Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 is here with beastly specs and no headphone jack

Right on cue, Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy Note 10, and for the first time in the note series, an even larger ‘Plus’ model. Granted, ‘Revealed’ might be a bit of a strong word given how much we’d learned about the devices going into today’s Galaxy Unpacked event, but it’s nonetheless welcome to have some real confirmation. This is the

First things first, let’s do away with the specs. For the smaller Note 10:

• 6.3-inch display Dynamic AMOLED Display
• Snapdragon 855/ Exynos 9825
• IP68 weather resistant
• 8GB RAM, 256 SSD
• 3,500 mAh Battery
• 25W ‘Superfast’ charging, supports up to 45W
• Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound and AKG tuning
• Cameras: 12MP F1.5 primary sensor, 12MP F2.1 telephoto, and 16MP F2.2 ultrawide sensor, 10MP front-facing camera
• Under-display fingerprint sensor
• Bluetooth S-Pen with ‘Air gestures’
• Improved cooling system for gaming
• No headphone jack (sighs) or microSD slot

The larger Note 10 is mostly the same, with a few changes and extra features:

• 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Display
• 12GB RAM, 256/512GB storage
• 4,300 mAh battery
• MicroSD slot
• Time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensor

Thankfully, Samsung doesn’t seem to have significantly crippled the smaller model, with the most notable change being the lack of a ToF sensor.

Aesthetically, the devices are a slight evolution of Samsung’s design language. Instead of the rounded rectangle Samsung has been using around its cameras forever, the phones have a capsule-shaped module instead.

The new S-Pen is the star of the show. The stylus has a motion sensor, allowing you to do things like zoom in and out photos, change to your selfie camera, or control YouTube videos by using flicks in different directions. You can also now create ‘AR Doodles’ that can flow around 3D objects, and handwriting-to-text can now be activated by simply tapping on your scribbles.

Moreover, Samsung is opening up an SDK for developers to integrate their own gestures within their apps. To make up for the new capabilities, it comes with a larger battery than can last ‘hours’ on a charge.

The camera has also been improved, largely in the software department. Samsung highlights the ability to use different video effects such as shallow depth of field– basically portrait mode applied to motion – as well as action camera-quality stabilization. On the audio front, the Note 10 uses three microphones that can ‘zoom’ into specific areas to match your video’s field of view. And you can bring it all together thanks to a new built-in editing app.

There are some other neat features. Samsung is making it easier to link the Note 10 to your Windows PC with an app that allows you to sync your messages, photos, and notifications, as well as mirror your phone’s screen. You can also now use Samsung’s DeX desktop UI with a single cable that comes in the box, and even run it from your laptop.

The Note 10 and Note 10+ are available for pre-order today and will ship August 23.  The smaller one will cost you $949, while the larger one costs $1,099 ($1,199 for the 512GB version). A Note 10 Plus 5G version will be available to pre-order from Verizon on August 23, starting at $1,300.

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