Getting bigger and faster this year, Samsung has officially unveiled its newest Galaxy Note series – the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra. As a true successor to last year’s Galaxy Note 10, the Galaxy Note20 series offers top of the line specification and features.
Both Samsung Galaxy Note20 devices share a fair amount of hardware, yet they are pretty different. They both got an elegant design with edge-to-edge, nearly bezel-less Infinity-O Displays (the O for the hole-punch in the screen). In a nutshell, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 series are now bigger in screen size, got faster S Pen, got a more flexible and useful Samsung Notes App experience, 8K camera, gaming with Xbox games and pumped up in the internals.
Pricing of Samsung Galaxy Note20 starts at $999.99 in the US, which roughly translates to 75,000 INR. Whereas the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is pricey at $1,299.99 (in the US), thus touching the Rs 1 lakh mark.
Samsung has not yet revealed the price of the new Galaxy Note20 series in India. But it’s been rumoured to launch in India this month last.
Power to Work – Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Talking first about the power-packed big brother, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ or Samsung’s octa-core Exynos 990 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. There is also support for expandable storage with microSD cards. As always, Samsung would preferably launch the Exynos version of the phone in India.
The phablet flaunts 6.9-inch Quad HD+ (3088×1440 pixels) Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and 19.3:9 aspect ratio. Do note that, the phone can’t pull that 120Hz refresh rate in the native super high resolution – you’ll need to strip down to 1080p to enjoy the 120Hz refresh rate. However, it’s HDR10+ certified, so you could all the videos from Netflix in full quality.
Coming to the camera array, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs triple rear camera setup. These include a 108-megapixel Wide-angle primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 79-degree FOV and supports PDAF and OIS. Then we have the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with f/3.0 aperture. This camera pack offer 5x optical zoom like the Galaxy S20 Ultra and up to 50x digitally assisted Space Zoom.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra – specifications and features
- 6.9-inch edge Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 496ppi, HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ / Octa-core Exynos 990 chipset
- 8GB/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB storage (expandable)
- OneUI 2.5 based Android 10
- S Pen – Pressure levels at 4096, Pen tip diameter – 0.7 mm, IP68
- 108MP Wide-angle camera (f/1.8) + 12MP Ultra Wide camera (f/2.2) + 12MP Telephoto camera (f/1.8)
- 5x Optical zoom, 50x Super Resolution Zoom, Laser autofocus
- 10MP front camera, f/2.2
- Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
- 5G, 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, USB type-C, NFC, MST, Ultra Wide Band
- Ultrasonic Fingerprint sensor
- Stereo speakers and Earphones sound by AKG
- 4,500mAh battery
- Dimensions – 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm, 208g
The Note20 Ultra can shoot videos at 21:9 aspect ratio and 8K resolution at 24FPS. Pro Video mode with pro-grade focus, audio, exposure, zoom speed control, and 120 fps video at FHD can help you to shoot cinematic-style videos. It also supports multi-source mic control and selectable audio inputs.
For selfies, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra comes with a 10-megapixel front camera with f/2.2 lens.
Connectivity option in Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra include support for 5G (probably will not come in India version), 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, MST and NFC. The phone also packs a 60Ghz Ultra Wide Band that can be used to send content between compatible devices.
For scribbling or to write notes, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs a faster S Pen. When they say fast, the input latency on the S Pen is now down to 9ms (when compared to 42ms in Galaxy Note10). It also picks up five new Anywhere actions or Air Action gestures.
When talking about software, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra runs on OneUI 2.5 based Android 10 OS. It packs tons of features in the Samsung Notes app which now has auto-save and syncing capabilities. It also gets time-synced voice recordings, PDF annotation, auto straightens handwriting and customizable intuitive folder management.
As you are carrying a mini-computer in hand with Samsung DeX you could wirelessly connect the Galaxy Note20 series to a Smart TV and could manage two screens simultaneously.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs a 4,500mAh battery and supports both fast 25W wired and 15W wireless charging. Don’t forget, the phone can also do reverse charging other phones, earbuds or other smart devices you have.
This is Samsung Galaxy Note20
Stripped down from most of the cool high-end hardware, you get the Samsung Galaxy Note20. It still keeps the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ or Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos 990 chipset. But, the phone gets water down to maximum 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage with no expandable option.
The phone flaunts a 6.7-inch full HD+ (2400×1080 pixels) Infinity-O Super AMOLED Plus flat display with a refresh rate of only 60Hz and 20:9 aspect ratio. It’s still HDR10+ certified.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 also comes with the triple rear camera setup. But unlike its big brother, this one gets the 108MP primary camera sensor omitted. In place of this, you now have 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and dual-pixel autofocus. Then there is also the 64-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture and 120-degree FOV. For selfies, you have the same 10-megapixel Dual Pixel AF front-facing camera.
This phone also doesn’t get the super-low-latency S Pen input feature, but still faster (26ms) than previous generation Note series.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 specifications list:
- 6.7” flat FHD+ Super AMOLED Plus, 393ppi, HDR10+, 60Hz refresh rate
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ / Octa-core Exynos 990 chipset
- 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage (non-expandable)
- OneUI 2.5 based Android 10
- S Pen – Pressure levels at 4096, Pen tip diameter – 0.7 mm, IP68
- 12MP Wide-angled camera (f/1.8) + 12MP Ultra Wide camera (f/2.2) + 64MP Telephoto camera (f/2.0)
- 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom, 30x Super Resolution Zoom, Laser autofocus
- Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
- 10MP front camera, f/2.2
- Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
- 5G, 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, USB type-C, NFC, MST, Ultra Wide Band
- Ultrasonic Fingerprint sensor
- Stereo speakers and Earphones sound by AKG
- 4,300mAh battery
- Dimensions – 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3mm, 192g
Connectivity options remains the same as the Galaxy Note20 Ultra with support for 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, MST and NFC. It packs a 4,300mAh battery and supports both fast 25W wired and 15W wireless charging.