The Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the very best Galaxy cellphone in years, even edging out the newest Galaxy S20 Ultra in some areas. With Samsung gearing as much as launch the Galaxy Note 20, I assumed it will be a good time to match the Note 10 to the Note 9 to see how they maintain up in opposition to one another. Thanks to some value reductions, now you can discover the Note 10 Plus beginning at $850 (£849, AU$1,199). But in case your funds would not stretch that far and you continue to need a Galaxy cellphone that gives prime efficiency, a stylus and all-day battery life, the earlier 12 months’s Note 9 could be sufficient. To work out should you ought to pay extra for the Note 10 Plus, or much less for the Note 9, I used each telephones and in contrast them side-by-side on all the things from digital camera high quality to design to how they carried out in on a regular basis conditions. Watch the video beneath for my full impressions or learn on for the abridged model.
Angela Lang/CNET
Want the very best that Android has to supply? You’ll discover nearly all the things you need (besides a headphone jack) on this cellphone. The Note 10 Plus has a wonderful 6.8-inch display screen, expandable storage and a wide-angle digital camera. There’s additionally a 5G model obtainable. No doubt, that is nonetheless an costly cellphone (even after some post-launch value reductions) however its efficiency and all-day battery life could justify the associated fee.
Read our Galaxy Note 10 Plus evaluation.
Angela Lang/CNET
The Galaxy Note 9 remains to be a wonderful purchase, particularly should you worth a number of the {hardware} choices it has over the Note 10 Plus, akin to a headphone jack and iris scanner. While it would not have all of the bells and whistles of the newer cellphone, the display screen nonetheless seems nice and the cameras carry out nicely. It’s additionally been marked down because the Note 10 and 10 Plus launch, so it is a significantly better deal.
Read our Galaxy Note 9 evaluation.
Does the Galaxy Note 10 Plus have a headphone jack? It doesn’t. So in case you are a fan of wired headphones the selection is simple: the Note 9. There’s additionally no dongle offered within the field of the Note 10 Plus should you do wish to join 3.5mm headphones. (There are, nevertheless, USB-C headphones included.)
For extra like this
Subscribe to the Mobile publication, obtain notifications and see associated tales on CNET.
The Note 9 has another design cues which are absent from the costlier cellphone, such because the notification gentle and a fingerprint scanner on the again. The Note 10 Plus has an in-screen fingerprint scanner (similar to the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus earlier than it) and I discovered it to be very responsive, however there have been nonetheless one or two events when it would not register my print in comparison with the just about 100% accuracy on the Note 9’s reader. The manner you flip off the cellphone is barely totally different on each: with the Note 9 the ability button is on the correct whereas the Note 10 Plus has a remappable button and the amount rocker to the left of the display screen. (Note: it’s also possible to remap the Bixby button on the Note 9.)
Angela Lang/CNET
When it involves show high quality, each telephones are glorious. The Note 10 Plus provides you extra display screen actual property (although the general dimensions are much like the Note 9), due to the 6.8-inch edge-to-edge Infinity O show, with the front-facing digital camera built-in on the prime of the display screen. The 6.4-inch Note 9 show can also be nice to have a look at, however you’ll have to take care of bezels on the prime and backside of the cellphone. I’ll admit the Note 9 is slightly simpler to make use of one-handed as it is a tiny bit narrower than the Note 10 Plus however I most well-liked the newer cellphone for once I was in a position to make use of it with each fingers: kicking again watching movies or utilizing the S Pen. The materials end on the Note 10 Plus seems fabulous however it’s a fingerprint magnet. As quickly as I took it out of the field, I’d smudged up the again. You can, after all, use a case, however then you could lose the iridescent impact from the aura glow or aura blue finishes should you select these colours. Then once more, you could not want to make use of a case as a result of the Note 10 Plus makes use of Gorilla Glass 6 on the back and front to guard in opposition to drops. The Note 9 makes use of the earlier era Gorilla Glass 5. Galaxy Note 10 Plus has extra S Pen methods One cause to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Note over every other Galaxy or Android cellphone is due to the stylus. I did not discover there was a lot distinction between the sensitivity and accuracy of the S Pen on the Note 10 Plus in comparison with the Note 9, though you do get a pair extra options should you go for the newer cellphone. Air gestures allow you to management some apps (just like the digital camera or YouTube) by urgent the S Pen button and transferring the stylus aspect to aspect, up and down and even in a circle. It may seem to be a gimmick on paper however I truly loved utilizing it, particularly when it got here to switching between modes remotely on the digital camera or altering tracks in a music app like Spotify. You may also use the Note 10 Plus to transcribe your handwriting from the S Pen mechanically. It’s pretty correct, though it could possibly get issues mistaken in case you have notably messy handwriting. The Note 9 would not have air gestures, but it surely does have Bluetooth so you should utilize it as a distant to take pictures, or customise it additional for another apps just like the Gallery within the settings menu.
Angela Lang/CNET
Camera: Wide-angle, benefit Note 10 Plus One of my favourite additions to the Note 10 Plus is the extremely wide-angle digital camera that accompanies the common wide-angle and 2x telephoto lens on the Note 10 Plus. (There’s additionally a depth-sensing digital camera used for 3D scanning.) This configuration shouldn’t be new to the Galaxy household, nevertheless, because it’s the identical digital camera setup discovered on the Galaxy S10 Plus 5G. On the Note 9 you solely get a daily broad lens and a 2x telephoto lens across the again. Overall I feel the outcomes from the cameras are pretty shut, excluding that wide-angle lens which I really like utilizing on the Note 10 Plus. Dynamic vary is slightly wider on the Note 10 Plus, though for most individuals you will not discover a lot of a distinction in any respect between pictures taken in good gentle on both cellphone. At launch, the Note 10 Plus was the one one among these telephones that had night time mode, however now the enjoying area has been leveled due to a software program replace on the Note 9. It helps brighten up the scene and convey out particulars within the shadows that you just may ordinarily miss. 4K video recording is nice on each. The Note 10 Plus has higher stabilization with its tremendous regular mode — but it surely’s solely lively at 1080p. You additionally get dwell focus video on the newer cellphone which helps you to blur the background behind your topic to make them stand out. I discovered the end result seemed finest when utilizing the selfie digital camera relatively than the rear digital camera, but it surely’s not a function I might use usually in any respect and for me, not well worth the improve over the Note 9. Find picture and video samples within the video on the prime of this web page.
Note 9 nonetheless has nice battery life and efficiency Both these telephones are absolute beasts with regards to efficiency. You can discover the total benchmark ends in our Note 9 and Note 10 Plus opinions respectively. But in real-world conditions I did not encounter any discernible distinction between the 2 once I was taking and enhancing 4K video, enjoying graphics-intensive video games or having a mess of apps working within the background. Your mileage will range with regards to battery life and lots does come right down to how you utilize your cellphone. But for my utilization, which usually included watching movies, making a couple of calls, utilizing maps, recording 4K video and enhancing pictures, I used to be capable of get via a complete day with wherever between 15% to 25% battery remaining on each the Note 9 and Note 10 Plus. The Note 10 Plus does have a barely greater capability battery and the choice of a 45-watt charger (which prices additional) for even quicker charging. Both telephones now run Android 10 and Samsung’s OneUI 2, so the interfaces look very related.
So which Galaxy Note cellphone ought to I purchase? The Galaxy Note is Samsung’s flagship cellphone for a cause. Both the Note 10 Plus and Note 9 are nice units that promise to offer you a improbable Android expertise — particularly as a result of the older cellphone has acquired software program updates to make it appear and feel lots just like the newer Note. But keep in mind that the Note 9 won’t get as many updates going ahead, now that it is nearly two years outdated. Read extra: That older Android cellphone could be unsafe: 6 issues to know Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus vs. Note 9 specs
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Display dimension, decision
6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED; 3,040×1,440 pixels
6.4-inch Super AMOLED; 2,960×1,440 pixels
Pixel density
498 ppi
516 ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.39×3.04×0.31 in
6.37×3.01×0.35 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
162.3×77.2×7.9 mm
161.9×76.4×8.8 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
6.91 oz; 196g
7.09 oz; 201g
Mobile software program
Android 10
Android 10
Camera
12-megapixel (broad angle), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto), 3D depth (HQVGA)
12-megapixel (broad), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing digital camera
10-megapixel
8-megapixel
Video seize
4K
4K
Processor
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, or Samsung Exynos 9825
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor (2.8GHz + 1.7GHz), or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 9810 (2.7 GHz + 1.7 GHz)
Storage
256GB, 512GB
128GB, 512GB
RAM
12GB
6GB, 8GB
Expandable storage
Up to 1TB
512GB
Battery
4,300-mAh
4,000-mAh
Fingerprint sensor
In-screen
Back of cellphone
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
No
Yes
Special options
Wireless PowerShare; water-resistant (IP68); S Pen stylus with Bluetooth connectivity and Air actions
Water resistant (IP68); wi-fi charging; S Pen with Bluetooth connectivity; Iris and facial scanning
Price off-contract (USD)
$1,100
$1,000 (128GB), $1,250 (512GB)*
Price (GBP)
£999
£899 (128GB), £1,099 (512GB)*
Price (AUD)
$1,699
AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,799 (512GB)*
* Prices at launch
Now enjoying:
Watch this:
Note 10 Plus is not simply nice, it is excellent
6:45
Galaxy Note 10 PlusThe king of Android telephones
Galaxy Note 9The big-screen different