Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series: Which one is for you?

A week before Samsung’s Unpacked event, they launched yet another variant of their Note 10 series in the Philippines, the Note 10 Lite. Priced just under PHP 30k, it offers a lot of value for people who are looking to get a feature-rich Note device. But is the Note 10 Lite good enough for you, or should you go for the Note 10+ instead? Today we compared the three Note devices that Samsung offers to see which one you should get.

Advantages of each smartphone:

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

• Largest display size
• Highest display resolution
• Highest RAM and internal storage configuration
• Quad rear cameras
• Fastest charging support
• Corning Gorilla Glass 6
• WiFi 6

Samsung Galaxy Note 10

• Smallest and lightest variant
• Corning Gorilla Glass 6
• WiFi 6

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite

• Highest front camera resolution
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Biggest battery capacity

Starting with the display, the Galaxy Note 10+ has the largest of the three, measuring 6.8 inches with a QHD+ resolution, followed by the Note 10 Lite which measures 6.7 inches with an FHD+ resolution, and lastly the Note 10 which only measures 6.3 inches with an FHD+ resolution as well. All three smartphones use an AMOLED Panel, although the Note 10 and Note10+ variants have support for HDR10+ and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for protection.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Note 10+ is equipped with either an Exynos 9825 chipset or a Snapdragon 855 chipset, while the Galaxy Note 10 can only be bought with the Exynos 9825 chipset. The Note 10 Lite, on the other hand, is equipped with last generation’s flagship – the Exynos 9810 chipset. In terms of RAM and storage, the Note 10+ is equipped with 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS3.0 storage. Users can also expand the storage by up to 1TB via MicroSD card. The Galaxy Note 10, on the other hand, can only be purchased with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS3.0. As for the Note 10 Lite, it comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (the versions of both are undisclosed) with the ability to add a MicroSD card up to 1TB.

When it comes to cameras, both the Note 10+ and Note 10 have a 12MP primary shooter, 16MP wide-angle, and 12MP Telephoto camera. The Note 10+, however, also has a fourth ToF lens, which the regular Note 10 lacks. As for the Note 10 Lite, it comes with a 12MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto. Where the Note 10 Lite shines is in its front camera, which has a resolution of 32MP, while both the Note 10+ and Note 10 only come with a 10MP shooter.

As for the batteries, the Note 10 Lite has the most capacity at 4,500mAh followed by the Note 10+ with 4,300mAh, and lastly, the Note 10, which only comes with 3,500mAh. When it comes to charging, the Note 10+ is capable of up to 45W wired and 20W wireless while both the Note 10 and Note 10 Lite is capable of up to 25W wired charging. The Galaxy Note 10, however, can be charged wirelessly up to 12W. All three devices use USB Type-C for charging.

All three devices have the same biometrics features, support for the S-Pen, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and an IP68 rating. What the Note 10 Lite lacks, however, is Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for protection, HDR10+ support, faster RAM and storage, and WiFi 6 capabilities. As for the OS, both the Note 10+ and Note 10 come with One UI based on Android 9, while the Note 10 Lite comes with One UI 2.0 based on Android 10 out of the box. The One UI 2.0 update for both the Note 10+ and Note 10, however, is already available for download.

Here are the prices of each device:

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

• 12GB + 256GB – PHP 60,990
• 12GB + 512GB – PHP 72,990

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 

• 8GB + 256GB – PHP 53,990

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite 

• 8GB + 128GB – PHP 29,990

Samsung’s release of the Note 10 Lite may have gutted the rest of its premium flagship line. For half the price of the Note 10+, you get a flagship chipset from the last generation, a bigger display compared to the Note 10, a better front camera, larger battery, and almost all the features that are present on the rest of the Note 10 series. It’s also the only Note 10 device with a 3.5mm audio jack. For most consumers, the Note 10 Lite would be sufficient to handle all their day-to-day tasks.

That being said, both the Note 10+ and Note 10 are better than the Note 10 Lite in every way, save for the front camera. They have slightly more features than the Lite version, including a better chipset, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 for protection, HDR10+ support, faster RAM and storage, and WiFi 6 capabilities. If you’re looking to get the best of the best and have the budget, then the Note 10+ might be the phone for you. It has the best display, most RAM, most internal storage, best rear cameras, and the fastest charging capabilities as well.

For the people who’d like a smaller device and value portability, then the Note 10 might be the device to get. It has all the premium features that the Note series has to offer, except for expandable storage. Its only downfall though is the 3,500mAh battery. While it could definitely last you through a day, power users and gamers may want to carry around a power bank just in case.

Which of the Note 10 series smartphones caught your eye? Let us know in the comments.