Following the launch of the Galaxy S10 earlier this month, we got a temporary reprieve from the deluge of rumors that had been flooding the internet in the months prior. But as March comes to a close, the rumor mill is beginning to churn again, with the Galaxy Note 10 becoming the subject of an increasing number of rumors and reports.
One such report comes from ETNews, citing industry sources who claim the Note 10 will be “Samsung’s first keyless smartphone.” In other words, it will not have any physical buttons whatsoever — no power button, no volume buttons, and not even a Bixby button. Having already eliminated the notch and most of the bezel with the Infinity-O display of the Galaxy S10, this would take Samsung one step closer to releasing a truly “seamless” phone.
Without any physical buttons, every interaction with the device would have to come down to gestures and touch-based commands. As SamMobile points out, Samsung has filed patents for technologies that could be used in place of buttons, such as squeezing the sides of the device (much like the HTC U11), but eliminating every physical key at once would be a huge leap for many consumers. While it’s worth taking this report with a grain of salt, it’s clear that this is the direction the industry is heading when it comes to smartphone design.
The sources also say that Samsung will apply the same “keyless technology” to low- and mid-range models, such as the Galaxy A series. If so, there’s a chance we’ll see the design tested on a less expensive phone before the Note 10 launches, so that Samsung can get a feel for the public’s reaction to the death of buttons.
A second report out of Korea, this one from The Korea Herald, claims that Samsung will stick with an August release date for the Galaxy Note 10. The Galaxy Note 9 launched on August 9th, 2018, and the Galaxy Note 10 is expected to follow a similar trajectory later this year.
“The mass production of the Note 10 is scheduled to start in earnest in early August, and the smartphone will hit the shelves late August or early September, depending on the region,” an industry source told The Investor.
