Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus review: overloaded, but still the best Galaxy

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The Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the new very elegant and expensive Samsung note. This is the kind of device that performs a triple flip when you ask only a few wheels. It's also a thousand-mile phone, which means that the value of this money depends or less than what you need.

Samsung claims that this phone is for creators, which means nothing to say today. But, for example, if you are someone who is passionate about the fun photo or if you like the art of handwriting with a S Pen or pen, you have very large hands, then that's the phone that you need. If you do not fit into one of the many (many) slots supported by the Note 10 Plus, there are many 2019 phones that could offer better value.

When we discovered the Note 10 Plus for the first time, we found that it already makes the Galaxy S10 series, six months old, obsolete, and that if you want to use the best of Samsung technology, the Note 10 Plus has three microphones to allow the Zoom In Mic to run well. video function compared to the two S10, for example – it's now the Galaxy to get. The main differences, however, are what has always been different: the Note 10 Plus is bigger and bulkier than the Galaxy S10 and the S Pen redesigned as a bonus.

Much of the work done by Samsung between the launch of the S10 and the focus is now on the S Pen and the features of the camera. Let's start with the S Pen; it has been refitted into a slightly shorter one-piece stylet but still very pleasant to use to titillate the screen. Samsung used a Bluetooth antenna to install the S Pen pen seed as a remote control.

For example, with "aerial gestures", you can press the button and rotate the stylus to scroll through gallery photos, remote shutter, or play, pause, or skip YouTube videos. Samsung has opened an SDK so that developers can find ideas on how to use them, but when they are used, they have not really combined. Just press the buttons, but the gestures do not register each time. This is related to the fact that if you use the S Pen gestures, it means that you hold the (large) phone with one hand without the stability of the Main S Pen pressing it to scribble.

We actually found that after a while of the absence of the note, the basics of handwriting – which is still a little tedious, but exports to Microsoft Word format now – and replacing the screen with a finger is always what works best here. The ability to write on the calendar is neat, as is the function of enlargement. We even played Monument Valley 2 with the stylus; it quickly becomes addictive. The battery lasts ten hours, which makes it a problem.

As for cameras, this is a configuration almost identical to that of the Galaxy S10 with a 12MP main camera, a 16MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens; There is now an F2.1 aperture on the 2x zoom lens and the addition of a depth-of-flight sensor, which we've only seen on the Galaxy S10 5G before. The Note 10 Plus offers a very fast and powerful phone camera, especially with the wide angle, a great option to have in your bag for digital camera.

It is not as versatile and reliable in low light as those to beat, the Huawei P30 Pro and Pixel series. Where the note shines is the video with the same optical stabilization of dual optics as the S10 with other recent improvements in its Super Steady video feature; the results are remarkably smooth and stable.

Elsewhere, the depth sensor is used for the AR Doodle function, which allows you to scribble (with the S Pen Pen) on faces and objects, even in the video, while recording. In use, the placement in the 3D space is just accurate enough to work and it could work for the fun Instagram Stories. The selection of fuzzy backgrounds that you get with Live Focus – some are more subtle than others – will be popular with the same set. (The bokehs are obtained thanks to the depth sensor on the rear camera, software around the front for selfies).

It goes without saying that this 6.8 inch phone is big and feels great, despite the fact that the ratio of the screen and the body is extremely impressive at 94.3%. The iridescent "Aura Glow" finish of the handset we've been looking at catches the eye and recalls the sparkling chrome of retro cars. This shows Huawei's recent influence on technological aesthetics and you will end up voluntarily putting it on the screen to show it. A high shine Aura Black model is also available.

This may be a bit heavy, however, so we strongly recommend you try Note 10 and Note 10 Plus before making your decision. One small thing – the decision to turn the Bixby button on the power button / the programmable "side key" is irritating to anyone who uses a Samsung phone – OK, all phones – for a long time, and who takes a some time to get used to it.

The hole in the display, for the stunning 10MP front-facing and wide-angle camera, is now smaller and centered than that of the very similar Galaxy S10 series. To be honest, we preferred it in the area. At first glance, you may also notice that there is no headphone jack – a simple wheel, please – a decision made by Samsung, which is tired of customers who have opted for wireless headphones – another slight lack, there is no USB-C dongle key provided in the box.

The AMOLED 6.8-inch 3040 x 1440 is HDR10 + and best in class in our book. My word, this screen is charming, we mean rich and precise colors, pure whites and deep blacks, first-rate viewing angles, whether you're looking through your own wide-angle Holiday Beach wide-angle shots or your netflix net downloads. If you want to get the most out of it and the battery suffers (you'll find out more about it soon), be sure to set the parameters to switch from Full HD (default) to Quad HD.

The only feature that Samsung could be accused of not bringing to the note is a refresh rate of 144 Hz, as on the OnePlus 7 Pro, which raises the question of whether the Note 10 Plus is intended for serious mobile gamers who are excited about such technology. . Game Booster's treatment and battery optimization, as well as the anti-fool screen recorder feature, which lets you feed your face to a recording of what you're reading, seem to indicate that Samsung would like although this is the case.

The integrated fingerprint reader also reappears. It is now faster and much more affected than has been detected compared to the Galaxy S10.

Performance is perfect and One UI, Samsung's Android skin, is now one of the cleanest and easiest to use, despite Samsung's efforts to incorporate additional features; it is certainly better than Huawei's UEMU. (Huawei remains, of course, still Samsung's closest rival for Android hardware, though its ability to release phones, like the upcoming Huawei Mate 30, with official Google Play store access is well underway. Samsung's new products like this one are a benefit.)

Dolby Atmos on board and the stereo speakers – which are now at the top of the device – offer superior sound quality compared to most flagship phones and decent enough for headphones.

This is a phone that you will want to use at that time and it is unfortunate that in this regard, Huawei deceives Samsung on the autonomy of its battery. While the Huawei P30 Pro easily lasts a day and a half or two, the Note 10 Plus, its battery of 4,300 mAh and its giant screen, are rechargeable every night.

A 25W fast charger is provided in the box – we are talking about 90 minutes full to full – and it technically supports a fast charge of 45W. It is as good as the gadget, but also rather impressive, reverse wireless charging for earpieces and accessories, a feature that will soon be copied to the iPhone 11S and 11R (rumors to be believed), but more logical for devices where do not worry about the battery of your phone.

If you are tempted by what Samsung sells with the Note 10 series – there is also a 5G variant of the Note 10 Plus – you can say that this device will not disappoint you. But is this the best way to spend £ 1,000 now? Exciting launches are looming on the horizon – the new iPhone, the Google Pixel 4, the Huawei Mate 30 – all big phones in every sense of the word.

The innovation proposed by Samsung on this device is interesting but, at least for the moment, its appeal and reach are limited. For some people, this will be the plush and feature-rich phone of your dreams. For everyone, this could be excessive.

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