Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra packs a variety of spectacular options together with an enormous, vibrant display screen, the S Pen stylus, superfast 5G connectivity and a gorgeous design. That all makes it an outstanding telephone for high-flying enterprise varieties, however how does it fare on a rugged images journey on a distant island? To discover out, I took it to the gorgeous Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, and located that the Note is greater than only a enterprise instrument. Read extra: How the iPhone 12 Pro’s digital camera compares to the Note 20 Ultra

Cut via the chatter
Subscribe to CNET’s Mobile e-newsletter for the most recent telephone information and evaluations.

Here’s what I appreciated. Awesome 5x zoomIt’s a on condition that the Note 20 ought to be capable to take cracking pictures in its commonplace zoom mode. And it does — they’re vibrant and vibrant and full of element. But it is the zoom expertise that I actually liked on my journey. The 5x optical zoom let me get wildly completely different compositions in my photos which might be merely out of vary of the 2x zoom on the iPhone 11 Pro. Taken from the ferry going to Mull, I used to be ready to make use of the 5x zoom to get an important shot of this lighthouse.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
It’s nice for panorama images. Instead of simply taking a wide-angle shot of every thing in a scene, I may zoom in and concentrate on sure parts, capturing a extra intimate shot. The photos themselves are pin-sharp, too, and it really works fantastically for video.
I shot a video diary of my time in Mull, explaining the place I went and what I search for in my panorama images. Every little bit of footage in it was shot on the Note 20 (principally in 4K decision) and it was the zoom expertise that elevated my photographs to a extra cinematic degree than I could in any other case have gotten. Which brings me on to…Stabilized photographs, even when zoomedZooming in on a DSLR with an extended lens usually means a variety of shaky photographs, and often requires a sturdy tripod. The Note 20’s improved optical picture stabilization labored effectively nonetheless, smoothing out any shaking from my fingers, and being so easy after I filmed as I used to be strolling that it appeared prefer it was shot utilizing a stabilizing gimbal. Using the super-wide lens, I used to be in a position to seize this dramatic shot of the Eas Fors waterfall cascading into the ocean.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
It’s an enormous assist whenever you’re capturing zoomed in, when any shaking might be much more noticeable. Here although, the telephone was in a position to lock onto objects in a scene and hold them locked in body. There have been a number of scenes in my video the place it struggled slightly — often when there is not an apparent level to “lock on” to — however the footage was simply stabilized digitally in Adobe Premiere Pro.Massive showThe sheer dimension of the 6.9-inch show on the Note 20 makes it sensible for capturing pictures and video because it’s really easy to compose your photographs. It’s vibrant too, that means it was simple to see even beneath the brilliant sunshine I had for a number of moments on my journey.My trip for the journey: the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, with a TentBox pop-up tent on high. Great enjoyable, and a fantastic shot from the telephone.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
It’s additionally an enormous profit in relation to modifying my photos, as it is simpler to vary sliders in Adobe Lightroom Mobile on an even bigger display screen. I edited photographs taken each from the telephone itself, and ones I’d imported from my Canon 5D MkIV, and whereas I’d additionally taken my 12.9-inch iPad Pro ($949 at Amazon) for modifying, I discovered it simpler to only sit again with the Note 20. It additionally made watching downloaded Netflix exhibits far more satisfying whereas I used to be brewing my morning espresso on an MSR tenting range. S Pen makes picture modifying a dreamIt was additionally throughout the modifying that I actually discovered use of the S Pen. Adjusting small sliders in Lightroom will be finished extra precisely utilizing the high-quality tip of the stylus, moderately than jabbing with a finger. It’s additionally far simpler to “paint” in results, comparable to selectively lightening or darkening elements of a picture, utilizing the stylus in a lot the identical method I might use my skilled Wacom graphics pill at residence. Using the stylus for extra accuracy, I used to be in a position to paint in additional mild on these previous boats to assist them stand out from the scene.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The draw back is that it is tiny and when you do not push it again into the slot on the underside of the telephone, you are nearly assured to lose it. On one event it managed to flee and fall down the facet of the driving force’s seat of the Jeep Wrangler I’d borrowed for the journey. I did not discover at first and it took a while for me to fish it out. From then on I made certain it was additionally totally clicked again inside earlier than placing the telephone away.It’s harder than it seemsThe glass again and tender gold shade of the telephone makes it appear to be a little bit of a poser’s telephone. Something that appears luxurious sitting on the desk of a pleasant cocktail bar, however would not put up with a lot abuse. In truth, it is much more strong than it seems. It took at the very least three tumbles to the bottom — one among which was onto a rocky pathway, and neither the show nor the glass again confirmed any cracks. The super-wide lens performed a corker right here, capturing a stunning shot on this conservatory-cafe, regardless of the blended lighting situations.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The factory-installed display screen protector is closely marked from the abuse it acquired, however the show itself is ideal and a alternative protector would make the telephone look as new. The IP68 score additionally meant that it had no drawback preserving the water out on the numerous instances I shot footage within the rain, or being often drenched in water as I took a small boat journey out to the tiny island of Staffa. I’m stunned at how effectively this telephone withstood the calls for of my island journey, notably because it wasn’t even in a case, which it most actually would have been had I’ve spent my very own cash on it.It wasn’t all upside, although. Here’s what I did not like in regards to the Note 20 Ultra.Battery life could possibly be higherUsing the telephone to shoot a variety of 4K video footage with the display screen brightness on max is an immense drain on energy. But nonetheless, I used to be stunned at how shortly the telephone appeared to suck away the juice, requiring a recharge from a cellular energy pack within the midafternoon, regardless of having been totally charged at 9 a.m. that very same day. Another success with the 5x zoom lens, this time getting used to border a fairly composition with the colorful homes within the harbour of Tobermory.I discovered myself having to be increasingly more sparing of after I used it and stored it in airplane mode to make sure that energy wasn’t being needlessly squandered on looking for nonexistent mobile sign (Mull is one thing of a blackspot, signal-wise). Video microphones choose up wind noiseBeing fairly an uncovered island within the Atlantic ocean, it is no shock that the island can get very windy. I recorded my video utilizing solely the built-in mic and deliberately did not use an exterior microphone with wind-shield to see the way it performs. In extraordinarily sturdy winds I did not even trouble making an attempt to report myself speaking on digital camera as any microphone would have failed. But even when the wind appeared light, lots of my clips nonetheless suffered from wind noise. As a end result, I recorded a lot of the dialogue in my movie as voiceover at residence, with just a few of the less-affected photographs left in. You can nonetheless hear wind noise within the movie although and it is a disgrace that a number of the clips I shot needed to be utterly discarded. If you need to use the Note 20 as a vlogging digital camera, be sure you put money into a microphone that may plug into the USB-C port.