PC World - USA (2019-10)

OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 37

two lone buttons: the volume rocker and the
power button. That gives the Note 10 the
distinction of being one of the few
smartphones that doesn’t have the power
button on the right side, which will take some
getting used to. Taking screenshots and
turning off the screen will take some
re-training of your muscle memory, but it’s a
design decision most people should be OK
with, especially since it means the elimination
of the dedicated Bixby button. With its limited
button array, Samsung offers a few options
when you hold down the power button,
which is what it should have done all along.
The other thing that you won’t find in the
Note 10+ will be much more missed: the

headphone jack. Samsung says it was

eliminated to make the phone thinner, but I’m

not sure the trade-off was worth it. Samsung’s

phones were among the few holdouts that

clung to the legacy jack, and if the only

benefit is barely perceptible thinness, I don’t

see the point. That said, the bundled AKG

USB-C headphones are as good as the

3.5mm version.

A GIANT SCREEN PUSHES

THE LIMITS

With little else to distract your gaze on the

front of the phone, the screen gets all of the

attention, and it’s absolutely up to the task. In

no uncertain terms, the Note 10+’s 3,040 x

1440 display is the best I’ve ever laid eyes on,

with impressive brightness, remarkable color

accuracy, and impeccable uniformity. The

only thing it’s missing is a higher refresh rate

like the One Plus 7 Pro, but even at the

standard 60Hz, its still impressive.

One massive improvement on the S10+ is

the fingerprint sensor. It’s still an ultrasonic

sensor, unlike the optical sensor in the One

Plus 7 Pro and Galaxy A50, but it’s loads more

reliable here. The constant rescans that I had

to do on the S10 weren’t an issue on the Note

10+, and I was able to unlock the phone as

mindlessly as I did with a physical scanner. For

this we can thank the placement of the sensor,

which is a good deal higher than it is on the

S10 and in a more natural spot. But Samsung

has also given the sensor a serious speed

The Note 10+’s Aura Glow color is simply stunning
in the right light.