Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Note 10 Lite —a supposedly cheaper version of the Galaxy Note 10 series. While we don't know how much the Galaxy Note 10 Lite will cost just yet, leaks estimate it to be around the ~$600 mark. Let's take a look at the differences between the three devices and which one is a bang for your buck.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus- The Design Changes
The primary design change between the Galaxy Note 10 Lite and the Galaxy Note 10 series is the camera orientation. The Galaxy Note 10 and the Note 10 Plus have a vertical camera arrangement while the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a triangular one. Nothing's changed at the front of the device and all three of them have the same hole-punch selfie camera.
We don't know what the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is made of just yet, but rumors indicate that it won't be a glass sandwich like the Galaxy Note 10 series. It also won't support wireless charging (and by association Wireless Powershare) due to the reportedly plastic back. We'd recommend that you stick to Galaxy Note 10 series if these features are super important for you.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus- Display
The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED panel. It is significantly larger than that of the Galaxy Note 10 (6.3-inch) and a tad smaller than the Galaxy Note 10 Plus (6.8-inch). The Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the only device of the lot that has a 1440p display resolution. Furthermore, the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus support HDR 10+ content while the Galaxy Note 10 Lite supports only HDR. If the absence of HDR+ doesn't bother you much and you're ok with a 1080p panel, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite may be the device for you.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus - Hardware Specifications
The Galaxy Note 10 Plus and the Galaxy Note 10 run Samsung's latest Exynos 9825 (or Snapdragon 855) SoC. It has 2x2.73 GHz Mongoose cores, 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A75 and 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55 cores and is based on a 7nm manufacturing node. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite, on the other hand, uses an older Exynos 9810 SoC which has 4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A55 cores and is based on a 10nm manufacturing node. And no, there is no Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite either, so we don't know if it'll come to the United States.
Furthermore, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite's base variant comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage with an option to expand it further via SD cards. The Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus come with 256 GB of internal storage, 12 GB of RAM. Only the latter has a micro SD slot, though. It is also worth mentioning that the Galaxy Note 10 series has UFS 3.0, while the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has UFS 2.1.
While the performance differential between the Exynos 9810 and 9825 is significant, both should work fine for daily tasks. You'll only see the difference while engaging in resource-heavy tasks such as gaming. If you want top-of-the-line performance and are ok with no SD card slot, the Galaxy Note 10 is for you. Otherwise, a Galaxy Note 10 Lite should work serve well if you want to save a few bucks.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus- Camera
All three devices come with three rear-mounted cameras. The Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus comes with a 16-megapixel primary sensor assisted by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto lenses. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite comes with three 12 megapixel sensors, of which two are ultrawide and telephoto sensors. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the only device of the three to come with a rear-mounted ToF sensor.
When it comes to the selfie camera, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is slightly ahead of the older Note 10 series in this regard. It has a 32 MP selfie camera compared to a 10 MP sensor on the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus. But, the Note 10 Lite can't record videos at 4K 60 fps and is restricted to 4K 30 fps. It isn't very surprising, considering that 4K 60 fps is more of a 'flagship' feature and not often found in all devices.
Lastly, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite's lenses do not come with OIS (optical image stabilization) and rely on EIS (electronic image stabilization). OIS goes a long way towards stabilizing otherwise shaky shots as it physically minimizes the lens' movement. EIS isn't bad, strictly speaking, but isn't as good as OIS when it comes to reducing shakes.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus - Battery
Surprisingly, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a larger 4,500mAh battery compared to the Galaxy Note 10 (3,500mAh) and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus(4,300mAh). It is essential, considering that it has to push a massive 6.7-inch AMOLED panel.
Samsung conveniently left out the part that specified the Galaxy Note 10 Lite's charging speed. It can't be faster than the Galaxy Note 10 series, considering that it runs an older Exynos 9810 SoC. I'd peg it at around 18W, which is significantly slower than the 45W supported by the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.
Galaxy Note Lite vs Galaxy Note 10 vs Galaxy Note 10 Plus - S-Pen
There isn't much of a difference here. All three devices are a part of the Note series, so they come with an S-Pen. Samsung says that the Galaxy Note 10 Lite's S-Pen will be identical to that of the Galaxy Note 10 series.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is about $400 cheaper than the real thing. Samsung has cut a lot of corners to make the device more affordable, and it is visible in the spec sheet. While those differences may seem marginal, it won't give you the 'true' Galaxy Note experience, but a 'Lite' one that is close to the real thing. For all practical purposes, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a repackaged Galaxy Note 9 with a few things moved around. It is excellent for when you want to save a few hundred bucks for a premium smartphone experience.
The Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, on the other hand, are flagship devices that leave no stone unturned. It would be ideal if Samsung just released on Galaxy Note flagship instead of two, but hey, here we are. If you're looking for a quintessential Samsung experience, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the device for you. Go for the Galaxy Note 10 only if you absolutely can't justify paying that extra $100 for seemingly gimmicky features.
