Why it matters: Most of what we've seen of the Galaxy Note 10 looks quite promising, but some new information won't be very welcome. According to a leak, only the more expensive, Pro version of the flagship handset will feature a MicroSD slot.
XDA Developers writer Max Weinbach tweeted that his source spent time with both the 6.28-inch Note 10 and the 6.75-inch Note 10 Pro pre-production units, revealing some important details. In addition to the recent renders of the phones being accurate, they say the S-pen stylus is almost exactly the same as the Note 9, and only the Pro variant comes with a microSD slot.
My source got to play with a Note 10 and Note 10 Pro. Here is what they said about it.
--- Max Weinbach (@mweinbachXDA) June 21, 2019
1. Both of the models he used had headphone jacks.
2. Renders are almost perfect.
3. SPen is almost the same as the Note9
4. Non-Pro has no micro sd card slot.
Readers may recall that Samsung has been here before. In 2015, both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Note 5 dropped removable batteries and microSD slots, but a backlash led to the latter being brought back in the phones' next models.
The Note 10 is likely to come with at least 128GB of storage---the same base amount as the Note 9---which tends to be enough for most users, but not have the option to add extra will disappoint fans who love the Note series for its productivity features.
There have been conflicting reports over whether Samsung was finally going to relent and join other companies in dropping the long-used headphone jack. While Weinbach's source said it was present in both the devices, it appears these were fakes added by Samsung to trick people. Sneaky. Buyers can expect to find Type-C AKG earbuds in the Note 10 box, though that's unlikely to appease those angry at the decision.
Update: headphone jack was a fake. Samsung added a fake headphone jack to the unit to trick people. It obviously worked. Type C AKG earbuds in the box. https://t.co/B8PkUFPVCa
--- Max Weinbach (@mweinbachXDA) June 22, 2019
We'll find out exactly what features the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Pro offer when they are unveiled at an Unpacked event in New York on August 7.