What’s changed between the two Notes?
After months of leaks and rumors, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus is now official. There’s quite a large number of changes from the previous generation, chief of which is the fact that the Galaxy Note 10 now comes in two flavors instead of one. Let’s dive in!
Two variants VS One fits more hands
Samsung’s Galaxy Notes have always been big phones which hasn’t always been a good thing, especially for people with smaller mitts. This year’s Galaxy Note thankfully comes in two variants: the regular 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 10 which fits in most people’s hands, and an even bigger Note 10 Plus with a 6.8-inch display.
A redesigned body that makes it easier to hold the phone one handed
One of the most striking changes from last year’s model is the redesigned body of the Galaxy Note 10. Samsung has refined the overall shape and thickness of the new phones to make them easier to hold, which makes them easier to wrangle one-handed.
Using a Galaxy Note one-handed has never been a particularly easy task, but the new Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are designed in a way that we never worried about the phones slipping from our hands, even with one-handed use. That’s not something we can say about the Galaxy Note 9.
Three (and four) cameras instead of two
There’s no going around it – the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus have more cameras on their rear compared to the Note 9. The Note 9 has a dual-camera array with a regular shooter and an optical zoom unit, while the Galaxy Note 10 has three, while the Galaxy Note 10 Plus has four. Since the new Note 10s have more cameras on their rear, users have more photographic tools in their disposal when it comes to snapping photos.
Faster processor plus tons of RAM and storage
It’s no surprise that the Galaxy Note 10 and 10 Plus comes with faster processors than the previous generation. What is surprising though is that they have way more RAM and storage compared to last year’s model. The standard Galaxy Note 9 only came with 128GB of storage, while the regular Galaxy Note 10 comes with twice as much storage space, at 256GB. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus can have as much as 512GB.
The increased storage space come at a price though, since the new Notes no longer come with expandable storage capabilities.
Smaller bezels and sharper displays, though at the expense of an ugly camera cutout
As far as display technologies go, the Galaxy Note 10 trumps the older Galaxy Note 9. While the Note 9 has an impressive Super AMOLED panel, the new Note 10 smartphones have an even better Dynamic AMOLED displays.
The Note 9 has a similar screen size compared to the regular Note 10 (6.4-inches VS 6.3-inches), though both are dwarfed by the Note 10 Plus’ 6.8-inch display.
One thing that really sets the Note 9 apart compared to the new phones is the addition of that totally distracting, ugly central cut-out where the selfie camera sits for the Galaxy Note 10. The Galaxy Note 9, while sporting thicker bezels than the newer phones, don’t use a notch or cutouts on the display.
Super fast charging speeds
While the Galaxy Note 9 has a bigger battery compared to the smaller Note 10, the new Notes have astoundingly fast charging capabilities that frankly leave the old model in the dust. The 45W fast charging capability for the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus means that they’ll be fully charged way before the Note 9 even hits the halfway mark when charging.
A mightier S-pen
Samsung has introduced quite a number of new tricks in the S-Pen this time around, giving the Galaxy Note 10 and 10 Plus’ stylus a 6-axis gyro that detects movement. That allows users to control the Galaxy Note 10 and 10 Plus’ screen without having to touch it.
