After a particularly leaky pre-launch season, Samsung has officially taken the wraps off the Galaxy Note 20. As expected, there are once again two Note 20 variants to pick from: a "standard" Note 20, or the fancier Note 20 Ultra. Both are available in 4G and 5G variants.
The Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra succeed last year's Note 10 family, but the pair are surprisingly different phones. As the name suggests, the Ultra is the more premium of the two. It features a curved 120Hz display and a 108MP primary camera. The Note 20 is a little smaller, has a flat screen running at a lower resolution, and a 64MP primary camera.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, both the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will be available for pre-order from today ahead of an August 21 release date. The Note 20 will start at $1,499 outright, and the Note 20 Ultra at $1,849.
Anyone who pre-orders the Note 20 Ultra will get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live - Samsung's new noise-cancelling wire-free headphones. If you pre-order the Note 20, you'll get Galaxy Buds+ instead.
Pricing is as follows:
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (256GB): $1,499
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G (256GB): $1,649
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (256GB): $1,849
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (256GB): $1,999
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (512GB): $2,199
If you're keen to get your new Note on a plan, the pair are available through Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and Woolworths Mobile.
Telsra and Optus are only offering the Note 20 5G (256GB) and Note 20 Ultra 5G (256GB) models. Vodafone has everything but the 4G-only Note 20 Ultra, while Woolworths Mobile has the entire range.
Customers who pre-order through Telstra on a "medium" plan or better will get a $10 per month discount for their first 12 months.
Customers who pre-order through Woolworths Mobile ahead of August 11 will get a $250 discount, divided across the life of their plan. That works out to be a $10.41 per month discount on a 24-month repayment or a $6.94 per month discount on a 36-month repayment.
Vodafone isn't offering pre-orders online.
Here's a selection of Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G plans:
And here's a selection of Galaxy Note 20 5G plans:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: What's New
The Galaxy Note 20 family don't exactly break the mould, but they improve on the Note formula with some of the new features we saw in the S20 range earlier this year.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra benefits the most. To start, it has a curved Quad HD+ 6.9-inch display, which itself is a little larger than what we saw on the Note 10+ last year. As with the Galaxy S20 family, the Note 20 Ultra has a 120Hz panel. A conventional smartphone has a 60Hz refresh rate. This means the screen on a conventional smartphone can display 60 images per second, versus 120 images per second on Note 20 Ultra. This in turn makes all motion look that little bit smoother.
There's also a few familiar features when it comes to camera. Much like the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Note 20 Ultra has a 108MP primary camera. This has however been paired with a new laser autofocus module, which should hopefully address the focusing issues that marred the S20 Ultra camera. The 108MP primary lens is joined by a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 12MP 5x telephoto lens. The telephoto lens also facilitates 10x hybrid zoom, and 50x digital zoom, which is a little more restrained than the 100x zoom we saw on the S20 Ultra.
While the Note 20 shares most of its name with the Ultra, it's ostensibly a very different device. The 6.7-inch display is flat, runs at a 1080p resolution, and has a standard 60Hz refresh rate.
The camera setup is also pretty different. On the back of the standard Note 20 you'll find a 12MP primary lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 64MP telephoto lens capable of 3x hybrid zoom and 30x digital zoom. This telephoto lens setup Is similar to what we saw on the S20 and S20+.
Oddly, the Note 20 body is made from plastic, as opposed to glass. Plastic backs are still common when it comes to more affordable smartphones, but it's a pretty unusual choice for a phone that starts at $1,499.
Here is a full breakdown of how the pair compare:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specifications
| Galaxy Note 20 | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.7-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED |
| Resolution | 1080p at 60Hz | Quad HD at 120Hz |
| Rear Cameras | 12MP + 64MP + 12MP | 108MP+ 12MP + 12MP + Laser AF |
| Front Camera | 10MP | 10MP |
| Processor | Exynos 990 | Exynos 990 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB or 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB | 256GB or 512GB |
| Battery | 4,300mAh | 4,500mAh |
| Water-Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| 5G | Optional | Optional |
| Material | Plastic | Glass |
| Price | From $1,499 | From $1,849 |
Of course, it wouldn't be a new Note without S Pen improvements. The Note 20 S Pen has a 40% improvement when it comes to latency, and the Note 20 S Pen has an 80% boost. In both cases, this should mean doodling with the S Pen should feel a little more like writing on paper. In addition, Samsung says the phones feature improved handwriting recognition, which can turn your messy writing into better penmanship.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is available in a choice of Mystic Black, Mystic White, and Mystic Bronze, while the Galaxy Note 20 is available in a choice of Mystic Grey, Mystic Green, and Mystic Bronze.
Alex Choros
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