Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is released in India in January 21, 2020. While the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus share lots of similarities, the Note 10 Lite seems like a whole different phone.

Display

The large 6.7-inch display of Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite will catch your eye immediately. Samsung has made a name for itself for OLED display and the Galaxy Note 10 Lite proves that. Color accuracy is fairly good, providing realistic tones with some pops. So what you have is videos, text, and images don’t look ridiculous at all. With a maximum of 800 nits, brightness is enough to make content visible even under harsh sunlight. This much brightness combines with HDR10 make for great viewing experience, as long as you have the right content. With an OLED screen, here are the benefits you can expect. Contrast looks pleasing, we have infinite blacks and an always-on display to show some essential information when the display is locked. This feature will drain your battery faster but will definitely of use for those who don’t want to turn on the phone all the time to check for the time or date. With a 1080x2400 resolution and pixel density of 394 pixels per inch. The bad thing here is where the notch located. As it is in the middle, the whole thing look pleasing to the eye but usability? Not so much. The experience of viewing any kind of content on the display knowing there is a punch-hole there is hard to forget. While the OLED screen is competent and reliable, the same cannot be said about the under-display fingerprint sensor. The sensor is slow and is a real pain to use. That is unfortunate as nowadays, expecting instant signing in is not too much to ask. While 90Hz is now the new normal for this price bracket, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite’s 60Hz seems like another disappointment.

Chipset

For some reason, Samsung decides to give the Note 10 Lite the chipset of the Galaxy S9, which is not a bad processor but definitely an outdated one. With Geekbench tests, its single core score is 689 and multi core score is 2,052. This is nothing compared to 1,325 and 3,445 of iPhone 11. However, in real life, there should be no problem for an average user when using the Note 10 Lite. Gaming with the Exynos 9810 is fine but don’y expect something like PUBG at maximum setting because it is too much for the phone to handle.

RAM

6GB of RAM is a sweet spot for the Note 10 Lite. It can handle several apps for now but whether it can bear the future software updates is another story. This, combines with an outdated chipset, might not be sufficient enough to be future-proof.

Battery

As chip becoming smaller and more powerful, battery is getting bigger. While it has a power cell of 4,500mAh, the Note 10 Lite’s performance can be called decent at best. The reason here is the large OLED screen and an insufficient chipset, which drain the power cell of power. It is capable of surviving in one day, but not a second. With 100% of juice at 7 A.M, the phone runs down to 20% at 8 P.M, an average performance at this price bracket. When running a video at full resolution in one hour and a half with Wi-Fi on, the Note 10 Lite loses 16% of its juice, not so bad we have to admit. There is no wireless charging support but if you have no charging pad, this absence should not make any difference to your life.

Camera

Three cameras on the rear in 2020 is the minimum requirement and the Note 10 Lite has exactly that. What we have is Samsung’s standards, including an ultra-wide, a standard lens, and a telephoto lens, each with 12MP. So there is no megapixel highlight here. However, on the other side, there is a 32MP camera, clear enough to show every pore on your face. The camera app doesn’t have so much of a surprise. It is still overly complicated much like the app on other Samsung phones. Much like Sony, Samsung tends to show too many options, more than it needs to. With the Note 10 Lite, Samsung intends to fix this problem with Bixby support, and for the most part, it succeeds. The phone will analyze the scene to come up with the most suitable composition and settings. For example, if there isn’t enough light, the phone will recommend the Night Mode with a pop up. In most cases, these recommendations are handy and smart, so you might want to leave it on. Overall, quality of photos are good with accurate colors but not too much saturation. There are lots of details with no excessive sharpening. Plus, photos have a decent sense of depth. When you switch between the three lenses, there will be changes in image quality. The most noticeable difference is the white balance. What produced by the ultra-wide sensor leans toward the warmer side whereas the telephoto lens is sharper. With the camera setup if Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite, there is no noise to be seen and generally, images are excellent. A plus here is the Night Mode. When there isn’t enough light, it enhances color, brightness, and contrast with a series of long exposures. So there is no denying that the Note 10 Lite offers one of the best cameras at this price bracket. The catch here is what Samsung has sacrificed. The zoom is only 2x, compared to 10x found on Galaxy S20 Ultra. Users have no access to a high megapixel or mechanically variable aperture. However, for an average user, there is no complain about the ability to take pictures and record videos of the Note 10 Lite. Users will have 4K video recording ability on the Note 10 Lite with plenty of details and liveliness. The front camera offers details but the dynamic range is limited.