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Galaxy Note 10 Plus ongoing review: Here's how long the 'all-day' battery ran

Our first overnight test results are in, and they're good.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
Jessica Dolcourt
16 min read
Galaxy Note 10 Plus

The Note 10 Plus. 

Angela Lang/CNET

 At 11:34 a.m. yesterday, the  Galaxy Note 10 Plus ' first battery drain test began. At 8:30 this morning, the phone finally shut down. That's a 21-hour run in a test that loops a long video on airplane mode with the screen forced to stay on, and brightness and audio at the halfway point. This test doesn't represent how we use phones all day, but it is a good basis of comparison among phones that can indicate long or short life throughout your day. Twenty-one hours is a strong result, though the Galaxy S10 5G ran for 21.5 hours over the course of two tests. We'll run this again to make sure.

This battery test took the Note 10 Plus out of commission for, well, pretty much an entire day, but testing continues! Before it went into its testing cocoon, I tried out the S Pen's new gesture controls and another new feature, Link to Windows, which lets you access and interact with the Note 10's photos, texts, notifications and more from a Windows 10 PC. I've also been observing performance on the in-screen fingerprint reader and how well the Note 10 camera's night mode compares to the Huawei P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3.

It takes a solid week to thoroughly run tests and for all the best and worst parts of a phone to crystallize, so not every observation here is final, especially if an issue crops up. And not every feature is available now. For example, one aspect of AR Doodle wasn't initially working on my review unit (Samsung says it's now fixed this) and other features, like 3D scanner, are still to come.

Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus look incredible

See all photos

So far, the Note 10 Plus is shaping up to be beautiful, thanks to its colorful beguiling backing and its more svelte, sophisticated design than the Galaxy Note 9. Its cameras, tools and features are beginning to present as a complete package that's fun and satisfying to use. But I'm struggling with the button placement and the missing headphone jack, and I have some questions about a few new features. Read on for details.

Night mode will help the Note 10 phones compete

Samsung's Galaxy cameras have historically been very good, but have struggled to keep up with low-light night mode shots compared to rival devices, like the Huawei P30 Pro and Google Pixel 3, and zoom quality like on the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom. Samsung pushed out a standalone night mode after criticism of the S10 Plus, but the Note 10 phones bake them in. 

The camera's dedicated night mode takes clearer, brighter shots that pop, compared to using the automatic mode.

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Samsung's new Note 10 is all the colors of the rainbow.

Angela Lang/CNET

I'm pretty pleased with the dedicated night mode so far, but the comparison to competitors is interesting. The purpose is to brighten and sharpen dark scenes so that details stand out. For example, street lights that spill out blobs of brightness in an automatic photo are more reined in in night mode. Neon signs should be easier to read.

The process takes a few seconds on all phones. What I like about Google and Huawei's phones is that they both indicate how long you have to hold still; the Note 10 is more of a guessing game.

In terms of actual image quality, Samsung's photos tend to be the brightest, with the most background detail outside the area of focus. That's not always what you want, though, if your goal is to also capture the fact that these images are taken at night. In the photo below, the Note 10 Plus enhances the tree leaves most. The P30 Pro did a better job keeping the clock (the focus area) clearer and easier to read, with higher contrast in the overall image, which I prefer.

Here's the Note 10 Plus both with and without the dedicated night mode.

Major observations so far

Screen: The dynamic AMOLED display looks terrific, but the phone doesn't seem to create bright whites, even when you turn settings to "vivid" and select for cool tones. The 6.8-inch display is awesome for watching video and reading e-books. It gets heavy if you're trying to hold it up while laying down. My palm triggered the screen a few times when I didn't mean it to, and the curved screens make it trickier to use the S Pen all the way to the edge.

Fingerprint reader: The phone's in-screen fingerprint reader is much more sensitive than on the S10 Plus. That's a good thing.

Aura Glow color: It's gorgeous, but fingerprint grease dampens the appeal. Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and back helps shine up the rainbow effect, but you need a case to keep all that glass from breaking in a bad drop, which will either mute or hide the color.

Front-facing camera placement: The centered 10-megapixel front-facing camera is far less distracting than the Galaxy S10's selfie cam placement off to the right. (Here are seven fun Note 10 wallpapers you can get now.)

New camera tools: Portrait video worked in one early test, but I wasn't sure I liked the background blur. Zoom-in-audio worked as advertised, but the effect was more subtle than I expected, and image quality suffers when you zoom in too closely. The new video editor was easy to use, from trimming to adding in a music track. A new Live Focus filter makes portrait shots look dreamier.

Battery life: The Note 10 Plus ran for 21 hours in our first continuous video drain test in airplane mode, which is very strong, but the Galaxy S10 5G ran 30 minutes longer (mobile data was inactivated). In daily use, battery life truly lasts from morning till night, and recharging with the included 25-watt charger is impressively fast. The Note 10 Plus' 4,300-mAh battery routinely powered up from empty to fully charged in 65 minutes.

S Pen stylus: It's shorter and thinner than the Note 9's. Its button seems harder to accidentally press, which is a good thing. It also feels less substantial, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. S Pen air controls get a refreshed look. It's a lot more comfortable to use when you're sitting for awhile, less so when you're on the move.

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The stylus comes in handy when you're sitting comfortably.

Angela Lang/CNET

Gesture controls: The idea here is to press the S Pen button while flicking your wrist in a variety of directions to control the camera, Spotify and Power Point presentations. It takes time to get the hang of the press-flick combo without expending too much energy or looking ridiculous. I tested this with the Note 10 Plus mounted to a tripod, and it made sense, so long as you're close enough to read the screen -- you can even zoom in (but not refocus). 

Spotify also worked -- maybe your phone is connected to Bluetooth speakers and you keep the stylus in your pocket to pause, adjust volume and skip tracks without having to come to the phone. The use cases are selective, but the feature works as promised.

Performance: It's zippy, backed so far by benchmarking tests that are consistent with other phones using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset.

Link to Windows: This new feature mirrors some of the contents of your Note 10 Plus with a Windows PC. It does take some time to set up, and you have to sign into both devices with the same account, which is problematic for shared laptops (e.g. a home computer). Syncing was slow on the MateBook we tested it with, but it did work as advertised. 

A feature that will mirror your mobile apps on the PC is coming out later this month. The idea is to be able to respond to action items from your phone without leaving the PC.

Rebooting and taking screenshots feels awkward

Let's talk about buttons. Samsung shifted the power/lock button to the left side and made it a three-in-one power/lock/Bixby button that you can reprogram. It's now just called the side key. I'm skeptical about the placement, though I imagine it's a boon for lefties. Still, I'm starting to get used to it. In fact, going back to a Galaxy S10 Plus, I wound up pressing its Bixby button to turn it on. Muscle memory is a funny thing.

This button geography also makes taking screenshots and turning off or rebooting the Note 10 a little trickier, however. You can take a screenshot with the S Pen, of course (I love the precision of the screen select tool), but if you want to use button controls, you briefly press the volume-down and lock buttons on the left. It feels awkward.

Press this button combo longer and you'll see the power-down screen. This differs from other Samsung phones, where a long press on the power/lock button gives you power-down options. But with the Bixby Voice function taking over the press-to-hold function by default, you'll need to do something else. Samsung even bakes in a tutorial to guide the way. You have three options:

  • Simultaneously press and hold the volume-down and lock button (this is the iPhone route)
  • Tap the power button at the top of the quick access panel (slide down from the top of the Note 10)
  • Tell Bixby to turn off the phone

Option D (none of the above) is to reprogram the press-and-hold function from Wake Bixby to Power off menu and go about business as usual, just from the left side of the phone and not the right.

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These are your options for programming the Note 10's side key.

Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

The Note 10 Plus' other design challenge is the headphone jack -- or rather, the lack thereof. Samsung removed this 3.5mm port in both Note 10 phones and gives you a pair of wired AKG headphones in the box, which is fine until you reach for your trusty wired pair and find you either need a dongle adapter, a new pair of wireless earbuds or to go fetch those new USB-C earbuds from wherever you left them last.

I'll update this ongoing review frequently with new observations, and it will eventually become my complete, rated CNET review. For now, here are a few early observations (followed by pricing information and all the specs).

Coming up next...

  • Further camera tests, including AR Doodle and AR measurement
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • More battery testing

And now, back to the Note 10 basics, originally published on Aug. 7.

The deal with the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus

First, there's not just one Note 10, but two: The 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 10, starting at $949, £899 or AU$1,499, and the 6.8-inch Note 10 Plus, which starts at $1,099, £999 or AU$1,699. (See how to preorder a Note 10 here.) The phones turn color up a notch with a brilliant prismatic backing on two of its color options, shining back the rainbow. And, as noted, Samsung has killed off the headphone jack in both Note 10 phones.

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus changes don't stop there. There are four rear cameras in the larger Note 10 Plus, and no microSD card slot in the smaller Note 10. The S Pen gains gesture controls that let you swipe through screens from afar. There's a larger battery and more RAM in the Note 10 Plus versus the Note 10, and wireless charging gets a tad faster for both phones.

Samsung has also made a 5G version of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus that's identical in every way, apart from the modem inside that gives it access to the fastest data speeds. This Note 10 Plus 5G variant will sell with Verizon before branching out to T-Mobile , AT&T and Sprint . The Note 10 Plus 5G costs $1,299, £1,099 or AU$1,999, the same price as the Galaxy S10 5G. 

Watch this: Galaxy Note and Note 10 Plus are here to wow you

Of all the Note 10 changes, two stand out the most. Samsung saying goodbye to the headphone jack is a big deal because the brand was the last major bastion of the 3.5mm port. Letting that go signals a probable shift for future Galaxy phones. You'll get a pair of free USB-C headphones in the box, but an adapter dongle for your existing headphones will cost you $10 from Samsung. (I quickly tested four dongles from rival makers, including Google and Apple , and they all worked on the Note 10.)

Just as interesting is Samsung splitting the Note 10 family into two sizes. The company says it's doing this to make a cheaper, smaller phone for people who want a Note, but not an enormous device. The strategy also gives Samsung a chance to sell the Note at two different prices, somewhat curbing an upward trend toward more expensive phones. With phone sales slowing, Samsung may be trying to hit more people's sweet spot.

Essentially making the Note 10 the Note "Lite" is a new role for the phone, which, ever since the very first Galaxy Note, has represented the most powerful, feature-stacked device Samsung makes in a given year. That's no longer the case. Now, the smaller Note 10 competes with the Galaxy S10 Plus , and the S10 5G is very close to the Note 10 Plus 5G.

The foldable Galaxy Fold is another story altogether, but one that also threatens to eclipse the Note 10 with an even larger screen and more whiz-bang design.

Keep reading for all the Galaxy Note 10 preorder details, specs, camera tools and new S Pen features.

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In some regions, you can also get the Note 10 in pink.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

How to preorder and buy the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus go on preorder Aug. 8 at 12 a.m. ET, and go on sale Aug. 23. 

In the US, you can buy both phones in aura white, aura black and aura glow (the iridescent color above). We also saw the Note 10 in aura pink in the UK, and aura red will be available in some countries. Additionally, the Note 10 Plus will sell in aura blue, which also has the prismatic back, but only for US customers buying it from Samsung.com and Best Buy .

If you buy either Note 10 through Samsung.com or selected carriers you'll get a credit that you can apply to devices or accessories that aren't other phones, such as the Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch Active 2. Samsung will give you $100 for the Note 10 and $150 for the Note 10 Plus.

Here's everywhere you can buy the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus.

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The Note 10 Plus has a 6.8-inch screen, while the Note 10 has a 6.3-inch display.

Angela Lang/CNET

No Note 10 headphone jack: It's time to embrace dongle life

In a move that risks alienating some fans, Samsung has removed the headphone jack from both Note 10 phones. The cold, hard truth is that most phones already ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack, relying on the USB-C port to plug in wired headphones. Samsung was the final major holdout.

Why remove the jack? Samsung claims the decision was to free up space in the phone for more battery capacity and said that around 70% of Galaxy S and Note owners weren't using it anyway, as people shift toward wireless earbuds.

With the headphone jack gone, those of you who feel attached to wired headphones will need to either buy a dongle adapter or use the pair of USB-C headphones that comes in the box. Samsung doesn't supply you with a dongle, but will happily sell you one for $10. You could also decide to make the switch to wireless headphones, including Samsung's Galaxy Buds.

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Sorry, there's no headphone jack anymore.

Angela Lang/CNET

Galaxy Note 10 vs. Note 10 Plus: What's the difference?

Although the design builds off last year's Galaxy Note 9, I was impressed with the way the Note 10 and 10 Plus looked and felt. Leave it to Samsung to make a pretty phone, and one with eye-catching colors (I mean the aura glow and aura blue, of course). 

The hole-punch selfie camera moves to the center of the Note 10's screen. This is a big improvement over the Galaxy S10 phones, where the lens is all the way to the right.

Samsung has also shifted the button configuration. The Bixby button is gone. Or rather, it's become one with the power/lock button on the left spine, below the volume keys. Press once to lock and unlock the screen, press twice to launch the camera (or any app -- you can program this in the settings) and press and hold to trigger Bixby Voice.

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The Note 10's selfie camera is dead-center.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The Note 10 phones use the same in-screen fingerprint reader we saw in the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus.

The phones and S Pen felt good in my hand during my short time with the phones. Although the Note 10 Plus is massive, I so far haven't found it too unwieldy. We'll see if that's still true after spending more time testing it.

There are more similarities than differences between these two phones, but Samsung wanted to make sure the larger Note 10 Plus has the edge on features. We compare the specs at the end, but here are the main distinctions that make the Note 10 Plus a little extra premium.

  • Screen size: 6.3 versus 6.8 inches.
  • Device size and weight: The Note 10 Plus is significantly larger and heavier.
  • AR camera: The Note 10 Plus adds a fourth camera, for AR video and drawing.
  • Battery capacity: 3,500 versus 4,300 mAh.
  • Storage: 256GB for Note 10, 256 or 512GB for Plus.
  • RAM: 8GB versus 12GB.
  • microSD card slot: Not on the Note 10, but it is on the Note 10 Plus.
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Samsung's new Note 10 is packed with features, like a new video-editing tool.

Sarah Tew/CNET

No microSD card slot on the Note 10

Samsung also got rid of the microSD card slot for the Note 10 only. The Plus will still accept whatever card you throw at it. 

Again, the reason for the change seems to be a space-saving mission that also helps keep the smaller Note 10 lighter and thinner. That said, it seems likely that Samsung also wanted to give the Note 10 Plus one more way to be different.

Note 10 Plus cameras do night mode, portrait video, AR doodling

The Note 10 and Note 10 Plus cameras don't vary much from the Galaxy S10 Plus and S10 5G phones that Samsung released earlier this year. 

On both phones you get: 

  • 12-megapixel dual-aperture lens.
  • 16-megapixel wide-angle lens.
  • 12-megapixel telephoto lens.
  • 10-megapixel front-facing camera.

As on the Galaxy S10 phones, you'll be able to switch among the rear lenses. Notably, Samsung removed the second front-facing camera from the Note 10 phones, citing better software for taking portrait selfies.

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus adds a fourth 3D depth-sensing camera on the back, which you can use to take portrait videos that blur the background, and draw on top of photos and video with a new feature called AR Doodle.

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The Note 10 Plus, left, gains a fourth camera.

Angela Lang/CNET

I've been less than impressed with portrait video on the Galaxy S10 5G, which also has a 3D camera on the back. When people move, the video has a tendency to blur hair, legs, hands and other appendages around the edges. Samsung says it's been improving the quality of portrait video, and my test videos were certainly better on the Note 10 Plus. I'm looking forward to trying that out more.

AR Doodle is the other main use for this fourth camera. With the stylus, you can draw all over a photo or video of a person or thing, annotating with words, arrows, starry sunglasses, capes, you name it. If you shoot video of a person, AR Doodle will track their movements, so the bowler hat you just drew on your friend moves along with them. That's a fun bonus.

Another nice thing about AR Doodle is that you can save the file as a JPEG or movie file and share it on any major platform, not only with other Note 10 users. 

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AR Doodle can track your subjects as they move.

Angela Lang/CNET

Video tools will get better for everyone

New to the Galaxy Note phones is a native video editor that you can use to put together a polished video with combined clips, transitions, a musical track and trimmed edges. The S Pen's point is a much more precise instrument for scrubbing than your fingertip. 

This new video editor works with a version of Adobe Premier Rush that's been optimized for Galaxy phones, and you can export to social platforms. This already seems like a win.

Samsung also has a new video feature called zoom-in mic, which uses multiple mics to target audio in the frame as you record. That is, it'll use the mics on the front to record voices in front of you, which should make voices clearer. As you zoom in closer to a subject, say a speaker or a musician, the audio will get louder -- a bit like a boom mic.

Samsung also says it's improving the smoothness of its super steady video mode that we saw on the Galaxy S10 phones. The mode also now applies to hyperlapse videos.

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You can use the S Pen to control your Note 10 phone.

Angela Lang/CNET

Gesture control is the big new S Pen trick

The S Pen stylus gets a few bonus features in the Galaxy Note 10 and 10 Plus. Last year's Note 9 introduced Bluetooth capability in the stylus, so you can take a photo remotely with a click of the S Pen button. It also has a battery that recharges when you slide the stylus back into the phone.

This time around, the S Pen adds to that Bluetooth power with a new set of gesture control tricks. While holding the button, you can flick left, right, up and down to do things like switch from the main to rear camera, advance musical tracks on Spotify or switch slides in a PowerPoint presentation you launch from your phone. You can also use some more advanced gestures, like a circular arc, to make the camera zoom in or out.

It's better to think of this as a remote control. There's really no reason you'd need to use gesture controls when the phone's in your hand, but if you've got it set up on a tripod to take a group shot, it could be handy.

I'm on the fence about gesture control in general -- it's often a gimmicky solution in search of a problem I rarely have -- but I can see some actual utility here for some specific instances. It did take a while to get the hang of some of the more advanced gestures, but practice likely makes perfect.

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It's easy to convert handwriting into text.

Angela Lang/CNET

Handwriting to text is cool, too

Another interesting S Pen enhancement makes it easier to convert handwriting in a note into text, by simply tapping the area and pressing an onscreen button. You can also export it to a Microsoft Word doc. 

If you're the type of person who needs a break from typing to write, that would be one way to get your thoughts down. 

Hand-off to your Windows 10 laptop with Link to Windows

Exporting to Word is just one tie-in the Note 10 has with Microsoft. I'm excited about another, Link to Windows. 

When you toggle it on from the quick access menu, you'll be able to sync the Note 10 to your Windows 10 desktop. You'll be able to see your Samsung messages, notifications and recent photos, and mirror your screen.

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Samsung gives you two ways to hook up your Note 10 phone wit a laptop.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Wireless charging, gaming, Samsung DeX see minor improvements

  • The Note 10 phones will work with a 45-watt wired charger.
  • 30 minutes of charge lasts all day.
  • Wireless charging gets slightly faster, too.
  • The AI-based game booster app pulls up from the bottom and runs in the background as you play.
  • Galaxy Link is a PC app that creates a connection to your Note 10 to wirelessly stream games. It'll be available in the future and will work with a gamepad that Samsung will sell.
  • Update simplifies using DeX: You'll be able to use the feature -- which lets you access the contents of your phone from any laptop or monitor -- with the cable that comes in the Note 10 box.

Galaxy Note 10 and 10 Plus specs


Samsung Galaxy Note 10Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Display size, resolution 6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,280x1,080 pixels6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,040x1,440 pixels
Pixel density 401 ppi498 ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 5.94 x 2.83 x 0.31 in6.39 x 3.04 x 0.31 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.93 oz; 168g6.91 oz; 196g
Mobile software Android 9.0 PieAndroid 9.0 Pie
Camera 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto), 3D depth (HQVGA)
Front-facing camera 10-megapixel10-megapixel
Video capture 4K4K
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, or Samsung Exynos 9825Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, or Samsung Exynos 9825
Storage 256GB256GB, 512GB
RAM 8GB12GB
Expandable storage NoUp to 1TB
Battery 3,500 mAh4,300 mAh
Fingerprint sensor In-screenIn-screen
Connector USB-CUSB-C
Headphone jack NoNo
Special features S Pen stylus; Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68)S Pen stylus; Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68)
Price off-contract (USD) $949$1,099
Price (GBP) £899£999
Price (AUD) AU$1,499AU$1,699