You have all read the Galaxy Note 10 Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 comparisons by now, whether for the specs or the camera performance. These devices are part of the same family but they have more differences than similarities. That's to be expected since the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is meant to serve an entirely different purpose than last year's flagship phablet.
Samsung made the Galaxy Note 10 Lite because it wanted the S Pen to be within reach of a lot more customers. Flagship smartphone prices have risen steadily over the past few years and are comfortably past the $1,000 mark. Even the cheapest Galaxy Note 10 model costs $950 and that's a lot of money. So Samsung created the Galaxy Note 10 Lite to lower the barrier of entry for customers who want the S Pen experience. Thinking about buying a Galaxy Note 10 and wondering if you should opt for the Lite instead? Let's discuss which of the two makes the most sense today.
Galaxy Note 10 Lite vs Galaxy Note 10: What's the smarter option?
It may not seem that long ago but it has actually been eight months since the Galaxy Note 10 lineup was released. We are now looking forward to its successor which will ostensibly be called the Galaxy Note 20. You can already find retailers selling the device at a discount and expect its price to decline further once the successor hits. So if you were to buy one right now, you'd find the Galaxy Note 10 selling for less than what you paid for it in just a few months, and its resale value will be lower too. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite will have a better chance of retaining its value over six months at least.
Even if the price isn't a concern for you, software updates should be. One of the biggest things that the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has going for it is the fact that it ships with Android 10 out of the box. The Galaxy Note 10 came with Android 9 Pie. This means that it has already used up one of its two Android OS upgrades so it's not going to get major platform updates beyond 2020. Samsung's flagships are more than capable of handling three OS updates but the company shows no signs of relaxing its policy. No wonder Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 owners are not pleased about this, but it is what it is. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is set for two major Android OS upgrades so you're covered until 2021.
This is something that most people will and should consider when looking at the Galaxy Note 10 Lite vs Galaxy Note 10. Major OS upgrades essentially give your device a new lease on life. You get several new features and improvements that you otherwise wouldn't be able to use unless you upgraded your phone. People tend to hold on to their phones for much longer now as the prices have risen significantly over the past few years. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite will let you squeeze the best possible value against its price by giving you the peace of mind that it's definitely going to get the next two major OS updates.
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite does emerge as a better option from a purely practical standpoint. It also doesn't hurt that it's a pretty decent phone. As we pointed out in our Galaxy Note 10 Lite review, despite the fact that it has a processor from two years ago, it offers respectable performance with great battery life. The S Pen is an amazing productivity tool and it works just as well on the Galaxy Note 10 Lite and let's not forget, there's an actual honest-to-God 3.5mm headphone jack on this phone. This remains a big selling point for people who still feel that the rush to ditch the jack is unnecessary.
This obviously doesn't take away from the fact that the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ are phenomenal devices. They offered the best in specs when they came out last year so the Galaxy Note 10 Lite certainly doesn't measure up based on specs alone. However, when you look at the Galaxy Note 10 Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 comparison in context, the former emerges as the smarter choice, wouldn't you agree?
