The Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ are finally here (read our hands-on impressions here), and for many Galaxy Note 8 owners, the next few days will be spent wondering whether they should upgrade to either of Samsung's 2019 Note flagships. While we can't really tell you if you should or should not do it before we've had the chance to review either device, we can help you with a few reasons for why the upgrade might be worth it.
Let's get one thing straight out of the way: If you want the upgrade to be really meaningful, the Galaxy Note 10 isn't really something you should consider. It has many of the new features that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S10 this year, like an Infinity-O display with tiny bezels and a triple rear camera setup. It also has the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen that debuted with the Galaxy Note 9. However, it doesn't have either a headphone jack or microSD slot, its battery isn't all that bigger than the Note 8's, and the screen size is pretty similar as well.
The Galaxy Note 10 may be a good option for those buying a Samsung Note series device for the first time, but for existing customers, it's the Galaxy Note 10+ that has all the major attractions. And here are a few reasons why we think you should make the switch from the Galaxy Note 8 to the Galaxy Note 10+.
Bluetooth S Pen with gestures for remote control functionality
The new S Pen is no doubt the biggest reason you would want to get a Galaxy Note 10+. The Note 10+'s S Pen has Bluetooth built-in to enable remote control functionality inside various apps. You can press the S Pen button to take pictures inside the camera, control music playing on the device, control slides in PowerPoint presentations, play and pause YouTube videos, and more. You can even set up custom shortcuts for both a single and double press of the S Pen button inside various apps.
And while the Note 9 had a Bluetooth S Pen as well, Samsung has added air gestures to the stylus on the Note 10 and Note 10+. For example, you can hold down the S Pen button then rotate the stylus in the air to make the camera zoom in or zoom out. Gimmicky, sure, but you do get more than just the remote control functionality found on the Galaxy Note 9.
Same dimensions, but a bigger (6.8″) screen
The Galaxy Note 10+ has a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display that fits in dimensions similar to those of the Galaxy Note 8, so you get more screen estate without an increase in the device's overall size. That's made possible by the smaller bezels on the Note 10+ and the punch hole camera. We don't know if that camera cutout will be easy to get used to, but considering the Galaxy S10's camera cutout can be ignored after a few weeks of use, we're assuming the same will be the case with the Galaxy Note 10/Note 10+, despite the cutout now being at the center of the screen.
A larger battery with faster charging
The Galaxy Note 10+ has a 4,300 mAh battery, a full 1,000 mAh larger than the battery inside your Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy Note 9's 4,000 mAh battery offered excellent endurance, and with newer, more efficient processors, the Note 10+ should be able to last even longer. And that's not all: The Note 10+ also supports 25W super fast charging out of the box (the Note 8 has 15W charging) and, if you are willing to spend a little extra, you can get Samsung's 45W charger to make the Note 10+ charge even quicker. That's three times as fast as the Note 8, so it's a pretty major upgrade.
Faster processor(s), 12GB RAM, 256GB storage out of the box
If you aren't impressed by the Note 10+'s support for charging speeds three times faster than the Note 8's, then perhaps four times higher storage out of the box and 12GB of RAM will entice you. Yes, the Galaxy Note 10+ has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage on the base variant. 256GB is a lot of space for all your media and other important files, and if you need more, you can expand available storage by popping in a microSD card up to 1TB in size.
The 12GB of RAM, meanwhile, should ensure there's always plenty of memory available no matter what you do on the device and keep things running smoothly at all times. The Note 10+ also comes with a newer-generation Exynos or Snapdragon chipset (depending on market), which means you get better performance and also better power efficiency/battery life, as mentioned earlier on.
Ultra-wide rear camera, plus an improved zoom camera
The Galaxy Note 10+ gets you a triple rear camera setup like the Galaxy S10 and S10+, one of which allows you to take ultra-wide photos. The telephoto sensor for 2x optical zoom has been upgraded as well. It now has a wider aperture (F2.1; the Note 8's is F2.4), so it should be able to capture better photos in darker situations. It should also be able to avoid switching to the primary rear camera for zoom in tough lighting situations, something that the Galaxy Note 8 and every previous Galaxy flagship with a telephoto camera suffers from.
The Galaxy Note 10+ also comes with Night mode for the front camera, so low-light selfies will come out awesome as well. Then there's a feature called Zoom-in Mic that focuses on audio from the subject you're pointing your camera at and pushes everything else to the background. You even get a fourth rear camera on the Galaxy Note 10+. It's a 3D depth sensor that lets you add background blur to videos and can also be used to measure the dimensions of real-world objects by pointing the camera at them. These features may come off as gimmicks, but the fact remains that the Note 10+ has a lot to offer as far as photography is concerned.
Stereo speakers
Okay, so the Galaxy Note 10+ doesn't have a headphone jack, but it does have stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. You can use an adapter to use your 3.5mm headphones with the Note 10+, but there's no way you can get stereo sound on your Note 8 if you tend to listen to music and watch videos without headphones sometimes. And it's not just entertainment that's helped by stereo speakers: You also get louder ringtones when a call comes in, making sure you don't miss it if you're in a crowded area where all the noise can drown out the sound from the phone in your pocket.
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