And that large size is important, as for the first time in the series' history, Samsung has concurrently released two Notes at the same time, the 6. As such, for Android phone fans who have a soft spot for Samsung's stylus-toting phone series, there is now a serious choice to be made when going Note, and especially so considering the screen size is not the only difference to consider. Hopefully, this full review, which breaks the phone down into a variety of key scoring categories, will go someway to making that decision clearer for potential upgraders.
Last year I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for T3 and was very, very impressed with the overall package. It dripped "with a level of premium and capability" that made it the best Android phone in the world at launch, and even today it remains a superb all-round device. It is not an easy question to answer and, simply put, I don't think it will be an easy decision to make for many people. All variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 range are now on sale. Of course, there are huge benefits to a bigger screen, though — from watching films and box sets on your morning commute, to showing off holiday snaps to friends, reading eBooks on a flight, and getting immersed in the latest blockbuster mobile game.
The expansive 6. According to Samsung, the decision to move the hole-punch was taken due to customer feedback on the Galaxy S10, where the in-display camera forced Samsung to shift system icons away from the right-hand corner of the UI. The new design is definitely better than the Galaxy S10 look. The 6. Indeed, thanks the massive screen size, pin-hole camera and minimal bezeling, the flagship phone now enjoys a staggering This makes a massive difference in the display of content and also, naturally, use of the S Pen digital stylus, with a now phenomenal amount of screen real estate in which to make notes, illustrate and navigate online.
Performance is, as you can seen from the nearby boxout, top level. And, as you would expect, that hardware translated to a buttery smooth user experience in-app, in-game, and when navigating the phone's user interface. And, while I couldn't test out the feature, I am confident that the hardware package delivered here will mean the phone will perform admirably in Samsung DeX, bolting on a light computing experience to the overall package, too. Thankfully, that means the hole-punch in the display stays relatively small — unlike the pill-shaped eyesores seen on the larger variants in the Galaxy S10 range.
This DepthVision camera, simply put, allows for enhanced bokeh-style blur behind the subject in photos and videos.
I feel it also offers more accurate results when measuring distances, or placing computer generated objects into the real-world using Augmented Reality AR apps. After spending some time testing Live Focus, I have to admit that photos and videos looked very impressive. Yep, AR Emoji is back, and you will still look nothing like yourself.
At least you now have more clothes to choose from. Lastly, in terms of camera system, it would be amiss if I didn't talk about AR Emoji. Last year, when I reviewed the Galaxy Note 9, I commented that "creating your AR Emoji with the camera system is super easy", praising how fast the process was. I didn't like how generic the avatars were, though, nor how few styling options you were given. This time round I feel Samsung has moved even further away from an accurate portrayal of the subject for a more cartoony, Pixar-style approach.
My avatar, even after some serious tweaking, still looked very little like me. The phone maker has addressed the lack of customization, though, and there are now far more outfits and accessories to choose from. Stickers and animal avatars also return once more, so if that is your bag, then you can make shocked face as a sloth, or get daemonic if your significant other informs you that they ate the last wagon wheel in the cupboard.
Through a decent pair of can its sounds good. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 has a large 4,mAh battery cell that, from my testing with the phone, is good for a day and half of moderate real world usage. This isn't as strong as some other flagships, such as the Huawei P30 Pro , which is good for two days between charges, but for a phone with such a big screen and internal spec, I feel is actually good. I never had any battery anxiety when using this device and, well, that's a mark of endorsement from me. I found the audio reproduction, both over wired and wireless headphones, to be good.
God I hate Bixby.
There, I said it. At the start Samsung's own AI system was much akin to Bertie Wooster in my mind — had a funny name, didn't operate properly and got into mishaps, before being eventually let off with a "AI will be AI" slap on the wrist and a "C- must try harder" write up. It is, for all the hype and gloss, at best a thoroughly average voice assistant and, at worse, something you wish you could, literally , crowbar out of the phone.
Is it a deal breaker? No, obviously not.
The camera can work well. Here are a few that I really liked:. Larger phones are like having a TV in your pocket. I have quite large hands, but the 6. And that makes for a trade-off you have to live with when doing anything else. New S Pen features are awkward. Older models have had similar functions that allow you to use the pen to remotely take a photo or control a slide deck. My handwriting broke the phone. My handwriting is not…good.
No headphone jack. The cameras seem like a step backwards. The largest is a megapixel wide-angle camera that can capture a degree field of view, and the phone can take some great photos outdoors in good lighting.
Beyond that, I found the phone to struggle. Photos in less-than-perfect light were far fuzzier than I expected. My food photos remained fuzzy:. The front-facing camera also appears to still need some work.
Selfies in low light were also very poor. And, as with the Galaxy S10 , the gimmicky AR emoji mode still needs some serious work:. This thing is slippery. It slipped off multiple tables and chairs during my time with it sorry Samsung , when other phones I had with me were staying put. To its credit, none of those spills seem to have caused any damage to the phone. Generally when choosing phones, I tell people to choose a brand they like, and buy the top model they can afford.