Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the latest flagship additions to the company's Note range of super-size smartphones.
Promising "power and productivity", both phones are bigger than the previous generation Note phones, with bigger screens and bigger batteries to match, plus 5G connectivity. But with many undoubtedly top-end tech specs borrowed from the Galaxy S20, which launched earlier this year, some may be disappointed Samsung didn't go further.
The Note 20 has a 6.7-inch FHD+ Flat (2160 x 1440 resolution), 20:9 aspect ratio, 60Hz screen. It’s 10mm taller and a few millimetres wider and deeper, and weighs a not inconsiderable 20g more, than the Note 10.
The Note 20 Ultra blows that out of the water with a 6.9-inch WQHD+ Edge (2560 x 1440 resolution), 19:3:9 aspect, Adaptive 120Hz screen. You can add another 16g to your pocket with this one, plus a few millimetres on each dimension. The main reason for that extra weight is the glass display, the first in the world to use the latest Gorilla Glass 7 (Victus) on the front and back, for extra scratch-resistance. The Note 20 makes do with plastic instead.
In terms of camera and processor, some power users may be disappointed. The Note 20 Ultra borrows the camera tech from the Galaxy S20 Ultra. There’s a 108MP wide lens, as seen on the S20 Ultra, as well as a 12MP telephoto, with 5x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide.
Step down to the Note 20 and you have a 12MP 2PD dual pixel wide lens, a 64MP telephoto lens with a Hybrid 3x zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide. Both feature 10MP 2PD front lenses. All that for a point and click picture of your dinner…
Clearly for serious smartphone photographers there’s plenty to pore over but with the flagship Note 20 Ultra featuring the same cameras as the S20 Ultra, it’s not a game-changer in the snapper department.
Under the hood, in terms of RAM, ROM and removable storage, it’s the same as the previous generation. So you have 12GB and 8GB RAM respectively, the option of 512 or 256GB memory on the Ultra, plus a microSD card slot, while the Note 20 sticks with just 256GB.
The S Pen has had an upgrade, so should prove faster, and there are some clever new Air Gesture features, which allow you to do your best Yoda impression and control the phone without any physical contact with the screen.
Both models get a battery boost, up to 4500mAh and 4300mAh respectively, and there’s USB-C wired and wireless charging on offer.
Elsewhere, there’s no headphone jack, as per the previous generation (no doubt Samsung would love you to use the new Galaxy Buds Live) but there are Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, tuned by AKG. And the phones are dust and water-resistant to the IP68 rating as before.
Last but far from least, the new Galaxy Note 20 phones come in some fresh ‘Mystic’ colours, which we rather like. The Note 20 can be yours in Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze or Mystic Grey, while the Note 20 Ultra is available in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black and Mystic White.
The Galaxy Note 20 price starts from £849 (4G) and £949 (5G), while the Note 20 Ultra 5G is from £1179.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 20: release date, price, leaks and more
