Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite review: Bringing the 'everything phone' to the masses 

Samsung’s Galaxy Note is often called the ‘everything’ phone. For years, the Galaxy Note has stood for one thing – being the go-to premium smartphone for productivity. In a bid to bring it to more consumers, Samsung did something different with its current-generation Galaxy Note 10 lineup.  

The Galaxy Note 10 was launched in two sizes – a smaller 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 10 and a much larger 6.8-inch Galaxy Note 10+. The idea was to offer a little something for everybody without compromising on core hardware and functionality. But here’s the thing, while the Galaxy Note 10 price in India starts at Rs 69,999, the Galaxy Note 10+ starts at Rs 79,999. 

The smartphone market in India is going through rapid changes. Almost every brand we know is making an everything phone now, or something very close, and many of them are selling these devices at more affordable prices. The Galaxy Note isn’t the only everything phone around anymore - unless of course you ‘specifically’ want a stylus. You can say this called for action, and Samsung it seems, has responded. For the first time in its history, Samsung has launched a seemingly ‘affordable’ Galaxy Note meant for a more mainstream audience. The phone in question is called the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. 

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is available in two configurations, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB. While the 6GB RAM variant of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite sells for Rs 38,999, the 8GB RAM version of the phone is available for Rs 40,999. Let’s find out, if it’s any good.  

Design and display 

Even though the Galaxy S10 Lite is ‘technically’ the ‘lite’ version in Samsung’s current Galaxy Note 10 lineup, it isn’t the smallest. That would be the vanilla Galaxy Note 10 (6.3-inch). The Galaxy Note 10 Lite, with its 6.7-inch screen size, is in fact just a hair short of the highest end Galaxy Note 10+ - which is 6.8-inch by the way. Clearly, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is designed for those looking for a tall screen – at a more mainstream pricing of course.  

But then again, because this is a Samsung phone, you’ll probably won’t notice it much. Much like any other high-end Samsung phone, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite also keeps its physical dimensions in check. Wherever it can. But you know this thing also must accommodate a stylus, so you probably already know what you’re getting into. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is not a phone meant for ‘comfortable’ one hand use, much like any other phone of its size.  

What really matters is that even though this is a ‘Lite’ phone, the overall designed doesn’t feel cheap or iffy. With rounded corners and curved sides, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite fits just right into your hands, while its flat front ensures it doesn’t slip off from your hands. The back is rather plain and simple with a rectangular camera module positioned at one end at the top. This is a design inspired from Samsung’s new Galaxy A lineup, something that you also see in this year’s Galaxy S20.  

Being an affordable flagship means that some corners have been cut though. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite is made of ‘glossy’ plastic. Samsung calls the material '3D Glasstic.’ This material is prone to smudge and scratches, so the bundled case comes handy. 

The front of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is familiar if you’ve crossed paths with the Galaxy Note 10 lineup. This thing is literally all-screen and no bezel with an Infinity-O punch hole in a dead center position. You don’t get Samsung’s highest end Dynamic AMOLED here, just Super AMOLED. But then, Samsung makes the best (AMOLED) display panels for smartphones and the Galaxy Note 10 Lite also has one of the best screens that money can buy at its price.  

Whether it be brightness or contrast or outdoor legibility, there’s nothing really to complain here. Colors are more natural by default, but there is also an option to pump out Samsung’s signature over-contrast through the settings. The resolution is FHD+ and while there’s no OnePlus 7T-like 90Hz refresh rate here, the quality of the display is so good, chances are you won’t even notice it.  

Unlike the more premium Galaxy Note 10 phones, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite gets an optical in-display fingerprint scanner which is faster in comparison, but again, it is a hit and miss affair. 

Performance, software and battery life 

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite rocks an Exynos 9810 processor. Those keeping a track would know, this is a 2-year old processor seen in the Galaxy S9 phones. Which is tad confusing. Why would a phone like the Galaxy S10 Lite get a newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and a Galaxy Note 10 Lite – which is supposed to be an everything phone on a budget – get a dated chipset? While I don’t have an answer for that, and while I still have concerns with regards to future proofing, I can tell you that in the present, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is by no means a slouch. Something that its core hardware would have you believe.  

If anything, because Samsung is using a custom-built chip in the Galaxy Note 10 Lite, on paper, it has the leeway to optimize it well to squeeze out every drop from its SoC. And it does. While synthetic benchmarks may not reveal its true colors, this thing performs very well in day-to-day usage. The Exynos 9810 in the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.1 storage which is further expandable by up to 1TB via a hybrid micro-SD card slot. The dual-SIM phone runs Android 10-based One UI 2 software – that's the best from Samsung right now.   

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite performs well at basic tasks as well as high-end gaming. And it does that mostly without breaking a sweat. This means that the Galaxy Note 10 Lite handles everyday tasks well and plays graphically demanding games like PUBG at high settings well enough although toning things down should get you smoother gameplay.  

The phone is efficient too and it boasts of the biggest battery that Samsung has ever shipped in a high-end flagship to date - which is 4,500mAh. Battery life is outstanding. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite will easily last over a day for even the most demanding users. The Galaxy Note Lite further supports 25W fast charging. The compliant charger which is bundled in the box tops the phone in around 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

S-Pen 

The S-Pen that tags along with the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is same as the one you get with the more premium Galaxy Note 10, minus the gyroscope. This means it has the same pressure sensitivity and packs the same features – but it can’t do ‘air’ gestures. This is fine considering the price. Even though Samsung’s S-Pen has no competition, I like that it continues to add more and more useful features to it every year. Digital text conversion is something that Samsung introduced two years ago. Now, Samsung is using AI to make it more accurate and you also now get the option to directly export your text to Microsoft Word – that's neat. 

Plus, there’s a vast array of existing things, like screen off memo, GIF creation et al that the S-Pen is known for. I haven’t had any ‘visible’ latency issues while using the S-Pen with the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. It’s as fun and as one-of-its-kind as the experience on the more expensive Galaxy Note phones, if not more. 

Camera 

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite offers a lot of versatility when it comes to cameras. There’s a 12MP main camera with f/1.7 aperture and OIS, a 12MP telephoto camera for 2x optical zoom with OIS, and another 12MP ultrawide angle camera. On the front, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a 32MP camera.     

The all-round results are promising. This is especially true about the main camera. Samsung seems to be using new algorithms so all-round result is warmer and more pleasing to the eyes with great dynamic range as well especially in ideal lighting. Low light photos appear somewhat soft and mushy because of Samsung’s highly aggressive noise reduction in such situations. But Samsung’s night mode does help get more out of your low light photos. The ultrawide angle camera lets you capture a wider perspective with good details and rich colors in both good and tricky light. Low-light photos taken with it are nothing to write home about though. The telephoto camera can shoot some really good-looking ‘optically’ zoomed photos in almost all kinds of lighting scenarios. 

Selfies taken with the 32MP front camera come out well detailed with pleasing colors in good lighting with the intensity of noise increasing as the level of light goes down. 

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite? 

The answer to that depends first and foremost on how badly you want the S-Pen stylus. If you’ve been looking to get into this ecosystem all along, but couldn’t because of Samsung’s premium asking price, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a no-brainer. 

Even if you’re not into the S-Pen, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite packs quite a package keeping intact all the essentials that make a smartphone tick – including a headphone jack and expandable storage. If, however having everything does not matter to you, the Galaxy S10 Lite is a better, more powerful option for you at around similar price tag.     

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)

Also Read:  Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Review: Do Not Take This Smartphone Lightly