The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, proper, and Note 20 are arresting, however costly. Will they be definitely worth the value?
Richard Peterson/CNET
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G jogs my memory of a determine straight from Greek mythology. With its modern profile, resplendent bronze end (for its signature coloration), and thick digital camera bump on the again staring out like a set of compound eyes, it would not take far more than a look to see this new cellphone for energy customers could be very a lot siren-meets-cyclops.The Note 20 ($1,000, £849, AU$1,499) and 20 Ultra’s ($1,300, £1,179, AU$1,849) seems to be are just the start of the story — and there is much more beneath — together with one genuinely shocking change. But earlier than we go there, it is necessary to grasp the context into which these telephones are coming to gentle. (The Galaxy Note 20 telephones can be out there for preorder Aug. 6 at 12:01 a.m. ET and are anticipated to reach by the official sale date, Aug. 21.)The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world on its head, endangering lives, launching a worldwide recession and throwing into query the necessity for a premium cellphone whose most cost-effective mannequin prices $1,000, which is $50 greater than final yr’s entry-level Galaxy Note 10. But whereas Samsung asks us to think about the deserves of a 5G system with juiced-up cameras and a few options higher suited to the boardroom than the lounge, Google has simply launched a wonderful $349 no-frills cellphone that appears extra in line with these lean and uncertain days.
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The timing is coincidental, however unlucky. Phones can take greater than a yr to cycle by way of the pipeline, so when Samsung’s designers and engineers had been plotting the Note 20 refresh, the characteristic roadmap was effectively established. The Note line has all the time stood for software program and specs that went above and past. While most of the options and updates, like new S Pen gestures tuned to working EnergyPoint displays, will make sense for a post-pandemic world, the state of COVID-19 circumstances at this time types a weak argument for the “normal” actions that benefit such a tool.That is not to say that the Note 20 and 20 Ultra will not have a spot within the who’s who checklist of 2020 telephones, although it is too quickly to know. I spend all day on my laptop computer, however nonetheless usually attain for my cellphone as a second and even most well-liked display screen to learn in mattress, on the sofa or on the kitchen desk once I desire a change of tempo. I exploit cellular funds greater than I ever did earlier than, as outlets in my space eschew money in favor of touchless transactions. And battery life remains to be of the utmost significance as I reconnect with mates and coworkers throughout hours-long walks with simply my cellphone as a strategy to get contemporary air. Samsung, too, says cellular utilization has been up throughout this time.
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First Look: Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra
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The distinction is that, with out an finish to the pandemic in sight, it feels more durable to get on board with a cellphone whose foremost options really feel much less compelling on the outset by dint of the instances. In fact, I hope the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra win me over once I get to check out the assessment items. I hope Samsung’s trade-in and yearly improve packages entice its loyal prospects to improve to a tool which will effectively ship the form of core performance, long-term battery life and pleasing extras that may make a cellphone enjoyable to make use of for years.I’m prepared for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra to persuade me, or no less than attempt their hardest — top-heavy digital camera bulge and all. (Psst. Samsung additionally introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 2 on Wednesday. Although it is certain to price much more than the Note 20, its capacity to remain open whereas folded has me genuinely excited to see extra.)
Galaxy Note 20 vs. Note 20 Ultra: Surprising variationsSamsung eased us into the concept of a extra entry-level Note cellphone in 2019, however this yr, there is a large gulf between the usual Galaxy Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra. (Scroll to the top for the total specs comparability.)
Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are available in a putting bronze shade
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Note 20 Ultra: What that you must knowThe Ultra has a 6.9-inch curved display screen, a extra squared-off form and all of the perks, together with the higher-powered digital camera tech, assist for Google’s Nearby Share by way of its UWB Share (extremely large band) characteristic and a microSD card slot as much as 1TB. The display screen has an choice to flip right into a 120Hz refresh fee, the place every pixel refreshes 120 instances per second, making scrolling liquid-smooth. (We’ll must see how this impacts battery life.)And then there’s that digital camera bulge. Full disclosure: I have not had an opportunity to see both Note 20 in particular person right here in California, however my New York colleague, Richard Peterson, was in a position to deal with and videotape each units, and try to reply my laundry checklist of questions. Attending a digital briefing and poring over our footage, it is clear that from one angle, the Note 20 Ultra seems to be modern and horny. From one other, it is unpleasantly top-heavy in a means that makes my thoughts leap to a case as a necessity to guard the Note 20 Ultra’s digital camera mount. The incontrovertible fact that the digital camera array protrudes so removed from the physique makes this space much more inclined to breaks, cracks and scratches when dropped or dragged alongside a floor — for instance, should you lay the cellphone on its again. We’ll put the Note 20 Ultra’s new Gorilla Glass Victus shielding on each side to the check, however I’ve banged up sufficient cellphone cameras throughout my profession as a reviewer to recommend avoiding that threat in any respect prices.The mystic bronze coloration sports activities a matte end, whereas mystic black and mystic white are shiny glass.That digital camera mount on the Note 20 Ultra is severe enterprise.
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Note 20: Did somebody say plastic?The customary Note 20 has a 6.7-inch flat display screen with no curved sides (a staple on the Note line for years). But here is the clincher — it has a plastic again, which Samsung prefers to name polycarbonate. There’s no microSD card slot (similar as final yr) and small options are lacking. There are stepped-down digital camera specs (together with no professional video mode), a much less superior display screen know-how with no 120Hz refresh fee choice, a smaller battery capability (4,300 mAh versus 4,500 mAh), much less RAM (8GB versus 12GB), and no UWB sharing.Embracing pastel, the Note 20’s mystic inexperienced, mystic bronze and mystic grey tones all include a matte end.The Note 20 shares the identical core specs because the Note 20 Ultra. The 10-megapixel selfie digital camera, new S Pen gestures and Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor are a part of each telephones. But again to the Note 20’s plastic backing: That feels out of character for a cellphone household that is sometimes about showcasing one of the best of one of the best Samsung has to supply. Without having reviewed the cellphone but, a $1,000 cellphone with a plastic again appears arduous to swallow. Maybe I’ll change my thoughts.Note 20 cameras: 108MP, professional video mode, 8K video seizeThe digital camera array is the place Samsung desires the Note 20 telephones, and particularly the Note 20 Ultra, to shine. It’s taken a step again from the ostentation of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which boasted a 100x Space Zoom characteristic and a foremost digital camera able to capturing a 108-megapixel picture, concentrating as an alternative on the concept of cropping in for extra element. Note 20 vs. Note 20 Ultra digital camera
Galaxy Note 20
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Main digital camera
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 digital camera
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
Samsung nonetheless gave the Note 20 Ultra an 108-megapixel digital camera choice — you faucet it to show it on while you need the total decision. When it involves zoom, the Note 20 falls again to 50x zoom, with the Note 20 settling in at 30x. It’s attention-grabbing to see Samsung backtrack like this, however the firm appears to be responding to suggestions that the S20 Ultra was too costly and its 100x zoom wasn’t adequate or helpful sufficient to justify the worth.The Note 20 Ultra has 5x optical zoom, which ought to make images taken in that vary crisper and clearer than utilizing digital zoom alone. We’ll quickly see.Faster autofocus within the Note 20 Ultra can also be designed to present it an edge over the usual Note 20, so you’ll be able to snap images of squirmy pets, amusing facial expressions and flapping hummingbirds quicker, with out lacking the shot. A professional video mode packs in additional handbook instruments and choices for capturing footage, which ought to make aspiring moviemakers glad. This has been considered one of Samsung’s weaker areas for a number of years, in comparison with the most recent iPhone. As with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, each telephones assist 8K video seize. Just remember, it will make video recordsdata monumental on and off your cellphone.Writing is one factor Galaxy Note telephones do finest.
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The Note 20 telephones get new S Pen stylus and word app methodsWhat would the Galaxy Note be with out its stylus? For loyalists, scribbling, navigating and annotating are a part of the cellphone’s appeal. So is the truth that the Notes app lets you do all the above. Here are the latest options for each Note 20 fashions.New S Pen gesture navigation: Pointing the pen tip away out of your physique (and at a distance from the cellphone), press and maintain the stylus button whereas making considered one of 5 new gestures to return, go house, open a latest app or take a screenshot with Smart Select. You may squiggle the pen to seize the complete display screen.The S Pen is extra responsive on the Note 20 Ultra when the 120Hz display screen choice is on.Handwriting recognition will get higher with instruments together with autostraighten. Samsung Notes will get dwell auto-syncing in the end. This will retailer a word within the cloud so that you can entry from every other system — so long as you are signed right into a Samsung account.Attach and time-sync voice recordings. You can get your voice word to sync with what you write so it’s going to play again from the time you point out the phrase.Import a PDF to annotate or spotlight. Instead of printing out a web page or downloading it to signal after which add or ship out once more, you’ll be able to merely mark your signature and export it again once more.Other Note 20 options and goodiesUWB assist for sharing recordsdata like a digital key. Point to share with different Samsung units utilizing UWB. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers you entry to over 100 video games you’ll be able to play on the fly. Samsung’s Microsoft partnership: Drag-and-drop and syncing from Windows units and apps to your Samsung cellphone, together with notes and reminders.Samsung DeX, the imaginative and prescient for changing your pc together with your cellphone, now permits you to join to a different display screen wirelessly to view your content material, say in your TV display screen in your front room. You can pair a Galaxy Note 20 with the brand new Galaxy Buds Live to activate noise cancellation. In the taped demo I noticed, you continue to hear a variety of static and distortion, nevertheless it did lower out interfering conversations.Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra specsGalaxy Note 20 vs. Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Display dimension, 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)
161.6×75.2×8.3 mm
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 digital camera
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 EnergyShare; water-proof (IP68)
5x optical zoom, UWB sharing, S Pen stylus; 5G connectivity; Wireless EnergyShare; water-proof (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