Evolution never stops in the smartphone market. Every year new models come out, new technological trends to follow and product ranges are renewed, to offer ever new solutions to the public. The renewal process never ends e we who work in this sector are also led to talk about the news, as if the recent past were further than it actually is.
That's why we decided to go back to talking about one of the best phones we reviewed last year, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, to understand if after 7 months it still keeps up with the top of the most modern range, and especially if at the software level Samsung's support has been commensurate with the blazon of this historic series of smartphones. We anticipate it, the answer to this question is yes, Note 10+ is still a top of the range to buy on the fly, especially now that the price has fallen below € 900 online.
The design still remains a reference
The design of the smartphones released in 2020 has not brought substantial news compared to last year. Indeed, in general we have seen a flattening of ideas with the result that, especially with the darker colors, many of the top of the range that have come out lately are similar, both on the front and on the backcover. Not to mention that the 120 Hz run was carried behind larger batteries, which increase the weight and thickness of the devices but almost never autonomy. The Galaxy S20 Ultra weighs 220 grams, with a thickness of 8.8 mm (here our review); Oppo Find X2 Pro weighs 207 grams and is 8.8 mm thick, as we saw during our test; OnePlus 8 Pro weighs a little less, 199 grams, but the thickness remains high, 8.5 mm.
The Note 10+ remains on the same levels as regards the weight, of 196 grams, but the 7.9 mm thickness is a plus, especially for a smartphone with a 6.8-inch display like this, because it improves ergonomics substantially. A firm grip is essential for a phone like the Note, which must also be used in tandem with the stylus: in this respect the Note 10+ remains one of the best examples of ergonomic study we have seen, it is not easy to guarantee a firm grip with dimensions of this type.
The credit also goes to the perfect weight balance of the internal components, which make it even easier to use.
The front part is still avant-garde: central notch incorporated in the screen, which does not bother you during use, and above all very thin edges, almost non-existent, which allow you to make the most of the wide diagonal of the display. Another point in favor of this screen is the aspect ratio of 19: 9. Today the trend is to "stretch" smartphones, with an aspect ratio of 20: 9, but videos are shot almost all 16: 9. Note 10+ is closer to the standard one than today's top of the range and the result is a more pleasant and close reproduction to the original one.
The hardware keeps up
Note 10+ is equipped with a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with QHD + resolution compatible with HDR10 +, with vivid colors and excellent visibility in all conditions, also thanks to the reactive and precise brightness sensor. The 90 or 120 Hz are missing, the difference in terms of reactivity can be seen but the 60 Hz do not disfigure and on the contrary, they are still the standard outside the top of the range. Going from 120 Hz to 60 is not traumatic, simply the feeling of fluidity is less accentuated, but the battery thanks. The processor is an Exynos 9825, with Mali G-76 GPU: it will not have the power of a Snapdragon 865 or an Exynos 990, but it is a CPU that is still reliable today and that does not pose particular limits during use, in fact the experience is the same as with a more updated SoC.
5G is missinghowever the new standard, at least in Italy, is practically useless given the scarce diffusion, not to mention that this too is an extra burden for the battery.
On the memory front, Samsung had aimed high last year, the 12 GB of LPDDR4X RAM mounted on board are many, a real guarantee also for the future, while the internal memory is 256 GB, expandable via Micro SD.
The battery is 4300 mAh, but Note 10+ has never been a champion of autonomy. You always arrive at the end of the day, using it less than it can do something more, but two days of use without recharging are not possible. Positive note, with the update to Android 10 we have noticed a slight improvement in battery life, not at all obvious when it comes to updates, which often make it worse.
The only thing missing is ultra-fast charging. The 65 W one, which recharges the phone from 0 to 100% in less than 40 minutes, is spreading to the high end this year and is very comfortable. The 25 W of the Note 10+ are not as fast unfortunately, one must be satisfied.
Cameras and software
Note 10+ has little to envy to the cameras seen on the S20 range. We have used it for several months and both day and night it has always been reliable and versatile. The photographic sector is composed of a 12 Megapixel main sensor with aperture variable from f / 1.5 to f / 2.4, equipped with optical stabilization, which is flanked by a 12 Megapixel cam and f / 2.1 aperture, to provide a 2x zoom with minimal loss of quality. The third cam is the wide angle one, which uses a 16 Megapixel sensor with a 123 ° field of view with f / 2.1 aperture. Then we find a ToF sensor for the detection of the depth of field and a 10 Megapixel front cam.
The main camera shoots quickly and with precise focus, under this front Note 10+ is also better than S20 Ultra. Whether it's day or night, there are no problems, same for the videos, which remain among the most defined and rich in details of the Android landscape.
The images speak for themselves, with the Note 10+ you can make high quality shots; only a more powerful zoom camera is missing than the one installed, but we will certainly see it on the next model.
Good news for all owners of this phone also comes from the software support that has been dedicated to it by Samsung. Born with Android 9 on board, today Note 10+ can count on Android 10 and the One UI 2.1 interface, the same view on the S20 range.
The security patches are constantly updated on a monthly basis, the last one is on the first of April, after all the business vocation of the phone requires high security standards.
In recent months, Samsung has also collaborated with Microsoft for a better interconnection between PC and phone and today, through the application Your Phone for Windows 10, you can use the phone directly from the PC, thanks to screen sharing, or exchange files throughout simplicity, or even see the notifications. A simple to use system that comes in handy on many occasions.
