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<\/a><\/p>\nThe absence of radically new capabilities may be the biggest drawback for the Note 10, which appears to be speaking to Samsung\u2019s existing audience more than it\u2019s trying to attract a new one. Despite a smattering of enhancements, it may not be enough to set it apart from a crowded field — or from Samsung\u2019s own bendable Fold.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear \u201cwhether Samsung\u2019s old formula of a big screen and stylus will make much of a difference these days, especially when it\u2019s living in the shadow of glitzier products like the Galaxy Fold,\u201d IDC analyst Bryan Ma said ahead of the launch.<\/p>\n
The Note 10 comes at a challenging time for a company reeling from its bungled Galaxy Fold launch and confronting a challenging market. Samsung is counting on the Note 10 to salvage mobile operating profits that fell 42% in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
Though the company retains the largest slice of the global smartphone market at over 20%, recent sales increases have mainly been driven by models that target the $300 price segment, while the Galaxy S10 lost steam early.<\/p>\n
Prolonged upgrade cycles paired with Samsung\u2019s conservative camera and feature upgrades have opened room for aggressive Chinese smartphone makers. Unlike the Fold, the Galaxy Note is a mass-market product with significant bottom-line implications for Samsung, and much rests on its reception among consumers.<\/p>\n
The new lineup goes on sale Aug. 23, mere weeks ahead of the postponed launch of the Galaxy Fold and Apple\u2019s next iPhone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will compete more with an installed base of older Note series than Galaxy Fold or iPhone 11,\u201d Tarun Pathak, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, wrote in an email. \u201cThere might be overlap or competition to a certain extent but not head-on.\u201d<\/p>\n
To appeal to S Pen fans, Samsung has improved a function that converts handwritten notes to text by allowing exporting to various formats like Microsoft Word, PDF and image files.<\/p>\n
The company added more air gestures, such as zooming the camera in and out by twirling the stylus. Samsung plans to also let developers write custom gestures for games and apps.<\/p>\n
The Note 10 also aims to rival the strong synchronisation between Apple\u2019s phones, tablets and computers. A new \u201cLink to Windows\u201d feature lets users sync text messages and photos wirelessly between a Samsung phone and a Windows PC via a Microsoft account.<\/p>\n Another mechanism, an enhanced version of Samsung\u2019s DeX, lets you connect the Note 10 via a USB cable to a Mac or PC to view a phone interface as a computer application.<\/p>\n A new PlayGalaxy Link function allows users to keep playing PC games on the device via streaming. The Note 10\u2019s camera features are mostly similar to the S10\u2019s except for a video function called zoom-in mic, which amplifies sounds from the area of the screen you home in on.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also improved video stabilisation and an on-board editing app similar to Apple\u2019s iMovie.<\/p>\n Fifth-generation networks are far from established in any country, which means the 5G Note 10s may work mostly on existing 4G LTE. 5G support is only available on the more expensive Note 10+ and will be exclusive to Verizon Wireless in the U.S. initially, ahead of a wider rollout.<\/p>\n The U.K. and Germany will be among select markets to get a 5G edition. The new phones will come in black, white, chrome and a blue colour exclusive to the US<\/p>\n Samsung will use its in-house Exynos 9825 processor for the first time in the Galaxy Note 10 in Europe and parts of Asia, though it will rely on Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon 855 for the key U.S., China and South Korea markets.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n