Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Review

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Galaxy Note10 Lite is one of the two affordable flagships Samsung launched this year, the other one being the Galaxy S10 Lite (review). Both of these phones compete in the same space, and the Note10 distinguishes itself by dragging down the S Pen experience to a very lucrative price. (Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

But keeping the S-Pen aside, how good is the Note10 Lite as a mid-range flagship? Can it take on fresh emerging competition from OnePlus and Realme? We will try and answer all such questions and give you a closer perspective in our Galaxy Note10 Lite review.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Price and Specifications

ModelSamsung Galaxy Note10 Lite
Display6.7-inch Full HD+

Super AMOLED Plus, Infinity-O Display,2400×1080 (394ppi)

CameraRear: Triple Camera

– Ultra-Wide: 12MP F2.2– Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS – Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4 OISFront: 32MP F2.2

Chipset10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad 1.7GHz)
Memory6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage (expandable up to 1 TB)
SoftwareAndroid 10-based OneUI 2.0
Battery4500mAh with 25W Super Fast Charging
Price6GB/128GB: Rs 38,999

8GB/128GB: Rs 40,999

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Review: Design and Build

As one would expect of a Samsung Note, the Note10 Lite is big and possibly intimidating. That makes perfect sense because most use cases that warrant an S Pen also warrant a big screen. Anyone who has ever tried to accomplish real work on portable phones could attest to large display size being a really helpful asset — and the Note10 Lite is meant for consumers who often fall in such situations.

Which is why we won’t quibble over the phone not being as handy in this particular case. If you are looking for something more manageable in the same price bracket, the Galaxy S10 Lite should serve you better.

As for the build, the glass-finish back is actually plastic which helps restrict the weight under 200 grams. Samsung is still using real metal on the edges for a more premium feel. And speaking of premium, there are no curved display edges but we didn’t miss those much. The same can’t be said for the lack of IP68 water and dust resistance certification.

The selfie camera resides in the center-aligned punch hole. The square rear camera module accommodates three cameras with a minimal hump – which the bundled protective case easily evens out.

The SD card slot is hybrid and Samsung generously retains the 3.5mm audio jack.

Even when compromises have been made, we’d say that the design does justice to the ‘Note’ moniker and the phone feels fairly premium.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S20 Review (Indian Variant)

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Review: Display and S Pen

The 6.7-inch screen is super AMOLED, which makes it second-tier to Dynamic AMOLED screens that Samsung reserves for its priciest flagships. These markings aside, the Galaxy Note10 Lite screen is a great quality panel for a mid-range phone, and mostly at par with the best you’d get in this price range.

‘Mostly’ because it’s missing out on high-refresh-rate as against other contemporary flagship-killers. While picking a phone in the current market, we’d still give precedence to calibration than the screen refresh rate.

The Galaxy Note10 Lite display is bright enough for comfortable outdoor usage. Blacks are deep, contrast is high, and the phone supports HDR and HD content streaming from popular apps.

If you are considering buying the Note10 Lite, it’s probably for the S Pen. For the first couple of days, we didn’t realize if anything were different than the S Pen on the Galaxy Note10+. This one, however, lacks the gyroscope and doesn’t support Gestures – which we never really took to.

Just as the chipset, S Pen experience is on parity with the Galaxy Note9. Bluetooth functionality, S Pen design, and S Pen software work the same.

For unlocking, the Galaxy Note10 Lite has an Optical In-display fingerprint reader. The reader is reasonably reliable and gets the job done, but it’s nowhere as snappy or convenient as optical fingerprint readers on Realme, Vivo, or OnePlus phones.

Also Read: Realme X50 Pro 5G Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Review: Performance and Software

Samsung has decided to use the same chip that powered the Galaxy Note9 for the Lite variant. The decision was perhaps taken for market segmentation. After all, the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ shall still be the relevant Note flagships for many more months and using the same Exynos 9825 or the Snapdragon 855 (as on S10 Lite) could have undermined their status.

The Exynos 9810 was a flagship chipset back when it was first introduced 2 years back. In 2020, it’s still powerful enough to handle most demanding loads and it’s definitely not sluggish. Having said that, we did notice some signs of aging now and then. The SoC is also less battery efficient as compared to the S10 Lite.

The software running on the phone is Android 10-based OneUI 2.0. We quite like the interface and consider it among the best Android skins. Our view is, of course, subjective and your individual preferences may differ.

Some software highlights include well-implemented Android 10 gesture navigation, dark mode, Samsung Pay, Edge launcher, and Edge lighting.

The call quality was excellent during our testing. The phone supports Wi-Fi Calling or Voice over Wi-Fi, dual SIM VoLTE, and dual-band Wi-Fi.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite review: Camera performance

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite has a 12MP primary camera, 12MP telephoto camera (2X) and a 12MP wide-angle shooter. On the front, the phone has a 32MP shooter for selfies and video calling.

In daylight, the Galaxy Note10 Lite captures impressive shots with well-balanced colors and wide dynamic range. Camera algorithms are smart enough to deftly adjust metering in tricky lighting and to turn on HDR when needed.

The ultrawide camera and telephoto camera don’t result in as impressive shots as Samsung flagships, but should still match up to what we usually get on mid-range phones. Don’t expect much of these secondary sensors in lowlight.

But where the Galaxy Note10 Lite shines is with shooting in low light and with dark scenes. The performance is surprisingly better than what we see on mid-range phones.

The night mode further helps resolve details and eliminate noise.

The portraits shot with live focus mode turned well, if not stunning. You can use the telephoto camera or the primary sensor for portraits. The zoom camera is better with edge detection but turns out softer images.

Selfie camera on the front outputs 8MP images (four-to-one pixel binning). It’s good with metering and dynamic range, but every now and then images turned out a bit soft.

The handset can record 4K videos @60fps and the quality is quite good.

Also Read: Realme X50 Pro 5G Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite review: Battery and Audio Quality

The Galaxy Note10Lite has a beefy 4500mAh battery, which could easily take us through our day or a day and a half. The battery backup felt a little short of what we expected going into this review. Thankfully, Samsung bundles a 25W charger in the box that can fill 50% of the tank in 30 minutes. A full charge takes around 1 Hour 20 minutes.

One of the Note-sy features we missed on the Lite is the blast of powerful stereo audio. Samsung’s flagships have been spectacular in this regard, but the Lite being a Lite version is missing out. The speaker at the bottom is still fairly loud. And audio output via headphones, too, is of very good quality.

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite review verdict: Should you buy it?

Samsung seems to have its priorities sorted with the Galaxy Note10 Lite. It’s clearly a phone for people who need the S Pen but do not wish to spend top dollars for the Galaxy Note10/ Note10+. Period.
And if you are one such consumer, you may go ahead and buy the Note10 Lite.

For users who don’t care about the S-Pen, it’s still a very relevant mid-range phone, but for such consumers, the Galaxy S10 Lite with more powerful chipset and a more manageable profile should perhaps serve better.

Pros

  • Good-quality AMOLED display
  • Great camera performance
  • S-pen support
  • Retains audio jack
  • Long-lasting battery

Cons

  • In-display FP reader needs improvement
  • No stereo speakers

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite FAQ

Q: Should I buy the Galaxy Note10 Lite or Galaxy S10 Lite?

A: That depends on how much you care for the S Pen. If you don’t, S10 lite should serve you better.

Q: Is Galaxy Note 10 Lite S Pen same as Galaxy Note 10 S Pen?

A: The S Pen on the Lite variant doesn’t have a gyroscope and thus doesn’t support gestures. Everything else remains the same.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite Indian version support 5G network

A: No, It doesn’t. All Samsung phones in the country are currently LTE-only and for good reason.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite include a 3.5mm headphone jack?

Answer: Yes, it does.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite supports Wi-Fi 6?

A: Yes, it does.

Q: Does Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite have Wireless calling and Dual VoLTE?

A: Yes. As all Samsung phones launched in 2020, it supports Wi-Fi calling and Dual SIM Dual VoLTE.

Q: Does the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite have NaVIC support?

A: Currently ISRO’s NaVIC isn’t supported on the Galaxy S20 phones.

Q: Is the Galaxy Note10 Lite water-resistant?

A: No, it’s not.

Q: What’s the SAR value of Galaxy Note10 Lite?

A: SAR value for Galaxy Note10 Lite is 0.160 W/ KG head.

Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

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