Samsung announced the much-awaited Galaxy Note 10 last week. At the launch event, Samsung didn’t convey all the software and hardware details about the device, including the mysterious Galaxy Note 10 hole at the top of the device. However, now we know what this mysterious hole is all about.
Following the leaked renders of the Galaxy Note 10, everyone was intrigued about what this extra hole in the device could mean. Some speculated that it could be an LED indicator, while others claimed it could be an IR Blaster. Later, there were also rumors that the hole could be a microphone for the triple zoom microphone setup. As it turns out, it is none of these.
SamMobile got a confirmation from Samsung that the mysterious Galaxy Note 10 hole is actually a secondary speaker hole. This hole helps the handset to give out more powerful stereo audio. Such a speaker was needed owing to the smaller earpiece embedded in the bezel which is too small to produce a loud enough stereo sound. A few users who got their hands on the device report better sound quality now.
Talking of the microphone for the camera’s Zoom-in Mic feature, it is located next to the camera assembly. Moreover, it is not even a hole, rather the microphone is fitted in a minute slit on the side of the aluminum railing for the camera. This slit is almost invisible in the black version, but is somewhat visible in colored ones. The Galaxy Note 10 also features an earpiece, but it is not visible owing to the small bezel.
Additionally, the handset comes with new and USB Type-C AKG earphones with active noise cancellation. However, the company is not offering a Type-C to 3.5mm dongle in every market. As for the reason why Samsung removed the headphone jack, the company does not admit that it did so to push users toward the Galaxy Buds.
Apart from the mysterious Galaxy Note 10 hole, there are many more little-known details about the Galaxy Note 10, including upgraded haptics. According to Xda-Developers, the upgraded haptics is not as good as the Google Pixel 3 or OnePlus 7 Pro, but is better than the previous Samsung phones. It is possible that upgraded haptics is one reason why the Korean company removed the headphone jack.
Another relatively lesser-known feature in the Note 10 is the Discord in game launcher. For the Note 10, Samsung has partnered with Discord for adding native support for Discord voice calls in games. Discord, which is among the biggest gaming communication services, allows an overlay to talk to your team in either voice channels or direct calls.
For the gaming fans, Samsung also included a Steam Link clone called PlayGalaxy Link in the device. It’s a P2P gaming system, which means you have to stream it off your own computer. This is different from Google Stadia and NVIDIA GeForce Now, which use data centers. So, it means you can stream from any platform, be it Origin, Battle.net, Xbox, Steam, Epic and more.
Moreover, the Note 10 users can also connect a controller via USB or Bluetooth to play any games they want. According to Xda-Developers, the Korean firm showed a controller-looking dock for the handset in some demos. However, it is not known if the accessory is specifically for Note 10 or a third-party one.
One more little known feature about the device is Native Screen Recording. This feature is seemingly designed for gaming, but can be used for other things as well. The handset also comes with UFS 3.0 storage onboard offering faster storage. One the first popular devices to come with this technology was the OnePlus 7 Pro. The technology was also there in the Galaxy Fold, but it is yet to hit the market.
It is known that Samsung has removed the Bixby button, but that is only half true, according to Xda-Developers. The publication notes that the Bixby button is still on the left side below the volume rocker, but it now doubles as the power button. Pressing the button once will lock or unlock the display, while holding it down opens Bixby. Users have the option to change the functionality of the button.
Samsung has updated the Live Drawings feature as well to present a full-screen UI. Users can take a picture from the Live Drawings app, and then draw on it in a full-screen display. One can either take a picture or chose an already existing image. Moreover, one can also draw on videos. After drawing, you can either save it as MP4 or a GIF, and even share it from there.
