That's the essential question for the Note 10 Plus. It wasn't always this way: the Note line has meant a few different things over its eight-year history. It was the first phone that convinced us that big screens were great, the phone that proved there was a market for a super powerful Android...

Handwriting recognition OCR; Huge; beautiful screen; Well-made; with powerful specs

Samsung software backslides into confusion; Expensive; No headphone jack

The Galaxy Note 10+ is the best big phone of the year (again), but Samsung plays it safe by not challenging the status quo.

The best big phone gets better

Massive; stunning display; Still the best stylus-equipped phone; Powerful and pretty

Expensive; Curved display can result in accidental presses; Not a huge upgrade over the Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ should be a tougher sell than it actually is. A $1,100 Android phone, scaled so vast that many will struggle to comfortably hold it, the defining feature of which is a pop-out stylus… and yet here we are, in 2019, with a flagship that boasts such user goodwill that even a...

Huge screen is a thing of beauty; S Pen is as useful and accurate as ever; Quad camera array can take some great photos; Runs fast and smooth

Expensive; Some of 2019's headline features feel like gimmicks; Low-light camera performance lags rivals; DeX is awkward to use

Not every decision Samsung made when building the Galaxy Note 10+ was a winner, but its blend of excellent performance, an immersive screen and some clever S Pen tricks mean it's still the best big phone out there right now.

If you want pen-input, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the best out there, wildly out-classing everything other than its predecessor, the Note 9 in that respect. If you don't, it's still an excellent phone, but you could get a comparable screen and imaging experience for less money in the...

Gorgeous; immersive display; Excellent; versatile stills/video camera; Pen input is a dream for Lightroom

It's a big phone; It's an expensive phone; Loves fingerprints

For the first time ever, there's a plus model of Samsung's S Pen smartphone. Here's why you'll want the Galaxy Note 10+ if you like having extras.

I've never been a massive fan of the Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones. The last time I used a Galaxy flagship, it was with the Galaxy S8, and I sold it after only a few weeks because I couldn't get behind Samsung's version of Android. It felt bloated and didn't look very nice.

Incredible display; Premium hardware; Excellent performance; Better Your Phone integration

Expensive; OS can feel bloated; Compromises between the small and large model

Do you really want a stylus to go with your new phone That is the big question you have to answer when you have a wad of cash ready for a new flagship Android phone. And the answer to this question will be critical to whether you choose to splash your money on the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, or...

On paper the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ appears to one of the best Android phones you can buy. That's true in reality, too, having tested the phone as if it were out own for a week. But it doesn't mean it's the best.

Massive screen with neat punch-hole camera arrangement looks great; Speedy and smooth operation; Doesn't force Bixby upon you; Adept variety of cameras (wide; Standard; Zoom; S Pen stylus is integrated and adds an extra layer of control

Battery life not great for a phone of this size; Design a little too wide; Generally poor connectivity in our testing (using Three 4G SIM; Aura Glow finish will be love/hate; Cameras not class-leading; Closer than ever to S series