三星(Samsung)发布备受期待的Galaxy Note 10手机已经过去了一个多月，最初的兴奋已经有时间在冰冷的现实中冷却下来。自从苹果(Apple)同时推出他们的iPhone 11系列以来，普通智能手机的歇斯底里(smartphone hysteria)仍然处于狂热(fever pitch)状态，但与最新、最伟大的智能手机一起生活一个月仍然足以让纯粹的炒作变得迟钝。(month living)
我们在这 30 天期间使用的手机是 256GB Aurora Black Samsung Galaxy Note 10+。但是，它不是使用Snapdragon 片上系统的(Snapdragon system-on-a-chip)美国型号(US model)。相反，这是使用三星内部Exynos 9825 SoC的版本。这两种芯片之间的差异本质上是难以察觉的。
如果您拥有Note 10+，那么您就拥有世界上最快的手机之一，而顶级竞争者之间的差距几乎不足以影响您的购买决定，除非您只关心综合基准。
Note 10+的时间，您首先需要了解的是，性能从来都不是问题。如果这款手机上的某些东西运行不佳，那么它在任何(any )现代智能手机上都会运行不佳。把这个小点从列表中划掉，我们可以深入了解使用Note 10+的真实体验。
What We Got In The Galaxy Note 10+ Box
如果您在三星决定采用 USB Type C 后购买了现代Galaxy手机(Samsung)，那么(USB Type C)您(Galaxy phone)就会知道包装盒中包含很多零碎物品以帮助简化过渡。
您将获得一个用于将USB A设备连接到手机的(USB A)OTG 适配器(OTG adapter)，以及一个Micro-USB转Type C 适配器(Type C adapter)和一个USB A转USB C 电缆(USB C cable)。flagship Note 10+中没有包含这些相当有用的配件。在相当吸引人的包装盒内，您会发现一对AKG “调谐” USB-C耳机、一根USB-C转USB-C 数据线(USB-C cable)和一个专用USB-C的(USB-C)壁式充电器(wall charger)。
一个问题立即出现在这里。如果您想将Note 10+连接到任何没有 USB-C 端口的设备，则必须出去购买Type C转 Type A 电缆(A cable)，或者从其他设备上拆下它。这特别奇怪，因为其中一项独特的旗舰功能，即无坞站Dex 支持(Dex support)，需要通过USB 电缆(USB cable)连接到 PC，而且您很少会在相对较新的 PC 上找到 USB-C 连接器。即便如此，它仍然不是一个标准的、广泛使用的功能。
一个非常受欢迎的内容是工厂安装的屏幕保护(screen protector)膜和随附的硅胶盖(silicon cover)。这两个都是基本的，但非常有用。当然，透明的硅胶盖(silicon cover)确实隐藏了背面，但如果您要使用盖，最好等到您的手机到货，看看您是否喜欢它。
(Silicon)Galaxy Note 10+的硅胶保护套并不便宜，如果你对捆绑的保护套感到满意，那么将这笔钱用于(t cheap)Samsung Care 计划(Samsung Care plan)会更有意义。
然而，在这种口径和价格(caliber and price)的手机中，没有包含 3.5 毫米转USB-C 适配器(USB-C adapter)是不可原谅的。这是一笔不小的额外费用，但典型的Note 10+用户(user isn)不可能在某些时候不需要将辅助3.5 毫米音频线连接(3.5mm audio cable)到手机的方法。增加这种适配器的成本肯定不会影响盈利能力。
美学和建造质量(Aesthetics & Build Quality)
从 S8 开始，三星(Samsung)确实一直在提升其设计游戏(design game)并展示其技术实力。过去几代Galaxy旗舰已经开发出独特的未来主义设计，与其他可用产品相比，这种设计对于 2019 年来说确实感觉太先进了。
现在标志性的双曲面屏幕更靠近设备的边缘，几乎完全消除了边框。这款手机正面的 90% 以上是屏幕，这是一个启示。
当然，这留下了前置摄像头放置位置的问题，但除非未来采用某种屏下摄像头技术(camera technology)或电动弹出式解决方案，否则很难想象三星(Samsung)的设计师如何减少前置摄像头突兀。前置摄像头(front camera)已简化为一个微型打孔器(hole punch)，在日常使用过程中很快就会变得不可见。
在全屏模式和正常模式之间切换应用程序相当简单。因此，如果您无法忍受某些应用程序中的打孔(hole punch)，您可以简单地限制应用程序的边缘以停止进入该区域。
人体工程学(Ergonomics)
如果使用起来确实很痛苦，那么电话的规格有多好并不重要。毫无疑问，Note (Make)Note 10+非常庞大。用一只手(hand isn)操作它不是不可能的，但它需要一些工作。通过使用所有四根手指抬起和移动手机，您几乎可以触及屏幕的每个角落。
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/aFtDcW-Kk7M
三星(Samsung)已经意识到这一点，并且在他们的笔记本手机中使用了“单手模式”已经有一段时间了。默认情况下它不会被激活，它通过在您使用它时动态更改显示和用户界面，使单手使用手机就像使用较小的手机一样容易。
我们觉得没有必要激活这个功能，但是手比一般人小的用户肯定会很高兴有这个选项。如果你好奇，这个模式(mode isn)并没有隐藏得太深。
只需打开设置(Settings)并前往Advanced Features > Motions and gestures > One-handed Mode.
屏下指纹读取器(The Under-Screen Fingerprint Reader)
屏幕比例(screen ratio)大战中最严重的受害者之一就是指纹识别器(fingerprint reader)。面部识别和 S8 首次亮相的非常不稳定的“虹膜扫描”功能不如(t work)传统的指纹扫描仪(fingerprint scanner)。
但是，将指纹读取器(fingerprint reader)移到手机背面会导致各种可用性问题。如果手机安装在汽车上(car mount)，解锁它是一件很痛苦的事情，你必须求助于密码或图案(passcode or pattern)。如果手机是平躺的，你必须拿起它才能解锁，或者再次使用密码。
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/lYtdxDedCLM
因此，听到屏下指纹识别器(fingerprint reader)完美运行，每个人都会欣喜若狂。它速度很快，一旦你知道它的位置，它就很容易使用。三星有一个操作系统级别的叠加层，每当应用程序要求(Samsung)指纹认证(fingerprint authentication)时就会弹出。在我们测试的所有地方(Everywhere)，它都像宣传的那样工作。无论是基于 Web 的Paypal身份验证还是我们的银行应用程序(banking app)，它都能正常工作。
虽然有些人抱怨屏下阅读器明显比传统阅读器慢，但这从来都不是问题。无论如何(Regardless)，三星(Samsung)在本月中旬发布了一项更新，其中包括为读者提高速度。虽然我们很高兴相信它现在更快了，但它似乎同样活泼。
相机(The Camera(s))
基本上不可能找到一款旗舰智能手机(flagship smartphone)，甚至是中端机型，它拥有任何人都可以称之为“坏”相机(” camera)的东西。如今，顶级狗之间的相机性能(camera performance)差异通常归结为主观偏好或对普通消费者没有影响的细微技术差异。
Galaxy Galaxy Note 10+今天的手机(phone today)上没有最好的摄像头，从各种角度来看。然而，很难想象有人会对三星(Samsung)显然是大力推动使其成为令人难以置信的全方位内容创作机器(content creation machine)不为所动。
手机上有三个后置摄像头，从超广角到长焦。展示你所得到的最简单的方法就是向你展示。以下是Note 9(Note 9)的一些正面照片，当然新的超广角镜头除外。
第一张图片是Note 9所没有的Note 10 Plus超广角镜头的结果。
这是Note 9的标准广角镜头。
在这里我们可以比较一下结果，因为这是Galaxy Note 10+标准的广角镜头。
Note 9的长焦镜头(telephoto lens)是一个受欢迎的补充，它看起来仍然相当不错。
视频(Video)也是现代高端智能手机的一个非常重要的方面。因此，我们决定前往当地的越野摩托车赛道，让Note 10+走上正轨。
首先，这是一个使用超广角镜头和“超级稳定”的剪辑。当然，YouTube的压缩确实对视觉效果造成了一些损害，但它仍然是一个公平的竞争环境(playing field)，因为所有上传到网络的视频都会发生这种情况。
YouTube 网址：https://youtu.be/sMQkjq9wQAY
对于一项极限运动赛事，你真正想要的是慢动作，而这里的Note 10+标准慢动作(standard slow) 设置(motion setting)给你留下了深刻的印象。
YouTube 网址：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLPEapciQZs
如您所见，Note 10 Plus比它所取代的手机更上一层楼，但您必须并排查看照片，就好像Note 9拍的照片很差一样。但是，如果您是一位认真的手机摄影师(phone photographer)，那么包含超广角镜头是一件大事。这是一个杀手级功能(killer feature)，证明从上一代Note升级是合理的。
这里的所有东西都是全自动拍摄的，因为大多数人都可能使用手机。但是，内置相机应用程序(camera app)包含大量手动选项，供那些想要获得近乎专业效果的人使用。
Dockless Dex!
三星 Dex(Samsung Dex)是一个桌面环境，自 S8 发布以来就内置在他们的手机中。通过使用Dex Station配件，您可以将屏幕、鼠标和键盘(mouse and keyboard)连接到手机。对接设备可将您直接带到Dex，在那里您几乎可以使用普通的轻型生产力机器(productivity machine)完成所有您能做的事情。
Dex站相当昂贵，尽管这些天你可以以启动价格的一小部分来购买它们。尽管如此，这似乎并没有受到用户的欢迎，因此三星(Samsung)在Note 10版本中使用Dex做了一些新的事情。
您可以通过在Windows 或 Mac(Windows or Mac)上安装Dex 应用程序来使用(Dex app)Dex。然后，当您通过USB(USB)将手机连接到计算机时，Dex将作为(Dex)桌面应用程序(desktop app)打开。
现在，当你已经坐在电脑前时，问这有什么意义是公平的。但是有很多用例表明这种形式的Dex是有意义的。网吧(Internet cafes)或其他公共计算机就是一个例子。您还可以在工作计算机上使用(work computer)Dex ，以确保您的个人信息不会与公司数据混在一起。
Dex是一款简洁的应用程序，运行良好。肯定有一些可检测到的滞后，但没有任何情况导致应用程序无法使用。最重要的是，Dex使在计算机和手机之间传输数据变得非常容易，而且Note 10功能强大，即使在Dex运行时，正常的手机操作也能照常工作。
手写笔(The Stylus)
如果不查看产品的实际“Note”位，就无法完成 对Galaxy Note 设备的审查。(Galaxy Note device)
最重要的是，在这个屏幕上书写感觉就像用笔在纸上书写一样怪异。与我们的Note 9(Note 9)并排，体验几乎相同。Note 10+的响应速度可能会稍微快一点，但并不是你每天都会注意到。新的触控笔具有更长的电池（技术上是超级电容器）寿命。Note 9将持续 30 分钟，然后才需要充电。
新的触控笔将保持卡车运输超过 10 个小时，我们没有测试过。仅仅(Simply)因为没有合理的情况下您会长时间使用手写笔而不将其放回手机中。您不再需要关注电池寿命(battery life)。
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/ZaXp-0Y-tVs
这很好，因为手写笔现在可以执行远程控制功能(remote control functionality)。将它与PowerPoint 应用程序(PowerPoint app)一起使用并作为远程相机触发器(camera trigger)非常棒。但是，该应用程序必须专门支持它。一些类似宏的自定义会很好。
这是任何手机上最好的手写笔体验。如果您喜欢在旅途中涂鸦、写笔记、标记PDF(PDFs)或进行大量演示，那真是太棒了。如果你不关心(t care)Note10+的这方面，你最好省点钱买个Galaxy S10+。
真实世界的电池性能(Real World Battery Performance)
Note 10+拥有绝对超大的 4300 mAh电池(mAh battery)，您会在网络上找到各种评论家，对其进行酷刑测试，在不到 12 小时的滥用时间内将手机清空。
虽然这本身就是一个有趣的指标，但大多数人更愿意知道他们每天平均可以期待什么样的性能。在使用Note 10+一个月后，我们可以肯定地说，除非您计划离开任何类型的充电设施超过 24 小时，否则您不需要花任何时间考虑电池寿命。(battery life isn)
我们特意在充满电的情况下开始新的一天，并且只在睡前将手机重新充电。白天的使用包括一般网页浏览(web browsing)、YouTube 音乐(YouTube Music)、适量的游戏和比严格推荐的更多的Netflix 。在家或在办公室时，手机设置为使用WiFi ，每周每天上下班时使用大约两个小时的LTE 。(LTE use)
在大多数情况下，经过一整天(work day)的工作，Note 10+的油箱中至少还剩 40%。我们确信非常重度的用户在现实生活中可能会更接近 12 小时的折磨测试标记(torture test mark)，但绝大多数用户应该没有问题。
出于兴趣考虑，在充满电的情况下睡觉并将手机拔掉一夜之间通常会使用大约 8% 的总容量。Note 10+当然会学习您的使用模式并适应它们以优化电池使用(battery use)，但我们看到了开箱即用的出色电池性能。(battery performance)
但是，假设您确实设法将手机耗尽 - 充电时间呢？一句话——哇(word – woosh)！随附的壁式充电器可快速为仪表充满电。从 60% 到 100% 需要 40 分钟。请记住(Bear)，您可以购买速度更快的 45W 充电器，但我们坚持以您的要价购买。
Who Should Buy a Note 10+?
您会注意到Note 10+并没有太多负面情绪。虽然它不是一款完美的设备，但它确实代表了一种高端智能手机的巅峰之作(premium smartphone pinnacle)。它在任何一件事上都不是最好的，但该设备也没有真正的弱点。无论您想用Note 10+做什么，它都会毫无怨言地遵守并提供通常完美无瑕的性能。
最大的问题与它的大小有关。我们强烈建议您在购买之前将其中一部手机握在手中。它不会比Note 9大，但任何不习惯这种相对体积的人都需要(bulk need)在购买之前尝试一下。
体积更小的Note 10可能是更好的全能选择(all-round choice)，如果您不想要手写笔功能，我们强烈建议您考虑改用Galaxy S10 and S10+
这就引出了下一个最重要的问题——Note 9(issue – Note 9)的所有者。如果您有Note 9，Note 10并不足以保证升级。如果这是您升级的自然时间，那么您肯定会对您的新手机感到满意。这里没有倒退的步骤。但是不要用这款手机的Note 9来缩短你的时间。(Note 9)成本根本不合理。
如果您是第一次考虑购买Note 手机(Note phone)，那么现在正是入手的最佳时机。毫无疑问，Note 10+是真正的 Note。
这款大型、不折不扣的手机在推出时具有最佳规格，面向发烧友用户。重点是，Note 10+是(Which)一款发烧级设备。它比任何人都需要，但正是我们许多人想要的。
三星(Samsung)已经登上了这座特殊山峰的顶峰，这表明了即将发生的事情。Galaxy Fold(Galaxy Fold)现在可能是下一款尖端的科技极客手机，并且有强烈的传言称Galaxy S10 和 Note(Galaxy S10 and Note) 10 手机将是各自产品线中的最后一款。
相反，它们将被合并到一个新的混合设备中。如果属实，这是传奇智能手机系列(smartphone line)的杰作顶峰，无疑是一个伟大的产品。
The Galaxy Note 10+: Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy
It’s been just over a month sinсe Samsung released the much-antiсipated Galaxy Note 10 phoneѕ аnd the initial excitement has had time to cool in the glare of cold reality. Since Apple launched their iPhone 11 series аt the same time, general smartphone hysteria is still at а fever pitch, but a month living with the latest, greatest smartphone is still enough to dull the edge of pure hype.
The phone we used during this 30-day period is a 256GB Aurora Black Samsung Galaxy Note 10+. It is however not the US model using a Snapdragon system-on-a-chip. Instead, this is the version using Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9825 SoC. The difference between these two chips is essentially imperceptible.
If you have a Note 10+, you have one of the fastest phones in the world and the margins between the top contenders are hardly enough to influence your buying decisions, unless you only care about synthetic benchmarks.
So the first thing you need to know about our time with the Note 10+ is that performance was never once an issue. If something runs poorly on this phone, it will run poorly on any contemporary smartphone. With that small point crossed off the list, we can dig into the real-world experience of using the Note 10+.
What We Got In The Galaxy Note 10+ Box
If you’ve bought a modern Galaxy phone since Samsung decided to embrace USB Type C, then you’ll know that quite a few bits and bobs were included in the box to help ease the transition.
You’d get an OTG adapter to connect USB A devices to your phone, as well as a Micro-USB to Type C adapter and a USB A to USB C cable. Sadly none of these rather useful accessories were included with the flagship Note 10+. Inside the rather attractive box you’ll find one pair of AKG “tuned” USB-C earphones, one USB-C to USB-C cable and a wall charger that takes USB-C exclusively.
One problem immediately presents itself here. If you want to connect your Note 10+ to any device that doesn’t feature a USB-C port, you’ll have to go out and buy a Type C to Type A cable or cannibalize it from another device. It’s especially weird since one of the unique flagship features, dockless Dex support, needs a USB cable connection to a PC and you’ll rarely find USB-C connectors on PCs that aren’t relatively new. Even then, it’s still not a standard, widespread feature.
A very welcome inclusion is the factory-fitted screen protector and included silicon cover. Both of these are basic but very serviceable. The clear silicon cover does hide the rear finish of course, but if you are going to make use of a cover, it’s best to wait until your phone arrives to see if you like it.
Silicon covers for the Galaxy Note 10+ aren’t cheap and if you’re happy with the bundled one it would make more sense to put that money towards a Samsung Care plan.
The failure to include a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter is however inexcusable in a phone of this caliber and price. It’s a small additional cost, but there’s no way the typical Note 10+ user isn’t going to need a way to connect an auxiliary 3.5mm audio cable to their phone at some point. Adding the cost of such an adapter would surely not have moved the needle on profitability.
Aesthetics & Build Quality
Starting with the S8, Samsung really has been upping its design game and flexing its tech muscles. The last few generations of Galaxy flagships have developed a distinctive, futuristic design that really feels too advanced for 2019, compared to what else is available.
The now-signature double curved screen has creeped even closer to the edges of the device, almost completely eliminating the bezel. More than 90% of the front of this phone is screen and that’s a revelation.
Of course, this leaves the issue of where to put the front-facing camera, but barring some sort of future under-screen camera technology or a motorized pop-up solution, it’s hard to imagine how the designers at Samsung could have made this less obtrusive. The front camera has been reduced to a single, tiny hole punch that very quickly becomes invisible during daily use.
It’s fairly simple to toggle apps between full-screen and normal mode. So if you can’t abide the hole punch in certain apps, you can simply restrict the edges of the app to stop short of crossing into that zone.
Ergonomics
How well specified a phone is doesn’t matter much if it’s a literal pain to use. Make no mistake, the Note 10+ is massive. Operating it with one hand isn’t impossible, but it takes some doing. By using all four fingers to lift and move the phone, you can just about reach every corner of the screen.
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/aFtDcW-Kk7M
Samsung is aware of this and has had a “one-handed mode” in their note phones for a while now. It’s not activated by default and it does make using the phone with one hand as easy as using a smaller phone, by dynamically altering the display and user interface as you use it.
We didn’t feel the need to activate this feature, but users with smaller than average hands will surely be glad the option is there. If you are curious, this mode isn’t hidden too deeply.
Simply open Settings and head to Advanced Features > Motions and gestures > One-handed Mode.
The Under-Screen Fingerprint Reader
One of the worst casualties of the screen ratio wars has been the fingerprint reader. Facial recognition and the very wonky “iris scanning” that debuted with the S8 just don’t work as well as a traditional fingerprint scanner.
However, moving the fingerprint reader to the back of the phone causes all sorts of usability issues. If the phone is in a car mount, unlocking it is a pain and you have to resort to a passcode or pattern. If the phone is laying on its back, you have to pick it up to unlock it or, once again, fall back to the passcode.
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/lYtdxDedCLM
So everyone will be overjoyed to hear that the under-screen fingerprint reader works flawlessly. It’s fast and, once you learn where it is located, pretty easy to use. Samsung has an OS-level overlay that pops up whenever an app asks for fingerprint authentication. Everywhere we tested it worked as advertised. Whether it was web-based authentication for Paypal or in our banking app, it just worked.
While some have complained that under-screen readers are noticeably slower than the traditional kind, this was never an issue. Regardless, Samsung released an update that included speed improvements for the reader about halfway through the month. While we are happy to believe it’s faster now, it seems just as snappy.
The Camera(s)
It’s basically impossible to find a flagship smartphone, or even a mid-range model, that has what any person could call a “bad” camera. Differences in camera performance between the top dogs these days often come down to subjective preference or subtle technical differences that make no difference to the average consumer.
The Galaxy Note 10+ does not have the best cameras on a phone today, by various measures. However, it’s hard to imagine anyone being unimpressed with what is clearly a serious push by Samsung to make this an incredible all-round content creation machine.
There are three rear-facing cameras on the phone, from super-wide to telephoto. The easiest way to demonstrate what you get is to show you. Here are some head-to-head photos with the Note 9, with the exception of the new ultrawide lens of course.
This first image is the result of the Note 10 Plus ultra-wide angle lens, which the Note 9 lacks.
This is the Note 9’s standard wide-angle lens.
Here we can compare the results, since this is the Galaxy Note 10+ standard wide angle lens.
The Note 9’s telephoto lens was a welcome addition and it still looks pretty darn good.
Video is also a pretty important aspect of modern premium smartphones. So we decided to head over to the local off-road motorcycle racing track and put the Note 10+ through its paces.
First, here’s a clip using the ultra-wide angle lens and “super stabilization”. Of course, YouTube does do a little damage to the visuals with its compression, but it remains a level playing field since this happens to all videos uploaded to the web.
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/sMQkjq9wQAY
For an action sports event, what you really want is slow-mo, and here the Note 10+ really impressed with its standard slow motion setting.
YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLPEapciQZs
As you can see, the Note 10 Plus is a step up from the phone it replaces, but you have to look at the photos side-by-side, as if the Note 9 takes poor photos. The inclusion of the ultra wide lens is however a pretty big deal if you are a serious phone photographer. It’s one killer feature that justifies upgrading from the previous generation Note.
Everything here was shot on full-auto, as most people are likely to use the phone. However, the built-in camera app includes plenty of manual options for those who want to achieve near-professional results.
Dockless Dex!
Samsung Dex is a desktop environment that’s been built into their phones since the S8’s release. By using the Dex Station accessory, you could connect a screen, mouse and keyboard to your phone. Docking the device takes you straight to Dex where you can do virtually everything you could with a regular light productivity machine.
The Dex stations were rather pricey, although these days you can pick them up for a fraction of the launch price. Still it doesn’t seem that this has caught on with users, so Samsung has done something new with Dex for the Note 10 release.
You can use Dex with a Windows or Mac by installing the Dex app on it. Then when you connect the phone to the computer via USB, Dex opens up as a desktop app.
Now, it’s fair to ask what the point of this is when you’re already sitting at a computer. But there are quite a few use cases where this form of Dex makes sense. Internet cafes or other public computers are one example. You can also use Dex on your work computer to ensure none of your personal information gets mixed in with company data.
Dex is a neat app and worked pretty well. There was certainly some detectable lag, but nothing that rendered the application unusable. Most importantly, Dex makes it dead easy to transfer data between a computer and your phone and the Note 10 is powerful enough that normal phone operations keep working as usual, even while Dex is running.
The Stylus
No review of a Galaxy Note device is complete without looking at the actual “Note” bits of the product.
The bottom line is that writing on this screen feels eerily like writing on paper with a pen. Side-by-side with our Note 9, the experience is pretty much the same. The Note 10+ feels perhaps a tiny bit more responsive, but not that you’d notice day-to-day. The new stylus has a much longer battery (technically a supercapacitor) life. The Note 9 will last 30 minutes before needing a recharge.
The new stylus will keep trucking for more than 10 hours, which we did not test. Simply because there’s no reasonable scenario where you’d use the stylus for that long without putting it back into the phone. You don’t need to pay attention to the battery life anymore.
YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/ZaXp-0Y-tVs
Which is good, because the stylus can now perform remote control functionality. Using it with the PowerPoint app and as a remote camera trigger is awesome. However, the app has to specifically support it. Some macro-like customization would have been nice.
This is the best stylus experience on any phone. If you like to doodle, write notes, mark up PDFs or do lots of presentations on the go, it’s brilliant. If you don’t care about this aspect of the Note10+, you’re much better off saving some money and getting a Galaxy S10+.
Real World Battery Performance
The Note 10+ has an absolutely massive 4300 mAh battery and you’ll find various reviewers around the web subjecting it to torture tests that empty the phone out at a little less than 12 hours of abuse.
While that’s an interesting metric on its own merits, most people would rather like to know what sort of performance they can expect on average, day-to-day. After using the Note 10+ for a month, we can definitively say that unless you plan to be away from any sort of charging facility for more than 24 hours, battery life isn’t something you need to spend any time thinking about.
We made a point of starting the day off with a full charge and only putting the phone back on charge at bedtime. Usage during the day included general web browsing, YouTube Music, moderate amounts of gaming and more Netflix than is strictly recommended. When at home or in the office, the phone was set to use WiFi, with about two hours of LTE use during commutes each day of the week.
For the most part, after a full work day, the Note 10+ still had at least 40% left in the tank. We’re sure very heavy users might get closer to that 12-hour torture test mark in real life, but the vast majority of users should have no issues.
For the sake of interest, going to bed with a full charge and leaving the phone unplugged overnight typically used about 8% of the total capacity. The Note 10+ does of course learn your usage patterns and adapts to them to optimize battery use, but we saw great battery performance out of the box.
However, let’s say you do manage to drain the phone into the red – what about charging time? In a word – woosh! The included wall-charger rapidly fills the meter back up. Going from 60% to 100% takes 40 minutes. Bear in mind that you can buy a faster 45W charger, but we’re sticking to what you get for the asking price.
Who Should Buy a Note 10+?
You’ll notice that there isn’t much in the way of negative sentiment when it comes to the Note 10+. While it’s not a perfect device, it does represent a sort of premium smartphone pinnacle. It’s not the best at any one thing, but the device has no real weaknesses either. Whatever you want to do with the Note 10+, it will comply without complaint and gives a generally flawless performance.
The biggest problems relate to its size. We strongly recommend holding one of these phones in your actual hands before buying one. It’s no larger than the Note 9 to hold, but anyone else not accustomed to this relative bulk need to try before they buy.
The physically smaller Note 10 may be a better all-round choice and if you don’t want the stylus functionality we strongly recommend you consider the Galaxy S10 and S10+ instead.
Which brings up the next most important issue – Note 9 owners. If you have a Note 9, the Note 10 doesn’t bring enough to the table to warrant an upgrade. If it is your natural time to upgrade then you’ll definitely feel happy with your new phone. There are no backwards steps here. But don’t cut your time with the Note 9 short for this phone. The cost simply isn’t justified.
If you are considering buying a Note phone for the first time, there has never been a better time to get onboard. Make no mistake, the Note 10+ is the true Note.
The big, no-compromise phone that has the best specifications when it launched and is aimed at enthusiast users. Which is the main point, the Note 10+ is an enthusiast-class device. It is more than anyone needs, but exactly what many of us want.
Samsung has reached the summit of this particular mountain and that shows in what’s on the horizon. The Galaxy Fold may now be the next cutting-edge tech-geek phone and there are strong rumors that the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 phones will be the last of their respective lines.
Instead they will be merged into a new hybrid device. If true, this is the masterpiece capstone of a legendary smartphone line and it’s undoubtedly a great one.
