Looks like Samsung’s premium Note lineup is facing a huge change. When Note 9 was released, it retained the same slim, boxy design with no notch to boot on the Note 8. But with the latest trend in smartphones, like pinhole cameras, no headphone jacks, and even going as far as removing all physical buttons (ahem! Vivo APEX), it seems like the upcoming Note 10 (and Note 10 Pro) will omit and change a few things that made the Note series a desirable phone.
READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 second opinion review: Two Months After The Hype
Table of Contents
Design
Now that Olixar, a UK-based website retailer, released its official cases for the Note 10 and Note 10 Pro, we have a better look of the upcoming device. For one, the bezels are nearly non-existent. With no noticeable speakers on the thin forehead, the chin is said to be as thin as Apple’s iPhone Xs Max. There’s also a centered-pinhole selfie camera. And whether it’s the standard or pro variant, the curved screen stays.
One of the biggest difference here is the camera placement on the back — moving to a vertical position, a la Huawei P30 Pro (more on that later). Based on the images, it seems like the power button and volume rocker will stay, albeit on the left side. As for the Bixby button, it’s nowhere to be found. It’s hard to confirm if there’s a headphone jack but this is likely the case, due to the small cutout on the bottom. While one can argue it’s for the s-pen, the pen is typically found on the far-right side. But do take this with a grain of salt.
Cameras
Starting with the selfie camera, Samsung looks to introduce a centered-pinhole selfie sensor for symmetry. Unlike the Galaxy S10 series wherein the selfie cameras are on the top-right corner. Furthermore, it will lack the secondary depth sensor found on the S10+.
On the back, we are looking at three cameras for both models. Most likely comprising of — telephoto, ultrawide, and main lens with three-level variable aperture. Yep, apparently, it’s said to go from f1.5 to f1.8 and f2.4. Based on Olixar’s images, the pro model has two more shooters below the LED flash — this could possibly be a ToF sensor.
READ: Why Samsung, Google, and Apple are not using large MP cameras
Screen
This is the first time we are getting two variants of a Note series. While details are blurry at the moment, we are hearing that the non-pro model will sport the same display size as Note 9 at 6.4″. While the pro model will be around 6.7″, a tad bigger than the Xs Max.
With no earpiece, as mentioned earlier, the screen is said to vibrate to emit sound.
S-Pen
Although the S-pen is the defining feature of the Note series, it’s the least talked about as we get closer to the official announcement of Note 10. The last thing we heard about the new s-pen is the added camera functionality. Yep, just like in the movies.
Of course, 5G
Since the Galaxy S10 series has a 5G model, we don’t see a reason why the Note 10 series wouldn’t have it. We could see a third model of the Note 10, and it might be dubbed as Note 10 Pro 5G, for all we know.
Specs
We can expect the same Exynos 9820 on the S10 series and the Snapdragon 855 from Qualcomm to be running the Note 10 series. While it’s almost sure that storage offerings might start at 256GB and go up to 1TB, and might be paired with at least 8GB RAM and up to 12GB, the very fast UFS 3.0 storage on the OnePlus 7 Pro is doubtful.
Battery-wise, the Note 10 standard model is said to come with only 3400mAh. While the pro model will feature 4000mAh and 4500mAh for the 5G model.
Price and Release Date
Talking about the release date, the Note 10 series is expected to be announced this August 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As for the price, we have a guess that it’d start at P50,000.
READ: Samsung Galaxy S10 5G ties Huawei P30 Pro on DxOMark Best Camera Ranking
