We’re weeks away from the Samsung Note 10 launch on August 7, but the rumor mill is running at full steam. The latest claims the smartphone will get a few radical new features, like gesture controls through the S-Pen audio and video that only records audio from one source.
Other details seem to confirm previous rumors, like a two-model release (the standard Note 10 and a larger Note 10 Pro), but the more exciting claims are new. According to Greek site TechManiacs, which cited a knowledgeable source, the S-Pen will support gesture controls to navigate and produce context-appropriate sounds (if you’re using it to highlight text, it will make sounds like a highlighter marker, for example).
The rumor also mentions the Note 10’s video will include ‘Zoom Audio,’ a feature first introduced in the LG G2 way back in 2013. It essentially promised to record one source of sound and block out the rest, but the results were mixed.
Perhaps the most concrete prediction is the removal of the Bixby button. Instead, you’ll allegedly be able to summon the voice assistant with the power button, sort of like we could do – briefly – with the delayed Samsung Galaxy Fold.
The ‘normal’ predictions are still out there
Even the lower-key predictions seem a bit out of step for the Note line. For instance, the source claims the larger Note 10 will weigh 198g, while the smaller will be 168g – which is far lighter than the 201g of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Further, the source claims the smaller Note 10 will only come in FHD+ and the larger in QHD+, which is also odd given the Note 9 had a QHD+ (1,440 x 2,960) resolution. In other words, the source predicts that the smaller model will be a bit downgraded compared to the flagship specs of its predecessor.
Heck, the rumor even predicts the more diminutive model will have a 6.3-inch screen (compare that to the 6.4-inch Note 9). This could align with a prior rumoralleging that Samsung has a smaller Note 10 planned to exclusively launch in Europe, but even that sounds a bit odd.
Some claims are less crazy: eliminating the 3.5mm audio jack gave Samsung room to add 100mAh of capacity to both Note 10 and Note 10 Pro’s battery, enlarging the former’s battery to 3,500mAh and the latter to 4,300. That capacity gap alone suggests a noticeable size difference between the models, though the disparity affects recharging, too, with the smaller capping out at 25W while the larger allegedly reaching 45W of fast-charging potential.
Other predictions are in line with previous rumors, like starting the larger Note 10 Pro at 256GB of storage and only giving the option of 12GB RAM.
It goes without saying that this set of rumors is the wildest we’ve heard yet for the Note 10 – and we’ve only got a couple weeks before we find out whether they’re true.