New to N10+

anthropoidape said:

Got it. Looks to be in great condition, it's N976B, 512GB as advertised. Always been in an otterbox, pretty much scratch and crack free.

No "OEM unlock" option, I hope/assume this is because it has just been factory reset. I guess it is probably a good thing for me to use it for a week without rooting it anyway...

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The OEM unlock option is hidden on my SM975U.
I used a phone keypad code to access it, then unlock with the code AT&T provided.
The other way to get it to pop up is enter a different sim card.

anthropoidape said:

Thanks, I will play around with it and see if I can get the option to appear.

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My bad... carrier unlock.

I have 2 N10+'s, the oldest is still running on Android 9, the newest on 10.
Both are stock. I use package disabler and Karma Firewall to lock them down and disable bloatware. The run very good as such.
Normal SOT runs from 7-13%@ hr, and tap on AOD is >.5%@hr.
The oldest one is 27 months old with no repairs other than a battery*. It looks new with no detectable display degradation in spite of heavy usage. It's current OS load will be 2 yo in June, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance.

The Snapdragon variant is hard to root, and at this point it's not needed. The risk and time it would take to do it simply isn't worth it. Not using a stock rom would also cause the loss of some of the core functionality as will rooting it.
Knox is needed for Secure folder and Samsung Pass. No going back once you trip the Knox efuse... just saying. I would stay on Android 9 or 10 if possible.

The only thing these phones like to do more than face plant is corner hit when dropped. You'll need a good case. I use the Zizo Bolt. I use Gorilla IQ Sheild to protect the screen from scratches. The Bolt has soaked up to close to a dozens 2-4 foot drops onto concrete. Easy to hold, not very bulky, doesn't attract dirt and easy to clean. The case kick stand will break if used daily but that's it's only weakness.

Get a V30 rated SD card for it. You then will have a dual drive handheld PC Use it as a data drive, store all critical data and everything you need to do a full reload here. Pickup some Buds+ or BudsPro for it. If you want higher bt sound quality get one the Sony LDAC buds or headphones. The Buds+ are great for calls and sound good with music especially using PowerAmp's EQ.

The Note 10+ is an exceptional Note. A drop dead gorgeous display who's color rendering exceeds most or all of the newest displays. The variable rate displays suffer a slight to moderate color rendering loss because of it, so far. The N10+ is Samsung's best flagship release in the last 2 years in my opinion... which is why I have two.

*replace battery once its capacity drops to 80% of its new capacity. Degraded Li's are more likely to fail. A failure can heavily damage to phone.
Any rear cover bulging is a failure. I was lucky it didn't damage my display when it failed. The battery isn't that hard or expensive to replace.

You are welcome. That's a great deal, lol Otterbox's always mar the case. The Bolt makes it easy to hold and avoid accidental side touches.
Raised front display guards and cam guard. The type of case is important... look for those features.

Make sure you get the rear cover seal when you replace the battery. OEM batteries are made in Nam, not China. Maybe run Screen Test to see how the display has held up. Try not to go over 50% brightness for very long and avoid using in direct sunlight except maybe for a few seconds if really needed.

I would use it as is a while. Disabling OTA updates if it's running on Android 10, keep it there. Disable all power management as it's a know troublemaker. Set display mode to "optimized". See what you got and go from there.

You'll wuv the spen's bt shutter release and it's Smart Capture feature for those items you can't normally cut/paste.

Even after over 2 years this device is fun and a pleasure to use. Rock solid dependable. With it's nearly zero bezel, no rounded A+++ display corners and that crazy 7mm thinness there's nothing like it. I like the UI and the level of customization* available.
Even though it lacks the fastest processor and ram, it is the sum of it's parts and firmware/software which are excellent. It's sad that Google Android and Samsung have dropped the ball so badly that a 2 yo flagship be my first choice. However I'm not too busted up as I got what I want and it fulfills it's mission.


*Get One Handed Operation plus (Galaxy store) as it works well with the curved screen. Digi Clock (playstore) with it's quad hidden shortcut rectangles is a favorite too. And of course the Good Lock family of apps.

One UI

I'll second @blackhawk about rooting. It can cause more problems than it solves. Google has improved Android so much that the need to root to add capabilities is mostly redundant.

I have a Note 10+ 5G (Verizon) like blackhawk said, it's probably the best Samsung flagship in the past 2 to 3 years.

I'm currently using the Samsung OEM rugged case, but also have a couple Otterbox cases.

I'm running Android 11 and have no issues. I use Microsoft Launcher in lieu of OneUI 3.1 though. I'm more in to the Microsoft ecosystem than any other. Microsoft Launcher's integration with my Windows machines is pretty nice.

gernerttl said:

I'll second @blackhawk about rooting. It can cause more problems than it solves. Google has improved Android so much that the need to root to add capabilities is mostly redundant.

I have a Note 10+ 5G (Verizon) like blackhawk said, it's probably the best Samsung flagship in the past 2 to 3 years.

I'm currently using the Samsung OEM rugged case, but also have a couple Otterbox cases.

I'm running Android 11 and have no issues. I use Microsoft Launcher in lieu of OneUI 3.1 though. I'm more in to the Microsoft ecosystem than any other. Microsoft Launcher's integration with my Windows machines is pretty nice.

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Does Android 11 interfere with SD card functionality or usability? Any annoying new system popups and/or permissions?

I noticed Android 10 killed Karma Firewall's valuable logging feature; it runs fine on 9.
I also noticed that Samsung added dozens maybe even a hundred or more small system apks in 10 vs 9, presumably to retain its UI appearance and functionality.
In Package Disabler they are easy to notice. Those apks I didn't touch. If fact my Q variant's setup is almost a carbon copy of my Pie variant.
That surprised me; easy set up! I literally used a backup export/import xlm copy of Package Disabler settings from the Pie variant to set up the Q variant. Only a couple new packages needed to be added.

Been wondering how Samsung handled 11 and 12. It's worrisome as the mods had to be time intensive for Samsung and Google's baseload is getting harder to mod as well.

blackhawk said:

Does Android 11 interfere with SD card functionality or usability? Any annoying new system popups and/or permissions?

I noticed Android 10 killed Karma Firewall's valuable logging feature; it runs fine on 9.
I also noticed that Samsung added dozens maybe even a hundred or more small system apks in 10 vs 9, presumably to retain its UI appearance and functionality.
In Package Disabler they are easy to notice. Those apks I didn't touch. If fact my Q variant's setup is almost a carbon copy of my Pie variant.
That surprised me; easy set up! I literally used a backup export/import xlm copy of Package Disabler settings from the Pie variant to set up the Q variant. Only a couple new packages needed to be added.

Been wondering how Samsung handled 11 and 12. It's worrisome as the mods had to be time intensive for Samsung and Google's baseload is getting harder to mod as well.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

It doesn't interfere with SD Card functionality or usability. I have a 512GB Samsung EVO Pro card in it and it works perfectly fine. Even encrypted it doesn't have any problems.

I don't use package disablers either. Android 11 allows me to disable or uninstall most of the apps I don't use (i.e. Chrome, Samsung Email, etc. Mine is the Verizon variant and the bloatware isn't that bad. You can disable or uninstall most of the Verizon apps. Or not even install them (like Verizon Messages+).

I use Google Messages, so I got all of the RCS goodness.

The last time I rooted a phone was my Samsung Galaxy Nexus about 10 years ago. Since then I have had a Note 2, HTC M9 One, S8+, and Note 8. I had a couple Windows phones and an iPhone in that timeframe too.

I love my Samsung Pay. I've had far more success with it than Apple Pay.

gernerttl said:

It doesn't interfere with SD Card functionality or usability. I have a 512GB Samsung EVO Pro card in it and it works perfectly fine. Even encrypted it doesn't have any problems.

I don't use package disablers either. Android 11 allows me to disable or uninstall most of the apps I don't use (i.e. Chrome, Samsung Email, etc. Mine is the Verizon variant and the bloatware isn't that bad. You can disable or uninstall most of the Verizon apps. Or not even install them (like Verizon Messages+).

I use Google Messages, so I got all of the RCS goodness.

The last time I rooted a phone was my Samsung Galaxy Nexus about 10 years ago. Since then I have had a Note 2, HTC M9 One, S8+, and Note 8. I had a couple Windows phones and an iPhone in that timeframe too.

I love my Samsung Pay. I've had far more success with it than Apple Pay.

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Thank you for that information. I will likely leave them running as they are though. No good enough reasons to upgrade either.

I have a AT&T and an unlocked U variant. Can't uninstall most of the bloatware plus there are hidden apks and services I want to kill so I use Package Disabler. Makes it easy to toggle ones I sometimes use on/off too. Useful for troubleshooting as well because it can completely clear the data in system apps leaving no null marks, which setting can't apparently do.
That saved me a reload.

I completely agree with you about rooting. There's a lot you can do with a stock Samsung and as such it's almost impossible to crash and burn. Even with insanely outdated firmware I've never had a serious malware breach with Android 9.

anthropoidape said:

Well I have been setting this n10+ up throughout the day. Got a screen protector and basic case (just for now) and I swear it looks like brand new. Battery life looks so-so but initial set up does chew through power.

I am certain I am enjoying this just as much as, or actually more than, I would be enjoying using a brand new flagship that cost five times as much. I am almost tempted to buy a spare one!

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Click to collapse

Yay! It's just a fun, snappy phone.
That's why I bought a backup (as well as my lack of confidence Samsung and Android will stop their ball dropping fest anytime soon). A backup allows unhurried repairs as well.
They just keep going if you protect them from drops; excellent build quality. Protect from water too, I don't care what it's rated. Salt water especially.

If you aren't getting good battery life I can probably help you with that. At idle or browsing the web with Brave it shouldn't be running very warm in 75°F ambient temperatures.

The N10+ is fun to explore, it has many features and settings. Enjoy!

anthropoidape said:

Thanks for that Blackhawk, I appreciate the replies.

Yep, now that I have OEM unlock available, I am asking myself if there's any point rooting. So I am going to just leave it for now, and use it for a bit, see what annoys me.

I will order a case, screen protector, and battery.

I agree, the screen on these is sensational and in some respects better than the newer devices have. I could have bought a Fold 3, 21 Ultra, Note 20 Ultra, Pixel 6 Pro... I was looking at all of them and just concluded that none of them really knocked me out. In reading around I kept noticing that the Note 10+ has this dedicated fan base that doesn't want to upgrade and I can see why.

Really impressed. I got this for $450AUD aka $325USD. It is pretty much unmarked front and back, and the sides are a bit scuffed but pretty much just from having the otterbox case on I think.

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Yeah the otter box would do that to the soft anodized frame of the Samsung, I found even silicon ( made from sand?) starts to cause abrasion marks after one or two days on the frame sides. Need a magnify loop to check, tried this test a few times from out of the box, sorry to go off subject HAHA.

Limeybastard said:

Yeah the otter box would do that to the soft anodized frame of the Samsung, I found even silicon ( made from sand?) starts to cause abrasion marks after one or two days on the frame sides. Need a magnify loop to check, tried this test a few times from out of the box, sorry to go off subject HAHA.

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Otterbox's always mar the frame
Was using teflon tape to protect the N10+ in the Bolt case but stopped as it's a pain to align the tape.
It's been a while now, last time I looked didn't see any damage. The Bolt's inner shell doesn't move around much. Depending what it looks like next time... maybe just occasional cleaning is all that's needed.
Not missing Otterbox one bit.

blackhawk said:

Otterbox's always mar the frame
Was using teflon tape to protect the N10+ in the Bolt case but stopped as it's a pain to align the tape.
It's been a while now, last time I looked didn't see any damage. The Bolt's inner shell doesn't move around much. Depending what it looks like next time... maybe just occasional cleaning is all that's needed.
Not missing Otterbox one bit.

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Yeah the ones I was referring are silicon, especially the two layered ones whereby the inner part is soft silicone and the outer part hard plastic. I believe the inner part rubs the color off over time.

Limeybastard said:

Yeah the ones I was referring are silicon, especially the two layered ones whereby the inner part is soft silicone and the outer part hard plastic. I believe the inner part rubs the color off over time.

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The Otterbox that marred the hell out of my S4+ was just the opposite hard inner shell, silicon outer. What dirty pig of a case it was and way overpriced.
Guess no matter how they're designed Otterbox's just scratch and suck

blackhawk said:

The Otterbox that marred the hell out of my S4+ was just the opposite hard inner shell, silicon outer. What dirty pig of a case it was and way overpriced.
Guess no matter how they're designed Otterbox's just scratch and suck

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I learned the hard way with those hard inner otter box cases also. And now it wasn't because I didn't remove phone and clean it. $60 case to scratch the frame, never again.