Samsung Note 20 launch

Yesterday saw the latest tech unveiled by Samsung at their first virtual Unpacked event. Amongst other announcements came the confirmation of what all the tech rumour sites have been suggesting for a while now – a new duo in the Galaxy Note family. The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are both 5G devices, as we’d expect now from all major flagship launches.

As always, the team at the popular review site, Tech Radar, have had early hands-on access to the new devices and have a few findings which we’ll share with you.

If you’re considering a Note for the first time, it’s important to be aware of its size. This isn’t a small phone, and most users choose it because of the stylus and larger screen. Even though the New Note 20 Ultra is the bigger of the two, the standard Note 20 is still pretty sizeable with a 6.7” display compared to 6.9” for the Ultra.

These are premium smartphones, and the prices reflect that. SIM free guide prices for the UK are £949 for the Galaxy Note 20 5G with 256GB of storage. There is a 4G only variant for £849. Even if the price seems steep, the Note 20 is still far more affordable than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The ‘cheapest’ variant of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra costs £1,179 for 256GB of internal storage. If you want more storage there’s a variant of the Ultra with 512GB that costs £1,279.

DISPLAY – NOTE 20

The display for the Note 20 actually shows a couple of surprising downgrades compared with last year’s Galaxy Note 10. For starters, unlike on that phone the screen isn’t curved at the sides, instead sitting flush with the top edges at the left and right.

The other surprise is that the Galaxy Note 20 display only has a standard 60Hz refresh rate display where a lot of other top-end phones – including all three Galaxy S20 phones and the Note 20 Ultra – have been upgraded to 120Hz.

That means the display refreshes quicker on those other handsets, for a smoother experience when you’re gaming or scrolling through your social media feeds. If you haven’t used a 120Hz display before then you won’t notice much of a difference, but it feels like a major omission from Samsung for such a high-priced phone.

The display has a Full HD resolution, which isn’t as high spec as the QHD Galaxy S20 range either, but it’s suitable for watching videos and more. Overall though, the display isn’t what it could have been given the strides Samsung has taken recently in making some of the best screen tech you’ll find on a phone.

NOTE 20 ULTRA

Make no mistake, this is an exceptionally large phone! It has a 6.9-inch screen, and the front of the device is pretty much all screen, so that’s nearly the overall size of the handset too. It will require the use of both hands at most times, even if your hands are big!

The screen itself is amazingly bright, with a Quad HD resolution of 3088 x 1440 and curved edges at the sides. The display has a 120Hz maximum refresh rate. That means the screen will refresh quicker than your older phone to give you a smoother picture, whether you’re watching a movie, playing games or simply scrolling your social media feeds.

The refresh rate is adjusted dynamically depending on what you’re doing, so your phone will decide when to max out at 120Hz, and when to dial the refresh rate back in order to save battery.

STYLUS & CASING

The S Pen stylus is housed on the left-hand side of the Note 20’s bottom edge. That’s a switch from the right on more recent Note phones, so if you’ve been using one of those you may find that muscle memory has you reaching for the wrong side to pull the stylus out initially.

Samsung has brought a few minor improvements to the S Pen for the Note 20 series, and these include additional gestures for controlling particular functions, as well as an improved latency and a nib that should allow you to write more accurately and quickly.

The rear of the phone is made of glass, which feels more premium than the ‘Glasstic’ (Polycarbonate) material used on the Galaxy Note 20, and the edges of the device are aluminium. If you’ve used a recent Galaxy Note device you’ll find that these edges are a little less rounded than before, but the device still fits comfortably in your hands with a little stretch.

CAMERA AND BATTERY – NOTE 20

More detailed trials of the camera will emerge once the handset have been in the market longer for more detailed reviews, however the camera setup on the Galaxy Note 20, seems to be every bit as impressive as those on the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus range.

The rear array comprises a 12MP f/1.8 main, 64MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide cameras.

The main camera isn’t as powerful as the 108MP version on the Note 20 Ultra – it’s a similar story with the main cameras on the Galaxy S20 and S20 Ultra – but it performed well in Tech Radar’s first round of testing. Shots are detailed, clear and have solid colour saturation that you’d expect from a top-end Samsung.

There’s a 4,300mAh battery inside the Note 20, which should keep the handset powered for a full day. The Note 20 only features 25W fast charging, rather than topping out at 45W, like the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 10 Plus. So while you’ll be able to charge up your phone reasonably quickly, you’re by no means getting the fastest charging tech available. On the plus side, 15W fast wireless charging is supported and wireless power share for reverse wireless charging is here, too.

NOTE 20 ULTRA

As with most recent Samsung phones, the rear array comprises three cameras. This time, it’s a 108MP f/1.8 main camera, 12MP f/3.0 telephoto and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, which on paper sounds less impressive than the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

In Tech Radar’s initial testing, the Note 20 Ultra seemed to offer similar image quality to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, albeit without the 100x ‘Space Zoom’ and with a slightly wider telephoto aperture.

On the front of the phone is a 10MP selfie camera, similar to the front camera on the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus. On the Note, you can trigger selfies remotely with the S Pen, which is a perk for some people.

The Note 20 Ultra contains a 4,500mAh battery, slightly larger than the Note 20. Again, as per the Note 20, the Ultra only supports 25W fast charging.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The handset is running Google’s Android 10 operating system with Samsung’s own One UI 2.5 overlay on top, so it’ll look similar to current Samsung phones, and not too dissimilar to stock Android on many other phones.

The Note 20 should get the Android 11 update later in the year when the latest version of Google’s software is rolled out, although it should be noted that Samsung isn’t always the fastest at bringing software updates to its devices.

VERDICT

The standard Samsung Galaxy Note is no longer the brand’s top phone. After 2019’s introduction of a Plus model, and this year’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the standard Note 20 isn’t as exciting as some will want but it looks to be a solid option nevertheless.

If you want a Samsung device that comes with the S-Pen stylus, or that large screen, but you don’t want to lay down a huge amount of cash, the Note 20 may be just the phone for you.

If, however, you want the very best Samsung has to offer, and can afford to pay for it, you’ll want to look to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or a member of the Galaxy S20 family.

BUSINESS DEALS

We have a range of options for you to upgrade to one of the new Note devices. From traditional handset tariffs where the cost of the phone is incorporated into your monthly tariff charge, to SIM free and SIM Only tariff combinations with flexible handset lease plans. Contact us to discuss your next business mobile upgrade.