The Note 10 Lite Is A Sign That Samsung is No More About Flagships
The Note 10 Lite has been launched in India in the same price bracket as the OnePlus 7T.
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In the last few years, we have seen certain smartphone makers transition from a flagship killer brand to an imposing figure in the flagship category. OnePlus being a prime example.
Contrary to the above, Samsung is a renowned flagship brand in India but even the South Korean giant had to transform itself in a way to be ubiquitous for an aggressive Indian market.
Samsung is no longer all about flagships, and it’s making inroads into every price category of the mobile segment. Over here we’re specifically talking about the under Rs 40,000 bracket which it did try to capture with the S10e but that plan went down faster than the Titanic.
And now, the company has launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite at Rs 38,999 with a hope to offer the “Note experience” for young India.
Galaxy Note 10 Lite Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED
- Processor: Exynos 9810 octa-core
- OS: Android 10, One UI 2
- RAM: 6GB/8GB
- Storage: 128GB (expandable)
- Rear triple camera: 12MP+12MP+12MP
- Front camera: 32MP
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Price: Rs 38,999 (4GB)/Rs 40,999 (6GB)
What’s ‘Note’ Worthy
Samsung has saved a few bucks by making the phone out of something they call “glasstic”. The back feels made out of plastic stealing the premium factor from the device. Having said that, it lends a touch of sturdiness to the phone.
It comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ display which again is an AMOLED screen. It’s a toned-down version of the QHD+ display that the flagship Note 10 offers but there’s very little to complain about its quality. What works in favour of the phone is the “O-Infinity” design touch, using a single punch-hole front camera, which offers more screen area and that works brilliantly for content viewing.
There a whopping 4,500mAh battery pack running the show here and it comes bundled with 25W fast charging. This unit is bigger than the one you get with the flagship Note 10 as well as the Note 10+!
Samsung has decided to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy Note 10 Lite and we’re pleased with that.
Samsung has chosen to go with a square grid for the camera very similar to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro and the recently launched Google Pixel 4. But like those two, Samsung manages to offer a triple camera setup, however, the wide-angle lens is a 12-megapixel shooter compared to the 16-megapixel lens you get with the pricier Note 10.
On the front, it comes with a 32-megapixel camera compared to a 10-megapixel shooter on the Note 10. This does sound like a big upgrade and we’ll be testing out the phone’s camera in the coming days to see if it’s worth the ‘megapixel’ hype.
What Wasn’t Noted
The Note 10 Lite does not come with any IP certification which means it’s not water or dust resistant. It also doesn’t come with wireless charging but considering no other phone in this segment offers that, we’d cut Samsung some slack.
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite also gets the S-Pen that works via Bluetooth and lets you control the camera shutter button as well as pause and play media applications. But it does not support air gestures which means you will not be able to zoom in or shuffle videos using the S-Pen.
What really is a bummer in this phone is that it doesn’t support auto exposure and autofocus lock in the video mode. This should be a basic offering and I am disappointed that Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite has missed out on this feature.
Worth Buying?
It’s fair to say that the Galaxy Note 10 Lite looks to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Samsung. The S-Pen is a game-changer and the fact that the Note 10 Lite brings a big 4,500mAh battery to the table is a big plus for all the gamers and content binging aficionados.
Not only does it allow the company to expand its presence across different price bracket but more importantly, it gives people another option to consider in the sub-40k category apart from OnePlus or even Google.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)