Considering how expensive flagship smartphones have gotten over the back couple of years, people have begun to wonder if we’ve finally hit the ceiling and prices have begun to level out. If this latest Galaxy Note 10 leak ends up being accurate, the answer is a resounding no.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note series smartphones are never as popular as Galaxy S phones, but they still always seem to have just as much hype surrounding their launches. Such is the case with the Galaxy Note 10, which will likely be unveiled in about two months. The Galaxy Note 9 and other recent Note phones have basically been slightly modified Galaxy S Plus handsets with a squared off design and the signature S Pen stylus stowed away inside them. Beyond that, they feature the same specs and the same general design as Samsung’s Galaxy S Plus phone from the same year. In 2019, however, it looks like that’s going to change.
Samsung will reportedly release not one but two new Galaxy Note 10 phones this year, or even three if you count the 5G version as a separate phone. All three Note 10 models will feature major design changes compared to the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, and now we may know how much those changes are going to cost.
We’ve read plenty of rumors about what Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10 and “Galaxy Note 10 Pro” are going to look like. That’s right, now that Apple has added a less expensive model to its flagship iPhone lineup, Samsung will continue to mirror Apple’s strategy. First it was the Galaxy S10e earlier this year, and now Samsung plans to release two versions of the Galaxy Note 10.
The entry-level Galaxy Note 10’s design leaked on Thursday, and this is what the phone is expected to look like:
Now, the flagship Galaxy Note 10 Pro design has apparently leaked. Here’s a quick peek:
So, why exactly is Samsung releasing two different Note 10 models? That’s right, it’s the same reason Apple decided to introduce the iPhone XR last year — because the flagship models are insanely expensive.
The Galaxy Note 9 carried a retail price of $999 when it was released, and it was the most expensive base price of any Samsung phone at the time. The Galaxy S10+ matched the Note 9 with its $999 base price, but now Samsung is about to push things even farther. According to a new leak from Russian tech blog hi-tech, the Galaxy Note 10 Pro will have a base price of between $1,100 and $1,200 when it’s released in August… and that’s the version without 5G!
It’s difficult to think of a phone as “entry-level” when it’ll probably cost around $1,000, but the entry-level Note 10 might be the way to go this year, especially if the Galaxy Note 10 Pro comes in at the high end of that leaked price range. Of course, we’ll find out if it’s worth that sky-high price soon enough when Samsung unveils its new Galaxy Note 10 lineup in early August.
