Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Rumours | Specifications | Pricing

Samsung Galaxy Note 10

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Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 is rumoured to reinvent its S-Pen stylus while still bringing the premium Samsung quality that Note phones are known for.

Samsung's Note devices have long been its push for the productivity market, thanks to the genuinely unique "S-Pen" stylus that each Note comes with. Many Note buyers also love the large screen display, but that's become increasingly common in other flagship phones, including Samsung's own Galaxy S lines.

For the Galaxy Note 10, then, there's a lot of ground for Samsung to cover to make it a real standout device.

Design

• Two different sized Notes possible
• Curved display on every side heavily rumoured
• Will Samsung ditch the headphone jack?

• Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10's design

  There's not a huge deal of credible leaks of images or renders to go on for the Galaxy Note 10 as yet, so forming a full idea of its design is tricky to say the least.

  Prolific leaker OnLeaks has released a set of renders of the Note 10 as well as a YouTube video with a 360 degree view of what the Note 10 will allegedly look like.

  Still, there are parts of the Note formula that Samsung seems unlikely to shift up too much. We can expect a design style broadly in line with the larger Galaxy S10 phones, particularly the massive Galaxy S10 5G.

  There's some debate in the rumour mills about whether Samsung will keep the "infinity O" front-facing hole-punch camera to the side or in a central location, making it more akin to the teardrop designs we've seen on plenty of other handsets. Some rumours also suggest that Samsung might adopt a curved Dynamic AMOLED display on all sides, not just left and right, which could give the Galaxy Note 10 a distinct feel in the hand.

  One of the more persistent rumours is that Samsung is going to offer up two different Note sizes this year. The purported plan is to offer a 6.7-inch Galaxy Note 10 Pro alongside a smaller, and presumably more affordable, Galaxy Note 10 with a 6.3-inch display. Whether Samsung will launch both variants in all markets is also up for debate, so quite which models we'll see isn't clear.

  It's inevitable that Samsung will produce multiple colours of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Pro, and quite likely that we'll only see a handful of them launch locally. If Samsung follows its usual pattern, we can expect to see one or two hues launch a couple of months after the primary Note 10 launch in Australia.

  One rumour suggests that the Note 10 might be Samsung's first flagship phone to ditch a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. That's far from confirmed, although Samsung is the notable holdout in this space to still consistently offer it on its flagship phones. If it disappears from the Note 10, expect it to be gone from next year's Galaxy S11 phones too.

Camera

• Quad cameras expected for the Pro model
• Triple cameras predicted for the regular Note 10
• One lens or two at the front?

• Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10's camera

  Samsung has quite the job to beat the specifications of the Galaxy S10 5G, which features a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 16MP ultra-wide lens and a 12MP telephoto lens alongside a time-of-flight sensor. That essential recipe is what's being suggested for the Galaxy Note 10 Pro, and certainly if Samsung wants to sell it as the new premium flagship, it's the bare minimum we'd expect to see.

  It's less clear if that recipe will flow through to the Galaxy Note 10, however. One of the ways that many manufacturers differentiate the "cheaper" model of a phone beyond size is in camera capabilities. It's rumoured that the Galaxy Note 10 may opt for a triple-camera array, making it closer in capabilities to the Galaxy S10+ or Galaxy S10.

  At the front, the existing renders tend to suggest that we might see just one selfie camera with a round "infinity O" hole punch as a result. That's the recipe for the Galaxy S10, but not the Galaxy S10+ or Galaxy S10 5G, both of which opt for dual lenses and a wider hole punch as a result. Dual lenses allow for a wider depth of field, but it's not clear if this is a style or technology choice, or if Samsung will opt for an AI-led solution to overcome that issue. It's also feasible that the Note 10 Pro might opt for dual lenses while the Note 10 opts for a single lens. We'll have to wait and see.

Performance

• Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820
• 5G and 4G variants
• Will the S-Pen get its own camera?

• Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10's performance

  There's not a lot of concrete detail around the innards of the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Pro as yet. It's all but given that Samsung will release it with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or its own Exynos 9820 processor on board. We're more likely to see the latter Down Under, although some rumours suggest that Samsung might have an even newer Exynos processor ready to roll with the Galaxy Note 10.

  The Galaxy Note 10 will be an Android 9 phone running with Samsung's own "OneUI" launcher on board. What's less clear are the Note-specific optimisations that we might see on top of OneUI itself. Last year's Note9 added camera-shutter capabilities to the S-Pen stylus, and one fascinating rumour suggests that it may one-up itself with an actual camera within the S-Pen. It's a wild idea from a technology standpoint, and we're not exactly sure what the purpose there would be.

  Samsung already has the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G in market for the emerging 5G world, and it's essentially confirmed that there will be a 5G-capable model of the Note 10 series, with Verizon in the US stating that it expects to have a 5G Note in 2019. It's not clear if that'll be just the two models of Note 10 and Note 10 Pro, or if Samsung will stretch that to four variants in total, with 4G and 5G devices sold. Again, of course, it could go down that path to service different markets, and we may end up with less official choice here in Australia.

Battery life

• Battery capacity expected at 4,500mAh/3,400mAh
• Battery stamina is an open question after the Galaxy S10

• Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10's battery life

  The words "battery" and "Note" still have some unfortunate implications following the Galaxy Note7, but Samsung's worked hard to improve overall battery capacity in its largest phones in recent times.

  Rumours suggest that the larger Galaxy Note 10 Pro may pack in a hefty 4,500mAh battery, putting it in the same space as the Galaxy S10 5G. The regular Note 10, in the meantime is pitched as packing in just 3,400mAh of power. However, that's still in the rumour stage and would seem unusual for a phone of the Note 10's size.

  There's battery power, and then there's actual battery stamina to contend with. Samsung's most recent handsets have had notably worse overall battery life than their predecessors – at least on the Exynos-based models we've tested with. If that's a function of those gorgeous Dynamic AMOLED displays and processor speeds, it may be an unavoidable issue for Samsung to contend with on the Galaxy Note 10 as well.

Early outlook

• Samsung has a lot of flagships, so standing out is going to be tough

• Read our early Samsung Galaxy Note 10 verdict

  The Galaxy Note 10 sits in an unusual position. Had Samsung's plans (ahem) unfolded as it had scheduled, it would be joining the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 5G in its 2019 flagship line-up.

  The delays for the Galaxy Fold probably help the Note 10's case as being a worthwhile handset, but even without it, that's a lot of flagship phones to bring to market in such a short span of time. Samsung makes great phones, but the Note 10 is going to have to work extra hard to stand out in such esteemed company.

Pricing and availability

• Expect pricing upwards from $1,500+

We don't have Galaxy Note 10 pricing just yet, but we can take a fair stab at where it will start.

The Galaxy Note 10 is going to take on both the Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10 5G in the premium space in Samsung's flagship family. The Galaxy S10+ pricing starts at $1,499, and that's the least we'd expect to see the Galaxy Note 10 hit the market for.

You can't actually buy the Galaxy S10 5G outright in Australia just yet, as it's exclusively a Telstra contract device. Handset repayments peg its price at around $2,000, although that may include some level of subsidy for being on a contract. Still, with the top end S10+ coming in at $2,399, there's clearly scope for Samsung to stretch its pricing higher for the Galaxy Note 10 Pro model.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 specifications

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