 Octa-core chipset / Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset |
| Storage / Memory | 128GB – 256GB / Up to 6GB RAM | 256GB – 512GB / Up to 12GB RAM |
| Display | 6.3″, Dynamic AMOLED, FHD+ Infinity display, 19:9 aspect ratio (1440 x 3040) Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | 6.8″, Dynamic AMOLED, QHD+ Infinity display, 19:9 aspect ratio (1440 x 3040) Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Camera | 12MP Wide-Angle, 12MP Time-of-Flight, 16MP Ultra Wide-Angle | 12MP Wide-Angle, 12MP Time-of-Flight, 16MP Ultra Wide-Angle |
| Battery | 3,800mAh | 4,500mAh |
| Special Features | Superfast Charge (possibly up to 65W) S Pen Customisable Bixby button Audio Zoom | Superfast Charge (possibly up to 65W) S Pen Customisable Bixby button Audio Zoom |
| Dimensions | 151 x 72 x 7.9mm | 162.6 x 77.4 x 7.9mm |
| Colours | Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Glow, Red, Green, Pink | Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Glow, Red, Green, Pink |
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Trinity Sun
Si Jia
Edwin Teo
