T-Mobile unboxes Samsung's latest 5G Galaxy Note models
Unless you've been off the grid and just returned, you probably know that Samsung unveiled some new phones today including the Galaxy Note 20 5G, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G. And as is its wont, the nation's third-largest wireless provider turned to its Creative Content Director Des Smith to host an unboxing. The theme of the nearly four-minute video is "HUGE" such as the huge 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch screens found on the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G respectively.
Watch the 50x Space Zoom make the Space Needle appear closer
On the box there is an image of the S Pen and inside is the usual documentation that no one ever reads (but should), the phone, an S Pen, a T-Mobile SIM card, a 25W fast charger, and a USB-C cable. Thanks to the 20:9 aspect ratio, the phones are tall and thin which is something that you can see immediately when Des picks up the Galaxy Note 20 5G.
The Galaxy Note 20 5G carries a 6.7-inch FHD+ Infinity-O flat display which includes a 10MP punch-hole selfie camera. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G sports a 6.9-inch curved Infinity-O display with a QHD+ resolution and the same punch-hole 10MP selfie snapper found on the lower-priced model. The premium unit features a 120Hz refresh rate; this means that the screen is updated 120 times per second providing smoother scrolling and enhanced animations.
Des uses the famed Space Needle in T-Mobile's home city of Seattle as a backdrop to show off the 50x Space Zoom available on the premium unit. The landmark is 2.5 miles away from the phone, but you wouldn't know it thanks to the feature. The standard model weighs in with a 30x Space Zoom and both devices are equipped with Pro Video. The latter allows you to customize the settings for your videos including the White Balance, ISO, and more.
T-Mobile shows you how the different color options look on the Galaxy Note 20 5G (Mystic Green, Mystic Brown, and Mystic Gray) and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (Mystic White, Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black). With both phones supporting sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G (and a 20Hz refresh rate in the case of the "Ultra" variant), a huge battery is needed for both phones. A 4300mAh capacity battery is found in the Galaxy Note 20 5G while a 4500mAh battery is included with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. Speaking of batteries, Des shows how one can place his or her new Note face down and use the back panel as a wireless charging pad to replenish the battery on the Galaxy Watch 3. The feature can be used on any device that supports Qi wireless charging and while it is nice to help out a friend whose device is running low on power, keep in mind that the power you are sharing comes from your own battery.
Android 10 is pre-installed along with One UI 2.5. The latter puts touchable elements closer to your fingertips. As Des notes, Samsung's proprietary UI "makes it easy to do things like messaging or menu navigation right from the lowest third of the screen where you can reach it easiest." The new S Pen has a pen-on-paper feel to it even making the scratching noises that you hear when scribbling with a real pen on a real piece of paper. T-Mobile's Smith says that the latest iteration of the digital writing instrument is more responsive, and shows an example of how his "chicken scratch" can be read by the handset and converted to text.
And Des goes nuts over the gaming experience on the new Notes. As he puts it, "With the nearly edge-to-edge screen, incredibly fast refresh rate (on the Ultra only, Des!!!), powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Note gaming experience is absolutely amazing." Pre-orders begin this Friday at 8 am ET and the phones will be in T-Mobile stores on August 21st. Buy a Galaxy Note 20 5G from T-Mobile and get $1000 off a second qualifying Galaxy smartphone of equal or lesser value when you add a line. This is accomplished via 24 monthly bill credits.
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