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After months of waiting and scouring the Web for rumors, the official Samsung Galaxy Note 20 announcement is finally here! As expected, we get a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for the no-limits poweruser, and a Galaxy Note 20 for the more practical person who still wants an S Pen and some of the best cameras Samsung has to offer.
The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will release on the 21st of August. You can pre-order them right now — the Galaxy Note 20 starts at $999, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is $1,299 and up. Here's where you can shop:
Let's not drag this along for too much, here's what the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are all about:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra design
Stark, rectangular, yet elegant. The Note phones have always had more defined lines and corners as compared to the Galaxy S phones. It kind of goes with their "Notepad-like" ideals and shows a more serious tone. Both the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra have a contemporary, premium style — the Ultra is your typical glass sandwitch, but the back panel how has a soft matte finish. The Note 20 is dressed in polycarbonate, which mimics the look and soft touch of the matte glass. Both rock super-thin bezels around their displays and impressive-looking camera modules on their backs.
Instead of the flashy Aurora colors of the 2019 Notes, Samsung went for more mature, subdued colors this time around. The Note 20 Ultra comes in black, white, or a new bronze color, which we believe will be the most popular one. The Note 20 comes with the same bronze, then a cool-looking green color, and a stealthy gray.
Note 20 Ultra and Note 20 colors
They do not differ much in size — the Note 20 Ultra measures at 3.03 x 6.49 x 0.32 in (77.2 x 164.8 x 8.1 mm), while the Note 20 is only slightly smaller at 2.96 x 6.36 x 0.33 in (75.2 x 161.6 x 8.3 mm). Obviously, they are both packed to the brim with powerful internals and battery to keep them juiced — the Note 20 Ultra weighs 7.7 oz (208 g) and the Note 20 is slightly lighter at 6.8 oz (192 g).
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Another notable difference between the two — while both have a back panel that arches towards the edges for ergonomics, only the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has an edge display on the front. The Note 20 sports a more classic flat screen, which will please those who are not fans of the curved screen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra display
Of course, both phones have AMOLED panels, but the Note 20 Ultra does have its specs dialed to 11. So, in terms of resolution, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 1440 x 3200 WQHD+ screen, while the Note 20 has a 1080 x 2400 FHD+ panel. That's 393 pixels per inch on the Note 20 and an insane 511 PPI density on the Note 20 Ultra.
But while the resolution is not an issue — it's plenty sharp on both phones — it's only the Note 20 Ultra that gets super-high refresh rate. The Ultra's AMOLED screen has a 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate, while the Galaxy Note 20 will be stuck on 60 Hz.
The displays go almost edge-to-edge thanks to super-thin bezels and only have a tiny punch-hole at the top center for the selfie camera. A design aesthetic that we're all pretty much used to by now.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra specs
The Galaxy Note has always been the "spec king". The Note 20 Ultra is — of course — the most powerful Note to come, with a 3.0 GHz octa-core processor, built on a 7 nm process, a choice of 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM and storage options from 128 GB to 512 GB with a microSD slot for expansion. The Galaxy Note 20 has a 2.7 GHz, octa-core, 7 nm chip, 8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of storage.
Both the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will support 5G connectivity, but depending on market and location, you may get access to 4G-only models. The 4G Note 20 Ultra will only have 8 GB of RAM but three different storage options, the 4G Note 20 only comes in one flavor — 8 GB / 256 GB.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra camera
The camera modules of the Note 20 phones definitely look like they mean business. The Note 20 Ultra, of course, pushes things to the limit. It has a 108 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 12 MP telephoto camera. Thanks to its elaborate optics, it can achieve 5x pure optical zoom. With software enhancements, we get 50x super res zoom for extreme enhancement.
The Galaxy Note 20 is a bit more modest — it has a 12 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide, and a 64 MP telephoto camera. There's no pure optical zoom here, but a 3x hybrid zoom, and a 30x super res software zoom.
Both camera modules are backed up by optical image stabilization, which improves video recording stability and enhances low-light shots where you need slower shutter settings.
The Galaxy Note 20 series takes things to cinematic levels with 8K video recording at 24 FPS. You have a full pro mode that gives you access to every camera setting — even tweaking the directional audio recording, by adjusting the gain on the three internal microphones.
On the front, it seems we have the very same selfie cameras for both phones — a 10 MP snapper with dual pixel autofocus.
Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra S Pen improved
The S Pen is the Note's signature feature — a Wacom-powered stylus, nested right inside the phone. It has provided realistic writing and drawing experiences to Note fans for years and it gets yet another improvement this year. Its gyroscope and acceleration sensors have been improved to reach reaction times of 8 ms and enhance sensitivity to different movements and tilts, making it feel a lot more natural.
Galaxy Note 20 and Microsoft xCloud
Samsung and Microsoft have been best buddies for a year or so, as the Galaxy products get deeper integration with Microsoft apps and services. Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra users will get a Xbox Game Pass and will be among the first who are able to play on Microsoft's game streaming service — xCloud — when it launches this September!
DeX — wirelessly enhanced
The Samsung DeX is a pretty cool niche feature, that we are happy to see keep evolving. It turns your phone in a mini PC, completely changing the interface into a desktop-like environment — you only need to connect it to an external monitor and keyboard.
In the past, you needed a DeX dock for this. Then, a DeX cable. Well, in 2020 — it's wireless! You can connect your Galaxy Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra to any smart TV (Miracast) and you will get that desktop interface in a pinch.
Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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