Galaxy Note 10: Release date, leak details, design, specs and more
With the release of the Galaxy Fold looking uncertain as ever, Samsung fans waiting for a large-screen phone may have to shift their sights on the successor to the Note 9. The device, which is assumed to be called the Note 10, is expected sometime this year, and rumors about the device are already popping up.
Though Samsung has a couple of premium phones under its belt (the Fold, for example, will cost $2,000 if and when it’s eventually released), Note phones stand out as part of Samsung’s ultra-luxe line. The first Galaxy Note launched in 2011 and the handsets are usually outfitted with an expansive screen, an embedded smart stylus called an S Pen and top-of-the-line hardware. In short, the Note represents Samsung’s best-of-the-best.
Rumored: The Note 10 may have a 6.66-inch display
Samsung’s Note phones usually have generously sized displays to accommodate the S Pen stylus and stand out as a productivity machine. Rumors report that the newest iteration could have the biggest screen yet at 6.66 inches, according to tech blog site igeekphone. Compare that to the Note 9, which has a 6.4-inch screen.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the overall footprint of the phone will get bigger though. As bezels get thinner and phone-makers are getting more resourceful about relocating the front-facing camera, the Note 10 could as well be the same physical size as the Note 9, but still have a bigger display.
Rumored: The phone may have a 19:9 aspect ratio
Since we’re on the topic of screen changes, Dutch tech site Mobielkopenreported that the Note 10 will strut a new 19:9 aspect ratio. This isn’t entirely surprising given that the Galaxy S10 also has a 19:9 display. And in case you’re wondering, the current Note 9 has an 18.5:9 ratio.
Rumored: The Note 10 may have a big, big battery
Supposedly leaked photos and reports from a couple of publications, including tech news sites BGR and SamMobile, are saying that the Note 10 may sport a big, 4,300-mAh battery. This would be notably larger than the Note 9’s 4,000-mAh battery and the 4,100-mAh Galaxy S10 Plus.
Rumored: Note 10 might not have any buttons
As some high-end phones move the fingerprint reader buttons from the surface of the phone to underneath the display, a phone without any physical buttons may not be a far-reaching concept. At least, that’s what could happen with the Note 10, according to ETNews.
Citing “industry sources,” the site reports that the Note 10 could employ Force Touch technology, developed by NDT. In lieu of buttons, the phone’s edges could register different degrees of force depending on how hard you press down, which would allow you to turn on the phone or adjust the volume on a smooth, flat surface. Recently, NDT worked with Vivo to develop the Vivo iQ00 gaming phone. Further, Vivo was rumored back in January to develop a keyless phone as well.
ETNews also predicts that Samsung will apply a buttonless design to other, more midrange Galaxy models, in addition to the Note 10.
Rumored: The S Pen could have a camera of its own
Don’t count on only the phone getting updates. The humble embedded stylus could get new features too, as with the Note 9 launch when Samsung updated the S Penso it can remotely trigger the phone’s camera shutter.
This time around, rumors are going around that the Note 10’s S Pen could have a camera inside, according to tech blog Patently Mobile. Samsung apparently filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for an “electric pen device” that’s “mounted on electronic devices, such as smart phones.” The phone will have a camera with an “optical zooming function.”
