How Do the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Phones Stand Out From the Competition?
I really like the day of the announcement of the new smartphone, and today is the time for Samsung to show off its new line of smartphones Galaxy Note 20 Android . The company today announced two new models: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Before you pre-order – starting today at 12:01 am ET – we’re going to take a look at their specs and see how they stack up against the best of the rest.
If it was up to me, I would wait for some reviews before buying a new over $ 1,000 phone scope, but pre-ordering is strong. I understand. To help you determine which phone is best for you, in our mini-review, we’ll take a look at eight different categories and 12 different phones:
Display
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: 6.7-inch, FHD + Super AMOLED (60Hz)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X (120Hz Variable Refresh Rate)
- Samsung Galaxy S20: 6.2 inches, Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: 6.7-inch, Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 6.9-inch, Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 6.3-inch FHD + Dynamic AMOLED
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 6.8-inch, Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED
- Google Pixel 4: 5.7 ″ Full HD + smooth display (up to 90Hz OLED)
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 6.3-inch Quad HD + smooth display (OLED up to 90Hz)
- Apple iPhone 11: 6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD display (60Hz LCD)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR display (60Hz OLED)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display (OLED @ 60Hz)
Analysis: This is one of those things, “you have to see this before you can talk about it.” We didn’t have a chance to play around with the smartphone with the adjustable refresh screen as this is an unusual feature. (If I’m right, the Razer Phone 2 has one, but it’s a bit of a niche device.)
The benefits are simple: you can lower your refresh rate when you don’t need to, such as when you check your email, to conserve battery life. Then you can increase the refresh rate for smoother video watching or gameplay. Again, this is a neat concept on paper – and those of us who play computer games have used this technology on our monitors for years now – and I would be curious to see for myself how well it works.
However, the fact that you have to make this choice yourself, as the phone won’t switch refresh rates for you, makes this feature feel a little silly . I bet you will stick to 120Hz; battery and resolution (which is set lower at 120Hz) heck
Another note: you only get variable refresh rates on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The regular Galaxy Note 20 sticks to the more common fixed frequency of 60Hz.
Battery
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: 4300mAh
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: 4500 mAh
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 3500mAh
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 4300mAh
- Samsung Galaxy S20: 4000 mAh
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: 4500 mAh
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5000 mAh
- Google Pixel 4: 2800 mAh
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 3700 mAh
- Apple iPhone 11: ~ 3000 mAh
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: ~ 3200 mAh
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: ~ 4000 mAh
Analysis: Don’t buy phones based on their battery size, because it’s all about optimization. A large battery doesn’t really matter if your phone’s hardware and software consumes a lot of power. We’re listing those numbers for data, but you’ll have to wait for some hands-on reviews to really see how long a 4300+ battery will give you on one of the new Galaxy note 20 phones.
CPU
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
- Samsung Galaxy S20: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865;
- Google Pixel 4: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
- Google Pixel 4 XL: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
- Apple iPhone 11: A13 Bionic
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: A13 Bionic
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: A13 Bionic
Analysis: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chip is a welcome upgrade over the Snapdragon 855, it can run 10 percent faster than the stock Snapdragon 865, but the A13 Bionic is still the fastest . And when Apple eventually releases its next batch of iPhones, we fully expect the A14 to outperform the Snapdragon 865+.
Memory
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: 8GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: 12 GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 8GB / 12GB (LTE / 5G)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 12 GB
- Samsung Galaxy S20: 12GB (5G) or 8GB (LTE)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: 12 GB (5G) or 8 GB (LTE)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 16GB (512GB storage) or 12GB (128GB / 256GB)
- Google Pixel 4: 6GB RAM
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 6GB RAM
- Apple iPhone 11: undisclosed
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: not disclosed
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: not disclosed
Analysis: There is nothing to talk about here, except for the fact that you are locked in your memory this time; no extra memory even if you have a phone with a lot of memory. (However, if you need to do to 16GB on a smartphone?)
Storage
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: 128GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: 128GB / 512GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 256GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 256GB / 512GB
- Samsung Galaxy S20: 128GB
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: 128/256/512 GB
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 128/256/512 GB
- Google Pixel 4: 64GB / 128GB
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 64GB / 128GB
- Apple iPhone 11: 64GB / 128GB / 256GB
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: 64GB / 256GB / 512GB
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: 64GB / 256GB / 512GB
Analysis: Quirky allocation considering 128GB doesn’t seem like much and 512GB is too much for most people. We think 256GB is the sweet spot, but you can only achieve this on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra using an optional microSD card. The specified expansion slot is missing on the Galaxy Note 20, so 128GB is all you need, period. Unless you’re a big fan of apps or videos, this should be fine, but 256GB still seems like the best option for the middle of the road.
Rear cameras
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: triple ultra-wide 12 MP, wide 12 MP and telephoto 64 MP
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: triple ultra-wide 12MP, wide-angle 108MP and telephoto 12MP (with laser autofocus)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: triple ultra-wide 16 MP, wide 12 MP and telephoto 12 MP
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: Quad 16MP Ultrawide, 12MP Wide, 12MP Telephoto and DepthVision Camera
- Samsung Galaxy S20: triple ultra-wide 12 MP, wide angle 12 MP, telephoto 64 MP
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: four 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide, 64MP telephoto and DepthVision camera
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: four 12MP ultra-wide, 108MP wide, 48MP telephoto and DepthVision camera
- Google Pixel 4: 12.2MP primary and 16MP telephoto
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 12.2MP main and 16MP telephoto
- Apple iPhone 11: dual 12-megapixel ultra-wide and wide-angle
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: triple ultra-wide, 12MP wide-angle and telephoto
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: triple ultra-wide, 12MP wide-angle and telephoto
Analysis: I try not to worry about camera specs until I see people more patient and skillful than me taking all kinds of comparative photos. That said, that’s an absurdly high megapixel count for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s standard wide-angle lens. However, it doesn’t really mean anything on paper; I’m more worried about focus speed, how well the camera takes photos in low light (with f / 1.8 aperture for both wide-angle lenses), and how much better the Note 20 Ultra’s laser autofocus helps you photograph – especially since Samsung’s previous flagship. The Galaxy S20 Ultra had consistent focusing issues .
By the way, Samsung has a more subdued Space Zoom feature on the Note 20 (down to 50X compared to the 100X version found on the Galaxy S20 Ultra). I’ve never played around with this setting because any such large zoom will invariably look terrible, but I’m curious to see if such a reduction actually improves the quality to a reasonable degree.
Video recording
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: 8K @ 24fps (and 1080p up to 120fps)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: 8K @ 24fps (and 1080p up to 120fps)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 4K @ 60fps 1080p @ 60fps; 720p @ 30fps
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 4K @ 60fps 1080p @ 60 or 240 fps; 720p @ 30 or 960 fps
- Samsung Galaxy S20: 8K @ 24fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p @ 240fps slow motion
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: 8K @ 24fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p @ 240fps slow motion
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: 8K @ 24fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p @ 240fps slow motion
- Google Pixel 4: 4K @ 30fps 1080p at 30, 60 and 120 fps; 720p @ 240fps (rear camera). 1080p @ 30fps (front camera)
- Google Pixel 4 XL: 4K @ 30fps 1080p at 30, 60 and 120 fps; 720p @ 240fps (rear camera). 1080p @ 30fps (front camera)
- Apple iPhone 11: 4K @ 24, 30, 60fps 1080p at 30, 60, 120, or 240fps; 720p @ 30fps (rear camera). 4K at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second; 1080p @ 30, 60, or 120 fps (front camera)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: 4K @ 24, 30, 60fps; 1080p at 30, 60, 120, or 240fps; 720p @ 30fps (rear camera). 4K at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second; 1080p @ 30, 60, or 120 fps (front camera)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: 4K @ 24, 30, 60fps; 1080p at 30, 60, 120, or 240fps; 720p @ 30fps (rear camera). 4K at 24, 30 or 60 frames per second; 1080p @ 30, 60, or 120 fps (front camera)
Analysis: Does anyone really need to shoot 8K video right now? It looks more like a “because we can” update than anything else.
Price
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20: $ 999 (128GB)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: $ 1,299 (128GB) 1449 (512GB)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10: $ 949
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: $ 1,099 (256GB) $ 1,199 (512GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S20: $ 999 (128GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 +: $ 1,199 (128GB) $ 1,299 (512GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: $ 1,399 (128GB) $ 1,499 (512GB)
- Google Pixel 4: $ 799
- Google Pixel 4 XL: $ 899
- Apple iPhone 11: $ 699 (64GB) $ 749 (128GB) $ 849 (256GB)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro: $ 999 (64GB) $ 1,149 (256GB) $ 1,349 (512GB)
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: $ 1,099 (64GB) $ 1,249 (256GB) $ 1,449 (512GB)
Analysis: I have no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the best smartphone on the market, at least considering the features you get. If price doesn’t matter and you don’t mind the bloat (or Bixby), you won’t find a phone that has more right now. Ideally, its camera (and focus) is significantly better than what we saw on the Galaxy S20. That in itself seems to be worth buying over Samsung’s previous flagship.
However, is the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra the right phone for you? This is a more important question. Considering we’re so close to launching the Google Pixel 5 – a device without further ado that brings you the latest Android updates as soon as Google releases them – I wouldn’t pre-order until I have at least seen Google’s offer being evaluated. …
At the very least, I’m guessing most people don’t buy a top-tier smartphone, especially in these crazy pandemic times, so it’s possible that a much cheaper offer from Google might be all you need for your next device.
I’m not worried about the performance of the new Galaxy Note 20 phones; I’m sure they are fast enough and they look amazing. That said, my Pixel 3 XL is still fast enough for all the day-to-day tasks I use it to do, and I don’t often care about the insane screen quality for a 6-inch display (especially since my phone carrier throttles). anyway my YouTube performance on mobile, so the great display doesn’t bother me in my daily life).
This analysis is very similar to me, me, me, but I think this is the thought process that you should go through when testing your next device. The $ 1,500 phone is priced in “decently well-equipped” notebook territory – by comparison, it’s more expensive than the latest MacBook Air. I’d rather have a sane Android device, a practical, simple and decent laptop, rather than one modernized phone that stops receiving major updates after two iterations of Android.
Again, if money doesn’t matter, the $ 1,449 Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the best phone. But we’ve reached a point in smartphone development where the devices currently in production are fast enough and good enough for whatever you do. I bet the Galaxy Note 20 will still outperform the upcoming Google Pixel 5 in overall specs, no questions asked, but will it be enough to cost, say, the extra $ 500-1000 you can spend? Only you can really decide this for yourself.
It seems to me that I would prefer a cheaper Pixel 5 than a slightly watered-down Galaxy Note 20 if the camera quality is on par with one device over another. As for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the $ 1,300 starting price for just 128GB of storage is heading into picky territory. I’m worried that its cameras have too much in common with the Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup. And it wasn’t great. In fact, I would say the Google Pixel 4 XL is just as good for photography versus the S20, if not slightly better than Samsung phones, with a starting price of just $ 900 (actually $ 1,000 since you’ll need at least 128 GB memory). storage).
What about 5G? Fur. Don’t buy a phone just because it offers 5G. You could probably live another year without worrying about it (and how it affects battery life if you use it constantly). I’m only worried about 5G if I buy something that I know I will be using in the next few years; otherwise, it just doesn’t matter yet.
I guess you probably won’t need a Galaxy Note 20 unless you need a stylus. I would have preferred a higher resolution Galaxy S20 screen that can run at 120Hz. And if you’re considering the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, I’d wait for the reviews to really appreciate the camera setup. If not, a smarter alternative might be a feature Android phone that doesn’t cost the price of a laptop, like the Pixel 5 (assuming it’s not terrible) or the OnePlus 8 Pro.