Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 and 10+ don't come out until Aug. 23, but we have the bigger phone — literally in our hands — in the enchanting Aura Glow color, and within seconds of unboxing it we can already definitively tell you there's gonna be a learning curve.
It's not the removal of the headphone jack or the S-Pen's new air gesture controls that's bothering us, but the power button. It's moved from the usual right side of the phone to the left, below the volume rocker.
As a righty, I instinctively reached for the power button on the right side of the Note 10+ as I have on my iPhone XS and Android phones for years, only to realize there's nothing there.
Learning to press the power button with my left hand is going to take some retraining of my muscle memory.
For lefties, though: This. Is. Your. Moment!
Finally, a flagship Samsung phone that doesn't make lefties feel like second-class citizens. On the Note 10 and Note 10+, lefties can now easily and comfortably press the power button as we righties have been able to do for years. No more awkwardly reaching over with your index finger anymore.
The power button's relocation from the right side to the left side also comes with two other important changes: turning the device off and activating Bixby.
Since none of the Note 10 phones come with a physical Bixby button, Samsung's now mapped the digital assistant to the power button via a long press. Here's how the power button works on the Note 10 and Note 10+:
Single press: Unlock the phone.
Double press: Open the camera app.
Long press: Activate Bixby.
But if a long press on the power button activates Bixby, how do you turn the phone off or restart it?
To bring up these settings, which are accessed with a long press on the power button on other Samsung phones, you drag down the quick settings menu from the top and tap the new power button in the upper right corner, next to the shortcut to the settings app:
To turn off the Note 10 and Note 10+, you need to tap the power button in the quick settings shade.
Image: screenshot: raymond wong / mashable
Like I said, if you get a Note 10 or Note 10+, there's going to be an initial learning curve if you're a righty. Unlearning old habits and building new ones is hard, but you basically have no choice. However, if you're a lefty, the power button change is basically perfect.
We'll have a full review of the Note 10's with in-depth performance, camera comparisons, and more soon, but for now, if you're a lefty, go ahead and pump your fists! Your time has come.
