Galaxy Note 10 Lite – Just as good as the Note 10 Plus
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a particularly interesting device because it aims to bring the best features from the Note 10 series at a much more affordable price point. You get the S Pen and a large battery, along with a high-res 32-megapixel front camera, robust internal hardware, and there’s even a 3.5mm jack. If you’re looking to save some cash, the Note 10 Lite may just be the device for you.
Specifications
This is a gorgeous device and having used this device for a few days now, one wonders why Samsung never thought of this back when they were working on the Note 10+ and Note 10. This is a perfect Note for those on a budget. Coming with all the features in the Note 10+ except for a different build material, water resistance, a QHD screen, and a flagship processor. Asides all of these, the Note 10 Lite in my opinion checks all the boxes for a smart-phone that’s somewhere between premium mid-range and flagship. This is a pretty device and comes with impressive specifications including a 6.7 inch 1080p FHD+ Super AMOLED screen with a 32MP punch hole selfie camera, 6 gigs of DDR4 RAM, 128 gigs of Internal storage which is expandable to 1TB using an SD card, we’ve got the 10nm Samsung Exynos 9810 processor and all of this is powered by a hefty 4500mah battery which supports fast charging at 25watts and wireless fast charging at 15watts. To complete the specifications we’ve got an in-display fingerprint reader, there’s the s-pen which is what makes this a note, at the back we have a triple camera setup. The main wide angle lens is 12MP, as on the Note 10, but with an f/2.2 aperture, missing out on the Note 10’s dual aperture that transitions from f/1.5 to f/2.4 depending on the lighting situation. There’s a 12MP telephoto camera, which is the same resolution as on the Note 10 and there’s an ultra- wide camera here which is also 12MP, rather than 16MP as on the Note 10 and Note 10+. For ports and button placements, these have been moved around a bit. So there’s no button on the left side of the device as we had on the Note 10, there’s the volume rocker and re-assignable button on the right, this button can be used as a power button or assign to manage Bixby functions. There’s a noise canceling mic at the top of the device and at the bottom, there’s a 3.5mm headphone port, a USB type-C port, speaker grilles and the S-pen Bay.
Build and Display Quality
I absolutely love the feel in hand of the Note 10 Lite although it seems a bit slippery and you can’t overcome the need for a case on the phone. Luckily I got the official Samsung cover case and it absolutely makes the Note 10 Lite a business class smart-phone. The case has got some functionality allowing you see notifications, play, pause and skip music and also pick calls. The Note 10 Lite is made from a combination of Glass, Aluminum and a material on the back of the device that Samsung calls Glastic. Which is basically plastic but with some element of glass so it’s scratch resistant while being drop resistant as well. After using the device for a few days, I love how slender and tall the device is, making that 6.7 inch screen a beauty for consuming media. But how good is that screen? Well it’s just as good as what you have on the Galaxy A71, but not as bright and sharp as the screen on the Note 10+. I put it side by side with the Note 10+ and straight up I could tell that the Note 10+ was much brighter and sharper, but man… the picture quality and colors on this screen are beautiful. Videos look good and there’s enough for your eyes to feed on. Let’s face it, Samsung build absolutely beautiful devices. Asides the Note 10 Lite, I’ve had hands on time with the A51 and the A71 and they are lovely devices. Design, Build materials and those screens are very impressive.
Sound
The Note 10 sports a single firing speaker at the bottom of the phone, it’s loud, very clear and didn’t get any distortions even at the highest volumes. Like any other down firing speaker when holding it in landscape to watch a video, there’s the possibility of muffling the sound. You get very high quality audio via the 3.5 mm audio port or via the USB C port. An all my flac music files sound incredible here.
Performance
In my day-to-day use of the Note 10 Lite I found myself using the Note 10 Lite more and more. Performance on this device was smooth and every task I threw at it was handled like a champ. Despitehaving a year old chip used in the Note 9, this device still performs like a champ. Apps opened in a jiffy and you should have absolutely no problems with games on this one. This processor; The Exynos 9810 is still very capable and should offer you no heartbreaks. However I still wish the Note 10 Lite came with the Snapdragon 855 found in the S10 Lite. I guess we can never be truly satisfied. Notwithstanding this phone should be able to handle anything you throw at it and you should be generally happy with your purchase. Battery life here is IN-credible. You got a 4500 mah battery and not kidding around, this is a freaking almost two day battery. I couldn’t kill this thing in a day no matter what I did. You should know however that battery life is always dependent on usage. Standy time is also stellar, I left the device unused between 12midnight and 12 noon and It went from 38% battery life to 34%. That’s 4% lost in 12 hours of standby, absolutely astounding. With the included 25watts fast charger you can get you phone from 0 to 100% in just about an hour
S-PEN
The bundled stylus or as most out there call it, the S-PEN is definitely a huge reason Samsung made this phone. It’s an integral part of the Note Experience and Samsung has ported all of that from the Note 10 Plus and Note 10 to the Note 10 Lite. You can jot down your thoughts then covert your handwritten notes into readable text and you can copy, paste, and share. You can play and pause music with the S-Pen, take a photo, scroll through your photos and more all without having to touch your phone. Although I really don’t think anyone would want to do this, but it’s there if you want to feel like a magician with a wand. The Bluetooth enabled S Pen has 4096 pressure levels and is as precise and smooth as putting pen to paper. You need to try this out yourself to know how good this works. You can take screen off notes and create drawings with great levels of finesse. This thing just works.
Camera
The Note 10 Lite Sports a 32MP Selfie camera and a triple rear camera setup consisting of three 12MP Main Wide Angle, Telephoto and Ultra-Wide Angle Lenses. These are basically the same cameras from the Note 10+ so results are on par. You’ve got optical image stabilization on the main and telephoto lenses and the Ultra-wide angle lens has a field view of 123 degrees. All the features from the Note 10 Cameras is here and you’d be very happy with the photos from this phone. Video recording is capped at 4k 60fps but only has stabilization when recording in 1080p.
Conclusion
Samsung isn’t portraying the Note 10 Lite as a cut-down mid-tier option. It is a value flagship which makes some not-too-critical compromises to hit it’s price and Samsung wants you to see it that way. With the Note 10 Lite, Samsung wants a bite at the not-flagship but better than mid-range segment of the market. This phone competes with the likes of the OnePlus 7T, Xiaomis’ MI flagships and the Redmi K20 Pro. At N183,300 (which is approximately $510), some obvious concessions have been made to hit this price point. The plastic back, a flat display, and an older-gen processor. But for most users, that year-old flagship chipset isn’t going to matter at all. The user experience, that S-Pen and overall functionalities of this phone makes it worth it. And according to a recent study by KPMG in India it was reaffirmed that over 55% of buyers would remain loyal to a preferred brand even if it was more expensive than a rival product. What do you think of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite? Is it the perfect mid-way between an affordable phone and the full-blown flagship experience? And does it offer-up enough to make you sway away from the likes of the OnePlus and Xiaomi phones? Let’s discuss this in the comments section
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