Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite – Confusing, but interesting

By Faryad On Jan 14, 2020

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Before Samsung fully focuses on the upcoming Galaxy S11 series from the beginning of February, it first used CES to announce two cheaper phones: the S10 Lite and the Note 10 Lite. Our first reaction was one of surprise, and judging by the reactions under the news item, that was also the case for many of you. Because what kind of phones are these? The names suggest that they are high-end models – otherwise they wouldn’t be called S10 and Note 10 – but the specifications and price tell a different story. And how does an S10 Lite compare to an S10e, which was already a kind of lite version? And that size: 6.7″, larger than any current S10 and almost the same size as the largest Note 10. In short:

	Galaxy S10 Lite	Galaxy Note10 Lite
Screen	6.7in 2400×1080 (394ppi) Super Amoled Plus Infinity-O Display	6.7in 2400×1080 (394ppi) Super Amoled Infinity-O Display
Screen	Camera	Macro: 5MP F2.4 Wide angle: 48MP Super Steady OIS AF F2.0 Ultra wide: 12MP F2.2 Front: 32MP F2.2	Ultrawide: 12MP F2.2 Wide angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4 OIS Front: 32Mp F2.2
Dimensions and weight	75.6×162.5×8.1mm, 186g	76.1×163.7×8.7mm, 199g
Soc	snapdragon 855	Exynos 9810
Memory	8GB ram, 128GB storage	6GB ram, 128GB storage
Memory	Battery	4500mAh	4500mAh
OS	Battery	Android 10	Android 10

Welcome devices

Samsung has played a lot with the line-up of its smartphones over the years, with various type designations being reviewed. At the moment, the high-end phones are the S and Note series, with the Galaxy A line below that. However, there is a gap that is too wide in between, according to the South Korean manufacturer, and the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are intended for that gap. The prices are accordingly, with 659 and 599 euros respectively.

According to a Samsung employee we spoke to, these phones are aimed at users who like high-end phones and want some of the features but don’t want to pay full price. Samsung therefore calls them ‘welcome devices’ because they ‘welcome’ people who would normally buy a mid-range phone to the higher segment. We would never have thought of it ourselves, but Samsung has clearly thought about it.

A semi-high-end playground

What the manufacturer has also thought about is the clear distinction between the two new phones. The Galaxy S10 Lite is intended as a phone that rubs against the high-end segment and with its Snapdragon 855-soc, 8GB of ram and 128GB of storage, it is indeed not inferior to many high-end devices that came out last year. What is special is that it is even better in certain areas than the S10 phones that are already on the market. For example, it has a battery of 4500mAh – which is 400mAh more than the S10+ – and it can charge quickly with no less than 45W. It also has a modified camera setup with a 32-megapixel sensor on the front, a macro lens on the back (instead of a telephoto lens) and a new form of image stabilization that can not only move up and down, but also tilt forward and back.

According to Samsung, this should result in significantly better stabilization, especially with video. We tested this on the spot by filming and shaking the camera at the same time, and it can be said that the image remained remarkably stable. In the distance that is, because the people in the foreground seemed to be at a dance party, they went up and down so enthusiastically. Clearly something went wrong with the combination of the optical and electronic stabilization. The Samsung employee who looked over the shoulder reminded us once again that these were pre-production devices, with accompanying software. So we will come back to this in a review.

With the macro lens it was indeed possible to get very close to an object, in our case a watch. The focus distance is somewhere between 3 and 5cm, much closer than you get with a normal smartphone camera. It may not be a function you will use every day, but we were not disappointed with its operation and quality.

The Super Steady OIS is an example of a high-end feature that Samsung first wants to test on a cheaper model. The S10 Lite is therefore a kind of playground for the Samsung engineers, as it was almost described. It could therefore very well be that things like Super Steady OIS and charging with 45W will also come to more expensive models in the future, perhaps even to the S11 series.

This new stabilization is so important to Samsung that the manufacturer has almost built the rest of the phone around it. For example, the larger camera construction ensures that there is no room for a 3.5mm connection, which can be found on the other S10 devices. To save as much space as possible in the thickness, the phone, unlike the Note 10 Lite, has a Super Amoled Plus panel that is just a bit thinner. That 6.7 “panel has a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and looks sleek, as we are used to from Samsung OLEDs.

A cheaper stylus phone

The story surrounding the new Note 10 Lite is less exciting. Here, Samsung is mainly concerned with making the S Pen available to a wider audience, so with a cheaper phone. The cost savings lie in the fact that the manufacturer uses almost an identical housing for the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite, has taken a more traditional camera setup off the shelf and uses an Exynos soc of its own making. The similarities with the previously announced A51 and A71 are also clearly visible. The Exynos 9810 is a bit less powerful than the Snapdragon 855 in the S10 Lite and was previously used in the S9 and Note 9 series. The Note 10 Lite also only has 6GB of ram.

Here too we find a 6.7″ AMOLED panel, according to Samsung because users simply want larger screens. We can also imagine that it is easier to make a larger phone for a relatively low price, because there is more room for maneuvering in the placement of the components. By the way, it is a flat screen, as opposed to the curved panels of the more expensive Notes. The S Pen that comes with the Note 10 Lite is not the same as the more expensive Notes, but similar to that of the Note 9. You do have access to Bluetooth, so you can also use the pen as a remote control, for example, but it does not support gestures.

Samsung specifically said that the 3.5mm jack was omitted from the S10 Lite due to the extra space Super Steady OIS takes up. Why with the cheaper model, which also has to fit a stylus, or place a 3.5 mm jack? The reason is less well thought out than you might think: then the phones distinguish themselves more from each other, according to Samsung.

Conclusion

While the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite still don’t occupy a very logical place within the S and Note series, we now understand the intent behind these phones better. And they have plenty of interesting aspects if you like big screens. The S10 Lite in particular features interesting changes from the earlier S10s, and the Note 10 Lite brings the S Pen to a new, lower price point. There is therefore more choice for the consumer who enters a store, but the seller has the challenge of explaining everything properly.