Samsung Note joins jackless rivals

NEW YORK — Samsung executives have long poked fun at rivals for ditching the headphone jack on smartphones. With the new Galaxy Note 10, the company will now be doing exactly the same thing.

The Note 10, announced Wednesday, squeezes in more battery power and other goodies, but at the cost of the familiar jack. So now the company is doing an about-face and declaring that many people use wireless headphones anyway.

Samsung, which for years has pushed bigger and bigger displays, is also introducing a smaller version of the Note for those who think phones have just gotten too big.

The new Note models will come out Aug. 23. The main model is being called the Note 10 Plus and will have a display measuring 6.8 inches diagonally. Though the display is bigger, the overall size is about the same as last year’s 6.4-inch Note 9. To accomplish that, Samsung shrank even more of the bezel surrounding the display.

The smaller, 6.3-inch version will be called the Note 10 and will sell for $949, or $150 less than the Plus. It’s designed for those who want the Note’s signature stylus without its once-signature size.

Hardware innovation in mobile devices has been slowing for years. Samsung is addressing that with a foldable model, with twice the display when unfolded. The Samsung Fold is coming in September after Samsung made a few design changes to address problems with reviewers’ phones breaking.

The Note 10 Plus will have a 7.5% boost in battery capacity over the Note 9, though Samsung’s highend phones have already been promising all-day battery life. Company officials say that while the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack might seem small, every smidgeon of saved space can help extend battery life. Samsung is including wired headphones that plug into the phone’s USB-C data and charging port.