The P30 Pro continues to be a great choice in the latter half of 2019, and Samsung is now rolling out its offering aimed at power users in the Galaxy Note 10+. Unable to choose between the two? We’re here to lend a hand.
Galaxy Note 10+
Best of Samsung
$1,100 at Samsung
Pros
- Stunning AMOLED display
- 45W fast charging with 4300mAh battery
- S Pen gets even better
- Top-notch hardware
- MicroSD slot
Cons
- Expensive
- No headphone jack
The Note 10+ packs a ton of new features, including a new gradient design at the back and an edge-to-edge AMOLED screen with a cutout at the center for the front camera module. The internal hardware has also been refreshed, the S Pen has picked up new features, and you now get 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Huawei P30 Pro
Camera champion
$800 at Amazon
Pros
- Gorgeous design
- Outstanding cameras
- 10x lossless zoom
- Two-day battery life
- Latest internal hardware
Cons
- Not sold officially in the U.S.
- No headphone jack
There really isn’t a whole lot missing from the P30 Pro. You get a gorgeous design with gradient patterns at the back, the latest internal hardware, 4200mAh battery that lasts two days, along with 40W wired charging. Combine that with the best cameras on any phone today and it’s easy to see why the P30 Pro is in a league of its own.
Right now, the P30 Pro is one of the best phones money can buy. With a 5x optical zoom lens and two-day battery life, the phone has plenty to offer for those in the market for a high-end device. The Note 10+ is aiming to change that, with Samsung rolling out a host of new features to take on Huawei.
What’s the difference between the Note 10+ and the P30 Pro?
Samsung made a lot of changes to the Note 10 series this year, and it’s easy to see that some of the new additions — particularly around design and charging — were motivated by Chinese brands. The Note 10+ has a gorgeous new gradient pattern that is similar to the P30 Pro, and it’s safe to say that these are two of the best-looking phones in the market today.
Both phones are packed with features, but the Note 10+ takes the lead thanks to that stunning AMOLED panel.
Samsung has led the field when it comes to displays for some time now, and the Note 10+ has a Dynamic AMOLED display that is the best screen you’ll find on any phone today. The QHD+ panel is rated for HDR10+, and Samsung has managed to drastically cut down on the bezels by going with a in-screen camera cutout that’s now at the center. The P30 Pro has a great OLED panel, but the FHD+ screen just isn’t on the same level as what you get on the Note 10+.
As for the internal hardware, the Note 10+ comes with 12GB of RAM as standard and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, with the P30 Pro offering 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. The Note 10+ is powered by the Snapdragon 855 in the U.S. and China and the 7nm Exynos 9825 in global markets, whereas the P30 Pro is fielding the Kirin 980.
A key change this time around is with battery tech — Samsung is finally making the switch to 45W wired charging on the Note 10+, overtaking Huawei’s 40W standard. That said, the bundled charger for the Note 10+ only goes up to 25W, so you’ll have to buy a USB-C PD charger to unlock the 45W charging speeds. On the P30 Pro, the bundled wall plug charges at 40W. Both devices have 15W wireless charging, as well as the ability to wirelessly charge other devices.
Of course, Samsung’s decision to dual-source chipsets — with global variants of the Note 10+ featuring an Exynos chipset — mean the battery life between the Snapdragon 855 and Exynos 9825 models will be marginally different. That said, both of these platforms are manufactured on the 7nm node, the same as the Kirin 980 in the P30 Pro.
| Operating system | Android 9.0 PieOne UI 1.5 | Android 9.0 PieEMUI |
| Display | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 3040×1440 (19.5:9)HDR10+ | 6.47-inch OLED2340x1080 (19.5:9)HDR10 |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 855 (U.S., China)Exynos 9825 (ROW) | HiSilicon Kirin 9802 x 2.6GHz Cortex A762 x 1.92GHz Cortex A764 x 1.8GHz Cortex A55Mali-G76 MP107nm |
| RAM | 12GB LPDDR4X | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS3.0 | 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS2.1 |
| MicroSD slot | Yes | No (Nano Memory) |
| Rear camera 1 | 12MP f/1.5-2.4, OIS77° FoV | 40MP, f/1.6OISDual Pixel PDAF |
| Rear camera 2 | 12MP, f/2.1, OIStelephoto 45° FoV | 20MP, f/2.2Wide-angle |
| Rear camera 3 | 16MP, f/2.2Wide-angle 123° FoV | 8MP5x optical zoom10x digital zoom |
| Rear camera 4 | VGA f/1.4, 72° FoV | TOF 3D |
| Front camera | 10MP, f/2.2, 80° FoVauto focus | 32MP, f/2.0HDR |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi ax MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LENFC, AptX HD, A-GPS | Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0NFC, AptX HD, A-GPS |
| Audio | USB-CStereo speakers | USB-CSingle speaker |
| Battery | 4300mAhNon-removable | 4200mAhNon-removable |
| Charging | USB-C PD3.0Fast charge (45W) | USB-C 1.0Fast charge (40W) |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Security | In-display fingerprint sensorFace unlock | In-display fingerprint sensorFace unlock |
| Dimensions | 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm196g | 158 x 73.4 x 8.4 mm192g |
| Colors | Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Blue | Aurora, Amber Sunrise, Breathing Crystal, Black |
Continuing with the similarities, both phones have IP68 dust and water resistance. Samsung’s controversial decision to get rid of the 3.5mm jack on the Note 10+ means neither device has the jack, so you’ll have to resort to using a dongle if you plan on using a wired headset.
S Pen is the main differentiator for the Note 10+, and it is picking up a few new features this time.
Of course, the marquee feature for the Note series has been the S Pen, and this time around Samsung is putting more sensors in the stylus and adding a host of new software features. You’ll be able to doodle with AR Doodles, use the stylus as a remote shutter button and switch camera modes, and get fine-grained control when editing content in the video editor.
Then there’s the camera: both phones have four cameras at the back, but aside from the addition of the DepthVision module, Samsung is using the same sensors as the Galaxy S10+. That already puts it at a disadvantage to the P30 Pro, because when I compared the Galaxy S10+ to the P30 Pro earlier in the year, I found that the S10+’s camera wasn’t quite on the same level as Huawei. That’s particularly the case when it comes to the zoom lens, with Huawei’s 5x zoom lens unmatched right now.
You can’t go wrong with either phone
Choosing between these two phones comes down to where you live. If you’re in the U.S., the Note 10+ is your only option as the P30 Pro isn’t officially available in the country. That said, you can find the global variant of the device on Amazon for $800, making it an enticing option.
Need all the features? The Note 10+ is the obvious pick. If you want a zoom lens, get the P30 Pro.
Meanwhile, the Note 10+ retails for $1,100. You do get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, a display that is outstnading, the latest internal hardware, and a 4300mAh battery with 45W charging. Then there’s the S Pen, which has been a standout for the Note series for several years now.
And while $1,100 is a crazy amount of money to pay for a phone, Samsung has a fantastic trade-in offer for the Note 10+ wherein you get up to $600 in exchange for the likes of the Pixel 3, Note 9, or the Galaxy S10 series. So if you’re rocking an older Samsung flagship and are looking to make the switch to the Note 10+, you don’t have to pay the full retail price.
If you want all the latest features and intend to use the stylus, the Note 10+ is a fantastic choice. If you’re instead looking for the phone with a zoom lens that holds up at 10x, the P30 Pro is the way to go.
Galaxy Note 10+
Best of Samsung
$1,100 at Samsung
Gorgeous new design, same great stylus.
The Galaxy Note 10+ packs all the features you want in a stunning new design that makes it one of the best-looking phones today. The S Pen continues to be a standout feature on the Note series, you get a fantastic AMOLED panel, and 45W charging is the icing on the cake.
Huawei P30 Pro
Camera champion
$800 at Amazon
The camera to beat on Android.
The P30 Pro gets a lot right, but it doesn’t have quite the same hardware chops as the Note 10+. But it more than makes up for it with the 40MP camera at the back, as well as the 5x optical zoom lens. You lose out on the warranty as the phone isn’t sold in the U.S., but it’s worth springing for the P30 Pro just for the camera alone.
