LikeGlossy strains, matte bronze finishExceptional display high quality and 120Hz refresh rate5x optical zoom captures sharp photographs in ample lightS Pen creates standout alternatives for utilizing the cellphone
Don’t Like$1,300 is simply too costly proper nowA massive, heavy, awkward phoneUnsightly digicam bump that invitations breakageNote 20 Ultra rocks if you lay it down flat
If you are on the lookout for Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra to be a do-everything cellphone, you will not be upset. Like different Note telephones that got here earlier than it, the Note 20 Ultra is geared toward a rarified group of Android “power users” who need a cellphone with all of the toys and are not afraid of a better price ticket. With the Ultra, there’s loads of each. Samsung saved its finest options for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, together with a extra refined design than the Galaxy S20 Ultra — a cellphone I do not suggest. You’ll discover an distinctive 6.9-inch display, sharp 5x optical zoom digicam and a swifter stylus for annotating screenshots and taking notes. The Note 20 Ultra additionally makes small however important enhancements over the Note 10 Plus, particularly within the digicam realm. Do these options justify the Note 20 Ultra’s value? It begins at $1,300 (£1,179, AU$1,894) for the 128GB model (you may as well purchase it in 512GB). The retail value is a steep ask, particularly if you mix a local weather of deep world recession and mounting unemployment. Add that to the truth that in case your lively work and social life-style has modified in any respect, like mine has, you will not actually reap the benefits of all of the options this cellphone has to supply. Will the Note 20 Ultra nonetheless be the cellphone you need to use post-pandemic, or will a greater improve come alongside by then? Order from Amazon | Samsung | Verizon | AT&T | Xfinity Mobile | T-Mobile | US Cellular | Best Buy
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I’ve at all times loved utilizing a Galaxy Note, for the stylus in addition to the sleekness of the road’s design. The Ultra produces top-notch specs, checks all of the containers, and I need to like it. But for me, it would not completely come collectively, and when it comes to worth, it is a miss. Unless you already know you possibly can’t dwell with out it, it is exhausting to suggest the Ultra for all however probably the most loyal Note followers, or folks upgrading from older telephones. If you get a ok trade-in deal or bundled provide, I feel you may be very happy with the options and efficiency, even when some features, just like the protruding digicam bump, aren’t your favourite. But if you wish to reserve slightly cash this 12 months and save your splurge when you’ve got extra certainty and freedom of motion, there are many glorious gadgets properly under $1,300 that may see you thru till then, together with the Google Pixel 4A, Samsung Galaxy A51, iPhone 11 or 11 Pro and OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro. Read on to study every part from display high quality to pattern photographs from the Note 20 Ultra’s cameras. Scroll to the top for the complete listing of specs in comparison with the usual Galaxy Note 20. Samsung additionally has yet another super-ultrapremium cellphone deliberate for the top of the 12 months: its Galaxy Z Fold 2, which matches on preorder Sept. 1.
Samsung’s Note 20 Ultra 5G is placing from each angle
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Is the Note 20 Ultra’s mystic bronze colour actually all that? Can you continue to see fingerprints? I’m in love with the mystic bronze colour of my Note 20 Ultra overview unit. It’s received a delicate shimmer that to me feels understated and chic, with out shedding a dynamic end. In sure lighting, it seems to be rose gold. The matte end does lots to maintain fingerprints on the again to a minimal — I can barely see them. Switching to the S Pen will instantly hold the display cleaner than typing along with your fingers, however I exploit each enter strategies on the cellphone. Mystic white and mystic black, which I’ve not seen in individual, have shiny glass backings. How good is the display? The 6.9-inch show is superb: clear and sharp, with an method to the 120Hz display refresh charge that is rather more polished and helpful than Samsung’s first try with the Galaxy S20 Plus and S20 Ultra. The default mode is “Adaptive” movement smoothness, which activates 120Hz refresh if you’re scrolling or utilizing options that may reap the benefits of the sooner display. It’ll flip to the 60Hz commonplace when the display is static, saving on battery total. You may toggle to 60Hz if you would like to protect much more. You commerce off massive digicam sensors for an enormous ol’ bump that retains the cellphone from mendacity flat if you put it down.
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Is the Note 20 Ultra’s curve nonetheless related in 2020? I like the fashionable, immersive look of a curved, waterfall edge. But the Note 20 Ultra’s true edge-to-edge show made it exhausting to put the cursor on the edges of the display the place I wished it to go, and I seen — particularly when mendacity down — that gripping the cellphone whereas typing or navigating usually known as up different apps or options unintentionally, or else closed out what I wished to do. Just a little extra grip buffer — or higher contact rejection alongside these edges — would go a great distance. What form of glass protects the digicam and cellphone? Samsung makes use of the brand new Gorilla Glass Victus on the Note 20 Ultra’s back and front. Corning claims the quilt materials can face up to drops as much as 2 meters (about 6.5 toes) and can also be twice as scratch-resistant in comparison with Gorilla Glass 6, which is rated for a 1.6-meter (5.25-foot) fall. But the digicam module, which stands proud from the again, is roofed with Gorilla Glass 6, that means that if the cellphone have been to fall on its again and hit this half first, it might be theoretically extra susceptible to breaking than the remainder of the gadget. (Stay tuned for our upcoming torture check.) I’ve had cracked glass over my digicam lens earlier than and it ruined each portrait shot I attempted taking after. A case may actually assist fill within the empty area and distribute forces within the occasion of a fall.
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What in regards to the Ultra’s large digicam bump? When I first received the overview unit from Samsung, I described the design as siren-meets-cyclops. It’s truly properly styled, nevertheless it’s nonetheless simply too large. The important drawback is that if you place the Note 20 Ultra on a flat floor, like your desk, and begin writing or navigating with the S Pen, the cellphone truly rocks. This has occurred on all of CNET’s overview items. Is the fingerprint reader higher than on different Galaxy telephones? Yes. Fingerprint scanning errors nonetheless occur, however few and much between, and I often get in on the second strive. This makes cell funds lots simpler. My professional tip for the reason that S10 is that this: Enroll your dominant thumb twice, your different thumb as soon as and your dominant index finger as soon as. You have a complete of 4 fingerprint profiles to work with. The Note 20 Ultra has a crisp, vibrant display.
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How is the Note 20 Ultra’s zoom high quality? The cellphone’s 5x optical zoom is basically sharp and produces glorious photographs when there’s ample lighting. I preferred how a tip popped up on display as I took a photograph of a buttery, multilayered croissant, suggesting I shoot at 2x and pull again. Much higher picture. Samsung pulled again from 100x Space Zoom on the S20 Ultra and I’m glad. The 50x zoom on the Note 20 Ultra is sufficient for many makes use of, and far improved with the upper optical zoom output to begin with. Use it to seize scenes you may ordinarily be too distant to get, like a cute canine with its head out the window, a hawk circling overhead or taking pictures a humorous avenue signal. I took this image utilizing auto mode on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
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Here we’re at 50x zoom, the very best the Note 20 Ultra will go.
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What about the remainder of the cameras? Taking photographs with the Note 20 Ultra cellphone was a number of enjoyable. I used to be slightly restricted by the current circumstances with the vary of photographs I naturally wished to take, however I nonetheless discovered photographs I cherished: purple clouds rippling in an impossibly pink summer season sky, a scrumptious picnic lunch and a glowing candle at an out of doors restaurant at night time. Shot in auto mode on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — no filter.
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The Note 20 Ultra has a 108-megapixel digicam function, which helps you to take an in depth shot and crop photographs after the actual fact. My outcomes have been uneven, with a blown out picture of a flower that fully lacked element, to a reasonably profitable shot of a bug that had landed on my shirt. Night mode and selfie high quality have been stable, and I particularly like the brand new selfie filter that permits you to heat up or quiet down the tone earlier than you are taking a shot.
Pro video mode is a Note 20 Ultra unique, and is filled with settings which can be frankly over my head as a result of I’m not knowledgeable videographer. I did like having the ability to change the microphone route, and easily zooming in was a pleasant function, however high quality throughout night time shoots was poor. Keep a watch out for our in-depth Note 20 Ultra versus iPhone 11 Pro Max digicam comparability. A nighttime picture taken with out night time mode from the Note 20 Ultra.
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Note 20 vs. Note 20 Ultra digicam
Galaxy Note 20
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Main digicam
12-megapixel (F1.8, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, 1.8μm, 79-degree FOV, 1/1.76 inch picture sensor)
108-megapixel (F1.8, OIS, 0.8μm, 79-degree FOV, 1/1.33 inch picture sensor)
Ultrawide angle
12-megapixel (F2.2, 1.4μm, 120-degree FOV)
12-megapixel (F2.2, 1.4μm, 120-degree FOV)
Telephoto
64-megapixel (F2.0, 0.8μm, 76-degree FOV)
12-megapixel (F3.0, 1.0μm, 20-degree FOV)
Front-facing digicam
10-megapixel (F2.2, 1.22μm, 80-degree FOV)
10-megapixel (F2.2, 1.22μm, 80-degree FOV)
Zoom
3x hybrid
5x optical
Super Zoom
30x
50x
Laser auto-focus sensor
No
Yes
Video seize
8K
8K
How’s battery life? The Note 20 Ultra’s 4,500-mAh battery is smaller than the S20 Ultra’s 5,000-mAh battery, however lasted for much longer throughout my testing interval. I’m not hotspotting for hours throughout a commute today or going out from early morning till late night time, which makes it tougher to check anecdotally. However, I’d name battery life good, not superb, and it will actually take you thru a typical day. On my heaviest use days, I navigated with Google Maps for about an hour and a half and spoke on the cellphone for over an hour with no important drain. I routinely take two hours of conferences calls whereas on a stroll, with out problem. I’ll replace this overview as soon as I’ve outcomes from our extra formal lab checks in New York. Are there any standout S Pen options within the Note 20 Ultra? Because of the 120Ghz refresh charge, the S Pen writes noticeably sooner. There’s additionally decrease latency total (below 9 milliseconds, in response to Samsung). I additionally really feel my writing is neater. Samsung introduces new options, like handwriting auto-straighten and PDF importing, which I like. The S Pen writes higher and sooner on the Note 20 Ultra.
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Then there are the 5 new air gestures, which felt gimmicky. They’re customizable — a superb factor, however I by no means found out learn how to naturally incorporate them into days spent at house, and your actions need to be gradual and consider to get the gestures proper. My favourite S Pen methods are oldies-but-goodies: Using the S Pen to sketch a conceptMagnifying tiny font on a pageAnnotating something and every partTaking exact screenshots and highlighting simply the precise textual content I need to copy and pasteTaking a selfie by urgent the S Pen button What’s the Note 20 Ultra’s processor like? The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor on my Note 20 Ultra overview unit is, in a phrase, snappy. Extremely quick, completely competent, nothing received in its manner. Benchmarking scores have been additionally top-notch. However, some areas use Samsung’s house-made Exynos 990 chipset, which is identical because the Galaxy S20 line. (The Note 20 Ultra with Exynos additionally has 256GB storage versus the 128GB of my configuration.) I have not had an opportunity to check the Exynos model, however will replace this with perception from my colleague within the UK. Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra specs Galaxy Note 20 vs. Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Display measurement, decision
6.7 inches; 2,400×1,080 pixels
6.9 inches; 3,088×1,440 pixels
Pixel density
393 ppi
496 ppi
Dimensions (inches)
6.36×2.96×0.33 in
6.49×3.04×0.31 in
Dimensions (millimeters)
161.6×75.2×8.3mm
164.8×77.2×8.1mm
Weight (ounces, grams)
6.84 oz, 194g
7.33 oz, 208g
Mobile software program
Android 10
Android 10
Camera
12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto)
12-megapixel (ultrawide), 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing digicam
10-megapixel
10-megapixel
Video seize
8K
8K
Processor
Snapdragon 865 Plus
Snapdragon 865 Plus
Storage
128GB
128GB, 512GB
RAM
8GB
12GB
Expandable storage
No
Up to 1TB
Battery
4,300 mAh
4,500 mAh
Fingerprint sensor
In-screen
In-screen
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
No
No
Special options
S Pen stylus; 5G connectivity; Wireless PowerShare; water resistant (IP68)
5x optical zoom, UWB sharing, S Pen stylus; 5G connectivity; Wireless PowerShare; water resistant (IP68)
Price off-contract (USD)
$1,000
$1,300 (128GB); $1,450 (512GB)
Price (GBP)
£849
£1,179
Price (AUD)
AU$1,499
AU$1,849
First revealed Aug. 18.