Samsung seeks to improve its productivity offering by cozying up to Microsoft

One of the more interesting parts of the Galaxy Note 10 launch was the announcement of a productivity partnership with Microsoft.

Scott Bicheno

August 8, 2019

6 Min Read
Samsung seeks to improve its productivity offering by cozying up to Microsoft

One of the more interesting parts of the Galaxy Note 10 launch was the announcement of a productivity partnership with Microsoft.

This seems to be more of a general increase in cooperation than anything substantively new. The aim of the move is to make it easier to switch between Samsung devices when using Microsoft stuff, such as the Office suite. Samsung does the full monty of devices that could be used for productivity, from laptops to smartphones, and reckons there’s untapped demand for switching between them as circumstances and whim dictate.

“We believe the mobile industry is on the cusp of a transformation, one in which individual devices give way to seamless, connected and continuous experiences, wherever we go,” said DJ Koh, head of IT & Mobile Communications at Samsung. “Open collaborations, like this industry-leading partnership with Microsoft, are instrumental in pioneering a new generation of mobile experiences. As new technologies like 5G become a reality, our partnership will play an important role in helping people live more fluid, flexible lives.”

“Microsoft and Samsung share a long history of innovation and collaboration, and today’s announcements mark the next stage in our partnership,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Our ambition is to help people be more productive on any device, anywhere – and the combination of our intelligent experiences with Samsung’s powerful, new devices makes this a reality.”

“Samsung’s deepening partnership with Microsoft was arguably the biggest news at the event,” said Ben Wood of analyst firm CCS Insight. “Samsung Mobile’s relationship with Microsoft started in 2015 when it first offered a trio of Microsoft apps and OneDrive storage on the Galaxy S6. This was followed by a “Microsoft Edition” of the Galaxy S8 in 2017. Being able to wirelessly connect your smartphone directly to a PC running Windows at the touch of a button is a big step forward. The cooperation between Microsoft and Samsung is a potent combination. Samsung can deliver unrivalled reach in terms of hardware and scale, while Microsoft is the leader in enterprise apps.”

The announcement was made as part of the launch event for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Samsung’s Q3 flagship smartphone event. The point of the Note range used to be that it was significantly bigger than the Galaxy but that is no longer the case, so it looks like Samsung is trying to focus on the productivity side of the Note instead.

And they might as well, considering how difficult it is to generate any buzz around new smartphones that are usually little more than spec upgrades. Perhaps conscious of the fact that the regular Note 10 is just 0.2 inches bigger than the Galaxy S10 Samsung has decided to make a supersized option with the ‘plus’ suffix, which offers 6.8 inches of shiny smartphone action.

The other big differentiator for the Notes is the S Pen, a smart stylus that allows you to write on the device and that sort of thing. This ties in neatly to the productivity narrative, especially since the devices come with handwriting-to-text software and the S Pen even has some gesture UI functionality. As you would expect from the Microsoft announcement, the phones have quick links to Office apps.

At the same event Samsung Also launched a new laptop and some tweaks to its smartwatch range. As is often the case, at least some of Samsung’s strategy seems to be defensive, presumably in anticipation of whatever Apple is going to launch on the next month or two. Last year Apple revealed a supersized phone and has long focused on productivity. We’ll leave you with a vid of the launch event and some specs.

 

Galaxy Note10, Note10+ Specifications

Galaxy Note10

Display

6.3-inch FHD+

6.8-inch Quad HD+

Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display, 2280×1080 (401ppi), HDR10+ Certified

Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display, 3040×1440 (498ppi), HDR10+ Certified

* Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.* Default resolution of the Galaxy Note10+ is full HD+, which can be changed to Quad HD+ in Settings.

Camera

Rear: Triple Camera– Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°)– Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°)– Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°)

Rear: Quad Camera– Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°)– Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°)– Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°)– DepthVision Camera: VGA

Front: 10MP 2PD AF F2.2 (80°)

Front: 10MP 2PD AF F2.2 (80°)

Body

71.8 x 151.0 x 7.9mm, 168g(BLE S Pen: 5.8 × 4.35 × 105.08mm, 3.04g)

77.2 x 162.3 x 7.9mm, 196g(BLE S Pen: 5.8 × 4.35 × 105.08 3.04g)* Galaxy Note10+ 5G weighs 198g.

AP

– 7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8 GHz + 2.4 GHz + 1.7 GHz)

* May differ by market and mobile operator.

Memory

– 8GB RAM with 256GB internal storage

– 12GB RAM with 256GB internal storage– 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage

* May differ by model, color, market and mobile operator.* User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed.

Battery11

3,500mAh (typical)

4,300mAh(typical)

*Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 3400mAh for Galaxy Note10 and 4170mAh for Galaxy Note10+. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns, and other factors.* Super Fast Charging compatible on wired with QC2.0, AFC and PD3.0* Wireless charging speeds with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 compatible with WPC and PMA* Wireless PowerShare: Wireless PowerShare is limited to Samsung or other brand smartphones with WPC Qi wireless charging

OS

Android 9.0 (Pie)

Network

LTE

Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat.20– Up to 2.0Gbps Download / Up to 150Mbps Upload

* Actual speed may vary depending on market, carrier and user environment.

5G

5G Non Standalone (NSA)

*Requires optimal 5G connection. Actual spend may vary depending on market, mobile operator and user environment.

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM– Up to 1.2Gbps Download / Up to 1.2Gbps Upload

*May differ by market and mobile operator.

Bluetooth® v 5.0, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo*, Glonass, BeiDou*)*Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. BeiDou may not be available for certain markets.

Payment

NFC, MST*May differ by market, mobile operator and service providers.

Sensors

Accelerometer, Barometer, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB light sensor(BLE S Pen: 6-axis Sensor including Gyro Sensor and Acceleration Sensor)

Authentication

Lock Type: Pattern, PIN, PasswordBiometric Lock Types: Fingerprint sensor, Face recognition

Audio

Stereo speakers and earphones: Sound by AKG(In-box earphones: Type-C plug, hybrid canal type, 2way dynamic unit)Surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus included)

Audio Playback Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE

About the Author

Scott Bicheno

As the Editorial Director of Telecoms.com, Scott oversees all editorial activity on the site and also manages the Telecoms.com Intelligence arm, which focuses on analysis and bespoke content.
Scott has been covering the mobile phone and broader technology industries for over ten years. Prior to Telecoms.com Scott was the primary smartphone specialist at industry analyst Strategy Analytics’. Before that Scott was a technology journalist, covering the PC and telecoms sectors from a business perspective.
Follow him @scottbicheno

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