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Top Samsung insider teases some big Galaxy Note 10 design changes we didn’t see coming

Updated May 20th, 2019 12:32PM EDT
Galaxy Note 10 Specs
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Samsung is widely expected to launch two different versions of the Galaxy Note 10 this summer, with each one getting a 5G version of its own. In total, four Note 10 variants will hit stores at some point in August, as Samsung is looking to replicate the sales success of the Galaxy S10 series. But what Samsung won’t do is repurpose the latest Galaxy S design for the new Note smartphones as it normally does, according to a trustworthy source.

Top Samsung insider Ice Universe revealed in a series of tweets that the Note 10 will represent the “optimization and perfection of Galaxy S10 and Note 9.” Note 10 will deploy “stable and mature” tech, while Samsung’s Galaxy A line will deliver “radical innovation,” according to his statements. That’s precisely what Samsung did with the Galaxy A range last year, using it to introduce triple- and quad-lens cameras as well as Infinity-O screens.

In a different tweet, he said that the “Da Vinci” phones, which is the Note 10’s codename, will bring two significant design changes compared to the Galaxy S10 phones, both concerning the placement of cameras. In previous tweets, the leaker teased smartphone design innovations for the second half of 2019 that would come from companies like Samsung, Huawei, and others.

The Galaxy S10 handsets have hole-punch selfie cameras on the front, placed in the right corner of the screen. On the back, the dual, triple, or quadruple camera module is positioned centrally, in the upper half of the phone.

Unlike the S10, Note 10 will come with a built-in stylus, which occupies plenty of space inside the phone. That’s one thing to account for when designing the handset, and it may explain the new camera placement. Either that or Samsung doesn’t want a repeat of the Galaxy S9. The phone wasn’t the success Samsung envisioned because many saw it as nothing but a rehashed Galaxy S8. The Galaxy Note and Galaxy S designs wouldn’t have confused fans in previous years, but using the same Galaxy S10 design for the Note 10 might. After all, Infinity-O displays would look identical on phones that have more or less the same overall size.

While we have no leaked images for the Note 10, PhoneArena created renders of the phone’s design based on Ice’s tweets:

Image source: Phone Arena

The camera on the back, meanwhile, will have a vertical placement according to Ice Universe. He also said the Note 10 phones will have the same camera hardware as the S10, and that they’ll feature faster UFS 3.0 storage, just like the postponed Galaxy Fold and the recently launched OnePlus 7 Pro.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.