Samsung Galaxy Note 10 & 10+ hands-on: No headphone jack, no problem

I've been saying it for years: the Galaxy Note line is getting so close to the Galaxy S line that it's struggling to stand out. All of Samsung's phones are great, so it's tough to keep finding unique things to make the Note greater.
Being a consistent leader in so many areas and ultimately becoming a victim of your own success is a fine problem to have. And serving a customer base of diehard Galaxy Note fans ready to buy anything with an S Pen isn't something that happens overnight. But it's a big responsibility to keep serving them.
Outside of leaning on the S Pen, what can Samsung do to keep the Galaxy Note on a pedestal as its latest and greatest device that's leading the smartphone world?
I've been ruminating on that question for a week since spending time with the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ — here's where I stand so far.
Galaxy Note 10 The basics
Samsung has taken its highly profitable strategy of launching multiple Galaxy S devices at different sizes and applied it to the Note line. So now in addition to the Galaxy S10+, S10 and S10e, we have a Galaxy Note 10+ and Note 10. Like the Galaxy S series, the basics are shared between the Note 10 and 10+, but let's break down the specifics.
Both phones are built with the same design, materials and proportions, but are obviously different sizes. The Note 10 has a 6.3-inch display and the 10+ a 6.8-inch; both are the same quality Dynamic AMOLED panels, but the Note 10 is 2280x1080 resolution while the 10+ is 3040x1440. Both run a Snapdragon 855 processor (or Exynos 9825 globally), but the Note 10 pairs it with 8GB of RAM while the 10+ has 12GB.
The highly profitable strategy of launching multiple Galaxy S devices arrives on the Note line.
You get 256GB of base storage on both, but the Note 10+ has an option for 512GB. Both have the same S Pen and stylus features. They have the same cameras, aside from an additional depth-sensing rear camera on the 10+. The Note 10 charges at a maximum of 25W wired and 12W wireless, but the 10+ bumps that to 45W wired and 15W wireless.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ specs
Got it? Good. Now I can get into everything shared between the phones in how they feel and what they bring to the table.
Galaxy Note 10 Hardware, display and design
The Note 10 series absolutely presents itself differently than the S10, and it's noticeable from the moment you pick one up. Like previous Notes the 10 is more boxy, angular and sharp. There's just enough metal around the top, bottom and sides to give you that little dose of cold-to-the-touch quality, but with curved sides and a sub-8 mm thickness this is substantially a glass-in-hand experience. Samsung's build quality is well-known at this point, and it's still excellent here; you have no questions about whether this a phone worthy of the money — yes, even at $950 to $1100.
The Note 10+ is a perfect combination of all of Samsung's hardware capabilities.
By bifurcating its Note line, Samsung got to show off two different tricks: making the Note 10+ the same basic size as the Note 9, but with a larger screen, while making the Note 10 with the Note 9's screen size in a smaller body.
The Note 10+ is frankly huge, and many people will find its combination of size, weight and shape to be unwieldy. As long as you accept the trade-off you're rewarded with a massive screen, but you have to be ready for a phone that's tough to use at times in one hand. The Note 10 is, by contrast, a reprieve: it's actually smaller than the Galaxy S10+, and if you can imagine it's even smaller than the Note 3 (released in 2013, you'll recall). Getting this size and quality of screen, plus cutting-edge design and the S Pen, in a more compact package is enticing. And that could finally open up the Note line to people who refused previous models for their size alone.
Samsung finally stopped compromising the power button placement for the sake of the Bixby button.
Repositioning of the power button about midway down the left side of the phone, underneath the volume rocker, feels incredibly awkward at first, because I've spent years forcing myself to remember that that was the Bixby button and I never wanted to touch it. But after using the Note 10 and 10+ for even a short period of time, picking up my Galaxy S10+ I immediately missed the Note 10's power button placement.
And to clarify the button situation: a single press of the power button acts as you'd expect, with a double press launching the camera, and a long press launching Bixby. You can, however, make that long press return to the power/restart menu, disabling Bixby in the process.
The new colors are great as a group, but my goodness "Aura Glow" is the one that takes your breath away. This hyper-mirrored finish looks like a different color in every lighting and angle combination, shifting from orange to blue to green to yellow and everything in between. It makes the white, black and blue models feel mundane by comparison, but they have their own charm. The white is simple, the black is more of a deep charcoal color, and the blue is a few shades darker than what was available on the Note 9. All three are still plenty shiny, but they thankfully aren't nearly as crazy with soaking up fingerprints as Aura Glow.
Sadly most Note 10s will find their way into a case; but even when they do, you get to enjoy a gorgeous new display. Having tiny bezels is a very nice visual effect, and what remains all fades away when the screen is on. Samsung just keeps further cementing its dominance in smartphone displays, and the latest panels are a treat.
It's tough to find new ways to explain just how good these screens look. Viewing angles, colors, brightness and every other metric are just top-of-the-heap. Yes, the Note 10 is "only" 1080p, but I couldn't tell the difference. Your eyes will be happy with either screen. Both also have a new central hole punch cutout for the front-facing camera, which is roughly one-quarter the size of the Galaxy S10+. I far prefer the central location, and considering how generally useless the secondary "wide" camera was on the S10+ I don't mind losing it.
In my brief time with the phones, I didn't have time to set up and use the in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, but Samsung is making no claim of improvement over the S10 series. That's unfortunate because the S10's sensor wasn't great to begin with, and has since been surpassed by other in-screen sensors like the one on the OnePlus 7 Pro. It'll get the job done, though — and it's far better than trying to shoehorn it on the side of the phone or in an awkward position on the back.
Say goodbye to the headphone jack and SD card slot
Yes, Samsung has removed the headphone jack from the Note 10 series. I'm not at all surprised that Samsung decided to drop the headphone jack from a flagship phone; I'm just shocked that it chose to do so with the Note rather than a Galaxy S release.
Missing this sort of feature in the phone that Samsung knows is for its most loyal and diehard fans — the ones who have stuck with Samsung, in many cases, just for these two hardware features — just doesn't make sense to me. Particularly a phone, in the Note 10+'s case, that's so massive and packed with every other feature and spec imaginable.
Samsung's stuck in the dagger just a little further by removing the SD card slot from the smaller Note 10, which also doesn't have a higher storage option than 256GB. The lack of both a headphone jack and SD card slot isn't going to sway my thoughts on the phone — I've been using a Pixel 3 XL without either just fine — but I know that these are make-or-break features for a lot of people.
I can at least give Samsung credit for one thing: it removed the headphone jack, and didn't make a deal about it. The port is gone, it includes USB-C headphones in the box, and didn't say a word about it. No "it takes courage" line to poke fun at here.
Galaxy Note 10 Software and features
The Note 10 introduces One UI 1.5, up from 1.1 on the latest Samsung phones, which isn't necessarily indicative of actual user interface changes as much as it just marks the addition of a bunch of disparate features. There are small tweaks in the camera with AR Doodle, improved video stabilization and Live Focus for video recording, plus an improved video editor with more powerful tools to cut together clips using the precise control of the S Pen.
Not much has changed on the software front — this is typical modern Samsung.
DeX can now run directly on a Windows or Mac computer over USB, which actually makes it considerably more useful if you need to regularly access your phone's apps and data. Just plug in your phone to a laptop, and you get a window with the DeX environment running just like it did before. You can also drag and drop (at least certain kinds of files) between the phone and computer. For a middle ground approach that doesn't pull up a full desktop interface, there's also Link to Windows — a utility that lets you mirror your messages, notifications, screen, and recent photos onto your Windows computer.
One UI 1.5 also brings a screen recorder function, which Samsung is targeting at gamers that want to record gameplay but works anywhere in the interface. You can turn on a front-facing camera picture-in-picture view while you record, and illustrate or annotate on the screen with the S Pen at the same time.
A huge charging upgrade
The Note 10 makes big strides in charging of all kinds. The Note 10+ supports 15W wireless charging, while the Note 10 matches the S10 with 12W wireless. Both support reverse wireless charging as well.
Samsung finally has charging speeds on the same level as the competition.
Wired charging is where things get very interesting: both phones support 25W wired charging, which is almost twice as fast as the last generation. And thankfully, Samsung is including a 25W charger in the box of both phones. The Note 10+ steps up further with support for 45W charging, which finally puts Samsung on equal footing with the competition.
Tossing a 45W charger in the box for this $1100 phone would've been a nice gesture, but just having support for something more than effectively Quick Charge 2.0 we've been relying on for years is wonderful. Samsung wasn't able to quote detailed charging numbers, but using a 45W charger you can expect to get upwards of 70% battery in 30 minutes.
The S Pen gets mightier
Samsung's Bluetooth-enabled S Pen from the Note 9 was seemingly popular, because it's being leveraged even more now. On top of just pressing the S Pen's button to perform functions, you can now hold the button and perform gestures to do even more. These "Air Actions" are usable across a variety of apps, just like the basic button presses — for example in the camera you can wave left/right to move between modes, twirl in a circle to zoom, and wave up/down to switch between cameras.
Samsung once again is making an SDK available for developers to integrate Air Actions into their apps, but I'm not expecting many to do so. For now, Air Actions offer a similarly niche use-case to the other wireless features — they're neat, and some people will find a use for them here and there, but they don't make or break the Note experience. The S Pen's main function of being a precise input element is still the real draw. Nobody will see S Pen gestures and have that be the final addition that makes them use a Note.
Outside of Air Actions, Samsung has changed the look of Air Command but it interfaces with all of the same great apps as before. It has also added handwriting-to-text export for Microsoft Word, though, which is nice to see for the hardcore enterprise users out there. The S Pen's design has changed to be more ergonomic and balanced, and the button has moved up the stylus slightly to fit better under your thumb's usual placement. I found it natural and easy to jot notes or control the interface, even with my larger hands.
A familiar camera setup
My key disappointment with the Note 10 and 10+ is that they aren't pushing the envelope on camera quality. (Yes, that's more important than the headphone jack.) Using the same sensors, lenses and software as the S10 isn't necessarily disappointing (or surprising) in itself; but in phones that are so similar to the Galaxy S10 series in every other way and struggling to differentiate themselves, it would've been great to see bigger strides. And considering how similar the S10's cameras are to the Note 9 (and S9), there isn't even an appreciable improvement year-over-year outside of the new ultra-wide-angle option.
The Note 10's cameras will be consistently solid, just like the S10's, and the ultra-wide shooter in particular is one of the best available. But the shot-to-shot photo quality already isn't as good as phones like the Google Pixel 3 and Huawei P30 Pro, let alone the successors to those phones that are on the horizon. It would've been great to see Samsung add something to the camera experience outside of a gimmicky "AR Doodle" mode, video bokeh effects, and improved stabilization and audio while recording video. That's just not enough for phones that are supposed to be the absolute best in the market and show off Samsung's latest and greatest technology.
Galaxy Note 10 More to come
If you feel, like I do, that the Galaxy S10+ is the best Android phone you can buy at the moment, the Note 10+ just goes a step beyond it to take its place. Take everything the S10+ offers and turn it up a notch with a bigger display, larger battery, faster charging, and a few new capabilities.
The only area where the Note 10+ truly loses out is in comparative value. It's roughly $250 more than the S10+ (opens in new tab), and while it is better in many ways those improvements are mostly marginal. And in so many areas, like the cameras, it's the exact same. You get the S Pen of course, a slightly larger display, and more memory — but you're also losing a headphone jack in the process. Does that equate to $250 in added value? If you're a diehard S Pen fan, or a spec fiend that needs the latest and greatest at all times, it may be. Otherwise, probably not.
These are fantastic phones, but my excitement is tempered because the Galaxy S10 series is so great already.
The real conundrum for me is justifying the smaller Note 10. Yes, it has the latest design language with smaller bezels and a less-intrusive selfie camera, and it has an S Pen ... but that's it. Size-wise it lands between the Galaxy S10 and S10+, but it has a smaller battery than the latter. And in either case, it doesn't have the SD card slot or headphone jack. The rest of the experience is near-identical to an S10 or S10+. Choosing to buy a Note 10 relies even more on the requirement of having an S Pen — because if you at all doubt your stylus needs, there's no reason to buy it over an S10+.
Ahead of seeing the Note 10 and 10+, I was asking myself the question of what Samsung can do to justify the Note 10's existence when the Galaxy S10+ is already so great. From the perspective that there are still millions of Note fans who only want a Note, the 10 and 10+ bring enough to the table to justify the hype and are desirable upgrades within the line. But by sharing so much with the S10 line, and not bringing anything particularly new or exciting in the grand scheme of the smartphone world, the Note 10 and 10+ don't have what it takes to entice new people to join the ranks; most will be better off buying a less-expensive Galaxy S10. With the way the full Galaxy lineup looks as a complete set, Samsung doesn't mind.
The best smartphone Samsung makes.
It's a powerhouse of a phone that will do absolutely everything you want. Hardware, specs, display, features and cameras are all solid. And you get the S Pen. But you have to pay for it — so be sure that that's all what you want (and need) before choosing it over the S10+.
An S Pen in a more manageable package.
If you have been intrigued by Notes but ultimately skipped them because of their size, this may be the phone for you. A proper Samsung flagship, with the S Pen, in a size smaller than the Galaxy S10+. You just pay extra for the privilege.
Get the Android Central Newsletter
Instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.
-
No headphone jack means NO SALE -- for me anyways. Not that I am in the market for one of these anyways... I do own a Galaxy S8... I would be open to purchasing an Android phone without a headphone jack -- provided that Android phoe manufacturers can get their act together on a standardized USB C wired headsets...
-
And not one mention about if it has a speaker, 2 speakers, or something else?
-
No headphone jack - no problem Didn't you see what AC told you?
-
So... I should buy an instant pot and play fortnight?
-
What else are you gonna get? New Phones rarely have headphone Jacks now
-
Since the Oneplus 7 pro also doesnt have a headphone jack and has a better camera setup, I would go with the much cheaper Oneplus. It also doesn't have a hole in the head er screen
-
I'd be careful about going with the OnePlus for it's "camera" as the camera output will dissapoint you if that is your Go To over a Note 10. the pictures they take are not up to class leading standard, even compared to 2018 phones. buy it for the screen, the speed and the software, and look past the mediocre camera.
-
I can already tell you have not owned the op7 pro. I have the s10 plus, have tried the pixel 2xl and 3 xl. I can say it is already on the same field as those competitors especially with the recent update. Although its not better, it's definitely on the same playing field. I just hate it when people comment on topics involving two devices and not actually owning either of the device. SMH
-
I would definitely not say that the OnePlus 7 Pro has a better camera setup than the Note 10. The main camera is close, but not quite there. The wide and tele are way behind the Note's quality. And the front-facing camera isn't as good either.
-
Come on you know they are both subpar.. Installing the Google camera on one plus makes a beast.... Samsung smooths it's images too. Funny you've changed your stance on headphone jack.
-
Nothing. Biggest differentiators was the huge screen but they are at the point where they're competing with themselves now. Going monte is a waste of money. The SPen isn't good enough to justify the extra cash. Also, odd software restrictions. Can't do video with telephoto on Note 9. No more video Pro Mode (removed in update... ...). Overbearing beauty mode and camera noise reduction. I'll never touch another Android phone again, after this experience. Going straight back to Apple. Edit: Smaller Note 10 is an abysmal value proposition. Get a Note 9 I stead, if you want to go there. No 3.5mm, no SD Card Slot, less dense screen, smaller battery, very marginal camera improvements.. For $950, this makes the iPhone Xs look like a decent deal when you factor in Apples much stronger ecosystem and superior app store/quality.
-
You realize Samsung is in no way indicative of the general Android market, correct? They're not interchangeable terms.
-
Zachary is right; there are other phones with different capabilities. I bought the iPhone Xs about a week ago (Gold 64Gb on AT&T), and the HTC U12+ is still better.
-
The HTC has an awful ecosystem backing it (app quality, accessories, Interfacing with their other devices). Apple drives a huge amount of value from that. So I disagree. Samsung is the only thing on Android that is vaguely comparable.
-
Also, the resale value of Note devices tank out of the box, because they usually launch with aggressive promotions (i.e. BOGO, massive trade-in discounts) and then that is followed by aggressive sales. Apple never does this, so the resale value stays high. On Android, may people just wait until Black Friday and then buy at steep discounts, so when you resale, you're competing with a ton of people who bought the phone for HUNDREDS less than you, and therefore are willing to take that much less when they sale their phones off. 128GB Note 9 trade-in values are largely comparable to 64GB iPhone 8 Plus right now. The long term value proposition is awful, if you view the hardware as an investment - and you probably should, given how high the prices are these days... In a year, the Note 10 will probably be reselling at comparable prices to an iPhone X (maybe Xs), with the Xs Max selling for $150-200 more, on average; at lower storage capacities... And that's being bullish, because the camera is barely an improvement over the Note 9 - outside of the extra lens that most people will forget about in a month or so AC != The Real World... so spare me the guerilla marketing); and we all know what long term software support is like on Android (even more important for re-buyers than it is for those buying at release). The screen is not going to be considerably better to the average joe. The cameras will probably still be on par if not slightly worse (due to worse software driving it).
-
From your comments, I can just about guarantee that you've never used an HTC flagship, let alone owned one.
I've owned every iPhone since gen 2, and currently have the 6S, 7, XS, and XS Max.
As it stands right now, Apple does not make a phone that has quality audio or have the gaming capabilities I need, and even the photography experience of the XS Max has been meh. My oldest son is a professional photographer, and he's done shootouts with me and acknowledges the cameras on the U11 and U12+ are better than his iPhone. I have regular gaming sessions with a friend, and we sometimes have to pause because her iPhone overheats and locks up while the U12+ barely gets warm. It's also interesting that Apple has a licensing agreement with HTC for the rights to use HTC design elements, and also software features like Live Photos which is an HTC product. -
> Doesn't like a Samsung phone
> Despite multiple other manufacturers making Android phones makes conclusion that Samsung = Android and Android = Bad
> Goes back to Apple Very good logic there. -
The regular Note 10 is very nearly same price I paid for my Note 9. And for that I get: lack of headphone jack. No SD card slot. And a LOWER resolution display? Not to mention a smaller battery even. Huh?! Seems like a downgrade from my Note 9.
-
You pay MORE to get LESS. Ain't that great!?
-
like a government contract.
-
Samsung gave the BS excuse, according to Sammobile, that they got rid of the jack to make "room" for the 3500 mAh battery... How stupid does this company think we are? My Note9 has a 4000 mAh and a jack... they must think we must be severely brain-damaged to swallow that tripe. They've lost a dedicated customer... the Zenfone 6 looks interesting...
-
I've been living with the USB C headphone jack for two years, and have never had to choose between listening and charging.
I'm more disappointed that we don't get the 855+, or a higher resolution screen, or an SD slot, or Galaxy Buds. So feature and performance wise, this is lesser than phones from last year. -
USB C ports can be notoriously loose, which is why I don't like them. Micro USB wasn't much better. I hate Apples Lightning port, but it's the most secure port I've ever used on a smart device. I wish others could feel that reliable. If the USB C ports felt secure as secure, I would not mind using a dongle. But they aren't. At least not on my Note 9 or my Laptop with USB C ports. And a lot of accessories that use USB C have tons of reviews complaining about loose ports. I an not a fan of this standard, because the quality of the connectors are generally poor and not consistent at all. BT is nice, but you have to pay too much to get sound quality as good as a $20 pair of earbuds. Cheap BT headphones sound REALLY bad. Samsung, like Apple, still wants you to buy their accessories. It's hard to sell them when they give you a decent pair of AKG buds in the box, which can last a year or two if you take care of them (and keep your ears clean)...
-
Out of the bunch, Apple's lightning connector is definitely the most secure. I'd have to add that it's probably the most durable because the connections are on the outside walls of the socket. Meanwhile, Micro USB and USB C have that little shelf in the middle that the contacts are bonded to, and those contacts can delaminate if anything goes wrong. I've had to replace one USB C and one Micro USB port, but I don't recall ever having to replace a Lightning port. Still the USB C connection firmness depends on the manufacturer. I get a pretty secure fit with the HTC headphone adapter, and it helps that it sounds better than the S10's build in headphone jack. I leave one on the end of my Sennheiser's all the time, and it never falls off from the 3.5 connection either. Oh, and here's a related tip: If you want to upgrade the audio in an older iPhone, just use the dongle instead of the existing headphone jack! The DAC in Apple's dongle is better than the built-in DAC. "a decent pair of AKG buds in the box, which can last a year or two if you take care of them (and keep your ears clean)..."
Ewww! Thanks for THAT picture, lol. Nothing like picking up a pair of earbuds someone left laying around and seeing clump of earwax on it! I do have a pair of AKG earbuds that are supposed to be from the S10, but I think they are fake because they have NO bass. -
No headphone jack means this is Dead to me. Good thing I've seen a Note 9 floating around for a great price, seems like that may get my wallet.
-
Wake me when they get rid of the idiotic curved screen.
-
They keep making the phone narrower. It is only a small step away from Hershey Bar status. Hate the curved screen, as well. Basically necessitates a case, due to accidental touches during one handed operation. Also makes it hard to find a glass screen protector, and the plastic ones peel a lot. Over time, the cost of ownership goes up, lol. Never again will I buy a phone with a design like this (Note 9). And I haven't even touched on the glaring and discoloration along the edges when looking at the phone. Practically, this design choice makes zero sense.
-
Ouch, the 256GB memory, 12GB RAM 10+ is $1460 here in 🇨🇦. I can afford it, but don't want to support the first no headphone jack Note, and honestly, my present Note 8 is sufficient.. I admit to briefly being tempted. Faster RAM chips have ben announced, and Samsung will be producing 16GB RAM chips for phones. Next year might also see the release of the new Nvidia graphics chips... The first in their partnership. Also, the higher WiFi standard didn't arrive in the Note this year.... Nor did the newly agreed on Bluetooth standard.... My point is that significant reasons to upgrade from my Note 8 are still a year or two away. Hard pass on the Note 10+.... Not enough new magic under the hood yet.... It's coming from Samsung.... Not this year.
-
Not to mention creating an entirely different SKU for 5G. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel...
-
Samsung partnered with AMD, not Nvidia. But I get your point.
-
Note10 will flop compared to Note9, just watch.
-
Samsung will take that "flop" as it will still make a ton of money. Who cares...
-
Overpriced AF. The battery is way too small, and it doesn't even have higher refresh rate, yet costs so much....
Just makes me love mine Mate 20 X much more -
Note10 will definitely flop. Hopefully the Note11 will be a return to innovation for Samsung. Sticking with the fantastic S10+
-
I came. I saw. I'm impressed. I want the Aura blue 10+. Will it ever happen? Sadly no. But it's a beauty.
-
That's what I bought! Traded in my Note 9 for $600 and got an additonal $200 credit for a total of $800 off
-
Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your gorgeous new phone☺️
-
Samsung in Turkey have priced these at US$1,700 and $2,000 respectively. This makes the $1,150 they ask for the S10+ look attractive. Which is insane.
-
No way, Samsung has become the new Apple. Your paying more & getting less, especially the smaller model. Display 1080p on a note? No jack or micro s/d, get outta town. Plus a lesser battery, yikes!
-
So much for Samsung not copying Apple in getting rid of the headphone jack and Samsheep note fans trying to justify it's omission should by a good laugh.
-
i just got wireless earbuds and am sorta ok with no jack, especially if they include USB-C headphones. But no SD slot and no other storage option on the N10? no thanks.
-
Things I miss from Samsung (or will miss with my next phone)... removable batteries
flat screens
SD Cards
Headphones. Sorry, but when I travel I sometimes use the free headphones the hotel have in the gym. They are bad, but they are free and work for a few days while traveling if I forget my wireless ones. -
All is not bad, the S10e has a flat screen, the rest of them suck.
-
Pre-ordered a Note 10+ through Verizon. Got $100 Off, $450 for my Note 8 and had $50 in Device Dollars to use on it. $499 I can work with. I can deal without the headphone jack. But the SD card would have been the breaking point for me since I use that frequently for work. Now to find a case for the behemoth!
-
Where'd you find that deal? They aren't even offering $300 trade in for Note 9s... in fact you get almost as much (very close) for an iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB. The resale value on these phones is so bad due to the insane promotions they run (BOGO, DEEP discounts, etc.). I dont think these phones are worth the price considering how awful they depreciate in value (and how quickly). It's kinf of worth overpaying $200 for an iPhone, because you can get so much when you resale. The hardware feels more like an investment. Doing this for an Android phone is literally throwing money down the toilet, because the deals and promotions follow quickly and drive resale values down (plus, different carrier models having non-matching radio bands, unlike iPhones).
-
I did the online order with the myVerizon and my cart showed the $450 off. Went the the local affiliate store and they are the ones who threw the $100 extra off. Just printed off the cart and took it in to ask them if they could do better. They always beat the corporate online deals, but the $450 trade was directly from Verizon. Phones and cars are depreciating assets, never investments. Even the iPhone X and XS have seen greater depreciation in the last year than the previous. XR being the likely culprit there according to most business news I read. Startling trend. Samsung has always had worse depreciation. Mostly due to the fragmentation in Android. Stiffer competition on this side of the ball. But it looks like all high end smartphones are taking a bath this year. iPhone is just weathering the storm better here in NA. (And I am both an Apple and Samsung fan)
-
Verizon has effectively a BOGO sale if you get a new line on unlimited
-
The cell phone market it seems, is the only market that they progressively take out features (headohone jack, sd card, ir blaster, etc) and people trip over themselves to call it innovative and great. If they took out power steering, abs, airbags, etc in automobiles I doubt people would buy that model anymore.
If they started only putting cold water knobs only on faucets or your shower just because the competition was doing it or they said "oh no one uses hot water anymore", that wouldnt make sense and you would probably look at them like they were daft or somethin. -
Marketing tell us it's a good thing and most seem to go along with it since the ability to reason is a lost art. My favorite is justifying sealed back phones.
-
Also while the new dex feature is nice. what about the other things that werent mentioned like the heart rate monitor? Does anyone know if that was mentioned at all? Seems like another feature that is MiA
-
HRM is useless and barely practical. Get a smartwatch or fitness tracker with continuous monitoring. That HRM should have gone away with the Note 9. Just because a feature exists does not mean it makes sense. HRM kind of made sense before we could get really good, accurate, and cheap trackers. The market had matured. Its redundant, and of little use. And it isn't even that practical - especially with this phone's form factor. They were right to cut it out.
-
Opinions are nice aren't they? Don't presume to speak for everyone when you say HRM is useless. Not everyone has disposable income to throw away on a seperate device and in some cases you dont always have one or the other on you ( I have both). You might be in great health and thats great. but people with serious health issues like myself have come to depend on the convenience of not having to lug around a cuff or portable heart rate monitor everywhere you go.
-
I suggest customers speak with their wallet this time more than ever. Samsung is following the Apple business model of maximizing profit with minimal value. How else do you explain another incremental increase in phone price with fewer hardware features than the previous generation of product? If you believe that getting fewer features every year at a higher price with those same features being dictated by Apple and vblogger (p)reviews by all means keep buying. If you believe, however, that something needs to change then I would encourage you to stop buying these flagship phones until these companies get the message.
-
Well then... As a Note 9 user here's my take:
No Note 10 (basic) for me. Downspec display, no SD expansion + no headphone jack equals NO SALE.
Note 10 Plus? Maybe. But I'll wait until Black Friday.
By then there may be an adjustment in normal retail AND the usual 300 dollar discount.
My last non-Samsung phone was a Droid Bionic so I guess I've been a loyal Samsung customer.
Until I'm not. As far as Samsung's note 10 goes I've gotta wonder what Samsung has been smoking... -
Plain & simple, the base model note is definitely a downgrade from the note9. No jack, no micros/d support & a 1080p display. Same price 950.00+. Nah, paying more & getting less is the Apple way. So your going to have to get the plus model for 1200.00 banana's. Yikes, not much difference from the s10+. Save your pocketbook & purchase the note9 at a reduced price!
-
Regarding the fingerprint sensor on the front...You say "in an awkward position on the back." Are you serious? When I pull my phone out of my pocket, my forefinger naturally falls on the rear sensor on my S9+
Were it on the front I'd have to make a seperate movement and sort of contort my thumb to get there. -
We all knew the head phone jack was gonna be going away. Funny thing about the complainers is I bet they have 30 pair of bluetooth ear buds or over-the-head head phones.
-
See, here's the thing: past buyers of the Note series of devices had stuck with Samsung because of the hardware differentiation that, say, Apple wouldn't offer.
Once the devices are expensive as iPhones, lack headphone ports, like iPhones, and no expandable storage, like iPhones, why wouldn't someone just go and......get an iPhone?
At least the after sales support/repair service will be a whole lot better than Samsung's. -
I don't understand why people with Note 9s would be interested in a Note 10/+. I own a Note 9 and I love it! I use Galaxy Buds, so I don't care about no headphone jack. Seriously, that topic is so 2017 anyway, but y'all keep ********! Good luck on finding your next smartphone. I don't use a SD card, so though I got it, I don't use it. My thing is why spend more money, when you spent that money last year for a phone incrementally better? No dependable 5G networks yet. Just an incremental improvement in camera and specs, but how much in real world usage? Sammy has too many flagships. They should have called it the Note 10e and Note 10. I love Sammy, but S11e, S11, and Note 11 makes better sense to me than a plus S series and N11e model. The Note should be better than a S+ with a s-pen.
-
After some thoughts I decided to bite the regular Note 10 simply because I've been wanting for a smaller version of Note (so I can fit it in my summer pants pocket!) True that it lacks 1440p, SD card slot, Headphone jack but coming from S10e, 1080p with 0.5 inch larger screen won't make it a whole lot difference in my eyes, 256gig storage is more than enough for my use and I already have the Galaxy Buds so I really don't need a headphone jack personally. But if you were to ask me about the price to feature comparison/ratio compared to S10, I got nothing to say since it's an individual taste and choice.
-
With Huawei being handicapped, they can do whatever they want to phones and people will still buy them because there are no choices. Imagine if P30 was widely available, who would buy Samsung or even Google...
-
Volume and power button on the wrong side. Should be on the right hand side. Punch hole in the wrong place. Should be at the top left corner. Otherwise, Note 10 Plus is a great phone.
-
« it removed the headphone jack, and didn't make a deal about it » Of course they won’t make a deal about it after they made fun of Apple and ditching it 3 years after Apple Motorola and some others...