Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

(Image credit: Droid Life / Samsung)

published 7 August 2019

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 comes in two versions, and while they’re identical in many ways there are still some important differences between the two siblings. Let’s discover what they are and which Note is likely to be the better buy.

This is especially important if you are considering upgrading from a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, as the extra screen real estate, camera functionality and hardware power may be a deal maker for some, or a not needed waste of money for others, depending on individual usage scenarios.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: design and display

The most obvious difference between the two versions of the Note 10 is the size. The Note 10 is 151mm high, 71.8mm wide and 7.9mm thick. It weighs 168g to its big sister’s 196g. The Plus model comes in at 162.3mm high, 77.1mm wide and 7.9mm thick.

The difference in size is largely down to the screens. Both devices get Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O displays: the Note 10 display is 6.3 inches delivering 2,280 x 1,080 at 401ppi and the Note 10+ is 6.8 inches with 3,040 x 1,440 at 498ppi.

Both models’ displays come with a “hole punch” for the front camera; unlike the previous generation where the front-facing camera was located in the bezel, it’s in the centre top of the screen here. The rear cameras have moved too: instead of being located in a horizontal strip, they’re now vertical and over at the left hand side.

Both devices are HDR10+ certified and neither has a headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: processor and storage

The processor you get depends on where in the world you are. The US, China, Latin America and Japan get the Snapdragon 855+ while the rest of the world will be rocking Samsung’s own Exynos 9825. Both processors are octa-core.

The Note 10+ comes with a whopping 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. The smaller Note 10 has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, and there’s no way to expand that. The Note 10+ has a microSD slot supporting up to 512GB of external storage. There’s no such slot on the standard Note 10.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: camera

Where the previous Note had a dual-lens camera, the Note 10 adds a third. The main assembly now has a 16MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2, a 12MP wide-angle camera with f/1.5 to f/2.4 and a 12MP telephoto lens with f/2.1. The front camera is 10MP with f/2.2, and it’s a single-lens affair rather than the dual-lens assembly of the previous Note.

The Note 10+ adds yet another rear camera to deliver a quad-camera assembly: the fourth camera is a DepthVision camera with f/1.4 and VGA resolution. The other camera specifications remain the same.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: battery

Big phones need big batteries, but the Note 10 only gets 3,500mAh. The larger Note10+ has a bigger, 4,300mAh battery, but that battery needs to drive a bigger display so don’t expect a spectacular difference in everyday battery life. Support for 45W wired and 20W wireless fast charging means that if you do run low on juice you won’t be hanging around power sockets for too long.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: price and availability

The LTE version of the Galaxy Note 10 costs $949 and the 5G version costs $1,049. The Note 10+ on the other hand costs $1,099 for the LTE version, and $1,299 for the 5G variant. All models go on sale on August 23, 2019.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10+: verdict

The Galaxy Note and Note 10+ are identical in many respects, but the Note 10+ has a larger, higher resolution screen; more RAM; expandable storage; a bigger battery; and an extra camera. It manages to achieve all of this without adding too much bulk: it’s less than a centimeter taller and just over half a centimeter wider, and the difference in weight is just 30g. If you want as much power as possible and money’s no object then the Galaxy Note 10+ is clearly the pick of the pair.

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Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).